When the Stars Fall

Chapter 22

           "Speaking of the devils." Keefe muttered behind Sophie. Sophie was shocked, in utter disbelief. 

Biana walked up to the music stand, "Okay everybody, from now on we'll be taking music suggestions. Let's keep on dancing!" Sophie looked at Biana and nodded, a small thank you for lowering the awkwardness. Alden and Della got to Sophie's parents first. It looked like they were making small talk, she decided to wait until they were done to confront her parents. She walked over to the overflowing present table and waited there casually sipping from her glass of punch. 

"When are you going to tell the rest of the council?" Oralie said in her petite voice, setting down the medium-sized present she was holding. 

"You didn't have to get me a gift, you know." Sophie said moving closer to Oralie, so she could actually hear her over the music.  

"It's the least I could do, considering I wasn't invited in the first place." Oralie said helping herself to some lushberry juice.     

"True. I have no idea, probably when I go back to school, and it's obvious." Sophie grumbled, motioning to her stomach. "It's already getting noticeable." She sighed, remembering what she was going to ask earlier. "How did you know that I was pregnant? And how did you know about the baby shower?" Sophie demanded a bit more firmly than she intended.

Oralie turned to look at Sophie sharply. "I noticed that there was more than 1 emotion that I was detecting. I put the dots together, with you, Keefe and Mr. Forkle whispering before we barged into your house, which was highly inappropriate on our part, I apologize for that. So, yes, that's how I knew. And about your Baby shower, I got Biana to tell me after I told her I knew. You would think that because I'm your biological mother, I would know. So, she believed me." Oralie's last couple sentences were quite passive-aggressive Sophie noted. 

"Hm, well, I'm not mad that you are here. It's more of a shock." Sophie confessed. "Considering my parents," She gestured to Grady and Edaline, "were not as happy with my pregnancy than you are." 

Oralie chuckled at that. "Well, you have lived with them for 8 years or so. I would expect them to be disappointed." She took another swig from her glass. "Considering they're here tonight, I think they're starting to accept having a grandchild." She gave Sophie a soft smile, and that's when Sophie realized, Oralie would be a grandmother as well, but of course Sophie's child wouldn't be able to know that Oralie was her grandmother.

"It's okay." Oralie said just above a whisper. "One day, when I'm not on the Council, I'll be able to enjoy having a child call me grandma." She gave Sophie a sad smile. "I have no idea how the rest of the Elvin cities will react. First, that I am a mother and second, I am also connected with the Black Swan." Sophie had no words for Oralie. She couldn't imagine the amount of wanting that Oralie had. "I'll let you talk to your parents." Oralie gestured to Grady and Edaline, who were standing by the door waiting for Sophie to be done. Sophie didn't have the chance to respond before Oralie was gone. 

"Sophie." Edaline said behind Sophie, also just above a whisper. Sophie whirled around to find that her parents had walked up behind her. "Can we talk?" Sophie nodded and walked closer to them. She noticed that Grady held a small present in his hands. 

"Have you come to strangle Keefe again?" Sophie asked with a chuckle. Grady just looked at her shocked, while Edaline backed a step away, as if she was about to run. "It was a joke. Don't worry." Sophie reassured them. 

"Oh. Okay. Well, how are you doing?" Edaline asked gesturing to Sophie's stomach. 

"Good, good. Morning sickness is a pain in my butt, but overall pretty good." Sophie awkwardly smiled, having no idea what to do or say. 

"And you're staying with Keefe here?" Edaline asked in a small voice. 

"Yes, he built this and asked if I wanted to stay with him. I agreed and it's been great." Sophie said, gesturing around the room which was their main room that was open and that had the floor to ceiling window as a wall pointing to their waterfall filled backyard. "Considering, I didn't really have a home to go to." She said giving her parents the side eye. 

"Listen, Sophie. The way we reacted was terrible. You have no idea how we felt after that." Grady said reluctantly. "We- I shouldn't have done that to Keefe. I- I was just," He sighed and dragged his hand down his face. "We still love you. We just didn't know how to react and used our old habits of anger." He looked at his shoes. 

"We understand if you don't want to talk to us or come back home, but please know that we aren't angry, we were just disappointed. We still love you and hope you can forgive us." Edaline basically whispered. Grady held out the small present, Sophie was too shell shocked to answer. She took the present and opened it right in front of them. "I got a photo artist to paint it. I thought you would like it." Grady mumbled. The present was the memory of when Sophie got adopted by Grady and Edaline, when Sophie CHOSE Grady and Edaline to be her parents. It showed the 3 of them holding up the adoption papers. Sophie started to tear up. She threw her arms around her parents and squeezed them tight. 

"I'm so sorry for disappointing you. I forgive you for your reaction." Tears streamed down Sophie's cheeks as she whispered into her parents ears, "I love you and will never stop loving you." Her parents were crying as well. "Thank you for coming." Her parents squeezed her back and laughed. 

"We love you." They said at the same time. 

Sophie pulled out of the embrace and gestured around the room where people were dancing and talking, "Go enjoy yourselves, I'll be opening the gifts soon!" 

"Where's Keefe? I'd like to speak with him." Grady asked and Sophie eyed him suspiciously.

"I have no idea, last I looked, he was at the punch table with Fitz." She said slowly. Grady headed off into that direction, while Edaline went to talk with Oralie, Della and Juline. 

Sophie started to walk over the circle couch to rest her sore feet. Thankfully, Biana let her wear flats in her long dress, but her feet still hurt. As she was walking, her feet got caught up in her dress, and she started to fall forward tripping on her dress, but before she touched the ground a pair of strong arms caught her. She looked up, and it was none other than Keefe, "Woah there Foster, don't be tripping on us now." Sophie just laughed as he helped her stand up straight.

"It's this dang dress. I told Biana I wouldn't be able to handle it." She sighed. Keefe smiled at her and chuckled. 

"How did the talk with the parents go?" He said solemnly. 

"Good, they forgave me and I forgave them." She said quietly, looking around the room again, her brain turning. "Hey, I think I thought of a name for our house." 

"Calling it our house now, Foster." Keefe smirked. 

She gave him a dead pan face. "Just hear me out." She went to go sit down, because her feet were bothering the heck out of her. "I was thinking Hallowmist." She looked at him as he sat down beside her. He gave her a soft smile and looked around his house as well. He smiled again. 

"I think I like that name, Foster. Hallowmist it is." He said quietly, looking at her again. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sophie asked and Keefe had a goofy smile on his face. 

"Nothing, just thinking about how pretty you are." He said quietly, putting an arm around her shoulders. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "WHO'S READY FOR GIFTS?" And at that, he abruptly stood up leaving Sophie in her state of disbelief, that Keefe Sencen called her pretty.