by K. C. Lynn
Even though I’m incredibly embarrassed right now I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous face that’s squished against the glass.
“Jesus Christ!” Sawyer lets out heatedly, while glowering at his sister through the window. She gives him a sweet smile and waves her fingers at him.
It makes me laugh harder. He lets out a frustrated breath then looks over at me, “All right let’s get this fucking over with so I can get your beautiful ass alone.” He winks, giving me one of his panty droppin’ grins.
I smile back, but it quickly vanishes when I look out my window and see his family standing on the massive front steps.
Oh god, did they all see us makin’ out? Oh no, they’re going to think I’m nothin’ but a two-bit whore! I watch Sawyer get out on his side and see his sister attack him. She throws her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek.
“You can do this, Grace. Pull yourself together,” I mumble under my breath.
By the time I work up enough nerve to open my door Sawyer is already there, helping me down. He takes my cold, clammy, shakin’ hand in his big, warm one and keeps me by his side.
“Grace, this annoying squirt is my youngest sister Sam,” he says introducing me to the girl who interrupted us. She’s beautiful, just like Sawyer. Long blonde hair, green eyes that are lighter than his and flawless skin that looks like porcelain.
She gives me a radiant smile then surprises me by wrappin’ me in a hug. “Nice to meet you. Sorry for interrupting, but I’ve been awaiting my brother’s arrival impatiently.”
I hug her back. “Oh uh, that’s all right. Sorry you had to interrupt anythin’,” I reply blushing furiously.
She leans back, looking at me with that radiant smile still in place. “Oh you’re cute. I love your accent.”
Accent?
Before I can ponder that too much a loud squeal comes from the front steps, and another beautiful blonde comes running down the stairs, launching herself at Sawyer. After she hugs and kisses his cheek she wraps him in a headlock, or at least she tries to but Sawyer quickly throws her upside down. “Put me down, you brute!” she playfully hits at him.
Sawyer keeps her hanging upside down then turns to me, “And this one here is my sister Jesse. She thinks she’s tough so I’m constantly having to prove her wrong.”
Jesse sticks out her hand to me as she hangs upside down, “Hi, Grace, nice to meet you.”
I take her hand, “Hi, it’s nice to meet ya too.”
She smiles then looks up at Sawyer. “She’s pretty. How did you land someone like her with your ugly mug.”
I laugh, but Sawyer grunts unamused. Sam walks up to them and lays a loud smack on Jesse’s butt. “Hey!” she shouts, slapping at Sam. Then she slaps Sawyer. “All right let me up now, all the blood is rushing to my head.”
Sawyer smiles mischievously down at her and shakes his head. Jesse narrows her eyes, “If you don’t let me up I’ll be forced to tell Grace about the time when you were ten and cried because…”
Her words get cut off sharply when Sawyer hauls her upright and slaps a hand over her mouth. I raise a questioning eyebrow at his glare. “She’s goddamn lying.”
“Sawyer Evans, watch your language!”
My gaze draws to a beautiful blonde woman walking down the steps. Even though she just scolded Sawyer on his swearin’, she has the kindest smile I have ever seen on someone. It’s the kind of smile that instantly makes you smile back, and know that she’s an incredibly sweet woman.
Her hazel eyes are full of love as she approaches Sawyer. “There’s my boy.” Rising up, she cups Sawyer’s face, making him lean down, and then begins planting kisses all over his face. “I” smooch “have” smooch “missed” smooch “you” smooch “so” smooch “much” smooch.
Rolling her eyes, Jesse whispers to me, “He is such a momma’s boy.”
“Hey, Mom,” Sawyer mumbles, embarrassed.
After she finishes showering Sawyer with her kisses she turns her kind smile on me, “And you must be Grace.”
Giving her a shaky smile I nod and put out my hand, but instead of taking it she wraps me in a warm gentle hug. “I’m Catherine. I am so happy you are joining us this weekend.”
“Well I want to thank you. It’s awful nice of y’all to have me,” I reply, hugging her back.
