Halos and Heroes Ch. 05

"I'm fine, honey. Sorry I bailed on you. Do we need to go back in?"

"No." Brown eyes met mine with tired resignation. "We're good. The rest will be taken care of for us. I just have to get something for Emma to wear. She outgrows clothes so quickly." She looked up at me. "Would you mind coming with us? It shouldn't take long, and Emma seems more relaxed with you around."

I got it. She was one click away from the drop-off point on an emotional roller coaster. I was in the little car right behind hers, but I could hide it better.

Sofia sagged against me when I slung my arm over her shoulders and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

"Sounds good to me."

"I promise it won't be too terrible. Emma hates shopping."

"She's a kid after my own heart."

Sofia smiled, but sadness tightened the edges of her mouth.

"They're great kids. I don't know why Connor never saw that." She fidgeted with the buckle on the strap of her purse. "I considered letting him be buried in Arlington Cemetery. He loved it when we went to DC that one time. I just don't want to put the girls through the trip. They've gone through enough..."

She paused again. Her eyes squinted into half-moons against the sunlight. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Sam? Part of me feels Connor doesn't belong here. I don't know if he ever did."

We shared that opinion, but admitting that would've opened a door I wasn't willing to walk through right now. "I think having the plot here is a good idea. When the girls get older, they might want to visit him."

"Maybe. It's just hard to know what choice to make."

"You're making the right one," I said firmly, taking Sofia's car keys. As I pulled out of the lot and glanced over to check my mirrors, I caught her looking at me with the hint of a smile.

"So you met Padre Santiago?"

It was a simple question, but I could hear layers of curiosity in the lilt of her tone. She'd have to draw her own conclusions. There was no way in hell that I was going to tell Sofia about the PTSD when she was already crumbling beneath the weight of her own collapsed world.

"Yeah, I needed a cigarette break," I lied, trying to look abashed under her disapproving look. "We ran into one another outside and started talking." I paused as a thought occurred to me. "He said he's an Episcopal priest?"

She nodded, answering the unasked question. "I converted from Catholicism to the Episcopal Church after Emma was born. Similar doctrine, but a little more tolerant of all people."

I felt my lips curve into a smile as I read between the lines.

"Thanks, Sofia. You and the girls have always been supportive."

She patted my shoulder. "God doesn't care what I call myself, so I'd rather be around people who don't judge my family for loving whoever makes them happy." The tips of her lashes almost touched the top of her cheekbones as she glanced sideways at me.

"Father Santiago is gay too."

I wasn't expecting that. "Really?"

"Mmhm. He actually told me once that it was one of the reasons he chose the Episcopal Church; he didn't want to have to hide who he was."

"I can understand that."

Her expression softened in sympathy. "Was it that difficult for you in the military?"

I shrugged. "Not really. You know I've always liked keeping my personal life private. Professional discretion became second nature after a while. "

"We have that in common, but he's still insistent that I go to his therapy group." "Didn't Adelyn join his youth group?"

"She did," Sofia affirmed, pulling her hair into a ponytail as I put the windows down. "But Adelyn doesn't talk to me anymore, Sam. If she can open up to someone else, I'm okay with that." She finished tying her hair back and then looked at me. "We should stop at the bakery near the house," she said. "Emma likes the donuts with the pink icing and sprinkles."

"Is Adelyn's favorite still Boston cream?"

Sofia looked surprised I remembered. Hell, I was surprised. But if talking about pastries helped guide me back into my old life, sign me up.

"It is, but I'll grab a strawberry jelly filled, too, just in case she wants to complain about something. She loves both flavors."

"And what about you?"

"An old fashioned." Her smile was self-deprecating. "Plain, just like me according to Connor."

Just like that, we were back to square one.

We pulled out of the parking lot. As we drove, I glanced over, my gaze tracing Sofia's delicate features. Stress made her skin translucent, almost ethereal against the dark curtain of her hair. Just because women didn't float my boat didn't mean I couldn't appreciate that she was a beautiful woman.

"My brother was an idiot."

Sofia turned toward the passenger window so I couldn't see her face. I thought I heard a hint of a smile in her voice though when she said, "Amen."