He was home.
Julietta took Gen for a tour while he walked to the kitchen with Sawyer. “You look good.”
Wolfe turned with a grin. “Thanks. Bet you miss all the piercings and crazy hair though.”
Sawyer laughed and handed him a bottle of water. “Nah, I like the man you’ve become. But I always gave you credit. I still remember picking you up that first day. Within a few days, you managed to kill your hair and get a tattoo and more piercings than I can imagine. You gave me a big fuck you. Remember what you said?”
Like it was yesterday. “I said, ‘What do you think now? I’m as fucked-up on the outside as I am on the inside. Still want me?’ ”
Sawyer nodded. “Swear to God, I think I loved you right then. You were such a pain in the ass.”
Wolfe shook his head, taking a long swallow of water. “You needed a challenge.”
“I did. I’m glad you brought Gen. Surprised, but glad.”
“Why?”
Sawyer frowned, as if thinking about the question. “You never cared about anybody enough to want to bring them home. I know you’ve been friends for a long time, but this feels different. You’re together now?”
Wolfe stiffened. He didn’t want Sawyer or Julietta thinking it was permanent or long-term. It would only complicate matters and maybe embarrass Gen. Better to keep it to friendship and not admit they were sleeping together. He forced a smile. “Nope, still just great friends. Since she broke up with her fiancé, I thought a trip would be good for her.”
Sawyer studied him for a while. Those razor-sharp eyes pierced and shredded through the lies, just like they had when he was young. But he accepted the declaration for now. “Sure. Either way, I’m glad you’re both here.”
“Looking forward to catching up. Besides babysitting, I have a feeling there’s something else you want to talk about?”
“Yeah. But I’d like for all of us to sit down together. Tonight if that’s okay? Over dinner?”
“Absolutely. You cooking?”
“Do I ever?”
Wolfe laughed. “Good. Some things never change.”
They grinned at each other, then walked into the kitchen.
It was gonna be a hell of a week.
Twenty-six
WOLFE SAT IN the library, which did double duty as Sawyer’s office. Settling into the generous curved leather chair, he sipped cognac and let the quiet of the evening soak in. The low table held biscotti, some pastries from La Dolce Famiglia, and two other glasses filled with amber liquid. Julietta tucked her legs underneath her, leaning against the arm of the sofa, and Sawyer, who was sitting in the matching leather chair across from him, held a folder in his lap.
The scent of pipe tobacco permeated the air along with the aroma of liquor, musty paper, and leather. Wolfe took a deep breath and enjoyed the calm that spread over him. Gen had retired to her room early, and the window was open, letting in a soft breeze from the terrace.
“Thanks again for dinner,” he said. “Between you and Gen cooking for me, I’ve been gaining some weight. Gotta kick Sawyer’s ass in the gym this week and get myself back under control.”
Sawyer snorted. “I may be old, but I can still take you any day. Wisdom beats age.”
“Not in the gym.”
Julietta laughed. “You’re both winners. What do you mean Gen’s cooking for you? I thought she lived in Verily.”
He’d totally forgotten they didn’t know he and Gen had been living together. Temporarily, of course. “Her ex was giving her problems, so I moved in for a while. Just to make sure she was okay.”
Her shrewd gaze saw as much as Sawyer’s, but she just nodded. “I see.”
Wolfe steered the subject into safe territory. “How about you satisfy my curiosity on what’s in the file? Something good? Did I inherit?” He waited for the laugh, but Sawyer’s face tightened, as if he was stressed. A worried gleam lit his eyes. Wolfe leaned forward. “I’m just kidding. If it’s a problem, I’ll help you fix it.”
Julietta gave a soft sigh. “Not a problem. Actually, it’s something we’ve been waiting years for. Didn’t know if it would happen. We just hope you’re as happy as we are.”
Okay, now he was getting freaked out. “Guys, you’re killing me. Can you just tell me what’s going on?”
Sawyer pulled out a document. His finger tapped steadily against the blue folder, his leg shaking just a bit. Yep. A definite sign of nervousness from his usually controlled guardian. Had he done something bad with Purity? Gotten them in trouble? Sickness clawed at his gut.
“Remember that conversation we had years ago? When you were about twenty-one?”
Wolfe let out an impatient breath. “We had a ton of conversations. Is there a specific one you’re referring to?”
“Your adoption.”
He stilled. His gaze flicked to the paper, then back up at Sawyer’s face. He tried to gather his thoughts, unsure where the whole dialogue was going. “Yeah. You wanted to legally adopt me, and we went to court a few times, but there were issues. Made my name change look like a walk in the park.”
Sawyer nodded. Julietta twisted her fingers, nodding as if to encourage Sawyer to keep talking. “We didn’t know what happened to your mother at the time. I was more concentrated on keeping your life stress free. Didn’t want to bring up the past. So I got my PI to get all the information, and we’ve been working on this for a number of years.” Sweat gleamed from Sawyer’s brow. Wolfe took another sip of cognac, knowing the next few minutes were about to be life changing.