Sawyer Page 6

  “And I’m not lookin’ for a relationship,” she countered.

  “Go out with me,” he repeated, this time not interrupting so he could hear her official answer.

  “Can’t do it,” Kennedy said, reaching behind her for her door handle. “Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.”

  “Why?” Sawyer questioned.

  Kennedy studied him for a moment before she said the few words that damn near cut him to the quick. “Because I don’t trust you.”

  He kept his jaw hinged shut, not wanting to show her the surprise that rocked him. Granted, he’d sensed that she didn’t trust him, but to hear her say it . . . Yeah, that wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear. However, now that the words were out there, he wanted her to explain herself. “You don’t trust me? What have I done to make you not trust me?”

  “Remember high school?” she replied quickly, her voice low.

  Not that it should’ve been news to him, but for some reason, he just couldn’t understand how she was holding on to something from that long ago.

  Sawyer knew when to stop pushing, so he released her and took a step back, allowing her to get into her car. Before she shut the door, he called her name. When she looked up at him, he smirked. “I’ll be by your office tomorrow.”

  “Don’t waste your time,” Kennedy said with a gleam in her eye.

  “Oh, honey, I assure you, it won’t be a waste of my time. The question is how much time are you gonna waste before you finally give in?”

  “I’ll never give in,” she answered defensively.

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. You’ll eventually give in.”

  “Good night, Sawyer.”

  “Good night, Kennedy.”

  Sawyer took another step back and watched as Kennedy backed out of the parking space.

  It seemed that every time they interacted, he was left feeling a little off kilter. This time was no different, only now he felt as though he had something to work toward. If Kennedy didn’t trust him, then it was time he prove to her that she should.

  Kennedy might think she could resist him, but truth was, Sawyer had never really had to turn on the charm to get a woman.

  There was always a first time for everything.

  WOW.

  So . . . uh . . .

  Yeah.

  Kennedy’s brain wasn’t functioning appropriately as she made her way back to Coyote Ridge. Oh, she wasn’t having issues maneuvering through the streets or making it to highway speeds, but she was having a hard time thinking about anything other than that mind-blowing, panty-melting kiss.

  The one that had left her reeling and desperate for more.

  Sawyer Walker.

  That kiss had been unlike anything she’d ever felt before. The chemistry that sparked between them . . . that was the main reason she’d broken up with Tim. There hadn’t been any sparks between them.

  But this kiss.

  Wow.

  By the time she was pulling into the driveway of the old farmhouse she’d purchased a few years back, Kennedy’s skin had begun to cool, but that was in part because she had rolled down the windows on her Camry in an attempt to keep her brain from overheating.

  She turned off the engine and climbed out slowly. The lights on the wraparound front porch gave off enough of a glow to see for a few feet out into the yard, which helped as she navigated on weak knees to the front steps.

  When she stepped inside, she shut the front door and then leaned her back against the wood, giving herself over to the memory of that kiss and Sawyer’s heart-stopping promise just once more.

  If you say no, I’m just gonna ask you again. A lot. I mean, seriously. A lot. I’m gonna come to your work every day and ask you to go out with me until I finally manage to break down those walls.

  God. Why did he have to be so freaking charming? It would’ve been so much easier to resist the man if he wasn’t so damn good-looking, or so undeniably sweet.

  He wasn’t sweet in high school, she reminded herself.

  As much as she wanted to pretend Sawyer was still one of the bad guys, she knew better. However, there was no denying the fact that he was a player. A very handsome, charismatic, loose-lipped player.

  Who could kiss like no man Kennedy had ever known.

  Holy crap.

  Pushing to an upright position once more, Kennedy made her way to the kitchen, her boots clicking on the hardwood floors and echoing off the walls as she moved through the dining room before she found herself standing in front of the refrigerator, retrieving a jug of cranberry juice. As she poured some into a glass, she realized her hands were shaking.

  She really needed to get over herself.

  Or, more accurately, Sawyer.

  This was not what she wanted, and that was something she would continuously need to remember. No matter how well he kissed.

