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3
Two dry martinis later, I’d opened up to Rhys. Well, technically, I just stopped treating him like the dirt on my shoe from our walk across the city. Sitting next to him at the small café, our backs to the exterior windows while watching boats and pedestrians, I struggled to balance between extreme jet lag and my emotions. When the server returned with our third serving of liquid emotional bandages, Rhys was too eager to slide my glass toward me.
“Was this planned? Take the older, overbearing sister out to get wasted so she wouldn’t interfere anymore?” I pressed, squinting through the blur of my martinis. Rhys’s gaze softened, flicking between my eyes and traveling along my face, before he took out his phone once more and snapped a picture.
“No.” I hadn’t realized how blinding his smile was until we were next to each other. “But I can’t tell you I’m not enjoying it. What life are you going back to over there, Mia? Work? Children? A husband?”
He took another picture, so I covered my face and hid behind my martini glass. “No children. No husband.” Thanks for the reminder. “I’m going back to a life where people don’t kiss my hand and take my photo without permission. Delete those, please.”
“Never,” he snickered, placing his phone on the table before taking a drink from his ale. “That life sounds incredibly dull, by the way. What is it you do for work?”
“I’m a history professor. What do you do, separate from harassing unsuspecting sisters of your brother’s many women?”
Rhys pointed to his phone with the hand not guiding his drink to his mouth. “Photographer. You’re probably wondering about Matthew and Sadie, as I would be if I were you, but I assure you their relationship is true. I’ve been there for all of it.”
“Right,” I scoffed. “Because I often trust the random sibling brought in to soften the blow.”
“And I often trust the unnecessarily skeptical sister who flew across an ocean on a whim and is making rash judgments without considering the emotions of those she insults or the history of people involved.” He licked his lips, pulling my attention to his face as his tongue wiped away the froth of his ale. Rhys was easy on the eyes, which I think made me want to dislike him more, but I couldn’t.
“You’re right, Rhys,” I conceded, twisting the stem of my glass to avoid looking at him. “I’ve been rude to both of you. I don’t know you two. I need to protect my sister. I’ll never stop doing that.”
His knuckles were warm under my chin as he lifted my face to look at him. “What’s happened that’s left your thoughts in such a mess?”
A laugh tumbled from my lips, unable to move from his touch. “What hasn’t? Three more martinis and I might tell you the entire story.”
“It’s a date,” he winked, “but first I imagine you’ll want to be getting out of here as soon as possible. Matthew planned on a luncheon with our family this afternoon, assuming Sadie said yes to his proposal. I don’t imagine you’d want to stay for that. Perhaps as my guest?”
In the dull gray air, Rhys’s dark eyes shined, outlined by rays of his mischievous smile, but I wasn’t falling for it. “Are you his personal assistant?”
“Are you Sadie’s?” He quipped, winking at me.
Turning away from Rhys, I pressed myself further into my chair, considering the circumstances. It really was freezing and damp out there, but the cocktails helped warm me from inside. I needed to find Sadie before they took her away to that stupid luncheon. Her one condition to coming home with me for the holidays was that I met Matthew. Now I’m trapped and slightly intoxicated with his brother.
“I’m not her caretaker,” I replied, “but I am the baby’s godmother. Those two need someone looking out for them.”
“Matthew’s not good enough?” Rhys considered, chuckling softly as he adjusted his posture in the chair next to me. “Fancy that, Mia. Who knew we’d be parents together after just a few drinks?”
I glared at him, unamused. “Are you making light of an unplanned pregnancy?”
“No.” His eyes widened, cheeks flushed. “I never would. It’s just that I’m this child’s godfather, and you’re the godmother. I’m only trying to make you laugh.”
“Stop,” I snarled. “You’re not funny.” My last drink finished, I scooted from the cold metal chair and stepped beneath the awning into the downpour. Looking up at the swirls of gray that blanketed the city, I closed my eyes and felt every drop of rain against my chilled skin. It was cold at first, then invigorating, but I lost sense of it when my face was numb.
“This might be my favorite one,” Rhys whispered from behind me. My eyelids were slow to open, exhausted and nervous. “I imagine it’s the first time in hours you’ve relaxed as much.” His arm extended around me to hold his phone within inches of my crossed arms, the screen capturing an image of a lost American numbed by life and the London rain.
“I’m so worried about her,” I confessed, spinning around to face Rhys. “One of the first things she told me was how afraid she was to tell our mom. She’s not ready for this.”
Rhys stuffed his phone into his pants pocket and lifted his cool palms to my cheeks, holding my gaze against his. “Nobody’s ready for any of this, but I can promise you I’ll look out for Sadie.” I liked the sound of his laugh when I rolled my eyes.
“Do you think they’re done in the park?” Slowly pulling away from his hold, I reached back to the table for my purse. “I should really get back to her.”
That bag weighed a ton, and all I could think of was our mom nagging me yesterday. Sadie’s fear of telling our mom about the drastic changes in her life wasn’t irrational, considering our mom’s conservative upbringing. She pretended Benji and Amelia hadn’t slept together before they got married and wore three rosaries during their ceremony because of it, and she condemned Caleb and me for trying to have a baby until missing him at Sunday dinners turned her around. I knew it would devastate her to find out Sadie was pregnant with some rich, British, celebrity’s spawn, and she’d make it all about her… Or blame me. Somehow.
Glancing at his watch, Rhys tipped his head back and forth. “Almost. I’m sorry about meeting that way,” he professed. “It came off that I was a dick, and I promise you I’m not. Matthew’s isn’t either, but I know you won’t see past what he’s done.”
“I hold grudges.” I shrugged, glancing away when Rhys smiled at me. “I’ll go to the luncheon before going home with Sadie under one condition.” I sounded like her, making sure I covered my bases so I’d get what I wanted.
“What’s your condition, Mia?”
