Page 3 of Infinite as They Come
“Hey, I’m not that loud,” he said, downing the rest of his drink.
“Yes, you are,” me and Annie said at the same time.
A clinking distracted me and my head shot up to see my dad standing up, looking suave as ever in his crisp black suit as he tapped a knife against his wine glass. Mom looked her usual beautiful self too as she stayed seated: dark, long locks curled to perfection, her golden skin all glowing in her red dress as she shot me a big smile.
“I think it’s time for a toast,” he said. “Another one, I mean.”
My eyes rolled playfully. I had lost track of how many I had heard by now. Aunts, uncles, cousins, a rather sweet one from Brodie that made me tear up a little. And now my father was staring down at me with a look that I knew would make my eyes water a little as well.
“This has been a long time coming,” he said, voice already bordering on unsteady as he kept his eyes on the table. “Holly had always wanted to go to Columbia. She’s not the first Sutton to do it. There’s been a few cousins. A few aunts and uncles. But none of them have made me as proud as she has. I knew she’d get in the second she told me she wanted to go. Part of me wanted her to just stay at home. To study in Texas, to take on that nextpart of her journey close by, but she proved she was more than capable of looking after herself. And here she is now: over and done with school. All of it.” He pulled in a slightly shaky breath, eyes moving up to meet mine. “Time flies by too fast sometimes. Faster than I would like as a father and husband, but I guess there’s not much I can do about that. This is a special day for you, Holly. One you worked really hard for, so enjoy it. Enjoy every good thing that comes your way, because you’ve worked so hard for it.”
“And it seems like you’ll have more special days coming up too,” Mom piped up, her eyes darting between me and Sawyer.
“Mom,” I said lowly, cheeks all hot, and I could feel Sawyer’s hand fall on top of mine. “I literally graduated, like, a week ago.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” She waved a hand my way. “I didn’t mean an engagement and a wedding and babies. Though those would all be lovely, don’t you think?”
Soft laughs filled the air, the sound coming from all directions. That last one Mom said sounded a little terrifying, but the first two? My heart fluttered at the thought, and I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift over to Sawyer’s for a second. I was expecting to see some amusement in his own eyes: maybe a tiny smile on his face at my mom’s enthusiasm, or his lips parted to murmur out an inside joke only the two of us would understand, but I saw pure conviction looking back at me. Maybe even some determination, and for a millisecond, I was pretty sure his thumb moved up tothatspot on my finger on my left hand, rubbing at me there so softly and slowly it felt soothing. Calming.The best feeling in the world.
“What your mother is trying to say is that you both can have some time for yourselves now,” my dad said. “And that means… exciting things. Maybe a break before you get stuck into work. Maybe a vacation somewhere—some place you can celebrate and take some time off.”
“That’s what I meant. There’s so many fun things you could do until you start working,” Mom said.
Their words slowly sunk in. They were right. I was fortunate enough—thanks to them—to be in a position where I could take a break post school. Work wasn’t something I had to dive into straight away, and a vacationsounded really nice. Some place with Sawyer, to some destination he had always had on his mind, or somewhere faraway and distant where we could get lost in a certain kind of quietness that you just couldn’t find in New York.
“Exactly. Life is just getting started.” My dad’s eyes moved to my side. To Sawyer. To the boy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. “For the both of you, I mean. I’m sure whatever comes your way will be good. Exciting. Fun. I’m glad we all get to celebrate this special occasion with you, Holly. And I’m glad you’re both here. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
And there were the tears. I gave my eyes the quickest of wipes. I never thought I’d see the day where my father included Sawyer. Where they shook hands and actually talked to one another and could sit in a room together without anyone getting hurt. There was calmness now. Something solid. It felt like I had waited forever for my dad to accept Sawyer, but that all felt so faraway now that it was almost like all those arguments and harsh words never happened at all.
My father raised his glass and I shifted a little in my chair as a chorus of clinking hit my ears, ever so slightly uncomfortable with all those eyes on me. I waited for everything to settle down again. For people to get stuck into their desserts and drinks before I told Sawyer I’d be back in a little bit and pulled my dad away from the crowd and towards a quiet spot in the corner.
“Was my speech that bad?” he asked, giving me a little smile.
“No.” I laughed, rubbing at my arms. “It was very sweet. Thank you.”
“Aw, you’re welcome.” He wrapped an arm around me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “You might have seen me get a little teary eyed back there…”
“Don’t,” I said. “I’ll start crying. Your speech was lovely. And I wanted to say thank you for including Sawyer in it. He’s part of my life now. You know that. Whatever happens in the future, it’ll be him with me. He’s the one I’ll be sharing all of that with.”
He nodded firmly. “I know, sweetheart. I’m glad it’s him. I’m glad it’s somebody who loves my daughter. Who’ll take care of you and give you thelife you deserve. Are you both ready to go back to New York tomorrow?”
“Uh, I guess so,” I said, but all I could think about was how I didn’t want to go back at all.
“I’m sure you’ve had offers galore,” he said. “How exciting. You’ll be sitting in your very own office soon. I bet you’ll have a view better than mine. You know, I talked to Richard at The New Yorker, and—”
“Daddy.” I cut him off, arms crossed over my chest. “What does that mean? You told them to send me an offer or something?”
He chuckled a little. “Okay, that came out wrong. I just told him to consider you! You know me and him go way back. We went to college together. I just told him about you and sent over your portfolio. It’ll be a great opportunity.”
“I don’t want to get a job because of your… connections.”
“You say that like having connections is a bad thing. Holly, you’re in a position a lot of other graduates dream of. You name a publication, and I can get your foot through the door,” he said, hands landing on my arms. “I know you’re more than capable of finding a role on your own, but a little help wouldn’t hurt, right?”
I held in a grumble. “I can’t believe you’ve been schmoozing with all your friends about me.”
“Not schmoozing. Just… talking. They were all really impressed with your profile. Holly, you were editor for the Columbia paper. You graduated with honors. I didn’t do this to hurt you.”
Eyes lowering to the floor, I nodded. “I know. I’d just prefer to do this on my own, and…”
