by Tessa Teevan
His words penetrate my heart, and I feel more loved than I have in such a long time. My mind is replaying his words as he positions himself at my entrance once again, and I lift up, wanting him inside me now. He grabs my hand and holds it above my head as he slowly slides into me. His other hand comes up and holds something in front of my face.
The ring in his finger catches my eyes, and I take it, my eyes widening when I realize what it is. A sob escapes, and Sawyer sits up, bringing me into his lap, still buried deep inside me. His arms wrap around me, and he holds me close as every last tear falls. Finally, I calm myself, pulling back from him.
“Can I see it?” I ask meekly, still not believing that it’s real. He nods, and hands the ring to me. “I never thought I’d see this again,” I choke out as I inspect my daddy’s wedding band. “How?”
“I guess I left that part of the story out earlier. When I went back to your house to see if you were there, I found it under your bed. I couldn’t leave it there, so I pocketed it, and I’ve been holding on to it ever since.”
I study the ring, choking up at the sight of it after such a long time. I thought it was lost to me, and tonight, when she tore her rings away from me, I was shattered. Now that I’m holding Daddy’s ring in my hands, my heart soars and swells with such love for Sawyer, knowing that he kept it for me all these years. I feel ridges on the inside of the ring, and my brows furrow. Sawyer’s being patient as hell, and while I hate to keep him waiting, I have to study the ring.
“Baby, what’re you doing?” he asks breathlessly, rocking into me. The feel of him filling me fully is enough to drive me wild, but I’m a girl on a mission.
“Sawyer, the ring. I think there’s an inscription,” I breathe, barely able to speak from the sensual movements. He stills, leaning over to flip on the lamp next to the bed.
I know this isn’t how either of us pictured our first time together after so many years, but I can’t help myself. I feel bad that I’m messing this up for him, so I give my vagina walls a little clenching motion, hoping those kegels that Cori tells me about are working right about now.
Leaning towards the light, I hold the ring up. I circle it around in my fingers before the light finally hits the inscription. My eyes focus. Then I hold the ring out and they focus again. Am I reading this correctly? Squinting, I bring the ring right up to my eyes, and I know I’m not seeing things. I look at Sawyer, whose gaze is soft, then back to the ring. He did this. He’s held on to it for so long and he had enough faith in us to do this. I slip the ring on my thumb and turn to him.
“Birdie?” I ask, the sound of Daddy’s name for me feeling foreign on my tongue, and the significance of the inscription takes my breath away.
He leans down and presses a soft kiss against my lips. “Like you said, you’re my swallow. Always have been, always will be. I love you, Cheyenne. Always have, always will.”
“I love you, too, city boy. That will never change,” I tell him, clutching my fist around my daddy’s ring, the ring that I hope one day will be his, because one thing’s for sure. I’m never letting Sawyer Callahan get away again.
Two years later
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE probably thinking. You think you’re about to get some big song and dance about how happy we are with an update on how many babies we have and how my girl’s waiting at home with dinner at the stove. Yeah, not gonna happen. Have you met Cheyenne?
Once we got back to Atlanta after that weekend, she insisted on switching departments. I knew how valuable she was in the production department, so instead of letting her leave, I took my dad up on the offer of CFO. That opened up the job of department head for Cheyenne, but she refused until I made it clear that she was best for the job. She finally accepted—begrudgingly—but not before she withheld sex for a week. Or well, tried to. I wore her down after a couple of days. Okay, in reality, it only took a couple of hours. It also only took her about that long to convince her to move in with me when we got home from Shiloh Grove, and I’ve been loving waking up to her every single day for the past two years.
Things with her mom were tense for a while, but we didn’t let it bother us. Without my saying anything, Dad somehow happened to find out about her cheating, and, well, he swiftly kicked her to the curb. We haven’t heard much from her, except when she needs money, but that’s few and far between, especially since the answer’s always no. Last we heard, she’s latched herself on to another unsuspecting fool. As long as she leaves Cheyenne alone, I don’t give a shit what she does.
