by Kelsie Rae
“Okay.”
The floor creaks softly as Owen exits the kitchen. Then, I unlock my cell and call my dad.
“Hey, Sweet Pea,” he answers after the second ring.
I bite my lip to keep from whimpering into the speaker, then wipe under my nose.
His deep sigh speaks louder than a damn blow horn. “He told you, didn’t he.”
I hold my breath but refuse to answer him. I don’t know what to say. Honestly, I don’t even know what I expect from this phone call. It’s not like I want to rehash things. I don’t even need an explanation. I was eighteen, for Pete’s sake. Of course, he’d be hesitant to give my boyfriend permission to give me a promise ring. I was young and stupid. And so in love that I would’ve followed Owen anywhere. Was it wrong of him to want me to make my own dreams? Even when it almost killed me?
There’s so much gray in the situation that I barely know what’s up and what’s down anymore.
“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he whispers.
With my eyes squeezed shut, I let out a shaky breath and nod even though he can’t see me.
“So damn sorry, Saylor,” he repeats.
I shake my head, then reach for the tissue box on the counter and dab one at the corner of my eyes before crumpling the saturated Kleenex into a ball.
He tries again. “I love you.” His voice is so thick with regret that I’m afraid we’ll both choke on it.
Owen’s right. My dad has carried this guilt for too long. Just like Owen carried his, and I carried mine.
And I’m so damn tired of regret. And guilt. And everything else that’s managed to weigh me down over the years.
I need to let it go.
All of it.
“I love you, too, Dad.” I force the oxygen from my lungs. “I’m sorry too. And it’s okay. I forgive you.”
His sigh mingles with the familiar groan of his rocking chair as he collapses into it. “I don’t deserve it, baby girl.”
“Yeah, you do,” I breathe. “You’re the best dad a girl could ever ask for.”
“And you’re the best daughter a father could ask for. Just don’t tell your sisters I told you that,” he adds dryly.
The laugh that bubbles out of me feels good. Cleansing, almost.
He returns it with one of his own. “Happiness suits you, Say. I’m sorry I was involved with you losing it for so long.”
“You don’t need to apologize again––”
“I need to apologize for another decade before I even come close to earning your forgiveness.”
“Not true,” I argue. “I think Owen’s right. We need to move on, and we need to soak up the future that’s brighter and more promising than anything I could’ve imagined.”
“He’s a good one, Say,” my dad rumbles, though I doubt he knows how much his words mean to me.
“He’s the best.”
“Then, you should probably get off the phone with your old man and go tell him that,” he teases.
My eyes crinkle in the corners from smiling so hard before I murmur, “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you too. I’ll see you guys for Sunday dinner, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And tell Grady hi for me.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye, baby girl.”
With another deep breath, I hang up the phone, then sway into the family room.
A very sexy Owen is lounging on the couch, his brows pinched with concern as soon as he sees me.
“How’d it go?” he asks.
I release another sigh. “Good. I think.”
“You think?”
Closing the last bit of distance between us, I straddle his thighs, then hook my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me. “You were right. This future might not have been what we’d initially pictured, but I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I’m going to stop holding our past against us. I promise.”
“Me too.”
“I love you, Owen Daniels.”
He tilts his head to the side, then raises his chin and kisses me as his arms circle my lower back.
With a hard squeeze that takes my breath away, he murmurs against my lips, “Love you too, Say.”
And I know that he really does.
And that it’s enough.
And that we can make it through anything. Together.
Epilogue
Saylor
Six months later
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I apologize as I balance my cell between my shoulder and ear before unlocking my car.
“No worries, Ms. Vice-Principal,” Owen teases through the speaker. “Want to meet us at your parents’ house?”
Confused, I ask, “You’re at my parents’?”
“Grady wanted to take the four-wheelers out, so we decided to hang out here this afternoon.”
“Oh. Okay. Want me to pick up dinner or anything?”
“I already got it covered. I’ll see you in a few.”
“Okay. Bye,” I tell him, juggling my bag, a bunch of books, my phone, and my keys while trying to open the driver’s side door.
“See ya soon, Say.”
I pull up to my parents’ house a few minutes later. My eyes narrow into slits as I take in the twinkling lights strung across the porch and front yard.
“What the…?” I mutter under my breath before parking in the driveway. Maybe my parents are hosting another wedding in the next few weeks. It isn’t exactly unheard of. Their property is picturesque and highly coveted among the town for parties and get-togethers. And I don’t blame them. Especially right now, when the sky is painted with pink and orange as the sun touches the horizon. It’s beautiful. But there isn’t a soul in sight.
Tucking my hair behind my ear, I climb out of the car and cinch my purse a little higher onto my shoulder.
