Chapter 23
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Thea’s new journey started as all journeys did.
With a guide. Thea had asked Nanine to walk her down the aisle, and the sight of their beautiful adopted mother proudly marching her down the impromptu aisle they’d created in the restaurant had Sawyer reaching for his own handkerchief.
The ceremony was simple and yet achingly beautiful.
Jean Luc said his vows in French—the language of his heart—while Thea said hers in English, which were from the same place.
Sawyer listened, rapt, to the words spoken over them, about lives joining and promises being made. These weren’t mere words. They were imbued with love and honor and will. And all the more beautiful because the people saying them meant them with their very souls.
As he watched them exchange rings, it struck him that he couldn’t see wanting to do this with anyone but Phoebe.
Yes, it was early, but it was so right. When the time came, they would know.
She would walk down the aisle to him, and he would take her hand.
Look at her with his whole heart in his eyes.
And he would make the promise to love and cherish her forever.
It wouldn’t be hard. He couldn’t imagine a better gig.
After the wedding, the happy couple seemed to be lit from the inside.
Champagne was passed around. There were toasts to the happy couple, with Fabiana wailing through hers much as she’d feared.
Her emotional delivery made her speech more charming somehow.
She was a little like Nanine—deeply loving and not afraid to express it.
Perhaps that was the true heart of a mother, he thought, and why his own mother was so incapable of being true to the role.
They found their seats—him at the singles’ table with Kyle and Madison and Pierre, whom Thea had insisted must join them as the PRG mascot and Nanine’s unofficial second chef de cuisine. He wondered…no, he hoped, it would be the last time he’d be at the singles’ table.
Phoebe would be his Plus One for events going forward. He couldn’t wait for her to return.
The meal was a feast of roasted fall vegetables with a creamy Fricassée he dipped his bread into more than once, it was so delicious.
The salad of salted beets with caramelized oranges on top of roquefort was a little more Italian than French, but Sawyer had to agree it was top level.
He wouldn’t mind being compared to this.
The cheese cart was loaded with specialties from Italy and France, including local cheeses from Fabiana’s hometown.
His favorite was the brie with truffles.
He could have used a spoon for it and been a happy man.
By the time the couple stood to cut the three-tiered sponge wedding cake filled with lemon lavender cream Thea had baked—at her staunch insistence—he was feeling mellow and grateful to be in the company of good friends.
Last year at this time, he’d been alone, having only visited his parents’ house for Christmas Day, a thought that had him feeling even more carefree.
This holiday was one of the best of his life.
Dean hit the music after the meal had been cleared for the couple to have their first dance—the traditional French valse des mariés—before shifting to “O Sole Mio.” Pierre started swaying to the rhythm, making Sawyer and Kyle laugh.
“Pierre loves music,” Madison informed them, her doting smile showing just how far she’d fallen for the bird. “Tell them who your favorite singer is, Pierre.”
“Ahora?” Madison nodded to the parrot. “Marc Anthony.”
“No!” Sawyer called out as Madison smiled proudly. “What about Celia Cruz? Miami Sound Machine? Something classic?”
“Ahora means now, Doc,” Madison told him with an amused smile. “It’s hard to choose a favorite, which is why I always think about who I love in the moment. Because Pit Bull always makes me want to dance.”
The playlist was hodgepodge of American, Italian, and French songs—only Dean could have created it.
A professional DJ would have refused. Thea sighed wistfully as “A Whole New World” from Aladdin came on.
Sawyer had to muffle his laughter. Little sister did love the Disney.
Jean Luc’s family became especially rowdy when a farandole came on, an old French country dance much like you’d see in Pride and Prejudice with people holding hands in a circle and weaving through each other by ducking under the interlocking hands.
Way too complicated for his liking. Then there was a good old-fashioned polka from the Midwest, which Jean Luc pulled off with aplomb.
Dude was totally cool to have given Thea that one.
The Plus Ones danced to the slow tunes—even Nanine and Carl.