Tonight, we’re celebrating. It’s been two years since that spring when we reconnected. Wyatt’s also finally decided to retire, causing for even more celebration. We’re back in Shiloh Grove for one last hog roast in his honor before he hands the reins over to my cousin, who’s been working for him for years. Looking around, I feel extremely grateful for that first summer I spent here. Not only did I get to meet a beautiful girl, the love of my life, but I also grew up and became part of a family I never really knew existed.
I spot my girl across the lake laughing at whatever the old man is saying to her. After the joke she told me he’d teased her with about banging cousins, I can’t even begin to imagine what he could be going on about now. She’s wearing a pale orange sundress, and it looks amazing against her bronze skin. It’s one of her favorite because of the pockets, and I can see her hands inside them now. Her long hair is in a loose braid that hangs off one shoulder, and her eyes light up at Wyatt’s joke. Not wanting to be away from her for another second, I’m about to head over when a hand clasps my shoulder.
I turn around, seeing Bryan. “Hey, man. Thanks for inviting us,” he says, gesturing back towards his girlfriend. Once he realized I wasn’t going to break Cheyenne’s heart, he warmed up to me and we became pretty damn good friends.
I nod. “No problem. Glad y’all could make it,” I tell him honestly. I’ll forever be grateful for how he looked out for Cheyenne all those years we were apart.
He grins at me, a huge grin, and I’m not sure what his deal is. “You’re a lucky-ass man, Callahan” he says cryptically then walks away. Uhh, okay? He’s right though. I won’t deny it. Maybe Cheyenne mentioned that it was our anniversary.
Suddenly, Cheyenne’s in front of me, grabbing my hand. She starts pulling me around the lake and doesn’t stop until we’re on the dock. The sun is just beginning to set, and I can hear the sound of the live band starting to perform. A smile crosses my face when a cover of our song, Fall Into Me, starts to play.
“What’re you up to, pretty girl?” I ask her, wrapping my arms around her waist. We’ve danced plenty of times on this dock over the last two summers, and I like to think of it as our special place. Her eyes twinkle and she looks around, seemingly nervous.
She takes a deep breath and then looks into my eyes. “I love you, Sawyer Callahan. Always have, always will. This place is special to us. It’s where we were met. Where we fell in love. It’s where I realized I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I think we’ve waited long enough,” she says. I watch as she unclasps her necklace and slides her dad’s ring off the chain. She holds it in between her fingers, presenting it to me. “Marry me, city boy.”
Taking the ring from her fingers, I hold it up and can see that there’s a new inscription. Yours forever, Birdie.
My heart swells, and I don’t waste a single second putting the ring on my finger. I lean in and press my lips to hers. “Yes, pretty girl, I’ll marry you. This is forever, Cheyenne. I’m yours for the rest of our lives.”
In between kisses, she pulls back from me. “I want a small wedding.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Sawyer. Low key.”
“Okay.”
“Are you even listening to me?” she asks.
“Do I get brownie points if I say no and tell you how I’m too distracted by your tits?”
“It’s not my fault it’s cold!” she protests.
“And it’s not my fault I’m draw
n to your hard nipples,” I tell her, my thumb rubbing over her breasts. “Okay, maybe I was also thinking ahead and imagining you on our wedding night. Naked,” I tease, winking at her suggestively.
She laughs as she slaps my hand away and then saunters off, walking towards the boathouse. Turning back, she gives me a seductive grin. “Why wait?”
Running after her, I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, not stopping until I’ve carried her over the threshold.
“Umm, you’re getting a little ahead of yourself,” she says, giggling at the gesture.
Throwing her down on the bed, I hover over her. Grabbing her hands, I intertwine our fingers and the sight of her dad’s ring on my finger makes my heart full.
“No way, pretty girl. The way I see it, we still have plenty of time to make up for. And I’m going to start right now.”
The End
July 2008
“COME ON, BABE. LET me do it,” Sawyer whines, and I set the rifle down to look at him in amusement.
Cocking up an eyebrow, I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. He looks dejected, and I watch as he flexes his newly formed muscles that have been becoming more defined the longer he’s worked on the ranch. Hiding my grin, I pretend to swoon as the veins in his arm bulge, but he gives me a cross look and kicks a rock on the dirt path leading up to the booth. My heart melts as he places his hands in his jeans pockets, not glancing at the pyramid of cans he missed by at least a mile.
