Saving Sophie: Book Seven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series (17 page)

You belong to me. You’ll die before I let you get away.
She swallowed sheer terror and nodded, remembering Stone’s vow that Eric would never touch her again. “Are you sure—are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure I want to help you.”

“If you decide you’ve changed your mind at any point, we’ll annul our arrangement immediately.”

“I won’t.”

“But if you do—”

“I won’t, Soph.”

“Okay.”

“Give me a couple hours to work a few things out with Ethan and we’ll find an attorney to draw up a prenup.”

Stone was willing to give up so much for her. He was more than entitled to fifty percent of her trust. “I don’t need an attorney.”

“Yes, you do.”

She shook her head. “This house is yours. Everything on this property belongs to you. And I don’t need that much money.”

“I don’t want your money, Sophie.”

“And I don’t want an attorney.”

He nodded. “I’ll talk to Ethan and we’ll go down to the courthouse.”

“Okay.”

Stone sat next to Sophie in the uncomfortable
courthouse chairs while they waited for their turn in front of the judge. The morning had been a whirlwind of phone calls and e-mails while Ethan worked his magic, pulling strings so he and Sophie could apply for their marriage license, get married, and have a copy of the certificate in hand for her new social security card today. Eventually she would need a California driver’s license, but that could wait. The next couple of hours would officially start the ball rolling to get Eric Winthrop the hell out of her life.

Thinking of the pictures he hadn’t been able to erase from his mind, he slid a glance Sophie’s way, looking at her smooth, toned arms, remembering her forearms covered in nasty bruises. She was strong—stronger than she knew—yet delicate and vulnerable all at the same time.

She met his gaze, and he sent her a small smile. She was so pretty in her pale pink sundress with all of that shiny blond hair curled in loose ringlets. Her eyes lit up as she smiled back, and he could only be thankful she was here instead of in Boise, Idaho. He’d had several bad moments throughout the morning, replaying the events of last night. If he hadn’t looked up as she turned the corner at the bus depot… Everything could have worked out so differently. He might not have—

Sophie nudged him.

“Hmm.”

“They’re calling us. It’s our turn.”

“Oh.” He got to his feet, wearing black slacks and a white polo. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” She grabbed his hand as she stood. “I want to be sure you’re—this is so much to ask.”

“I’m ready if you are.” He wanted his name next to hers on a marriage certificate—the sooner the better. Eric the asshole would lose most of his thunder when he realized he was no longer in the running for Sophie’s money.

“Yes, I guess I am.”

“Then let’s go.” He held out his arm, and she locked hers through his, walking with him to the waiting judge and clerk. He glanced from the tall, friendly man with horn-rims to his bride to be. Never had he pictured himself here. If anyone had suggested he’d be getting himself hitched to some gorgeous blond in a mess of trouble, he would have laughed his ass off, but here he was.

“Stone and Sophie,” the judge said.

“Yes,” they both replied at the same time.

The judge started into his spiel about promises, permanency, and exclusivity. “Stone, do you take Sophie to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you forsake all others, love, honor, and cherish her in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad?”

“I will.”

“Sophie, do you take Stone to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you forsake all others, love, honor, and cherish him in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad?”

She nodded, swallowing. “Yes, I will.”

“Now for the rings.”

Stone stared at Sophie, realizing they’d forgotten to buy them.

“A wedding ring is a symbol that has no beginning or end,” the judge continued. “Let your rings remind you of your solemn promises and keep you faithful for all the days of your lives. Stone—”

“Uh.” He looked from the judge to Sophie. “We don’t—”

“Yes we do.” Sophie unfolded her palm, holding two simple silver wire-wrapped rings. “I made them while you were talking to Ethan,” she murmured.

He’d been busy, jumping through hoops, making certain the legalities were in place, and Sophie had been making him a ring. He studied the plain band and couldn’t help but smile as he stared into her eyes.

She smiled back.

“Stone, place the ring on Sophie’s finger and repeat after me.”

He took the smaller of the two identical rings from Sophie’s palm and slid the piece of silver on her finger. “Sophie, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity,” he said after the judge.

“Sophie, place the ring on Stone and repeat after me.”

Sophie slid on the ring. “Stone, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.”

“Now join hands.”

They clasped hands.

“By the power vested in me and the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Stone pressed his lips to Sophie’s, far more chastely than he had early Sunday morning.