Everyone was cheek to cheek. His table? They drank champagne, although he could see the invisible wall between Kyle and Madison.
Kyle’s hand was clenched around the stem of his wineglass, and Madison kept herself entertained with Pierre.
They clearly weren’t going to spontaneously get up and dance.
Sawyer considered asking Madison to dance, since it would open the door to Kyle doing so, but he wasn’t sure how Madison would react.
Likely she’d refuse. So far, she’d managed to keep her cool and her sense of humor despite not looking at Kyle.
Until she suddenly went rigid as a new song came on toward the end of the evening.
Sawyer didn’t recognize it, but Kyle immediately turned to Madison and held out his hand. “You mentioned Marc Anthony earlier. I arranged for a song to be played. Would you dance with me?”
Poor Madison looked like someone had slapped her. Even Pierre cuddled closer. Her eyes were two times their size, and her normal coloring had gone gray. “I…ah…”
She didn’t know what to say, and since she was someone who usually had a flip comeback, Sawyer knew she was shaken to the core.
Kyle didn’t falter. His extended hand remained strong, his eyes equally intent. “It’s only a dance, Mad.”
The long line of her neck moved as she gulped, and then her chin lifted. “Sure thing. But Sawyer… That makes you next on my dance card, so get ready.”
So she was going to try and pretend this was only a friendly dance by dragging him onto the dance floor next? No way.
Everyone was watching as they joined the other couples on the dance floor.
Kyle gave her plenty of space, setting his hands loosely on her lean waist while she awkwardly put her hands on his broad shoulders.
She might as well have been doing wall push-ups for how comfortable she looked.
Thea pulled Dean aside and asked what song it was.
He heard his friend reply, “I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You.”
Dude.
No wonder Madison was freaked. Kyle had chosen this song?
Pierre wandered over across the tabletop, his little body swaying to the music.
Sawyer picked up an almond from his dish and fed it to him as they watched the most painful dance in history.
He would have to tell Phoebe it was like watching Heathcliff and Catherine from Wuthering Heights after they were reunited.
Madison stared at Kyle’s chest the whole time while he looked down at the top of her head. His whole heart was in his eyes, but to give him credit, he didn’t draw her closer or push her to look at him. They shuffled through until the end, whereupon Madison immediately disappeared to the kitchen.
Kyle watched her leave before wandering back to the table and sitting back down. Pierre came over to him and asked if he was all right, to which he responded, “Fine.”
“You want something stiffer than champagne?” Sawyer asked softly.
He nodded crisply, clenching his hands on the table. “Yeah. It’s either that or I go after her, and I don’t think it’s a good moment to talk.”
Sawyer winced. “Probably not, but you get big points for manning up. You’ve decided, then?”
Kyle gave a rueful smile, his jaw tight. “The song says it all, Doc. There’s no denying it to myself anymore.”
“Yeah, you’d have to be an idiot not to get the message. ‘I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You’ played over and over again, man.” He held out his fist to Kyle. “Props to you for going after what you want.”
“We’ll see.” He gave a dark laugh. “She might be sharpening her cleaver as we speak.”
She wasn’t sharpening her cleaver.
When Sawyer headed into the kitchen for a brandy snifter a few minutes later, he found her standing near the back door, which she’d propped open. Had he come in there to check on her? Yes, absolutely, but he’d figured it would be better to have a cover story.
“I needed some air,” she called out. “It’s hot in there.”
Indeed.
“I was getting a brandy snifter from our special stash back here. Wasn’t sure there’d be one out in front.”
She tugged on her dress like it was too tight and fanned herself. “There is. You coming to check on me, Doc?”
Busted. He walked over until he felt the biting cold on his skin. “You’re my friend, so yeah. Wanna talk?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, her sadness and vulnerability as tangible as the winter weather outside. “Not really.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m here for you.” He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.
“I know you are, but it feels like you have an opinion about how things should go.” Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms warily.
Lowering his hand, he shrugged. “Maybe I do.”
She straightened, no longer leaning against the doorway. “Let’s hear it.”
