Page 125 of Forever Fallen

Sophie smothered a laugh as she smiled at Ryan.

“Ben, why don’t you go finish up your homework while I talk with Mom for a bit,” Ryan said suggestively, lacing his fingers with Sophie’s and pulling her towards their bedroom.

“Ryan…” she said in warning. “I’ve got laundry going and you are not going to sweet talk your way around this. I thought we said no soloing until he was eighteen.”

“He was ready, Soph… and I flew with him. The kid’s really good!”

“What am I going to do about Ruby? She is flat out ignoring me and giving me the silent treatment regarding her hair.”

“Soph, she’s going to want to be her own person, you know? We can’t be proud of Ben on one hand and then tell Ruby ‘no’ all the time on the other. It’s hard being a parent and a friend… but if this is what it takes? Let her dye it green – you just pick the shade, okay? No neon green tackiness… pick something dark green so it’s not so ostentatious and will fade back to her light brown hair color.”

“Are you sure? I hate the idea…”

“I know, but she needs to be able to come to us with whatever it is – and this is a small thing in the grand scheme of things,” Ryan smiled. “She could get some hair-brained scheme in her head and marry some guy she barely knows… like her mother.”

“Oh wow… yeah that would be tough,” Sophie began, and then smiled at Ryan.

“Yeah, that guy still that can’t keep his hands off his poor wife, comes up with all these weird rules about having dinner together as a family, drinks hot cocoa like an old man on the porch in the evenings… and seriously wants to make love to you right now.”

He kissed her tenderly, smiling in that soft intimate way that still melted her bones and made her knees weak.

“Every time is like the first time, Soph…” Ryan breathed, his hand cupping her neck as his other hand rested on the small of her back, pulling her close. “I love the magic that we create together.”

“It’s never faded, has it?” she said breathlessly.

“No, never. I’ve fallen more and more in love with you every time I see that beautiful smile, the look in your eyes, and feel you beside me,” Ryan said intimately, kissing her again.

“Always and forever, my beloved Reaper,” Sophie sighed as his lips touched her neck, caressing and kissing her.

“Always and forever, my Soph…”