“Thank you,” she whispered, touching his cheek as the judge congratulated them and signed off on the paperwork the clerk handed him.

He eased away, looking into her kind eyes, wishing the moment had somehow been more special. He and Sophie had married for nothing more than an arrangement and affection at most, but he could have at least gotten her a bouquet of flowers or something. The entire deal had been so generic and cold. “You’re welcome.”

The clerk took the paper back from the judge. “Mr. and Mrs. McCabe, if you’ll follow me we’ll get this filed right away.”

He blinked with the quick jolt as the clerk called Sophie “Mrs. McCabe.” He, the self-proclaimed bachelor for life, actually had a wife.

Sophie held his gaze a moment longer before they followed the woman to her office.

~~~~

“Just tell Stone to head over,” Abby said.

“Okay. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Sophie juggled her phone, purse, and verification forms as she slid on her sunglasses while she and Stone walked to the Mustang from the Social Security office.

“See you soon.”

“Bye.” She hung up. “Abby wants us to stop by Ethan Cooke Security before we grab my car.”

“Why?” he asked wearily, unlocking his door.

She shrugged. “She said she has something for us.”

He stared her way through the lenses of dark shades. “I wanted to get started on the kitchen. I should be able to get the countertops and cabinetry ripped out if we’re home by one.”

I-dos and kitchen demolition all in one day. She twisted the ring he’d put on her finger more than an hour ago. This definitely wasn’t the wedding day she’d envisioned as a little girl. “How about I take the bus to the office? Abby can give me a ride back to her condo so I can get my car.”

He glanced at his watch. “No, I’ll take you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking the bus downtown.” Why was his rush to get home and destroy the kitchen irritating her? He just did her a life-altering favor. He’d married her for heaven’s sake, and she was getting huffy because he had things to do on his day off.

“Now that you’ve got that ring on your finger you’re not going to turn into one of those nagging, bitchy wives are you?”

His smile faded as she shook her head and turned, making her way toward the bus stop across the parking lot.

Her marriage was a farce. They’d stood in front of the judge, stared into each other’s eyes, and lied. They’d sealed a business deal with a kiss instead of their usual handshake. The whole thing was absolutely absurd. Why couldn’t she laugh off the situation the way Stone was? Today was just any other day.

“Hey. Wait.” He hurried after her, taking her arm. “Don’t get pissy, Soph. I’m kidding. I said I’d take you.”

“There’s no need.” She exhaled slowly, trying to relax. “I’m sorry. I’m a little out of sorts. Go home and get started on the kitchen.”

“I will…after we see what Abby wants.” He held out his hand.

She took it and walked back to the car with him. “We’ll keep it quick.”

“Nothing’s quick when you and Abby get together.”

“Okay, I promise I’ll
try
to make it quick.” She smiled, smoothing his collar. “Let’s give being social a try.”

“We’re not social people.”

She was trying to be, although she was content to spend days without leaving the oasis of his cliff. “We are today. I don’t want to ruin Abby’s fun.”

“We wouldn’t want to do that.” He opened her door.

“You’re a good friend,” she said, ignoring his sarcasm as she got into the Mustang.

“The best,” he murmured before he shut her door and moved around to his side.

Twenty minutes later the elevator slid open on the thirty-fourth floor. They walked down the hall to the Ethan Cooke Security offices, stepping into the lobby. More than a dozen people—Stone’s co-workers and their wives—stood around in casual attire, chatting among ivory balloons, flowers, and a tower of prettily iced cupcakes.

“What the hell is this?” Stone muttered close to her ear as everyone in the room stopped and looked at them.

“I—I don’t know.”

“You made it,” Abby beamed, rushing toward them. “Come on in, guys, and congratulations.” She hugged Sophie, then Stone. “We wanted to do something special for you on your big day.”

Sophie swallowed, giving her friend an uneasy smile. Didn’t Abby understand that this wasn’t a special day? “Thank you,” she said to Abby, extending her gratitude to everyone.

“We’ve got a delicious pasta bar set up in the conference room. Come on, bride and groom, let’s get you some lunch.” Abby took both of their hands, pulling them through the crowd.

“Um, Abby.” Sophie stopped as they neared the empty corner in the large space. “This is so sweet, but—”

“Congratulations,” Austin came over, holding his son in his arms.

“Thanks.” Sophie smiled. “How’s Preston?” She slid her palm over his soft cap of peach fuzz, staring into a beautiful face identical to his father’s, except his eyes, which were so much like Hailey’s.

“Growing like a weed.”