On the porch sits Grady and Owen with a dozen red roses and a stack of Harry Potter face cards. They’re playing Go Fish.
“Hey,” I greet them as I step onto the porch.
Owen glances over at me, his face lighting up with that same familiar adoration I’ve learned to bask in as he scans me up and down. “Hey, Beautiful.”
“What’s with the lights?” I ask, flicking my chin toward them. They really are gorgeous. Like I’m in a fairy-tale.
Grady giggles, interrupting my inspection of the twinkle lights while simultaneously piquing my curiosity. He’s looking very dapper in a soft brown suit and parted hair.
“And why do you look so handsome?” I add, bending closer to drop a quick kiss to his forehead.
“No reason,” he lies, feigning innocence.
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
I purse my lips and turn to Owen in a button-down shirt that’s rolled up to his elbows. The ropes of muscle on his forearms are showcased perfectly as he reaches for another card from the center stack.
“You look nice too,” I point out.
“Why thank you,” he quips with a devilish grin.
“Wanna tell me why?”
He challenges, “It’s a crime to dress up?”
I snort, then point to the bouquet of flowers lying next to the unfinished game of Go Fish. “And the roses?”
“Maybe we wanted to buy you a little something to congratulate you on your promotion?”
“Hmm,” I hum unconvinced. “Is that all?”
He grins, then turns to Grady. “I don’t think the cards were enough.”
Grady groans. “I know.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, my gaze bouncing between the two of them.
What the hell is going on?
Owen scratches the light scruff along his jaw then explains, “Grady thought you’d notice something was up with the outfits, flowers, and lights, so he suggested we play a game of Go Fish to throw you off our scent.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh. Hard.
Seriously, could this kid be any more adorable?
And the fact that Owen played along…be still my heart.
“Well….” Grady and Owen stare at each other, having a silent conversation only they’re privy to before Grady’s cheeks turn red, and he shakes his head.
Owen laughs a little harder. “Fine, I’ll go first.” He stands up from the rocking chair and pulls me into a hug. “I love you, Say.”
“Love you too?” I reply, desperate for him to throw me a bone and tell me what the hell is going on.
“Do you know what today is?”
“Uh…Friday?” I offer.
His breath of laughter fans across my cheeks before he weaves our fingers together and guides me to the bottom step of our porch.
“Today is the day that I dread every year,” he informs me.
My brows furrow. “What?”
“Ten years ago today, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I broke your heart because I was young and stupid and thought you deserved better than me.”
“Owen….”
He smiles and cups my cheek. “Let me finish, Say. Every year, I would dread this moment. Hell, I would dread the weeks leading up to it. The day I lost you. So…I wanted to change that. I wanted to replace the worst mistake of my life with the best decision I could ever make.”
I look over at Grady. He’s resting his elbows on the railing, watching us with a look that could rival a kid on Christmas morning.
I take a deep breath and turn back to Owen. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I love you.”
“You mentioned that part.”
He laughs and shakes his head as if I’m the most entertaining person he’s ever met when I’m about two seconds from smacking him and demanding he spit it out. Because a small part of me already knows what he’s going to say, but I don’t want to jinx it.
Heart racing, I lick my lips and mutter, “Throw me a bone here, Owen. What are you trying to say?”
“That I love you.”
I glare at him.
“And I will never stop loving you,” he continues. “And that it doesn’t matter what life throws at us…I know that we’ll make it. I can’t imagine a day without you, Saylor. I don’t want to imagine a day without you. I want you to be mine in every sense of the word. I want to grow old with you. I want to give Grady brothers and sisters with you. I want to buy a house together and get the damn dog with a nerdy name that you find way more amusing than anyone else does.”––I laugh––“I love you.” His hand disappears into his front pocket before he pulls out a little black box and slides down on one knee. “And I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Saylor Swenson?”
With my hand over my mouth and tears in my eyes, I turn to the little boy who’s watching us from the porch.
“Grady, are you okay with this?” I ask. “Me marrying your dad?”
His smile is hesitant before he gives me a nod that breaks the dam on my emotions.
Swallowing back my tears, I look back down at the man on his knee in front of me with a little black box cracked open to reveal a gorgeous, round-cut diamond ring that’s more than I ever could’ve dreamed of. The man who stole my heart all those years ago and refused to give it back. The man who gave me more miracles than I can even count. The man who is asking me to marry him, and with his son’s permission. I’d be a fool to say no.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He stands back up and slips the ring onto my left hand as I try to hold back my tears. His thumb brushes against the back of my hand before he wraps his arms around my waist, twirling me around a few times, then presses a kiss to my lips. One that erases each and every insecurity and amplifies every memory of the moment he broke my heart all those years ago. Because I don’t regret it. It made me stronger. It made us stronger. And it brought me Grady. The little boy who stole my heart just like his daddy did.