  And boy, could he kiss.

  The way his tongue had so effortlessly coaxed its way into her mouth, confident and dominant as it stroked along hers . . .

  Yep, tonight the heater was going to have to be turned off.

  Downing her juice, Kennedy made her way to her bedroom, toeing off her boots as soon as she was inside and padding to the bathroom. A shower would have to do the trick tonight because she certainly had no intention of thinking about Sawyer or how he’d lit her up from the inside out with just a few teasing strokes of his tongue.

  Ten minutes later, she was crawling into bed with her hair wet. Knowing she was going to have to do it all again in the morning, she didn’t put a lot of effort into drying it tonight. She was too tired, but mostly a little too off balance to think about anything.

  As she lay there, her blankets shoved to the foot of the bed, Kennedy stared at the ceiling, thinking back to the day of graduation, the last time she’d seen Sawyer before she’d left for college less than a week later.

  “Congratulations, Kennedy.”

  The voice sounded from behind her, but Kennedy didn’t turn around. She’d learned her lesson over the last few weeks. Anytime someone called her name, it was to do something that would embarrass her and usually had her sprawling on the floor to pick up anything she’d been holding. For whatever reason, her classmates had amped up their game for the last bit of school and she’d been the target of their practical jokes. She wasn’t interested in being the butt of any more jokes.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you,” she replied, still not turning around as she searched the area for her father. The ceremony was officially over and they’d agreed to meet outside near the flagpoles, which was where she was standing.

  “Too good to turn around and look at me?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes,” she retorted, getting more and more anxious as she stood there.

  Why Sawyer Walker was bothering her, she would never know. Why he couldn’t just move on, leave well enough alone, was beyond her. But he’d always been the kind of guy who needed the last say. Too bad she was going to ruin his day.

  “Hey, Sawyer!”

  Kennedy recognized Greyson’s deep voice and was grateful that Sawyer’s friend had gotten his attention. At least now she didn’t have to talk to him.

  “Congrats, man. We’re officially done.”

  Technically, they still had a week left, but Kennedy didn’t bother to tell Greyson that. It would’ve required her to talk to him, which she definitely wasn’t doing.

  “It’s great, huh?” Sawyer asked, his voice sounding as though he’d moved away. Kennedy felt a small measure of relief.

  “What’s the plan now? You comin’ to the party tonight?” Greyson asked Sawyer.

  Kennedy didn’t hear his response, but that was because she spotted her father in the crowd and was moving away from them, thankful for small miracles.

  “Hey, Kennedy!”

  Lord, please let them just leave me alone, Kennedy thought.

  “You wanna come to a party tonight?”

  Greyson was the one who asked t
he question. He sounded sincere, which was the only reason she turned around. When she did, she noticed not only was he standing with Sawyer, but with a group of at least five other football players and a couple of the cheerleaders.

  “Too bad,” one of the girls called out. “You’re not invited.”

  Kennedy felt her face heat, with both embarrassment and anger. When the group erupted into laughter, she spun on her heel and headed in the opposite direction, willing herself not to cry. It wasn’t like she wanted to go to their damn party anyway.

  As Kennedy stared up at the ceiling, she wanted to berate herself for giving in to Sawyer tonight. For as long as she could remember, the frequent reminder of the vow she’d made to herself had gotten her through each day. She was going to show all of the people who’d tormented her in high school.

  She couldn’t very well do that if she gave in to Sawyer again. Hell, he might even be playing a prank on her now.

  God, the thought of him doing something so heinous made her stomach churn.

  Surely he wouldn’t have been pursuing her for this long. Not if he intended to do something cruel. That was high school. He had to have grown up by now. Right?

  So why couldn’t she get him out of her head? Why couldn’t she just hang on to that hatred, to the mistrust she’d felt for him and his friends, for so long? It would be so much easier than battling these weird feelings he’d stirred inside her.

