Page 39 of Infinite as They Come
Sawyer picked out a photo and turned his screen around, and I watched as Spencer’s eyes widened, his little finger pushing his glasses along his nose. He sat there, all intrigued and interested, letting out little “wows” every time Sawyer brought a new photo up.
Spencer’s smile widened suddenly, his eyes flying to mine. “That’s Holly.”
“Yeah, that’s her,” Sawyer said lowly.
Eyebrows raised, I gave Sawyer a little nudge, and he turned the screen around, showing off me in painted form: me on the couch back in New York, hair all sprawled around me as I read a book. My cheeks felt warm as I took it all in. The perfectly crafted brush strokes, the colors, how detailed it all was, the fact that he had spent hours standing at a canvas just painting me even though he had done it so many times before.
“So beautiful,” Linda said, letting out a thoughtful sounding sigh. “You’re too talented, Sawyer.”
“Thanks,” Sawyer said quietly.
There was silence after that. An awkward one. Again. Kurt clapped his hands together, his smile all big. “That’s a nice truck you’ve got back there, Sawyer,” Kurt said, nodding towards the direction of the parking lot. “It’s vintage, right? Looks brand new.”
“Holly got that for me a few years ago,” he said. “For my birthday.”
Kurt whistled, shooting me a smile. “What a gift.”
“Yeah, I’m really lucky,” Sawyer drawled.
His words made my heart skip a beat. I wondered if he knew how proudI was of him. This was hard, probably the hardest thing he had ever had to do, but he was trying, trying to mend that broken bridge between him and his mother. Her eyes kept lingering on him, her gaze filled with worry and uncertainty, like she was holding back everything she wanted to say. That would take time. All of it. And I really just hoped they could love each other again one day without any of that tension in the way.
Lunch carried on with that same awkwardness whenever the conversation suddenly came to a halt, but Kurt was good at filling that silence. He’d ask Sawyer about work and cars and all that guy stuff and he’d talk to me about my journalism degree, his words warm and honest. He seemed sweet, and I was glad Linda had found someone who treated her gently.
We sat there for a good couple hours before Kurt suggested it’d be a good idea to call it quits. It was a lot for one day, and I was thankful that Kurt could sense that.
“I hope we can all spend another day together,” Linda said as she stood up. “Maybe dinner or something? At our place? That’d be so nice.”
Pushing a hand through his hair, Sawyer nodded. “I’ll let you know.”
Nodding, Linda sent him a smile that still seemed so tentative. “Thank you for today, Sawyer. For spending the day with me.”
“You don’t have to thank for me that,” Sawyer said.
“Well, still. It’s so nice seeing you. I had a lot of fun today,” she said.
“Yeah, it was good,” Sawyer said, nodding stiffly. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Goodbye, Sawyer.” Her eyes moved to mine. “You too, Holly. It was nice seeing you as well. I hope I see you both later.”
I gave her a little wave. “Me too.”
Kurt placed a hand on the small of Linda’s back just as she breathed out shakily. We watched them walk to their car with Spencer, all the way to the back of the parking lot, to the opposite side of where Sawyer’s truck was parked.
Sawyer’s hand found mine, his fingers gently squeezing at me as he guided me away from the bench. Those baby photos felt like they were burning a hole right through my purse. It was such a simple thing, too. It was normal to have baby photos. Everyone had baby photos. Almost everyone.
Sawyer held the truck door open for me, letting me get settled inside, my purse suddenly feeling too heavy on my lap. Sawyer got in the driver’s side with a breath that sounded strained and tired and I found myself quickly reaching over to press a kiss to his cheek.
“I love you,” I murmured against his skin. “Today must have been so hard. The other day too. All of this, really. But you keep pushing forward. You always do…”
Humming, he rested his hand on my knee. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, Holly.”
I layered my hand on top of his, smiling instantly when he quickly placed his other one right there on top. Following suit, I let my other hand rest on his, watching as he raised his eyebrows up at me.
“You win,” he said softly.
My fingers tightened against his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Okay, I guess. As okay as one can feel in this situation.”
