“She just broke up with her boyfriend of two years.”
He shook his head and backed away. “Too much baggage for me.”
“Speaking of baggage, aren’t you leaving soon?”
He smiled and nodded. “I am. Just after New Year’s.”
“Uh oh. Did you tell Wyatt you’re going to miss the winter festival?”
“What about the winter festival?” Wyatt asked, joining us. He winked at me but didn’t make a move to hug or kiss me. It felt like we were keeping our… relationship, I guess, from our friends.
“Peyton was asking if you knew I was going to miss the winter festival.”
“No way, you are? I thought you were leaving the end of January.”
Sawyer shook his head. “Beginning of January.”
“Damn. I thought you were going to take pictures for us.”
“Shit. I did tell you I would do that, didn’t I? Alright, let me look. I’ll try to move some things around.”
“Do you have something lined up already?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. There’s this full service wedding thing. They were looking for a photographer. The pay is pretty good and I’ll have a lot of free time to go out and explore the island. I can still do some freelance stuff, but this gives me the opportunity to be more picky about what I do.”
“I never pictured you as a wedding photographer,” Wyatt teased.
“Ha ha. Shut up, asshole. It’ll pay my bills.”
“Do you have an apartment rented? Or a house?”
He shook his head. “Houses are pricey. The lady I’m going to be working for set me up with a place to stay, so I have a room to rent in someone’s house for a few months. I figure that will be long enough to figure out exactly where I want to be.”
“You’ve been there before, right?” I asked.
Sawyer nodded. “Yep. Most beautiful place on Earth.”
“I still can’t believe you’re leaving next month,” Tara said, joining our conversation. Tara was dating Sawyer’s brother, Noah.
“You’ll be happy to be rid of me.”
She shook her head. “No, I won’t. I’ll actually miss you.”
“Well, once I have my own place, you guys can come out and visit. Maybe you can even book a wedding through the company.”
“What’s it called again?”
“Opposites Attract.”
“Really?” I asked.
Sawyer nodded.
“Clever. I like that.”
“If you can stay for a few extra weeks, we should have a party for you before you go,” Tara said.
“No,” Sawyer protested. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Oh, please,” I said. “It’ll give everyone an excuse to drink. I think we should definitely do it.”
“Well, happy I could be a reason to drink.”
“Oh, honey,” Tara said, her tone deadly serious. “You’ve been an excuse for me to drink many, many times.”
“You’re so funny, Tara,” Sawyer said, shaking his head.
Tara thought it was hilarious.
I agreed with her.
“What’s going on over here?” Noah asked, wrapping his arms around Tara’s waist.
“I was telling Noah he’d be a great reason to drink. We want to have a going away party for him.”
Noah nodded. “Damn. We should. I know he’d love that.”
Sawyer groaned. “You guys are all ridiculous.”
“We just know how much you like being the center of attention.”
“That’s why I’m behind the camera and not in front of it.”
“Exactly.”
“Hey everyone!” I shouted, silencing the entire room. “We’re having a going away party for Sawyer after the winter festival. He said he really wants to be the center of attention.”
“Damn, Peyton, really? I thought I liked you.”
I grinned and blew him a kiss. “You know you love me. You’re going to miss me.”
“You know what?” he said. “I am going to miss you. All of you. I never thought I’d want to be here full time, but the closer it gets to leaving, the harder I think it’s going to be.”
“Then we’ll all have to come visit you. And you have to come back sometime.”
He nodded. “I will.”
Chapter 8
“How is Noah handling Sawyer leaving?” Abby asked Tara.
“I think he’s doing okay. Sawyer has been gone so much over the last few years that he said it’s not really a big change. Plus, every time Sawyer mentions anything about Hawaii, he looks so happy.”
“Are you guys going to visit him?”
Tara nodded. “We’re looking at going over the summer.”
“Your shows will be done, right?”
“Yep. The last ones are in May so the older students don’t have to worry about anything interfering with exams.”
“Us parents appreciate your thoughtfulness on that,” Olivia said.
“Any wedding talk yet?” Lexi asked.
Tara shook her head, her smile fading. “I know it hasn’t been that long, but I know I want to be with Noah forever. It worries me that he doesn’t have the same thoughts.”
“I doubt that,” Sam assured her. “He looks at you like he adores you.”
“I know. I’m just impatient. I never thought I’d be impatient to get married.”
“Now you sound like me,” Abby teased.
“You and Graham still aren’t talking marriage?” Charlie asked.
“Nope. And we’re good with that.”
“Maybe you guys can do a double wedding in Hawaii,” Carrie suggested. “It would be a great excuse for all of us to go.”
“Sawyer said we’re all welcome to visit, but I’m not sure he’d be thrilled with everyone showing up at once,” Tara said.
“We’d rent a house,” Mandy said. “It’s hard to have kids in someone else’s house.”
“I agree,” Carrie said. “I don’t think I could have Joel running around everywhere. Of course, over the summer I probably won’t be able to travel.”
