Laney stepped outside and started walking toward the hardware store. A moment later she heard Raelyn call her name. She waited for her to catch up, which took a while with her five-inch platform heels.
“You’re lucky I love you,” she said. “Those guys were hot.”
“You could have stayed.”
“What kind of sister would I be if I did that? And besides, it will be more fun in a few days when you’re ready to get out there and have a revenge fling.”
“That’s not happening.” They started walking again. “And when did I say you could stay for a few days?”
“You didn’t. But you need someone to help you through this breakup. And when you’re finally ready to go flirt with the cute cowboys, I’m so gonna be there.”
All Laney could do was shake her head and smile. She had really missed Raelyn.
*
Sawyer grabbed another pancake from the stack and set it on his plate. Desiree didn’t have whipped cream on hand, but she did have the chocolate chips. The moment felt surreal and wonderful, uncomfortable and serene, all at the same time. He’d occasionally wondered what it would be like to see his sister again, but he’d never thought it would feel this good.
After introducing him to his two nieces and two nephews, they’d sat and talked. About everything. Her running off and getting pregnant, then immediately dumped. Marriage number one, marriage number two. He told her about prison and the ranch and how it had become his salvation. He skipped the stuff about Laney. She didn’t need to know about that.
“You hungry?” she’d asked, but before he answered, she stood and pulled out a bowl and started to whip together ingredients.
Desiree added another pancake to her plate, too. “I see you can still suck these pancakes down.”
“I haven’t had them since the last time you made them for me. I sure as hell missed them.” He took a bite.
Her eyes filled with tears again. “I’m so sorry I left you.”
“I know. I understand why you did. Even then I did.”
“But you didn’t deserve to be here all alone with her. Maybe if I’d stayed you wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.”
“Don’t do that. I made my own decisions and I’ve made peace with them. You need to make peace with yours. We did what we thought we had to do.”
“But eight years… They locked you up for eight years. Did she even visit you?”
Sawyer shook his head and took another bite.
Desiree sighed. “I’m not surprised. I came back here two years ago. I’d just divorced Tommy—my second husband—and she was doing the same things she’d done when we were kids. The bar every night, different guys. She was just as selfish as ever. I stayed out of her way and she stayed out of mine. I had a free place for me and the kids to stay, so I didn’t care. Then one day she just disappeared. Her clothes were gone. Haven’t seen or heard from her since. I probably should have called the cops or something, but I honestly didn’t care. We’ve been happier since she’s been gone.”
Sawyer looked at his nieces, one nineteen, the other sixteen. They were on their phones, texting or scrolling or whatever else teen girls did. The boys, ten and eight, were playing some kind of video game on the TV. Desiree had made the introductions, but he could tell none of them had ever heard of Uncle Sawyer before. He pushed the hurt away. This was about a fresh start.
“So things are good for you guys?” he asked, turning his attention back on her.
“We’re doing okay. I got a decent job working at the medical center. It’s office work, nothing fancy, but I make okay money. Hoping to move out of here soon. I might even torch the place after I do.”
“Let me know. I’ll hand you the match.”
Sawyer had been determined to move on with his life and forget the past. Desiree seemed to be doing the same. But maybe forgetting the past didn’t mean they had to forget all the people who were in it. Maybe they could help each other move on. Maybe they could have that normal family thing after all.
Chapter 14
Laney did not want to get out of bed, but she dragged herself into the coffee shop for her day of work. Life had to go on. Just like when she left Dallas, she would put the past behind her and push ahead.
Monday morning was always busy as people needed a caffeine fix to jump-start their week. She liked being busy. It kept her mind off her problems.
“Hey, Laney.” Sarah smiled at her, laptop case in hand.
“Working here today?”
“Yeah. I needed a change of scenery. But I wanted to talk to you, too.”
“Oh? Some changes to the flower order?”
“No.” Sarah looked around. “Can we sit for a minute?”
Laney’s heart sank. Things like this were never good. She led her to a table in the back and tried to remain upbeat. “What’s up?”
“Sawyer told me what happened.”
