her brain kept flashing back to how it had felt to be in Abe’s arms again, to hear his deep voice in her ear, to see his smile. So right. It had felt so right. Not just the sex. Everything. Speaking to him about Aaron when she barely spoke on that painful subject even to Lola, listening to him speak about Tessie. All of it had felt right.
For the first time in forever, she hadn’t felt as if she stood on shaky ground.
She was still fumbling for an answer when Charlotte reached over to touch her hand with her delicate one. “It’s okay.” Gentle words. “I know sometimes things are complicated.”
Grateful for the quiet kindness, Sarah released a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. “How about you tell me about this T-Rex Molly mentioned.”
Charlotte’s cheeks filled with color, but her grin was wicked and sweet both. “That’s what I secretly called Gabriel when we first met. He was my boss.” Then, as Sarah listened, Charlotte told her about a relationship that had begun with a stapler thrown at the boss’s head.
“He used to bring you cupcakes to say sorry?” Sarah sighed. “That is seriously romantic.”
“First he’d drive me insane with his demands—Miss Baird, I need this. Miss Baird, why haven’t I got this already?—and right when I was about to scream, he’d bring me cake.” Charlotte’s cheeks creased. “I adore him beyond life.”
Sarah couldn’t help but smile even as her own heart clenched; once, she’d worn her love for Abe as openly on her sleeve. “You two getting married as well?” She nodded at the stunning diamond on Charlotte’s finger.
“In just under two months,” Charlotte confirmed. “Molly and Fox are going to fly out to New Zealand for it. It’s going to be a traditional church wedding.” She found her phone, brought up a photo of four gorgeous and built men with their arms around each other’s shoulders. “This is my Gabriel.” She touched her finger to the image of the biggest man in the group, his shoulders and height reminding Sarah of Abe.
Both could’ve been linebackers.
Charlotte’s Gabriel had black hair and steel-gray eyes, his skin sun-golden. One of the men in the photo looked very much like him except that his eyes were a startling blue. The other two were younger and had a warm brown skin tone, different features, but there was something about them… “Brothers?”
Charlotte nodded. “Sailor, Danny, and Jake.” She scrolled through her photos to show Sarah several more not only of the four brothers but of a number of other good-looking men. Most were in sports uniforms that exposed strong thighs and biceps. Whoever else was in the shot, however, it also always featured either Charlotte’s fiancé or one—or more—of his brothers.
“Gabriel used to play rugby professionally, and his two youngest brothers still do,” Charlotte explained. “Sailor does it for fun.” The petite blonde shook her head. “Most of Gabriel’s former teammates are coming to the wedding, and at least half are currently single. I’m running out of single female friends to invite!”
Shoulders shaking, Sarah took a strawberry from the bowl Kit passed over before the other woman took a seat on the lounger next to Charlotte’s. She bit into the juicy red flesh as Charlotte showed off her man and his brothers to Kit. As she’d already guessed, Charlie was head over heels for her “T-Rex,” and if the look in Gabriel’s eyes in those photos was any indication, he had a serious thing for the woman who’d taken the photographs.
Sarah swallowed and glanced away into the distance for an instant. She’d never had anyone look at her that way—as if she were his heart and his soul and his reason for waking up in the morning. Once, she’d hoped Abe would someday look at her with that depth of love.
That dream had died a hard death, but as the interlude in her kitchen showed, she was still dangerously susceptible to the man who’d been her husband. She’d have to be careful the romance of the wedding didn’t seduce her into making a mistake that led her right back into his bed.
Why?
The question came from a sinful, hungry part of her that wasn’t the least bit sorry she’d gotten down and dirty with Abe. Her face flushed even now at the memory; she was grateful the other women were too busy nibbling at dessert and chatting about the wedding to notice.
Not wanting to miss out, Sarah wrenched her attention back to the matter