Page 76 of Sawyer
“Yeah,” Sawyer managed between guffaws. “We took care of her.”
When he lifted his shaking hand for a fist bump, Thea grinned as she returned it.
Yeah, they’d taken down this personal gorgon at last.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
Sawyer still couldn’t believe he’d done it.
Told off his mom. Disowned his parents. God! He’d expected to bottom out into guilt after the high faded, but three days later as he dressed for Thea’s wedding, he was shocked to still feel awesome. Like he’d done the impossible in defeating the monster and reclaiming his manhood all the way.
He decided to go with a more dashing cravat since it was Thea’s wedding. Phoebe had asked him to send a photo when they’d spoken late last night. He eyed the clock. Would she be awake? It was eight her time. He texted to see if she was up and his FaceTime immediately began to ring.
Grinning, he sat back on his bed and hit the accept button. The sight of her sleepy face filling the screen made his heart swell. “God, you look so beautiful.”
She ran a hand through her tangled hair and winced. “I work hard for this visage. You don’t look too shabby yourself. I like the threads, Horatio. When I saw you in that suit for our first date, all I could think washot.If I was there, I would so jump you.”
He chuckled, awestruck againby how his entire mood could go from about a five to a twenty just by seeing her. “If you were here, I’d let you. God, I can’t wait until you get home.”
“Me either.” She tucked her face against the pillow as she rolled onto her side, her red hair trailing down her shoulder. “Normally I would be having a crazy good time like usual, but I find myself feeling like something is missing.”
Was he going to make her say it?
Yeah, he thought with a grin. Yeah, he was.
“What’s that?”
“You.” She gave a blinding smile, making his heart dive off the proverbial cliff. “I didn’t know love could be like this, you know. My parents’ marriage was a nightmare. Later, when I was studying English at Oxford, I often found myself thinking all the descriptions of being in love were overdramatized for literary effect. Why would we keep reading if love was only banal? I fear I was under a misassumption.”
“Then you owe me, like, literary karma? I’m so going to cash in.”
She gave a gusty laugh. “I’m happy to put out. Now… How are you feeling? Still victorious like Hercules after the twelve labors?”
He had confessed to feeling that way, hadn’t he? God, he was using myth metaphors like he was Joseph Campbell. Thank God she didn’t think he was a total geek. “Pretty much. I wondered if I’d be hit with a blast of guilt. Especially when I walked past a Chinese restaurant last night and they had a whole honor-your-ancestors altar with the candles lit, which we had at home. But so far, I’m only hungry for dumplings or chow mein.”
“I had the best dim sum the other night.” She made a hungry sound. “We’ll have to find our place in Paris.”
Another plan threading their lives together. Having a place. They still needed a favorite song. He wondered what it would be. She had a strange love for Nickelback he couldn’tcompletely get into, but then again, she thought he was a little nuts for adoring Nat King Cole. “Count on it.”
“What time is it?” She drew her phone closer and peered at it, giving him a close-up of her sleepy green eyes. “Shouldn’t you be heading to the wedding soon?”
“It’s at four, but yeah, we’re going to get together and hang. Jean Luc didn’t want a bachelor party or anything. You know what the French call it.Enterrement de vie de jeune garçon.Literally the burial of the life of a boy. He said he was no boy, and he was burying nothing. Thea didn’t have one either.”
“A bachelor party?” Phoebe joked. “I can’t see her wanting strippers.”
“Funny. She said she just wanted to hang out with all of us and Nanine, so that’s what we did last night. We ordered pizza, which Nanine tolerated, and then after she left, we played Drink and Divulge. Romantic style. Kyle and Madison drank a lot.”
“I’ll bet.” Her cute little yawn had him wanting to cuddle in bed with her and fall back asleep. “Are they still fighting their attraction?”
“Yes, but you should have seen them come to my rescue. They had the same gut feeling something was wrong and dashed out of the house together. They fit so well it’s crazy. I’m trying to decide whether I want to do something to nudge them along. Madison especially. But I remember not wanting anyone to bother me when I was struggling uphill with my boulder.”
“Glad you’re over that, by the way,” she said softly.
“Me too. So what do you have planned for your last night in town?”
“Well,darling,there’s a party in the Hamptons. I feel I should tell you that your agent is hosting it.”
