“Annika, just give me you.”
“I have. I will. Yes, I will stay with you. I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not.” She threw her arms around him. “I will be yours, and you will be mine.”
Closing his eyes, he held on. “And that’s enough for anybody.”
“I love you with all I am.”
When he kissed her, they both forgot about packing and everything else until Sasha rapped sharply on the doorjamb.
“Sorry, but we’ve got to get everything downstairs and go over all the steps. It’s nearly four.”
“Sawyer is going to build a house on the island, and live there, and I can live in the water, so we can be together.”
“Love finds a way.” Touched, Sasha moved in to hug them both. “A good and loving way. And don’t think moving to some deserted island in the South Seas will stop us from visiting.”
“Counting on it,” Sawyer told her.
“But now, get moving. We’re getting antsy.”
“Five minutes.”
It took a little longer, but they hauled everything down, steered Doyle’s motorcycle in from the side room.
“At least I’ll be able to ride this again once we’re in Ireland.”
“I like riding the motorcycle.”
“Anytime, Gorgeous.”
“Until that happy day, we’ve got three hours and . . .” Riley checked her watch. “Thirty-two minutes until sunset. If we’re going to do this, we’d better do it.”
“One more thing. Sasha’s last vision.”
“Sawyer, no.” Alarmed, Annika clutched at him. “She is a god.”
“And Bran and Sasha took her down pretty hard in Corfu. This time it looks like it’s my turn. My risk, my choice—that’s what Sasha said, that’s what we explained to everybody. I’m making the choice, and I have to believe I can do it, buy us that time. But I’m going to need help.”
“Whatever you need, brother,” Doyle told him, “you’ve got.”
“The timing has to be close to perfect, and I need to get close enough to her to connect.”
“She could rip you to pieces.” At Riley’s words Annika turned her face into Sawyer’s shoulder. “Sorry, really, but we’ve got to be straight. Maybe we wait, take more time to plan it out.”
“It’s now. I’m sorry, too.” S
asha reached out to stroke Annika’s hair. “But it’s now. For the star, for the battle, for the risk.”
“She could rip me to pieces, but I’m banking she won’t, especially if Bran softens her up a bit.”
“And that I will, my word on it.”
“I get close enough, when she’s softened up some, I pull her into a shift, and when we’re clear, I disconnect. It can work.”
“You’ll be alone,” Annika stated.
“No.” He used her hand to tap his own heart. “Okay, everybody gear up—except for you.” He tipped Annika’s face, kissed her.
They strapped on the equipment Riley and Doyle had carted up from the boathouse—the hard way. And though it still made him wince, he waited while Annika tossed her pink dress aside.