Page 95 of Her Forever SEAL

She nodded.

“What about you?”

He took a moment to answer. “Yes. It was past time. I enjoy mentoring. I’m not enjoying all the politics, though.”

“Drake says you’re good at politics.”

“That’s from his perspective. He’s just incredibly bad.”

Sophia threw back her head and laughed. “There is that.”

“Bye Mom! Bye Dad!” Lisa shouted from the front door.

“Did you feed the cat?” Sophia yelled back at her.

“Yes! And I only gave him a snack because he used the litter box, not the houseplant.”

“Jesus,” Mason muttered.

“It’s your fault,” Sophia laughed as she elbowed him in the ribs.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Love you, Mom. Love you, Dad. Don’t be late,” Kayla shouted.

“We won’t,” Sophia yelled back. “Love you both. Make smart choices.”

They heard the door slam.

Mason pressed his face into her neck and laughed. “Make smart choices, huh?”

“After a few years, when I’m convinced they’ve learned to make smart choices, I can tell them to be smart.”

“So that’s how it works, huh?”

“Yep.”

Twenty-two years. Two children, and Sophia Anderson Gault still had the hottest body he’d ever seen.

“You had a corset on underneath your Saturday morning hoodie?” he asked incredulously.

“Took you by surprise, didn’t it?”

Mason continued to stare.

“Mason?”

“I’m still trying to get my breath back so I can answer your question.”

Sophia giggled.

“Come here.” He curled his finger.

Sophia sashayed across their bedroom to him, and he caught her up into his arms, and then pressed her down onto their yellow comforter. He threaded his fingers through her hair so it fanned out across the pillows, then sat back on his knees and looked down at her. Then he stared.

“What?”

He didn’t say anything.