Anxiety roiled in her gut. “What did he tell you?”
“Everything.”
Uh oh. “What do you mean everything?”
“He told me what happened in Dallas. With your old job.”
Laney ground her teeth together. The fear was gone, replaced with pure anger. How dare he? He had no right to do that! To fuck with her life, her career! So much for his declaration of love. He didn’t know the meaning.
“Don’t be mad. He didn’t want to tell me. I pulled it out of him. And I don’t care about any of it. I would never judge you on your past mistakes.”
Laney felt some relief. “Thank you.”
“Just as I don’t think you should judge him on his.”
“I’m not judging him. I just can’t be with him.”
“Why?”
“I can’t have any distractions. I need to be successful. I can’t risk possible clients being scared off because of what my boyfriend did.”
“Okay…so let me get this straight. You’re afraid of brides not wanting you to do their wedding flowers because they might find out that your boyfriend got caught up in some bad stuff over a decade ago. But what if they find out about your mistakes? I think sleeping with one of your grooms is a whole lot worse.”
Terror surged through Laney’s body. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of future clients finding out about her past. That would be a disaster.
“Do you think I should cancel with you over it?” Sarah asked. “Should I be worried that you’re going to seduce Tony?”
All Laney could manage was a quiet, “No.”
“I’m not worried because I trust you, and trust that you’re sorry about your past. Just like Sawyer is.”
“But not everyone is like you.”
“And not everyone is a judgmental asshole. You need to give people the benefit of the doubt. You’re an amazing designer and people will see that. They won’t care about anything else. And if they’re too narrow-minded and can’t look past it, you don’t need them. They’re not going to help you succeed anyway.”
Sarah was right. Laney had been too busy worrying what people would think, worrying about making sure everything was perfect, instead of focusing on building her new life. And life was more than just a job.
Laney stood, tears in her eyes, and threw her arms around Sarah. “Thank you.”
*
Sawyer wiped his brow with the back of his hand then continued mucking out one of the stalls. It was a hot one, even for a born and bred Texan. He added new straw, led Cooper back in, then took off his gloves, ready for a cold drink. But then he heard something. Was it music? It got louder, but he wasn’t sure where it was coming from.
It took a second, but he recognized the melody. Patsy Cline. “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Laney. She had to be there somewhere.
A woman stepped in front of the open barn door, her body darkened, backlit by the sun, but he knew it was her. He’d memorized her every curve. She moved toward him, each step bringing her more into focus and his heart raced. Why was she there? He tried not to read too muc
h into it.
“Hi,” she said as she approached him, looking more gorgeous than ever.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to beg.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you think you need to do, but—”
She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his, then stepped back, hands on her hips. “Can you be quiet for a minute?”
He nodded, trying not to laugh at her trying to be all tough. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m here to beg for your forgiveness.” The tough girl had disappeared, replaced with sorrow and genuine remorse. “I hate the way I treated you. We all have stuff we’re ashamed of, things we don’t want the world to see. I judged you on yours and that was wrong. I was a complete hypocrite and I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again.”
He reached for her.
“Let me finish.”
He grabbed her hand anyway.
“I think part of me was scared to fall for someone so fast. It felt too familiar. The last time that happened, it ended so horribly. Maybe I used your past as an excuse to push you away. But I know what happened to me back then is so different from what we have. This is real.”
He’d never wanted to kiss her as badly as he did right now. Even more so than that first night. But he had to let her do this her way.
“I want this. I want you. I love you. Can you ever forgive me?”
For a brief moment, he thought about making her wait, making her sweat it out, but he just couldn’t. He pulled her to him and lifted her off the ground. His lips immediately found hers as he spun them in a circle. They giggled as they kissed, his hat falling to the barn floor.
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
He set her down and looked into her eyes, holding her face in his palms. “There was nothing to forgive.”
He kissed her again and pulled her close as the song ended, but then it restarted. She must have it on repeat. He felt around and found her phone in her back pocket, the source of the music.
“I can turn it off,” she said.
“Don’t.” He looked down at her, her arms around his neck, and began swaying. He didn’t know the first thing about dancing, but figured it couldn’t be wrong if it felt this good. “I love this song.”