“Ooh, that’s right,” Riley said.
I glanced at Addi. She was staring at Carrie’s belly. She was already showing, something that was to be expected for her second baby. She was only twelve weeks pregnant, but she looked like she was closer to twenty weeks. She said she’d already been outed by some of the moms she knew from her playdate group.
“When are you actually due?”
“June nineteenth.”
“We’re going to visit Sawyer in August.”
“Oh, well, then we can go ahead and plan for a wedding.”
“Alright, ladies. I need a ring first.”
“Where have you never been that you want to go?” I asked Tara.
“You mean for a honeymoon?” she asked.
Shit. I was trying to change the subject from Tara’s non-existent upcoming wedding, not make her think about it even more.
“For anything,” I said.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii, but I think Alaska would be really cool.”
“That would be awesome. In the summer, I think,” I said with a grin.
Tara nodded. “True. I’ve heard the glacier cruises are really fun.”
“We did a cruise in the Caribbean a while ago and loved it,” Sam said.
“Who is we?” Charlie asked.
Mandy, Claire, Addi, and Sam all raised their hands.
“It was shortly after we graduated college. We were making some money and decided to splurge a bit,” Claire explained.
“You guys were lucky to have each other. I think going on vacation with friends would be a lot of fun,” Riley said.
“We should plan for a girls’ trip. Maybe we should leave the husbands home with the kids and we should go visit Sawyer. Hang out at the beach and check out cute guys,” Carrie suggested.
“I bet Sawyer would love that,” Olivia teased.
“Well, maybe we shou
ld go somewhere else.”
“I’ve always wanted to see Cozumel,” I admitted.
“Really?” Vicki asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. The beaches there are beautiful. Grand Cayman would be cool, too.”
“We went there on our trip,” Addi said. “It was gorgeous. Very high end.”
“I would feel uncomfortable there.”
“No, it wasn’t overt. It was clear the island had money, but it wasn’t like there were people walking around with diamonds dripping off or anything. It was a pretty low-key place, but it was really clean. I’d go back there again and explore more of it.”
“What about overseas?” Lexi asked. “Asia. Africa. Europe.”
“I’d go to Europe. I’ve always wanted to see the castles in England and Ireland. And the wine in Germany and Italy.”
“Ooh, wine,” Mandy cooed.
We all laughed.
“Speaking of wine, what are you guys doing for Christmas?” Olivia asked.
We exchanged glances. “What does wine have to do with Christmas?” Abby asked.
Olivia laughed. “Sorry. I guess that was kind of confusing. I was buying wine on my way here for Christmas. Ethan wants to have anyone over who doesn’t have plans.”
“On Christmas? Or after?” I asked.
“We were thinking on Christmas. Dinner. I know a lot of you will be with your families.”
I exchanged a glance with Vicki. “We’re in. Probably Hunter also?”
Vicki nodded. “Yep.”
“Our family usually does brunch so we might be in,” Abby said, looking at Charlie, her sister-in-law, who also nodded.
“We’ll come,” Tara said. “If you’re up for all three of us. I’m sure Sawyer will want to come, too.”
“Definitely,” Olivia said. “If anyone else wants to come, just let me know. I’m going to start planning a menu.”
“Let me know what we can bring,” I said. “I’ll go buy something so I don’t make everyone sick.”
They all laughed.
“Thanks for the invite,” Abby said.
We all murmured in agreement.
“Who’s going to the winter festival?” Olivia asked.
Everyone raised her hand.
“Good. Wyatt’s been worried that people aren’t going to come. Especially if they don’t have kids. He’s been on me lately to find things for the festival that are adult friendly, not just for the kids. Something so the people without kids can have fun, too. Does anyone have any ideas?”
The conversation continued around me, but I couldn’t focus on it. I stared across the room at Wyatt. He really heard what I said. He was already trying to involve the non-parents in the festival. Adding activities for them.
I was touched, and wowed that he was doing something specifically for the people I took care of every day.
He looked up and caught me staring at him. He tilted his head, silently questioning me. I nodded, letting him know I was okay. He winked at me before turning back to the conversation at his table.
I found myself anxious to talk to him. And maybe steal a kiss from him before I went home for the night.
The couples all paired off as we walked outside. Sawyer had a phone call, which left Wyatt and I as a pair walking in the darkness. He guided me toward my car, walking silently together.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Olivia said you were looking for ideas for adults that didn’t have kids so they would want to go to the festival.”
He nodded, his eyebrows tugging together. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Thank you. It means a lot that you would try to involve them. I’ll make sure I pass it on to some of my patients.”
“I appreciate it. Like I said, I want these events to be something everyone in town can enjoy. Not just something for parents.”
“You’re a really good mayor.”
He paused, his lips pressed together for a moment before he nodded. “That means a lot, Peyton. Thank you for saying that.”
I moved closer to him, toying with the lapels on his coat. “I mean it, Mayor Ramsey. You’ve done amazing things for this town. You listen to people, and you care. It shows.”
