Chapter 157: The Sweetest Surprise
Chapter 157: The Sweetest Surprise
Sophia’s POV
Laughter.
Music.
The warmth of every person we loved surrounding us.
Tonight was perfect.
And fuck—
I had never felt happier.
Travis was holding me so close it was ridiculous, one arm wrapped possessively around my waist, his free hand intertwined with mine.
The music was soft, slow, something old and classic, and even though we had just spent the last ten minutes dancing, talking, stealing kisses between conversations, neither of us wanted to leave the dance floor.
"You keep looking at me like that, sweetheart," he murmured, his lips grazing the corner of my mouth, "and I might have to skip the rest of this party and take you home right now."
I laughed, leaning into him. "You do realize this is our party, right?"
"Mmm-hmm." His grip tightened slightly, pulling me even closer. "Which means I can leave whenever the fuck I want with my wife."
His wife.
Fuck.
That word.
That word was going to ruin me forever.
"Sophia, we need you over here!"
Leah’s voice broke through the moment, and I turned just in time to see her motioning me toward the center of the garden.
The bouquet toss.
I glanced at Travis, who smirked. "Don’t go too far. I still have plans for you tonight."
I rolled my eyes, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw before walking over.
The crowd had already gathered.
Claire. Leah. My new mother-in-law, looking far too amused.
A handful of other women, all looking like they were ready to fight for the damn thing.
"Alright, alright," Adam called, stepping forward. "Let’s make this quick so we can get to the important part of the night—me getting drunk."
I snorted, adjusting the bouquet in my hands. "You guys ready?"
Excited nods.
Anticipation.
I took a breath—
And tossed.
It all happened so fast.
The bouquet went high, arching through the air—
Straight into Adam’s hands.
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
And then—
Laughter.
So much laughter.
"Fuck, no," Adam muttered, eyes wide as he held the bouquet like it was about to bite him. "Nope. Absolutely not. Take it back."
I grinned, folding my arms. "You caught it. Rules are rules."
"Rules are bullshit," he muttered, glancing around like he was searching for an escape route.
And then—
Before I could react—
He threw the bouquet.
Straight toward Lucas.
Lucas, to his credit, caught it.
Easily.
Smoothly.
Like it wasn’t a big deal at all.
And for a second, he just stood there, turning the bouquet over in his hands, a lazy smirk pulling at his lips.
And then—
Without even looking, he tossed it again.
Directly toward Leah and Claire.
Who—
Somehow—
Caught it at the same time.
More laughter.
More chaos.
Adam was doubling over, shaking his head. "Holy shit, this is the best moment of my life."
Leah and Claire?
Staring at each other.
The bouquet firmly held between them, eyes locked.
And fuck—
The way Lucas was watching Claire?
The way Adam’s expression shifted just slightly toward something softer when he looked at Leah?
I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one who had just witnessed something important.
Before anyone could say anything else, the music shifted again.
The final event of the night.
The moment everyone had been waiting for.
The wedding cake.
And fuck—
I had been waiting for this even more than they had.
The cake was exactly what I wanted—
Dark chocolate and hazelnut, elegantly simple, adorned with fresh freesias and gold accents.
Travis stood beside me, his hand already resting low on my back, his lips curving in anticipation.
"Sweetheart," he murmured, leaning in slightly, "you look like you have something planned."
I smirked, reaching for the knife. "Maybe."
"Should I be worried?"
"Always."
The crowd gathered closer.
Cameras were lifted.
Anticipation hung in the air.
Travis and I moved together, our hands gripping the handle of the knife as we pressed into the first slice.
Cheers.
Applause.
And then—
Right as we lifted the first piece, I turned to him, holding the cake up like I was about to feed it to him.
Instead—
I smiled.
And dropped the words that would change everything.
"You’re going to be a dad."
Silence.
Complete, perfect silence.
Travis froze.
The cake, halfway to his mouth, forgotten.
His expression?
Fuck.
I had never seen him look like that.
His eyes widened, his chest stilled, his grip on the knife tightening slightly.
And then—
In the span of two seconds—
Pure, unfiltered chaos.
"WHAT?!"
Adam’s shout was the first thing I registered.
Followed by a high-pitched squeal from Claire.
Followed by my mother-in-law’s gasp, Leah’s shriek, and Luke’s loud, stunned curse.
But all of it—
Every single sound—
Faded into the background.
Because all I could see was Travis.
He was staring at me.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
Like his entire fucking world had just shifted.
And then—
He dropped the cake.
It hit the table with a soft thud, but he didn’t care.
Didn’t even notice.
Because the next second—
He grabbed my face.
Crushed his lips against mine.
And fuck—
I felt it.
Every emotion, every ounce of disbelief, love, awe, and overwhelming happiness pouring out of him in that single, breath-stealing kiss.
When he finally pulled back, his hands were shaking.
His voice?
Rough.
Unsteady.
Raw.
"Are you fucking serious?" he breathed.
I nodded. "Dead serious, Cole."
His chest rose and fell sharply.
His eyes searched mine.
And then—
"Holy fuck," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
His laugh was breathless, disbelieving, stunned beyond words.
And fuck—
Then he just dropped to his knees.
Right there, in front of everyone.
His arms wrapped around my waist, his face pressing against my stomach, his breath shaky as hell.
"We’re having a baby," he whispered.
And fuck—
That was the moment.
That was the moment I knew this was it.
This was our forever.