They held each other tight, lost in the music and each other, not caring how hot it was or how sweaty they were. This was where he belonged.
But then she pulled back, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “What do you think about picking up where we left off the other day?”
He then noticed where her eyes were focused. “The straw pile?”
“I’m game if you are.”
“It’s the middle of the day. And I don’t think you quite understand what it will feel like to have straw suck in sensitive places.”
She plumped out her bottom lip in the cutest pout he’d ever seen.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you.” He pulled her close again and sucked on that bottom lip. “God, I love you.”
Sawyer had only ever said those words to Laney, and knew it in his soul that they were true. She was his everything. He’d never had goals and dreams before, but he definitely had them now. With her.
Epilogue
Laney was amazed at how fast two months could fly by. And how different her life could be. She’d left Dallas to start a new life and that’s sure as hell what she did. And it was the best life possible.
“Flowers just arrived,” Sawyer said as he walked into her brand new design room at her brand new shop. He kissed the back of her neck as she finished greening in a centerpiece for the upcoming wedding. “Want me to start getting buckets ready?”
“Sure.”
He got to work scrubbing buckets and filling them with warm water. He’d really jumped in with the flower stuff, learning from her, eager to do whatever she needed. He still worked at the Double C, of course; he’d never give that up. But he rearranged his schedule in order to be with her at the shop a couple days a week. Because he wanted to.
Laney wouldn’t have been able to open the shop without him. Once she got her loan from the bank in town, he helped her find and negotiate a great price for a storefront. It had enough space for an adequate design room, with a walk-in cooler, as well as a showroom floor for selling all the wedding-related things she wanted. And with her insurance money, she was able to buy her own van for flower deliveries.
“I stopped at the store and got some steaks,” Sawyer said. “I thought maybe I’d make dinner all by myself tonight.”
“Oh yeah? I can’t wait.”
Laney and Sawyer had fallen into a homey little life. He’d moved out of his room at the ranch and in with her. It was a simple life, most likely boring to most, but it suited them. And their sex life was far from boring. He’d finally given in to her horse barn fantasy, but with a blanket laid on top of the straw.
“I got a text from Brandi Jean,” Laney said. “We’re all set for dinner with her and Billy on Saturday night.”
“Good.”
She was really glad Sawyer had reconnected with his old friend, and his sister, too. Desiree and Laney were quickly becoming good friends. Sawyer was happy to have her back in his life, one more part of him that was bandaged and on its way to be healed. They’d even talked about finding their mom and making peace with her.
And speaking of moms and sisters, Raelyn had been spending a lot of time in Fort Mavis lately and had convinced Laney to bring Sawyer home to Dallas for dinner with their mom and grandma, per Mom’s invitation. One dinner wouldn’t magically fix their relationship, but it was a step forward.
Laney looked over at Sawyer, standing at the counter unwrapping bunches of roses and de-thorning them just like she’d taught him, because he’d asked to be taught, and her heart swelled. When she’d left Dallas, she had no plans for a relationship. It was actually the furthest thing from her mind. But life happened and Sawyer was there, giving her everything she needed and wanted. They understood each other, and what it was like to have a past in need of forgiveness. But sometimes the only absolution a person needs is found within. They were finally able to forgive themselves and that allowed them the happily-ever-after that neither felt they deserved. And now they couldn’t imagine life any other way.
Stephanie Haefner is a wife, mother of two, and contemporary romance novelist from Buffalo, NY. Her titles include her Classy ‘n’ Sassy series: Try Me On for Size, Size Matters, and One Size Fits All, as well as her Karma Series and various novellas. A member of Romance Writers of America and the Western New York Romance Writers subchapter, she loves creating sassy heroines and tossing them into sexy circumstances. When not writing, tweeting, or blogging, she celebrates her sassiness with dance and zumba classes, and her nerdiness with boybands and Disney World.
Visit Stephanie at:
Website: http://www.stephaniehaefnerthewriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/StephanieHaefner/99513980888?ref_type=bookmark
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