“I do care, Peyton.”
I knew he wasn’t talking about being a mayor anymore. His eyes dipped to my lips. My tongue ran over them before drawing the lower one between my teeth. His breath caught in his throat, and he slid his arm around my back.
I tilted my chin up and used his lapels to tug him closer. His lips lifted seconds before he lowered his head and met mine.
His lips were soft and cool. They were also sealed together. I opened mine slightly and ran my tongue over his smooth lips. They parted for me immediately, his tongue slipping into my mouth. We tasted each other, tentatively. A glide of tongues. A sample of his flavor. A brush of his breath over my cheeks.
He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. My body melted into his, wanting more from him. My hands drifted up, needing to feel his skin under my fingertips. I touched the rough stubble on his neck and was going for more when I heard…
“What the hell?”
Wyatt and I jumped apart. I glanced at Vicki, who was simply staring at us with wide, surprised eyes.
“Are you two together?”
I shook my head. “No. We’re just friends.”
“You had your tongue down his throat.”
I stole a peek at Wyatt. He was fighting a smile, which made me lose it. I started laughing. Just exploded with laughter. I doubled over, clutching my side and grabbing Wyatt’s hand so I didn’t fall on the ground. After a second, he chuckled. Then laughed a little harder. Before long, he was laughing like a fool with me.
I looked at Vicki and found her staring at us like we were crazy. Of course, that only made me laugh harder. She walked over to me and grabbed my arm.
“Get in the car. Are you drunk? Or just exhausted? Sorry Wyatt.”
She pushed me toward the passenger door, but I stopped her at the front of the car. “I’m fine, Vick. Calm down.”
“What is going on? You were mauling Wyatt!”
“I’m sort of to blame for that one,” he said. “I kind of started it.”
“She said you’re just friends,” Vicki accused.
“We are. But we’re friends that like to kiss.”
“How did I not know this?” Vicki blurted, her eyes flipping from Wyatt to me and back.
“Am I not allowing to spend time with Wyatt?”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
“Jesus, really? Time to go. Sorry Wyatt. I’ll call you.”
“Sounds good, Peyton. Good night ladies.”
I blew him a kiss then pushed Vicki into the car. I got in the driver’s seat and pulled out, not willing to talk to Vicki until we got home. She peppered me with questions, and thankfully, it was a quick drive. She followed me inside, on my heels asking what was going on with Wyatt.
“Can I get a glass of wine? Then we can talk about this?”
Vicki backed off. “Sure. I think I need one, too.”
I opened a new bottle and poured us each a healthy glass, then carried mine to the couch. Vicki sat down next to me, silent. I guess she got out all her questions.
“First, Wyatt and I are friends.”
“But-”
I held up my hand to ward her off. “Let me finish, okay?” She nodded. “Thank you. As I said, we’re friends. We’ve talked here and there, but at the Thanksgiving party, we hung around together. We were both the only single ones and spent the evening talking. I told him I don’t like this time of year, and the nauseating man said I’m insane. He convinced me to let him try to prove to me that the holidays aren’t as bad as I know they are.”
I sipped my wine and waited. I knew it would only take a few seconds before-
“So why were you kissing him?”
There it was.
“Because he’s a good kisser,” I said with a shrug.
“Okay, but you h
ad to kiss him to find that out. Why did you kiss him in the first place?”
“Actually, he kissed me the first time. Tonight was the first time I initiated our kiss.”
“How many times have you kissed him? Have you done anything else? Are you involved with him? Are you sleeping with him? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Breathe,” I said, resting my hand on her arm. “Just chill out, okay?”
Vicki took a deep breath. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.”
I nodded. “I get it. The whole story is we’re friends. We’ve been going on dates that aren’t really dates. We talk about everything and he’s showing me what’s so great about winter.”
“Like what?”
“We went sledding. And he took me shopping for a snowflake Christmas ornament.”
“A snowflake Christmas ornament?”
I smiled. “He said he gets one every year for his tree. He wanted me to help him. I told you, he’s showing me all the things he loves about this time of year, and one of those things is searching for the perfect ornament for his tree.”
“You’re starting to like him, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “I do like him. He’s a nice guy. He’s kind and ridiculously attractive and he understands the demands on my time.”
“He does?”
I nodded. “Definitely. His time is just as limited as mine.”
“You still haven’t told me if you’re sleeping with him.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not. We’ve only been out a couple times though.”
“So you want to?”
“I’m not opposed to it.”
“But I thought you were friends?”
“We are. But he’s a damn good kisser. I can only imagine what he’d be like in bed.”
“Are we seriously having this conversation?” she asked with a laugh.
I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you ask me for sexual positions that would help you get pregnant a couple weeks ago?”
“Ah, true.”
“Wyatt and I aren’t going to be anything more than friends with benefits. It’s all either of us wants. If that. I’ll be perfectly happy spending time with him and kissing once in a while. But if he wants more, I’m up for that, too.”
“But you don’t want anything beyond that?”
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