When he pulls away, I press my forehead to his chest and breathe in his familiar scent that feels like home. This is a dream. The best dream I could’ve ever asked for. And I don’t ever want to wake up.
Owen’s arms tighten around my waist as he calls out, “Your turn, bud.”
With a jerky nod, Grady wipes his hands on his brown slacks.
“Fine. I’ll go next,” he mutters before skipping down the steps with a manilla folder in hand. He must’ve had it tucked next to the wall since I hadn’t noticed it before.
“What’s this?” I ask, crouching on my heels to make sure we’re eye to eye.
He avoids my gaze and hands it to me, glancing up at Owen, who lifts his chin, silently encouraging me to look inside.
So I do.
As my eyes scan the paper, Grady interrupts, “Can I call you Mom?”
Like a knife to the heart, my vision blurs on the words adoption and legal guardian before I tear my gaze away from it and grab Grady with all my might. Burrowing into my chest, his little arms wrap around my neck, holding on for dear life while I just…melt.
“I would love for you to call me Mom,” I whisper. “But only if I can call you my son too. Deal?”
He nods. “One more thing.” Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a little black velvet box that matches his father’s. Except it looks older. A little scuffed up, maybe. Like it’s seen better days.
I cock my head to the side. “Grady…?”
“My dad said that you might like this.” The old hinges creak softly as he lifts the lid. It’s a simple band with three tiny diamonds inlaid in the center of it. Gorgeous. Simple. And classy. Though I have no idea why he’d feel the need to get me something like this.
“What’s this?” I whisper, my gaze bouncing from one man in my life to the next.
Grady turns to Owen, who nods in response, silently urging him to continue.
With a deep breath, Grady says, “It’s a––a promise ring? My dad said he wanted to give this to you a long time ago. But he got you a different one, and I…I wanted to promise to be a good son––”
“You’re perfect, Grady. No promises necessary.” My bottom lip quivers as I pull him into my chest again. “And I promise to be the best mom I can, okay? Always, always.”
He sniffles but doesn’t say anything before Owen sits with us on the cool summer grass. His long arms curl around Grady and me, holding both of us close as the truth hits me harder than a wrecking ball.
We might not have built a family the traditional way, but it’s stronger than anything I could’ve ever imagined. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I love you, Grady,” I whisper, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of his head. Then I look up at Owen to find his eyes glassy with unshed tears. “And I love you too. So freaking much.”
His mouth quirks up on one side. “I know.”
Then he kisses me softly.
And confirms what I’d known all along.
I’m right where I was always meant to be.
With Owen.
And Grady.
Forever.
THE END
Interested in reading about Anthony and Sway’s Surrogate?
Read Crush Here
Interested in reading Skye’s story and her butthead of a husband?
Read Skye Here
Interested in a new series by Kelsie Rae that’s a spin-off from the Signature Sweethearts, only steamier?
Read The Model Here
And here’s a list of Kelsie’s other stories
Signature Sweethearts Series
(Contemporary Romance Standalone Series)
Liv
Luke
Breezy
Jude
Rhett
Sophie
Marcus
Anthony
Skye
Saylor
Wrecked Roommates Series
(Contemporary Romance Standalone Series)
The Model
The Musician
The Artist
/>
The Scholar
Advantage Play Series
(Romantic Suspense/Mafia Series)
Wild Card
Dark King
Little Bird
Bitter Queen
Black Jack
Stand Alones
Fifty-Fifty
Drowning in Love
Hired Hottie
Crush
Bartered Souls Duet
(Urban Fantasy Series)
Gambled Soul
Wager Won
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Dear Reader,
I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for taking a chance on Saylor, and for giving me the opportunity to share this story with you. I couldn’t do this without you!
I would also be very grateful if you could take the time to leave a review. It’s amazing how such a little thing like a review can be such a huge help to an author!
Thank you so much!!!
-Kelsie
Sneak Peek of The Model
Chapter One
Copyright Kelsie Rae, Subject to Change
Reese
"Don't touch me," I seethe, glaring at my boyfriend's massive hand that’s gripping my bicep.
"Babe––"
"Let go of me right now, Ian or so help me, I will kick you in the balls."
"Reese, baby, come on..." His tone makes my gut tighten. All the moments he's used this voice with me.
Reese, baby.
Come on, baby.
I love you, baby.
I am not his baby anymore.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I whisper, "I can't even look at you right now. How the hell do you expect me to stay and talk this out, Ian?"