He still wasn’t meeting my eyes, and I slid a knuckle under his chin, lifting it until we were face-to-face. “I’m planning to love you the best I can.”
A smile touched his lips but didn’t erase his concern. “What about a job? What about a place to live?”
“Well, there’s an inn out on the Cape that I hear is about to undergo some renovations, and I was hoping that I might be able to get a job helping with that. I happen to know the man in charge, so I think I might have an in with him.”
His smile broadened.
“And as for a place to live… I was thinking of renting a place in McBride.”
His frown returned. “Renting?”
I shrugged, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “I didn’t want to presume you’d want me to move in just yet.”
He laughed, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “Of course I want you to move in with me! James, I’m in love with you. I never want to wake up without you by my side again.”
I let out a breath and grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Then something occurred to me. “Wait, isn’t tonight Karlie’s baby shower—aren’t you supposed to be there?”
“I was. Then I found out about the changes in the Sea Sprite deal and that you were behind it and I had to see you. So I left and drove straight here.”
“I should have known Conor couldn’t keep a secret,” I said, frowning.
Sawyer pressed his fingers against my forehead, smoothing out the furrows there. I leaned into his touch, enjoying the warmth of his skin against mine.
“I’m glad he told me,” he said. “It was an incredible thing you did for me, James. I can’t thank you enough.”
I wrapped my hand around his wrist, holding his hand to my cheek. “I didn’t do it to win you back,” I told him, needing him to understand. “I did it because I believe in you and your vision.”
He smiled, his thumb tracing along my cheekbone. “I know. That’s what makes me love you even more.”
My eyes closed. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”
His hand slid around to grip the back of my neck, pulling my forehead against his. “I’ll never get tired of loving you.”
I brushed my lips against his. “So what now?” I asked him.
I felt him grin. “First we shower. I have a feeling we’ll figure it out from there.” He took my hand and started leading me up the concrete stairs toward the master bedroom. “Oh, and bring the sledgehammer,” he added over his shoulder with a mischievous grin. “I want to see you dance.”
Epilogue
Sawyer - The Following Summer
The sun seemed like it was still blazing overhead even though it was late afternoon. Thankfully, we’d planted a big umbrella in the sand. Poor James was recovering from the sunburn he’d gotten in Vegas last week even though we’d only spent one hour by the pool the entire week of Geek Con, or whatever the hell it had been called. I didn’t care what his conferences were called as long as I got to go with him and see the man in tight-fitting costumes.
Karlie had just arrived with Davey dead asleep on a pile of blankets in the wagon and parked it in the deepest part of the shade. Brantley scrambled around making sure she had a comfortable place to sit and a cold bottle of water in her hand. She grabbed his hand and kissed it long enough to get him to stop fussing and look at her. “Thanks, babe,” she said softly before turning to me.
“Where’s James?” she asked, pointing to the empty beach chair next to me in the group of chairs we’d set up in a circle. “I thought you guys would be half-drunk by now on Mai Tai’s celebrating tomorrow’s grand opening.”
I glanced back over the dune toward the Sea Sprite. The fresh blue paint was sparkling in the sun, and the white of the shutters made everything look bright and clean. The Memorial Day kickoff was going to be epic. We were booked solid all summer long thanks to a fund-raiser we’d done on the property in the fall. James, Wells, and Conor had arranged for their friends Scotty and Roman to come draw media attention to the cause. Since Roman was a famous actor, the attention he’d brought to the Sea Sprite had been tremendous. He and Scotty had made it very clear they’d already booked the Fourth of July week here at the resort and had shouted it out on social media several times.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around the media attention we’d gotten. The project had even been featured in three magazines, and we’d booked eight weddings into the fall. Since Karlie had started using the new kitchen to practice baking morning treats for our guests, she’d also tried her hand at making wedding cakes. It was great seeing her take the time to try different things and learn what she might want to do with herself now that she had so many options. Brant had sold his apartment in Boston and put a down payment on a small cottage big enough for the three of them. As much as he’d wanted to support the three of them on his photography income, I knew Karlie was sneaking extra house payments behind his back from her Sea Sprite money.
I looked at my cousin with a smile. She was gorgeous and happy. She thrived on being Davey’s mom and the light of Brantley’s life. “He went up to the house to get the good stuff,” I said.
We’d been living in my grandparents’ little house behind the motel. Now that the Sea Sprite renovations were done, we were looking forward to finally making the place our own. “But it won’t be Mai Tai’s. He kind of overdosed on those in Vegas.”
As I spoke, James’s mop of wild hair appeared over the dune, followed by his body which was covered in a long-sleeve T-shirt and board shorts. Who knew the man had delicious curls hidden by that fancy city haircut? Ever since he missed the first few haircuts after moving here, I’d begged him to let it grow out enough for me to grab those curls during sex.
He was carrying a large pitcher of slushy daiquiris in one hand and a sleeve of red Solo cups in the other.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Karlie said excitedly, hopping up to help him. James also had a tote bag over one shoulder that probably carried extra snacks and goodies. I made room on the portable table in the middle of the chairs.
Just as Karlie and James began setting everything on the table, Wells and Conor returned from their walk on the beach.
“Good timing,” I called, accidentally waking up my nephew. His chubby face screwed up into a cry, but James swooped in to grab him before it could go nuclear.
“Shh, sweet boy. Don’t listen to mean old Uncle Sawyer. He forgets about babies.” He glared at me. “Even though he shouldn’t since we’ve had you in our lives for a long time now. It’s almost like he’s oblivious to how loud he is. Especially in the middle of the night.”
I flashed to the night before when I’d woken up to James sliding under the covers and taking my cock in his mouth. “Was I that loud?” I asked before I could think better of it.
Before James could say anything, Wells answered for him. “Yes.”
Conor laughed at the blaze heating my cheeks, but then it was his turn to furiously blush when Wells crooked an eyebrow at him and added, “It was inspiring actually.”