Part 9 (1/2)
”Yup. Tony's a great guy. I know you'll love him and all my friends, and hopefully my brothers, too. Amy's just about the sweetest person on earth.”
He pulled her against him. ”I doubt that. You're about the sweetest person on earth.”
Jenna and Amy greeted them with open arms. After hugging Sky, Jenna put her hands on her hips and smiled at Sawyer. ”You must be Sawyer the strum...guitar-playing boxer.”
Sky's and Amy's eyes widened with surprise at her slipup.
”And you must be Jenna, Joey's mom,” Sawyer said, petting Joey's head.
Jenna spread a hand on her baby b.u.mp as Pete and Hunter came over the dunes behind them. ”And soon-to-be a human baby's mom, too. It's nice to meet you, Sawyer.”
Amy walked right up to Sawyer and hugged him, s.h.i.+fting her belly slightly to the side. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and Sky knew that Jenna had picked out Amy's yellow bracelets to match her dress, because Jenna was the queen of making sure the girls' outfits were perfectly coordinated.
”Hi. I'm Amy. Soon-to-be mom to a little surfer girl or boy. It's nice to meet you, Sawyer.” Amy hugged Sky and whispered, ”He's even cuter up close!”
He sure is. ”Where are the others?” Sky asked.
”Bella was tired, so she and Caden stayed home. Leanna got a huge jam order, so she stayed home to work, and Jessica and Jamie called to say they wouldn't be able to make the trip yet because something came up at Jamie's office.” Jamie and Jessica were married last summer. Jamie had developed one of the world's largest search engines, and Jessica was a cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They lived in Boston full-time and summered at the Cape with Jamie's grandmother, Vera, who raised him after his parents were accidentally killed while on safari.
Pete put an arm around Jenna and extended a hand to Sawyer. Like Sawyer, he was over six feet tall, making Jenna look even more pet.i.te. ”Hi. I'm Pete. Sky's oldest brother.”
”Nice to meet you, Pete.”
”Songbird Ba.s.s. Hunter filled me in.” Pete nodded to their brother.
Hunter shook Sawyer's hand. ”I'm another one of Sky's older brothers. I saw you play the other night. You were great.”
”Thanks. I remember seeing you at the table with Sky,” Sawyer said.
A motorcycle roared down the street.
”Here's Blue,” Jenna said.
They turned as Blue stepped from his bike and hung his helmet on the back.
”Do you guys get together often?” Sawyer asked.
”We get together pretty often over the summers,” Pete explained.
”Hey, guys.” Blue reached out to touch Sky's arm, then shoved his hand in his pocket.
For a brief second Sky held her breath. She realized that she'd never brought a guy with her to one of their bonfires before. This was going to take some getting used to-for both her and Blue.
”Good to see you again, Blue.” Sawyer nodded to him as Blue knelt to pet Joey.
”Come on. We'll introduce you to Grayson, our other brother, and Tony,” Pete said to Sawyer.
Sawyer turned to Sky. ”Okay?”
She loved that he thought to check with her instead of barreling off with the men. ”Of course, just don't listen to any of their stories about me. They're lies, all lies.”
”Would we do that?” Pete said sarcastically.
”Now I'm curious.” Sawyer kissed her cheek, then followed the guys down the beach.
”Look at our men,” Jenna said with a sigh. ”Hot, hot, hot.”
”You can say that again,” Sky said. She could watch Sawyer all day long.
”Did you see how Blue almost reached for you?” Jenna laughed, and when Sky didn't, her tone went serious. ”Uh-oh. What happened?”
They walked over the dunes and down to the beach as they talked. ”Blue called Duke and had Sawyer checked out.”
”Oh, that.” Jenna waved a dismissive hand. ”Of course he did.”
”How can you say that? It feels like a violation of my privacy.”
”Sky, he was with Hunter and Grayson, and you know Gray...He was all hot under the collar about you dating a boxer. He said he wasn't going to let his sister date Mike Tyson. Hunter told Pete all about it, and Pete told me about it.”
”So it wasn't all Blue's doing?” Blue was taking the heat for her brother? Now that sounded more like Blue, trying to keep the peace between siblings.
”From what Pete said, Blue was a little funny about the whole thing, but more because you guys are so close than anything else. But when Grayson said he was going to pay Sawyer a visit, Blue stepped in and offered to call Duke.” She looped one arm into Sky's and the other into Amy's as they neared the bonfire.
”I think it's sweet,” Amy said. ”Even Grayson's whole protective older brother thing.”
”You wouldn't if you grew up with every guy you ever dated being given the third degree.”
”They only did it because they love you, Sky,” Amy said sweetly.
She glanced at Sawyer, standing with Tony, Blue, and her brothers. Seeing him with the people she loved most made her stomach flutter. He was laughing and looked totally at ease, and when he turned and their eyes met, his smile widened.
”Someone can't stand to be away from you,” Jenna said.
”I feel the same way. Jenna, it's so fast.”
”Fast is so much better than slow. Trust me,” Jenna said. ”I loved Pete for years before we finally got together. It was torture.”
”Hey, I waited more than a decade for my man,” Amy said, reminding Sky that Amy hadn't even slept with another man after her teenage love affair with Tony. ”And it was worth every second.”
They joined the others, and Sawyer reached for Sky and pulled her in close. She loved that he didn't hesitate to be affectionate in front of her family.
”Are they playing nice or trying to scare you off?” she asked.
”No one could ever scare me off.” Sawyer pressed his lips to hers.
”Hey, sis,” Grayson said.
”I have a bone to pick with you.” She turned to Sawyer as she grabbed Grayson's arm. ”Excuse me for a minute.” She dragged Grayson away from the others.