Chapter 404

• The doors closed with a thump and Sophia tensed and squeaked when the car began to descend. When she nodded he moved her in his arms to set her down on his feet. She unzipped his jacket and fleece to slip her arms inside and around his back as she squeezed herself against him. She was trembling once more so he began to hum a tune as he swayed with her in his arms. She looked up and smiled when she recognized the tune. 'Only You' by the Platters. She snuggled into his arms and listened to him hum to her as they danced slowly. Catherine and Gabriella picked up the tune and began to hum along with him. Soon Megan and Rachel joined in and Gabriella's kids were grinning madly as Ben began to sing the words as the rest provided the musical accompaniment. Sophia was blushing madly and squeezed her face against his chest as Ben's singing became just a little more exaggerated. He wasn't half bad but he wasn't great either. As he reached the end of the song he glanced over at Gabriella and caught her attention. She stopped the others and Ben immediately segued into 'Teach Me Tonight'. Catherine and Gabriella began to laugh then they immediately started humming the tune for Ben. Megan and Rachel weren't familiar with this song so they could only grin and watch their sister dancing in Ben's arms. They saw the flush on Sophia's cheeks and they grinned harder.
• Ben segued in 'Unforgettable' making Gabriella and Catherine clap and grin as his deep voice was a fair approximation of Nat King Cole's, though he wasn't quite as smooth.
• When the car bumped to a stop at the ground terminus Sophia pulled back in surprise and saw they were down. She looked up at Ben with grateful tears in her eyes and kissed him.