Sophie was quiet for a moment. "She worries about losing people," she said softly. "She doesn't say it that way. But that's what it is."
"I know."
"And you told her you weren't going anywhere."
"Because I'm not."
Sophie held that, the weight of it settling somewhere deep. Then: "She believed you immediately."
"She usually knows when someone means what they say."
"Yes. She does." A shorter pause. "She's going to be absurdly happy about the wedding. We haven't told her yet and she's already half convinced something is happening. I could see her working it out at the table."
"She was watching us."
"She's always watching. She just makes it look like she's doing something else." Sophie shifted slightly, turning enough to look up at him more comfortably. In the low light, her expression softened, the quiet strength she carried melting into something warmer. Something that belonged only to him. "She's going to want to be involved in everything."
