Page 57 of Winging It with You

He seems more himself. As soon as we left the hotel, his entire demeanor shifted. More relaxed and less antsy?

I missed whatever Jo said that made Theo throw his head back in a fit of laughter, but I’m endlessly thankful for it.

There he is.

“This place is neat, huh?” Jenn says, panning the room with her phone. Ellie rolls her eyes.

“Did you get that incredible church as we walked here? It was stunning,” Theo says, which causes Jenn to light up. His kindness is something I’ve deduced is one hundred percent genuine. He mouths,Be nice, to Ellie.

“I sure did,” she says. “Here, look.” Jenn scrolls back through her camera roll, handing her phone over to Theo, who smiles as he watches the video on the screen.

“Oh my God, Mother. No one wants to see that,” Ellie groans under her breath.

I nudge her with my shoulder and give herthe look. Jenn has quickly become everyone’s favorite and has happily assumed the role of stand-in mother for just about all of us. Despite being as exhausted as we all are, her positive disposition has not once waned.

Arthur returns with a tray. A couple of mystery bottles and six glasses clink against one another as he sets them down in front of us. “This place has some of the best limoncello I’ve ever had,” he says, uncorking the tall bottle. He pours a little of the bright-yellow liquor in each glass and Jo passes them around.

“Cin cin,” he says, holding his glass up for a toast. He’s a simple man, filled with fortitude and grit, and most days, he seems perfectly fine off by himself with a book and his cigarettes. But tonight, his eyes are brimming with a quiet contentment.

“To health and happiness,” Jo says as we all raise our own glasses.

The lemon liqueur is fresh and fragrant. Strong enough for celebratory sipping, but definitely too sugary for me to have more than one. It’s delicious and refreshing though, like breezy summer nights and tart sorbet.

Theo’s stare never leaves mine as he takes his sip. There’s something exhilarating behind his eyes. Something building beneath the amber light of the lounge—something raw and magnetic and full of life, and the all-too-familiar push and pull of Theo Fernandez leaves me only wanting more.

Drinks magically appear with each wave of straggling crew members. There’s an eclectic mix of nineties pop playing on a vintage jukebox across the way that accompanies the infectious sounds of boisterous laughter and conversation around us. Jenn, who’s finally put her phone away, is deep in conversation with Jo about a table of rather handsome Italian men kitty-corner to our booth. Ellie appears to be haggling with Arthur about getting snacks for the table.

And Theo is all smiles taking it all in.

Kiara and Ruby saunter over. “Anyone want to play some bocce ball? There’s a little courtyard out back.” Kiara’s holding what appears to be a dust-covered ball a little larger than a baseball in her hand.

“A game of what?” I ask, blissfully unaware of what she could possibly be referring to.

“Bocce, you dork.” Jo elbows me as she maneuvers around me. “I’m in.” She leans down and picks up her own ball as our group gathers around them. Bistro lights hang above us and the music from inside trails through the open windows. Though we’ve all been traveling the globe together, tonight feels like the first time we’re all just hanging out. It’s nice.

“Why am I not surprised you’re not a lawn-sport enthusiast?” Theo’s raspy voice says from behind me once we all navigate out into the courtyard, the warmth of his breath on my neck.

“I’m glad my indoor-cat reputation precedes me. I take it you’ve played?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself. The combination of the summer breeze and Theo’s sudden closeness sends chills down my spine.

To my surprise, he pulls me flat against his chest like it’s something we’ve done a million times. My breath catches in my throat, especially when I recall just how perfectly my body aligns with his. “My dad loves outdoor games like this. We would always play horseshoes or lawn darts or even croquet when the family got together and the weather was nice like tonight.”

“That’s sweet.” I’m only half listening, unfortunately. Hiswalk down childhood memory lane truly deserves my full attention, but I’m sorry, with his big arms wrapped around me and his lips practically on my ear, I’m distracted.

Everyone rotates in, repeatedly tossing wooden balls across the manicured lawn, trying to have theirs be the winning shot. Ellie and Jo, who seem more interested in flirting with the gaggle of men who’ve now joined from the outskirts of our group, are quickly defeated by Ruby and Kiara.

Griffin and Alana are up next. I hadn’t noticed them join us, but they are defeated rather quickly against the dynamic duo of Arthur and Jenn. Alana shoots Griffin an annoyed look that he simply returns with a half-hearted shrug before sauntering off back toward the bar. They make marriage look so fun.

Arthur and Jenn do their best against the sisters and actually hold their own. Until Kiara surprises everyone with a Hail Mary toss that causes us all to jump up and down in exuberant celebration.

Except for me, of course.

Because I’m quite comfortable playing my own game of control as I lean firmly against Theo. He’s resting his chin on my shoulder, the roughness of his scruff an ever-present burn against my own skin. The warmth from his body radiates to my very core.

I could get used to this.

“Asher, Theo…get your cute little butts over here. You two are up,” Jenn shouts with an extra cheerfulness that can only be credited to the limoncello.

The thought of playing sportspubliclycauses me to physically recoil, but Theo shakes my shoulders from behind. “What do you say, Ash? Should we teach all these ladies”—Arthurclears his throat—“and gentlemen a thing or two about playing with balls?”

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