“He’s certainly bigger than the last time I saw him.”

Preston started fussing and sucking at his fist.

“Looks like he’s ready for lunch. I better go find Hailey.”

“Thanks for…” What should she say? Thanks for stopping by? He
worked
here. She glanced at the pretty secretary speaking into her headset at the front desk as business carried on around the party. “Thanks.”

“Here.” Stone walked over to her side, his eyes unreadable, handing her a plate. “Grab some food so we can get this over with.”

She nodded, starting through the line, selecting salad greens, shrimp, and a small portion of fettuccini with alfredo sauce. She ate her meal sitting next to Stone at their designated spot for two, struggling not to feel awkward. “I’m sorry,” she said pushing the pasta around on her dish.

He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“I had no idea.” Everyone had been so sweet to put this luncheon together for them. If she had known Abby had this in mind, she would’ve waited until tonight to call her and tell her what she and Stone planned to do instead of chat while she created two wedding rings. She hated being the center of attention, especially under false pretenses.

“I know you didn’t.”

Hunter, Jackson, and Tucker came over, surrounding the small table with their muscular frames.

“Congratulations.” Hunter bent down and kissed Sophie’s cheek. “We’ve got to head out.”

“Thank you.” She accepted kisses from Jackson and Tucker next before the men exchanged handshakes with Stone.

Shane walked over next, crouching down at her side. “Congratulations, crazy kids.”

She smiled, staring into his startlingly green eyes set in his handsome face. She’d never seen eyes so bold and bright before. “Thanks.”

“I hate to eat and run, but I’ve got a meeting in less than twenty. You ready for Sunday?” he asked Stone.

“I’m counting down the minutes with anticipation. Three hundred of Hollywood’s biggest and brightest all together for one big night.”

Shane grinned. “Should be memorable.” He kissed Sophie’s cheek. “Welcome to the family.” He glanced around at the Ethan Cooke Security crew.

She was happy to be a part of this wonderful group of people, but there was a time limit to her belonging. “Thanks.”

Most everyone had cleared out by the time Sophie finished her cupcake. She looked over at Stone as he spoke to Ethan’s assistant, checking his watch for the umpteenth time. She took her plate to the tray where a woman from the catering service gathered dirty dishes. “Thank you. Lunch was delicious.”

“Let me box up the rest of the cupcakes for you, sweetie.”

She wanted to refuse, but that would be rude. “That would be lovely.” She glanced around at the mess on the conference table and the men on cellphones while they tried to work and support their coworker at the same time. Today’s gesture had been amazingly kind, yet the rushed, impromptu luncheon somehow accentuated the farce of her and Stone’s arrangement. She looked down at the simple knot among the twists of metal on her finger and at Stone standing across the room staring at her. Her heart beat faster as their eyes held. The gorgeous man across the room was her husband.

He walked her way. “You ready to head out?”

“Sure. Why don’t I take the bus to Abby’s and grab the car. I’ll only be a few minutes behind you. You can get started on the countertop.”

“I think the kitchen’s going to have to wait until next week.”

“But your appliances—what about the delivery next Friday?”

“I’ll push it back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, and it’s not a big deal.”

She knew how badly he wanted to get to the kitchen. “I could help you when I get home.”

He looked at his watch. “It’s a pretty big mess. Once we start we can’t stop. You can handle the crowbar on my day off next Wednesday if you want.”

“All right.” She would make sure she was available to help.

“Okay. Shoot,” Abby said as she walked passed them while she spoke on her cell phone. “Let me call you back when I figure something out.”

“What’s wrong?” Sophie asked.

“Lily borrowed my car this afternoon. Apparently it decided to die a block away from the office.”

“Borrow my car.”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“Sure you can. I’ll go home with Stone. I’ll drive in with him tomorrow and pick it up then.”

“Are you sure?”

She grabbed the keys from her purse, twisting the car key from the ring. “Absolutely.”

“This is great.” She gave Sophie a big hug. “Jerrod just left, so this is a life saver.”

“I’m glad I can help. Thank you so much for putting this together. It was wonderful.” She hugged her friend again.

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget your gifts.”

“Gifts?” She couldn’t accept presents. “I don’t think—”

“They’re right over there on the table. I’ve gotta go. I have a meeting in an hour. Wren said she’d take me to my office. Now she just needs to bring me a couple of blocks. Call me later.”