I’m told the groom’s father looks like George Clooney?
Pass.
Your taste in men remains terrible
I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.
My thumb hovered over my phone, poised to answer, when I rounded the corner and spotted Theo—and Corey. They were standing close to each other, talking intently, heads bent together.
Corey opened his arms in offering, and my stomach swooped as Theo accepted the hug.
It was a good thing. Itwasa good thing, it was good that they were getting along. Corey had just married into Theo’s family, after all, and he didn’t need to have any more problems with any other family members.
I was just feeling insecure. Off-kilter.
They parted, Corey poking his tongue out at Theo as Theo laughed louder and more honestly than I’d heard from him in a while. That was also good.
Corey hadjustgotten married to someone he said he loved. I believed him when he said that. I had no reason not to.
I was not jealous—or envious, I mentally corrected—of Corey.
When Theo’s eyes met mine, they were still sparkling with laughter. His smile broadened as he closed the distance between us, reaching out as he got close enough and taking my face in both hands to catch my lips.
My heart stuttered at hownormalit felt for him to kiss me now. I’d never paid all that much attention to how Theo kissed other people, but I thought I would’ve remembered if he’d been in the habit of holding their face like this.
It was just for me. The way Theo kissed me wasdifferentfrom the way he kissed other people.
No, I wasn’t envious of Corey. I had nothing to be envious about.
I was the one who was about to take Theo home with me, after all.
“Time to go?” I asked, taking in Theo’s smile, the glint in his eyes.Hewas beautiful. Even after spending all day surrounded by people whose whole job it was to be attractive, none of them took my breath away like a smile from Theo, or a glimpse of one of his dimples.
“Actually.” Theo wet his lips, glancing around. We weren’t quite the last ones here, but aside from the people who were staying the night, pretty much everyone else had left or was in the process of leaving. The sounds of shouted goodbyes and cars taking off filtered over from the other side of the house, where everyone had been parked.
“Actually…?” I prompted when the pause stretched out to the point where I wasn’t sure he planned to continue.
“We could stay another night,” Theo said in a rush, gaze snapping back to mine. His eyes were wide, pupils swallowing up almost all the blue in the dark, the string lights still twinkling in them.
“What?” I asked.What? He hated this place. Why would he want to stay any longer than necessary?
I was surprised he hadn’t asked to go home the minute the cake was cut. Our bags were already packed and in my car so we could make a quick getaway, and I assumed we only hadn’t because Theo hadn’t been able to pick a suitably discreet moment.
“Why?”
24
THEO
Why.
A lump formed in my throat so fast that my eyes watered with it.
Simon wanted to go.
He wanted to leave what happened in Montauk in Montauk.
Right now.