She steps back, but keeps her hands on my shoulders and continues to smile warmly at me. “Oh you are just so pretty.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” I feel myself blush furiously. I look over at Sawyer to see him smirkin’ at me. When we make eye contact he winks, giving me an, ‘I told you so’ look.
Guilt and shame strikes me as I realize just how judgmental I was of these nice people a few minutes ago, all because of their money. I expected them to be stuck up and decked out in fancy clothin’. And although Catherine Evans has the body and the money to flaunt, she doesn’t. Instead she’s wearing a pair of designer jeans and a soft pink, longer, thin cashmere sweater, she looks simple yet beautiful.
“Isn’t she pretty, John?” she says, cutting off my thoughts.
Looking behind her, I see a tall, very attractive man make his way down the steps towards us. He’s almost as tall as Sawyer and has the same lean, muscular build. With a headful of dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes, there is no doubt that Sawyer is the spittin’ image of his father.
Holy moses, I’ve never seen a better lookin’ family in all my life. Sawyer’s father wears a familiar smirk as he approaches.
Yup, like father like son.
“She sure is; nice to meet you, Grace. I’m glad you could join us this weekend,” he says kindly, sticking his hand out for me to take, which I do. Then he leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
“Thanks for havin’ me, Mr. Evans.”
His smirk turns into a full smile, “You can call me John, honey.”
I smile back and nod, “All right. Thank you, John.”
When John turns towards Sawyer the warm loving nostalgia that has surrounded us, since arriving here, is replaced with tension.
They both stare at each other awkwardly. “Sawyer,” his father acknowledges him with a nod.
Sawyer returns the gesture, “Dad.”
Sadness fills Catherine’s eyes and the girls shift uncomfortably. I forgot Sawyer told me about him and his father not getting along anymore. My heart breaks, because even though Sawyer’s eyes have gone flat, I can still see pain in them.
Catherine clears her throat now and tries to give an easy smile, “Why don’t we go inside. We can have a drink and visit before I start supper.” She points over to the SUV Sawyer rented, “Did you want to bring in your bags?”
“Oh I’m giving up the guesthouse for them and staying at the main house,” Jesse says, breaking in before Sawyer can say anythin’.
Guilt rears inside of me. “Oh you don’t need to give up your place. I’m fine to sleep anywhere. Really I…”
“No! Jesse is fine with sleeping at the main house,” Sawyer replies, interrupting me.
I look at him incredulously. “You shouldn’t be kickin’ your sister out of her place. That’s just plain rude. Like I said, I’m fine to sleep anywhere.”
“We’re taking the guesthouse!” he fires back in a tone that brooks no further argument.
I narrow my eyes, but before I can respond, snickerin’ draws my attention away from Sawyer. I see his mom and sisters watching us in amusement. I turn red with embarrassment when I realize we were just bickerin’ in front of them.
Jesse slings her arm around me and starts us towards the main house. “Oh, Grace, I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine.”
I had a great visit with Sawyer’s family and loved getting to know them. They are probably the kindest people I have ever met. I still feel guilty for how worried I was about meetin’ them. I should have known they would be great, because look at Sawyer.
You can tell how happy they are to have him back, even if it’s just for a few days. It w
arms my heart to see how close this family is, and how much they all love one another. Sawyer and his sisters constantly tease and banter with one another, but those two girls look at him as if he is superman. There were times I felt a little heavy at heart, watchin’ them all, it had made me miss Mama. Our family may have been small, but our love and happiness could match the largest family in history.
The tension between Sawyer and his father lingered; you could tell it upset the rest of the family. The more I had gotten to know John, there was no doubt that looks are not the only similarities Sawyer and his father share. They have very much the same mannerisms and personalities.
After our visit Sawyer took our luggage to the guesthouse. He had tried pulling me with him, but his mom had asked if I wanted to stay behind with her and continue our visit while she started supper. Of course I agreed, which had turned Sawyer into a grump. His mom then patted him on the cheek and told him to stop pouting because it was very unattractive.