When he saw the game, he got all alpha male, puffing up his chest, claiming he’d win me the biggest, baddest Curious George on the wall behind the vendor. What I didn’t know at the time was that Sawyer Callahan, my city boy, has never handled a gun, let alone shot one. He didn’t have to admit it. It was pretty darn apparent when he wasn’t even sure how to hold it properly. So when he pulled the trigger, it went nowhere near the cans, and I began to wonder if Shiloh Grove needed to rethink this carnival game.
I tried to take over for him, which is why he’s scowling at me now. All of a sudden, my thoughts turn south, and a wicked grin forms on my lips. After closing the distance between us, I press the rifle into his hands, surprising him. My hands graze his warm skin as I move behind him, settling in as close as possible. My breasts press against his strong back, and I hear him sigh, which causes my grin to widen even farther. I place my hands on his lean waist before sliding them up his torso and down his arms, where I help him position the gun in his hands. Stretching up on my tiptoes, I press a soft kiss on his neck and enjoy the shiver that runs down his spine. Sawyer and I haven’t gone all the way—not for my lack of trying—and it still amazes me how one little touch can affect him. My lips wander up his neck until they hover over his ear.
“Slow and steady, baby. Slow and steady,” I whisper, my teeth nipping at his lobe.
I know he doesn’t miss the way my words echo his from the first time I tasted him with my mouth. He guided me all along the way as he taught me what he liked and how to pleasure him.
The rifle bobs up slightly as he inhales sharply at the memory. A laugh escapes me and I pull away, allowing my arms to settle on his, hoping I can do Daddy proud by teaching Sawyer the Hamilton technique.
“Control your breathing. Slow. Steady. Inhale. Exhale. Press the trigger, don’t pull it,” I advise him. I feel him stiffen beneath me. “Relax, Sawyer. You have to be calm. Collected. In control. Don’t anticipate the shot. Let it surprise you. Take a deep breath. Find your happy place. As crazy as that sounds, just do it. Just be. Let it happen all on its own.”
I can feel his chest heave as he takes a deep breath and tries to relax into it. A moment later, his body goes rigid, but not in a bad way. His arms tighten as he grips the gun. I move my legs wide, hooking my foot on his ankle so that he spreads his own until they’re shoulder-width apart. When he positions the butt of the rifle in the pocket of his right shoulder, I ensure it’s in the correct placement before my hand slides down to rest on top of his right hand near the trigger. After giving him a pat of encouragement, I drop my hands away from him so I don’t mess with his firing. I remain at his back, however.
“Ready?” I ask.
Still as silent as can be, Sawyer only gives me a nod.
“You’ve got this, babe,” I tell him before stepping back in order for him to do this on his own. I have no desire to feel the brunt of the kickback, and part of me realizes that I should’ve given him an advance warning about that.
I’m about to say something when I see Sawyer press his cheek to the stock of the rifle. He pulls his elbows in and practices his breathing for a few short breaths. I find myself holding my own breath as I see him looking down the sight of the weapon. His finger slowly covers the trigger, and a few seconds later, he’s pressing it back with extreme ease. As the gun fires, I expect him to jerk back, but he doesn’t. His follow-through is perfection as he remains cheek to stock, rifle to shoulder watching until the bullet hits the can on the top of the pyramid—the kill shot. Slowly, he turns to me, a huge grin on his face. And in that moment, I realize that I’ve just been played by Sawyer Callahan.
“Would you believe that boy had never shot a gun until his daddy deposited him at my ranch? Lucky for him, he’s a quick learner and pretty damn skilled shot now that I’ve had time to take him out to the range on a damn near daily basis. You can thank me for that stuffed animal, girlie.” I turn to see Wyatt strolling up to me, laughter twinkling in his eyes.
“He’s been practicin’, you say?” I ask him, and he gives me a nod for confirmation.
Sawyer joins us and places a smacking kiss on my cheek before shoving Curious George into my arms.
Raising an eyebrow, I give him an accusing glare. “You totally tricked me, city boy.”
