He shook his head as he came closer to us. “Not yet. He’s running a bit late, but he can find his way here just fine. He said he'd meet us at the café.” Then, his eyes moved to me. “Is this her?”
“Yes, this is my daughter.” She smiled at me, standing up and pulling me with her. “Sophia, I’d like you to meet Ted, your new step-father.”
“You can call me Ted,” he said, holding his hand out. “It might be too awkward to call me Dad, and I’m only used to hearing it from my son.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ted,” I said and shook his hand, still sounding a bit dazed.
“Why don’t we all go to the café? I’m guessing you haven’t had breakfast yet.”
Mom released my hand, and ted wrapped an arm around her as we headed toward the hotel’s café. We were seated at a table for four because we were still waiting on my new step-brother, it seemed.
“Can I ask how the two of you met?” I asked.
Mom looked at him with a smile. Their entwined hands were on the tabletop, and I couldn’t help but look at them. I hadn't noticed before, but I saw it then, the ring on my mom’s finger that hadn't been there the last time I saw her a few months ago.
“We met on vacation in the Bahamas. You know that I’ve been lonely since your dad died, and Ted was also married, and his wife died, too, only a little later in life. We met again, and we talked. We figured that the old feelings we had were still there…”
Ted matched her smile. “It was like we fell in love all over again while we were on the island. We talked about our lives for the past twenty years or so, and it turned out we both had kids that went to the same school!”
Mom laughed. “What a coincidence, right? You could have met your new stepbrother without even realizing it! You’re both the same age, too. Ted tells me he resembles him a lot, like how you resemble me.”
Their words were ringing in my mind. I looked over at Ted again. Looking at him more closely, I thought he looked…a bit familiar? My heart started beating faster in my chest. And then, a voice came from behind me, a painfully familiar one.
“Dad? You guys didn’t have to wait for me; you could have just ordered something.”
Oh…shit.
Chapter Eighteen
Elijah
My eyes landed on the table of four, where my dad and two other women sat. The woman that sat beside him, holding his hand on top of the table looked to be in her early forties. She was pretty, with dark hair and dark eyes, and she looked familiar for some reason.
“Elijah!” Dad said, looking up at me with a grin and a wave. “And we weren’t waiting for you; we haven’t been here that long ourselves. Get over here; there’s a couple someone’s I want you to meet.”
I walked over, my eyes falling to the third person at the table. I’d figured out Dad’s relationship with the other woman. By the way, they were holding hands, they were obviously together. Was the girl the woman’s daughter?
“So, who’s the one that I’m supposed to meet today?” I asked, meeting my dad’s grin with one of my own.
“Your new step-mom,” he said. “And her daughter.”
I arched an eyebrow, then looked down where they still had their hands clasped on the table, and I saw the ring on her finger.
“Oh,” I murmured.
I was surprised. Just saying that was an understatement. Dad had been devoted to my mom. She died when I was young, and we celebrated birthday and anniversary together every year until I went to college. I couldn’t just drop my studies and go home, so we did it separately in our ways.
There was hockey, too. Unlike in high school, back home, where we could explain things, and they would understand, college hockey was on a different level. Considering I wanted to go pro, it would be stupid to jeopardize that.
I went to sit down, looking over at the girl beside me, only to freeze when I saw who it was. I couldn’t tell it was her from behind because this was the last place I expected her to be at, but there she was.
Sophia. What the fuck…?
“What… are you doing here?” I asked, my voice going quietly.
Slowly, she turned her head toward me, her wide eyes meeting mine, and for a long moment, we just gaped at each other.
“Elijah…you already know her?” Dad asked, sounding surprised, but pleased.
“Um, yes? We go to the same college we even have some of the same classes…”
I wasn’t sure why I never said the most important part, the fact that we’re dating.
Then again, something told me that wouldn’t be a good idea. There could only be so many reasons why Sophia was at a table with my dad and an older woman who looked to be his partner.
This better not be what I think it is, I thought to myself.
I was still half sitting, and I let myself fall gently into the chair, my eyes never leaving Sophia’s. She seemed a bit dazed, so she obviously had no idea about this until I showed up.
“What exactly is going on?” I asked, not liking being the only one out of the loop.
“Elijah, meet Emma. She’s my wife now and your new step-mom. She and I met while I was on business in the Bahamas, but I knew her back when I was in high school.”
I nodded slowly to the information. Dad was like that, always giving a summary when I wanted to know something. What he said was enough to get me to understand, but now, I was panicking instantly.
“And… Sophia is…”