I couldn’t help but snicker at that, which turned his poutin’ on me.
Catherine hands me a glass of wine, “Here, honey, take this and have a seat.”
“Is there somethin’ I can help with?”
She shakes her head, “No, no. I just want your company, nothing else. Go on, have a seat.”
I take a seat at the island, which is located in the center of the massive kitchen that my whole house could fit in. It was a dream kitchen if I ever did see one: wide-open, airy, tons of counter and cupboard space, three ovens… boy could I have a pie party in here.
“So Sawyer tells me you create and bake some incredible pies. What kinds do you make?” she asks, speaking my thoughts.
“Oh, well, I make everythin’ from breakfast, lunch, supper and dessert pies. I don’t know how incredible they are but people really seem to like ‘em. Now my Mama, she could make a pie like nobody’s business. Most of the ones I make are her recipes; I have only created a few.”
I sit stunned for a minute when I realize I just spoke about my Mother so easily. That is somethin’ that never happens. It still hurts too much to talk about her, but I find I’m okay sharin’ somethin’ about her with Catherine.
That thought makes me wonder how much she knows. I get my answer a few seconds later when she smiles at me sadly and covers my hand with hers. “I’m real sorry to hear about what happened to your Mama, Grace. I imagine she was an exceptional woman, if she’s anything as sweet as you.”
Her compliment has emotion clogging my throat. “Thank you. Yes she was amazin’. I miss her very much,” I choke out painfully.
Catherine’s face turns more serious, “I’m glad my boy is here for you right now. I know he will take good care of you.”
I clear my throat, “I think Sawyer is a real wonderful person and I’m glad to have met him. He has come to mean an awful lot to me,” I admit nervously. I want her to know just how much I appreciate him. Sawyer, obviously, has told her a lot, and I don’t want her thinkin’ I don’t appreciate everythin’ he is doin’ for me.
She gives me a bright smile, “I’m happy to hear that, Grace. Yes, he’s a good man… with a big ego.”
“Yes he is,” I agree chuckling.
“He comes by it honestly, I promise, he gets it from his father.” After a few seconds of silence she leans over and cups my face affectionately. Sincerity shines in her warm hazel eyes when she says, “But I promise you, his heart is much bigger.”
I smile, “And I know that too.”
She leans in and gives me an affectionate kiss on my forehead that has me almost breakin’ into tears. After she steps back she lightens the mood by sayin’, “You have my permission to take him down a notch whenever he needs it. And I imagine he needs it a lot.”
I laugh, “Well I try, but sometimes he can be a stubborn one.”
She snickers, “Again he gets it from his father.” Her smile turns sad and she begins to say somethin’ else but gets interrupted when Sawyer comes walking in.
My heart skips a beat and my eyes drink in every sexy inch of him. He has changed into a pair of loose, faded jeans that hang enticingly off his lean hips and a green Bench shirt that stretches across his incredible lean, muscular body, complimenting his green eyes.
“See something you like, Cupcake?”
My gaze snaps to his and I turn furiously red when I realize I was caught oglin’ him, especially in front of his mother.
I narrow my eyes at his smug look, “In your dreams, Evans. I was just noticin’ a small dirt mark on your pants is all. Seriously, I’m surprised your giant head can even fit in this massive kitchen.”
His mom laughs, “That-a girl.”
Sawyer smirks, knowing I’m full of it as he walks over to me and plants a big hard kiss on my cheek. “That’s okay, baby, I check you out too.” I roll my eyes and shove him playfully.
Thankfully he changes the subject, “What are you ladies talking about anyways?” he reaches over to stick his fingers in the bowl that his mother is mixin’.
She slaps his hand, moving the bowl away from him. “We were talking about Grace’s pies.”
“Are you bragging about your pies, Cupcake? And you tell me I have a big head.”
I shove him again, “I was not braggin’. Your mom is the one who brought them up. Sounds like you were the one braggin’, only this time it wasn’t about yourself, shockingly.”