“Well…” He chose his words as carefully as he had when defending his dissertation. “You and Kyle have everything to make a relationship work. You’re best friends. You’re attracted to each other.”
“But we work together and have a group of friends we both value like family.” She wet her lips nervously. “Two big things to screw up.”
No way was he pointing out it was already rocky.
Negative thinking had been counterproductive for him, and he couldn’t imagine Madison wanted it.
“You’re right about that.” He wanted to play with his cuff link as he gathered his thoughts.
“But what if it makes everything easier once you cross the line? Because dude, you two… When you’re in the flow with each other, you finish each other’s sentences.
You make the other person better. Like him helping with your duck and cherries recipe and you helping him with Paisley. ”
“That’s what tipped the scale, Doc.” She rubbed her forehead as she wearily closed her eyes. “Don’t ever kiss someone and think it’s not going to mean something.”
It was time to call bullshit. He dragged her hand away and loomed closer, so close he could see the green and brown rings around her irises. “Yeah? You think me putting my mouth on yours is going to make us both wild and crazy for each other?”
She sputtered out a laugh and shoved him back. “Fine. You’re right. Dammit! Sawyer, I don’t know what to do. I have enough on my plate without this.”
“Loving someone—the person who gets you and loves and accepts you and wants everything for you—is the grand prize. The Holy Grail. I’ve found that with Phoebe, and I would fight to the death to keep it.
I understand all of literature now. Why dudes got up at dawn to defend the honor of the woman they loved. ”
She tipped her head back against the door and sighed. “Oh, Doc.”
“I’m being serious.”
“I know,” she said softly.
He released a passionate breath. “When you feel like this—with that one person who clicks with you and you click with—you’ve gotta move mountains for it.”
She blew out a breath so harsh it ruffled her short black bangs. “Everywhere I look are mountains, Doc. All right, that’s enough introspection. Go find a cognac for Kyle. I’ll rejoin you in a minute.”
“How did you know it was for Kyle?”
“Because I know him.” She made a face. “Like you said, we finish each other’s sentences. Tell Pierre not to worry.”
He gazed at her, leaning against the cold doorframe in the half light of the kitchen. She didn’t look her usual tough self. She seemed vulnerable and more than a little melancholy. “I’ll tell Kyle and anyone else who asks too. You know all we want is for you to be happy.”
That had her mouth twisting like she was fighting some really tough emotions. “I know, and I’m…grateful for it. I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve like Thea, but I feel it. Hell, I hope Thea isn’t worrying. It’s her wedding day. Shit. All right, grab that drink. I’m done with this.”
He found a brandy snifter and reemerged to see her waiting for him, tapping her foot. Even though she’d worn the red dress, she’d still gone with black boots. Her badass veneer was back in place. Her posture was straight. Her chin was lifted. And there was that familiar fire in her eyes.
“Anyone asks, you tell them I was looking for the happy couple’s wedding present.”
He smiled as they walked to the front. “Wait until you see what I got them. Thea’s going to cry buckets.”
Funny, how he was actually anticipating her reaction. He wasn’t nervous at all, and wasn’t that another kick-ass feeling to celebrate. Toward the end of the evening, he pulled the couple aside and handed them the wrapped painting.
Thea pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide, while Jean Luc took the present with a brotherly smile. “Oh, Sawyer!” Thea said. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Open it, chérie, and find out,” Jean Luc encouraged.
When she finally gazed at the landscape of them holding each other along the Siene, tears started to rain down her face. “It’s the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen. Isn’t it, Jean Luc?”
“Yes, ma Thea.” He lifted his chin at Sawyer. “We will always treasure it, as will our children and grandchildren.”
“Oh, that’s really going to make me cry,” Thea said as tears coursed down her face.
They both handed her a handkerchief at the same time, making them all laugh.
When he finally turned away as they showed the others the painting, he wanted to pat himself on the back. Axel caught his eye, and he knew what he was thinking.
Job well done, maestro.
Damn straight.