  Unfortunately, for the last few years, there hadn’t been a single day that went by when she didn’t think about Sawyer, didn’t wonder what he was doing—although she tried desperately not to think about who he was doing—and until today, she thought she’d done a pretty damn good job of convincing him that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

  Considering how pliant she’d been in his arms when he had brushed his mouth against hers, she doubted he believed her anymore.

  Worse . . . she didn’t even believe herself.

  And therein lay the problem.

  chapter FIVE

  Sawyer was slouched in a chair, asleep with his head resting against the wall behind him, when Gage and Travis came into the waiting room to announce that they were officially fathers. Lorrie, who’d gone down to the birthing room a few minutes before, was right behind them, her eyes wide, her smile even wider.

  “She’s beautiful,” Lorrie said excitedly when she came over to stand beside Sawyer.

  Even through blurry eyes, Sawyer noticed the huge, goofy grin that each man sported. He could also tell that both of them had shed a tear or two in the last few minutes. That or they’d been asleep. After all, this little Walker was a stubborn one. Based on the news from earlier, Kylie had spent nearly fourteen hours in labor before the newest member of the family decided to make her appearance in the world.

  Fourteen. Hours.

  Pushing himself to his feet, he hugged his mother and shot Travis a grin.

  “A girl, huh?” he asked.

  “A beautiful, sweet little girl,” Lorrie said in awe.

  “Congrats,” Sawyer told Travis and Gage, who were currently receiving hugs and slaps on the back from the rest of the Walker clan, who had hunkered down and spent the night in the waiting room all so they could be right there for this very moment.

  Even Mason was there, sound asleep on a pallet on the small couch where Zoey and Kaleb had finally managed to get him to crash just a couple of hours before. For most of the night Sawyer had been sitting on the hard-ass floor while Mason moved back and forth between him and Ethan, Beau, Braydon, Brendon, Zane, and Kaleb. Mason had provided hours of entertainment with his high-pitched squeals and giggles, but eventually, the youngest Walker boy passed out beside his mother on that tiny little couch.

  It’d been one hell of a night.

  “So, what’s her name?” Zane asked when the noise level reduced to a dull roar.

  Travis glanced over at Gage before turning to face them all. “Katherine Celeste Walker.”

  Sawyer immediately looked to his mother, noticing her eyes were full of tears. Travis was naming his daughter after their mother’s sisters, both of whom had died when Lorrie was younger.

  “Katherine was my mother’s name as well,” Gage informed them. “We’re gonna call her Kate.”

  “Beautiful name,” Jessie said, her eyes just as misty as Lorrie’s.

  “When do we get to meet her?” Braydon asked, pulling Jessie against him and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Soon,” Travis assured them.

  Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his brother happier than he was right at that moment. Sure, in the past year, he’d seen Travis smile more than probably in his entire life, but never like this. By looking at Travis and Gage, it was apparent that the sun now rose and set with their little girl.

  “Congrats, man,” Sawyer repeated, pulling Travis in for a hug before slapping him on the back.

  “Thanks,” Travis said roughly.

  “Why don’t we head downstairs to the cafeteria, grab some food. When we come back, she should be all set in the nursery,” Curtis said, his words coming out as a suggestion, but even Sawyer knew they were more of a demand than anything else.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Kaleb stated, standing beside Zoey, who was sitting on the couch beside a still sleeping Mason.

  “I’ll hang here with the boy,” Sawyer told them, smiling down at Mason, who looked so peaceful when he was asleep. The complete opposite of the wild, rambunctious little boy that he was when he was awake.

  “Thanks,” Zoey said, getting to her feet and stretching. “I’ll bring you back some coffee. Want anything else?”

  “Coffee’s good,” Sawyer confirmed.

  It only took a minute for the waiting room to clear out, except for Sawyer, Travis, and Mason. Gage had excused himself to be with Kylie.

  Travis plopped down into a chair and closed his eyes, a smile still resting firmly on his lips. “She’s beautiful, man.”