He chuckles, “Can’t help it, Cupcake. There’s so much to brag about.” I roll my eyes. “Speaking of which, I just got a text from a friend asking if I would come play hockey with them tonight. What do you think?”
“Oh, of course, go ahead. I’ll hang out here.”
Sawyer frowns, “What? No you have to come too, or I won’t go.”
“Oh, you want me to come?”
“Of course I do,” he looks at me like I’m an idiot, “and trust me, baby, you’re not going to want to miss seeing me in action.”
I shake my head but a smile tugs at my lips, “All right I’ll come watch you show off.”
He grins arrogantly, “Good. Jesse’s going to come too and will sit with you then she’s going to leave with her boyfriend after. He plays on the team too.”
He looks at his mom, “Where is my hockey equipment?”
She shrugs, “You will have to ask your father that.” By the look on Catherine’s face I’d say she knows exactly where it is but wants Sawyer to talk to his father.
Sawyer, on the other hand, looks less than thrilled about that.
Dinner is uncomfortable to say the least. Everyone is trying to pretend it isn’t but there’s no denyin’ the tension between Sawyer and his father. Whatever happened when Sawyer went and asked him where his equipment was has them both in a foul mood. At least Sawyer is tryin’ not to let it show.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised Tommy asked you to play with them tonight,” Jesse starts, “he came into the store the other day just to pester me. When I told him you were coming home for a few days he started going off about how he needed you tonight to dominate their biggest rival team.”
Sawyer grins at me arrogantly, “See, baby, I’m telling you. Just wait till you see me in action. I’m a damn legend around here.”
I’m about to take Sawyer down a notch, but John cuts in with a loud grunt, one that has Sawyer tensin’ and the table falling silent.
Sawyer stares over at his dad angrily. I reach for his hand under the table and try my best to smooth his anger over before things become even more awkward.
Thankfully Jesse breaks in, “Grace, we can get ready together after supper. I’d love to show you some of the clothes I’ve designed.”
Smiling, I’m just about to respond when Sawyer interrupts, “You got something you want to say, Dad?”
The anger in Sawyer’s voice has my heart speedin’ up with anxiety. It beats even faster when John looks up at Sawyer now, just as angrily.
“John,” Catherine says warningly.
“No, Mom, let him say whatev
er the fuck it is he needs to say. Maybe if he gets it off his fucking chest we can all finally move the fuck on.”
“Sawyer, watch your mouth!” Catherine scolds. “C’mon, old man, just spit it out.”
“You want to know what my damn problem is?” Oh gosh this is going to be so bad.
“Daddy, you promised,” Sam cuts in, upset. “Yes, I really want to fucking know.”
“Sawyer!” Catherine scolds his language again.
“I’ll tell you what my goddamn problem is. My problem is you’re right; you were really good. ‘Were’ is the operative word, boy. You are not a legend, you could have been but you went and threw it all away. All to be… to be…”
“To be a hero,” the words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. The table falls silent and all eyes snap to me.
Oh lord, Grace, what have you done?
Well crap, I can’t stop now. Clearing my throat softly I stare down at my plate, “I don’t know about any of you, but for me, bein’ a man who fights for his country and saves lives is a lot more noble and important than bein’ a legend.”
When I feel brave enough to look up I see everyone still starin’ at me. Catherine looks at me with an almost wistful smile on her face, both his sisters sport the same ones. Sawyer watches me with an expression I can’t decipher, and John… well I’m a little frightened to look over at him so I don’t.
When no one still says anything I shift nervously. “Uh, no disrespect to any legends or hockey players. I’m sure they all mean well too.”
Sawyer breaks the silence by chuckling. He kisses me on the cheek then slings his arm around me, “Did you hear that, old man? I’m a fucking hero.”
“Sawyer Evans, I swear to God if the F-Bomb falls from your mouth one more time I’m going to shove an entire bar of soap down your throat.”
I try so incredibly hard not to laugh but the image that pops into my head has it slippin’ free. Thankfully his sisters do too. Sawyer mumbles an apology then conversation awkwardly picks up again, everyone ignorin’ the big elephant in the room.