Chapter 22 #3
“I thought this part might be a showstopper,” Brynn said, glee radiating from her tone.
“So anyway.” She flashed the last slide onto the screen, which was blank.
Slowly, she walked over to where Grant still sat, and she placed her hand on his shoulder.
“The big reveal isn’t how many women Grant’s slept with this year because all you need to know is that it’s more than one.
But the great news, ladies, is that he’s back on the market, and what a catch he is. ”
That was apparently Grant’s last straw, as he stood up quickly and followed the escape route his father had also taken .
“With my presentation concluded, I anticipate there won’t be any other speeches tonight, but the bar is open and the main course will be coming soon.
I’d encourage everyone to stick around and have some fun on Tripp Devereux’s dime, and if it wasn’t clear already, there’s no need to show up for the wedding tomorrow. ”
And with that, Brynn literally dropped her microphone on the ground and sat back down at the table.
“Holy shit,” Reese said, unable to keep the words inside any longer. She’d gone through every emotion possible in the last seven minutes, and she now felt both wrung out and exhilarated, wondering what would happen next.
“I cannot believe you just did that,” Sydney said from beside her, both of them clearly still processing what had just played out.
Brynn shrugged. “He shouldn’t have lied to me. All I did was tell the truth.”
“Understatement of the century.” And when they locked stares across the table, for the first time, Reese was desperately curious to know what her almost sister-in-law would do next.
Sydney walked a half step ahead and pulled Reese along, Sydney slightly tipsy as she galavanted down the sidewalk. They’d decided to take a walk around the city, the early fall evening a little balmy but still refreshing.
“I cannot believe it,” Sydney repeated, astonished.
Reese, too, was struggling to accept that the events of only a few hours ago were real. “Brynn went scorched earth.”
Suddenly, Sydney stopped, her eyes going wide as she was clearly realizing something.
“Didn’t I tell you! Didn’t I tell you that it was the quiet ones that you have to worry about!
” And then, she did the most adorable little dance that made Reese want to throw out her arms and steady Sydney, given that she was wearing heels on cobblestone .
But her girlfriend was completely unaware, and Reese took a moment to enjoy the view. The way Sydney smiled, light and free and like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Reese walked faster to match Sydney’s stride, and they fell into step together.
They’d wandered over to a more residential neighborhood, beautiful brownstones stacked next to one another, but Reese missed the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
It was hard to believe that she’d spent most of her adult life living in cities.
Now, she felt more at home than anywhere else when she walked out onto the ground-floor patio of Sydney’s room, starting her morning with the sun rising above the clouds and glittering across the expanse of water.
She sighed deeply, inhaling the warm air.
Sydney looked over at her, a curious look on her face. “A penny for your thoughts?”
“I was just thinking about how much I love Stoneport,” she admitted as they continued walking.
“I feel the same way.” Sydney had mentioned earlier this week that her parents were putting their house in Florida on the market. For Reese, that was amazing news, given that at least now, Sydney’s time would only be split between two places.
Or two lifestyles, more accurately. One, where they got lost in small-town revelry defined by lazy mornings and everyone knowing their business. The other, where Sydney was jet-setting around the world, her star continuing to rise.
Reese hoped what they had together would be enough. That Sydney would look forward to coming back to Stoneport instead of resenting it. That the life that Reese had to offer her would continue to feel like enough.
And with that, she let out another quiet breath, steeling her resolve for whatever came next. “Have you given any thought to the contract?”
The official offer from The Tennis Network had come through this morning, by way of Sydney’s agent, and as far as Reese could tell, Sydney hadn’t seriously looked at it. Then again, she had gone to MTC earlier to hit around with Brian, so it could be that she was running the offer by him.
Reese didn’t want to be too pushy, but the reality was, she was dying to know.
Sydney kept walking, but her pace slowed down as they rounded a corner and headed back in the direction of where Reese’s car was parked.
“I don’t want my decision to change things between us,” Sydney said quietly, their steps slowing to a crawl.
They stopped in front of a quaint rowhouse with the lights still on, some type of party going on inside.
“It won’t. I promise,” Reese responded, hoping she could live up to her words.
“I’m not taking the offer.”
It’s okay; we can do this , Reese was already telling herself as Sydney spoke, hoping to protect her heart.
But… what?
She met Sydney’s stare then. Sydney’s eyes were wide and unblinking, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. “I hope that’s okay. That it doesn’t have to change things between us. I certainly don’t want it to.”
Reese was trying to catch up at the same time that her heart was hammering in her chest, but she was struggling to make sense of things. “In what world would this change things between us?”
“You seemed like you really wanted me to consider the job. And I did, honestly, but it’s not what I want.
I want to be in Stoneport, and well, Brian’s offered me a job at MTC, which will give me a much better schedule and work-life balance.
Plus, I’d get to coach, which is something I’ve realized I love over the past couple of?—”
Reese threw her arms around Sydney, her girlfriend absorbing the weight with surprising grace, holding on to her tight as they only took a small step back.
Of all the wrong things that Sydney could think !
Reese let out something between a groan and a laugh, and she felt like a million pounds of weight had lifted off of her chest. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t feel held back, but I’ve always wanted you here.
I needed it to be your decision, not mine.
” She pulled back so that she could put her hand on Sydney’s cheek, cupping it gently.
“The only changes that will come from this are good ones.”
“Yeah?” Sydney asked, a smile starting to overtake her face that made Reese’s heart stutter-stop.
Reese nodded. “I hated the idea of heading back to my house alone every night, missing you. Wondering what you’re off in the world doing. Whether you were thinking about me too.”
“Your house?” Sydney asked, lifting a curious eyebrow.
“Well… I’m not going to stay at the inn, considering I won’t be managing it anymore.
I don’t think that really screams ‘executive oversight’ to Hallie if I’m in her space all the time.
I was thinking of renting a little house on the coast, somewhere close by but that I could see myself staying for a little while. ”
Sydney nodded along, picking up when Reese stopped talking. “So I guess I’ll live with my parents again…” She looked at Reese with the biggest, most innocent eyes, knowing exactly what she was doing.
Which meant that there was nothing for Reese to do but hold up her heart, mock offense written across her features. “Sydney King. Are you angling for an offer to move in? Out of wedlock and everything!”
Sydney shook her head. “No, I was angling for us to both move in with my parents. It’s more dignified that way.”
They laughed at the same time, and Reese pushed Sydney lightly, which didn’t work as intended when Sydney pulled Reese against her chest, holding her close.
“You’re mean. Toying with my emotions like this,” Reese said, her breath ghosting across Sydney’s exposed clavicle.
Reese didn’t know if she’d ever been this happy, her future unfolding in front of her like it had been meant to happen this way all along.
“I figure it’s too soon to ask you to marry me, so I’ll settle for us living together.
At your place,” Sydney amended, and Reese could feel the way Sydney’s heartbeat picked up as she said the words.
“I love you, Reese, and I don’t need to go chasing something because everything I want is right here.
I don’t want to wait to start living the life that I already know that I want. With you.”
When they finally pulled apart on the sidewalk, Reese feeling a little unsteady on her feet from the giddiness coursing through her, she realized that she had to amend her thinking already, thirty seconds later, because this was the happiest she’d ever been.
And she figured there would be a lot of happiest moments in her life overtaking one another in rapid succession, especially if Sydney was involved.