He lets out a deep chuckle and sticks his hands in his pockets as he mimics the way he kicked the rocks earlier. “Pretty girl, when we walked up to this booth, you had your mind made up that you’d be the one to win the prize. You assumed I wouldn’t be able to fire that rifle. So I let you think it.” Sawyer pulls his hands out of his pockets and wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close. His lips hover just above my ear. “Plus, you tryin’ to teach me how to shoot? That was so damn sexy, pretty girl. I like the feel of you pressed up against my back, especially when your nipples are so hard I can feel them through your clothes. Did I do that, baby? Was watchin’ me with that gun a turn-on?”
I can feel my cheeks flush with wanton heat, because I know he’s right. It was arousing being pressed up against him, my hands roaming his hard body. Right now, I want more than anything to be back at the docks so I can get my lips on him to show him just how much he turns me on. I’m about to do just that when I hear a throat clear. I look up to see Wyatt giving us a knowing grin, and my blush deepens even further.
“Don’t let an old man like me stop what you’re doin’,” he says, giving Sawyer a wink before tipping his hat to me and turning away, mumbling something about needing to find the shaken lemonade stand.
Burying my face in Sawyer’s chest, I groan at Wyatt’s implications. I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed. If I’m going to take this next step, finally be with Sawyer, then I have to be an adult about it. And I do. I want this. I want it with him. And I want it now.
CHEYENNE’S HIDING HER FACE in my shirt, and I can’t help but laugh at her groan. Wyatt, for all his grumbling, has told me on more than one occasion that he’s glad I met Cheyenne. I think he sensed the loneliness in her long ago, and while he’s tried to play some sort of paternal/weird uncle role in her life, he knew she needed someone closer to her age to connect with. And even though he wasn’t sure about me in the beginning, I think I’ve proved to him that I care about her and I’ll never hurt her.
This summer has been the best of my life. If two months ago you’d told me that I’d be at a country fair in the sticks of Georgia, shooting cans with the girl of my dreams, I’d have laughed my ass off and asked you to pass the weed. If you’d have told me I’d be ret
hinking my plans of going to Auburn, I’d be thinking that you needed to be committed. But one chance meeting at the lake and all my plans went out the window. Make that two chance meetings, I guess. So here I am, shooting cans at the county fair with the only girl who’s ever made me feel anything more than lust. Am I in love with Cheyenne? Probably. At the very least, I’m halfway there, and the thought of leaving her in less than two short months is more than I can bear.
I feel her turn her head, and she looks up at me with soft eyes. “Your uncle knows what we do!”
Laughing it off, I lean down and place a quick kiss on her lips. “He doesn’t know anything, Cheyenne. Sure, he probably assumes. He is a man, after all, and he was twenty once. He probably did the same stuff at that very dock.”
She wrinkles her nose and gives me a tiny shove. “Ew, Sawyer. I don’t want to think about that. I want to pretend that dock is just ours. Oh gosh, you don’t think your parents ever went there, do you?”
Her words cause me to stiffen, and I know she can feel it by the wince on her face.
“Sawyer, sorry. I didn’t me—”
I cut her off with another kiss. “It’s fine, babe. I highly doubt my dad ever took the time off from his job to visit Wyatt’s ranch. And even if he did, I doubt he was able to cut loose enough to make out on the dock. I think you’re right. That dock is just for us. Now, come on. Let’s head to the rides so I can kiss you at the top of the Ferris wheel.”
Taking her hand in mine, I lead her towards the Ferris wheel where I purchase two tickets and bribe the attendant into holding the stuffed animal I won for Cheyenne. I can’t help the grin that crosses my face when I think back to her trying to show me how to properly shoot the rifle. I loved the feel of her pressed up against me and was pretty damn thankful when she backed away so I could shoot. I’m not sure my shot would’ve been accurate if I’d have had to do it with her breasts pressing into me. Keeping my control around Cheyenne is becoming increasingly harder each day. After that day by the lake where she experienced her first orgasm, she’d done everything she could to make our relationship progress faster physically, and the last string of my sanity is extremely close to snapping.