Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“You may have inspired me to do so, but it was entirely my decision. You showed me what happiness was, and it made me realize that I hadn’t felt that kind of joy for a long time. I didn’t want to live like that anymore, so I decided to make a change.”
Sawyer thought about that a moment. “So what now? You don’t have a job, you’re about to sell your house. What are you planning to do next?”
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.