  “I’m sure she is,” Sawyer said, lowering himself to the floor in front of where Mason was snoozing. He didn’t want to take a chance that the little boy would roll off the couch. He was all for being the uncle the kid wanted to hang with, but he had no interest in being the one that Kaleb would tell stories about for the rest of the kid’s natural life. “How’s Kylie?”

  “She’s exhausted,” Travis said, lifting his head and opening his eyes. “That was hell on her.”

  “I can imagine,” Sawyer said, unable to imagine anything of the sort, but it sounded good.

  “I heard Kennedy was up here last night,” Travis stated, glancing around the room as though he thought she might just appear out of thin air.

  “She brought the twins,” Sawyer explained. “They were three sheets to the wind when the call came.”

  “Thank God she was there,” Travis muttered.

  “Yeah,” Sawyer agreed. After the stunt Brendon had pulled a couple of months back, Sawyer didn’t trust the guy not to get behind the wheel anymore. “Oh, by the way, Mom’s gonna pick you as her new favorite, you know that, right?” Sawyer teased.

  “Why’s that?” Travis asked, rubbing his eyes, his stupid grin still flipping up the corners of his mouth.

  “Katherine Celeste,” Sawyer said.

  “It fits her,” Travis said softly. “She’s so damn beautiful, man.”

  Sawyer heard the emotion in Travis’s voice and he was so fucking happy for his brother. After all the heartache Travis had brought on himself, he deserved complete and total happiness. Clearly he’d found that with Gage and Kylie. Took him long enough, but at least he’d finally gotten to that point.

  Travis glanced back at the empty hallway before meeting Sawyer’s gaze. “I really should get back there.”

  “Yeah, you should,” Sawyer confirmed, glancing over his shoulder at Mason. “We got this.”

  Travis got to his feet, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Thanks for bein’ here, bro. It really . . . It means everything.”

&nbs
p; “Wouldn’t’ve missed it for the world,” Sawyer told his older brother truthfully.

  Travis nodded and then headed back down the hall he had emerged from a short while ago, leaving Sawyer sitting there on the floor in the waiting room, his elbow propped on his raised knee as he watched Travis’s retreat.

  A good twenty minutes passed before the rest of the group returned, just as loud as he expected them to be, everyone talking over each other. Mason stirred behind him, and the next thing he knew, his hat was knocked askew, the little boy grabbing his hair and laughing. Sawyer pulled him over his shoulder, flipping him upside down and blowing onto his belly, making him giggle even more before he set him upright.

  “You’re pretty good with kids, you know that?”

  Sawyer’s eyes trailed up to the voice, meeting Kennedy’s gray gaze. “Hey,” he greeted, unable to hold back the smile. She was the absolute last person he had expected to see there. Part of him worried that he’d fallen asleep sitting up and in a minute he was going to wake up to find this was all a dream. “What are you doin’ here?” he asked, pushing to his feet, keeping Mason close to his chest.

  “I wanted to see the football,” she said, her eyes glowing with amusement.

  “Well, you’re just in time,” Lorrie said, interrupting their conversation as she reached for Mason while handing Sawyer the coffee Zoey had promised. “You ready to go see your cousin?” she asked the little boy, smiling at Sawyer before she headed toward the rest of the group hovering near the door.

  “Boy or girl?” Kennedy asked, still not moving as she stared at him.

  She’d obviously been at work or was on her way. She was wearing a pair of dark blue scrubs, which he knew was her uniform of choice.

  After taking a sip of his coffee, he said, “Girl. Katherine Celeste. They’re gonna call her Kate.”

  “Beautiful name.”

  “Come on,” Sawyer said, nodding his head toward the hallway.

  He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or say, so he simply kept an even pace beside Kennedy as they walked down the hall toward the nursery. He was doing his damnedest not to read too much into her appearance there at the hospital. After all, she’d also been at Ethan’s wedding as well as Zane’s. Her father, the sheriff of Coyote Ridge, was a friend of Curtis’s, so her presence wasn’t necessarily unheard of. It still gave him hope. Especially after what had transpired between them last night in the parking lot.