Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
Sawyer wrapped up the meeting with his client, eager to head to the high school.
It was mid-December, and district play started tonight for the Lady Hawks.
They would be facing the Thatcher Lady Trojans, the team which had won district three years in a row and made it to the state semifinals last year.
Paisley had shared that she was equal parts excited and nervous for her team to take on the reigning district champs.
He was proud of her. She was a natural coach, giving critical feedback when needed and knowing exactly when a player’s spirits needed to be bolstered.
Her creativity in drawing up new plays continued to amaze him.
He also appreciated her collaborative spirit.
Together, they had worked on the playbook, and Sawyer hoped he had contributed a few plays which would help Paisley’s team play to the best of their ability.
They had won over eighty percent of their nonconference games and walked away as tournament champions in the annual Thanksgiving classic held in Caldwell.
Expectations were running high in the Hawthorne community.
Even West had told Sawyer that he was surprised by how much Paisley was getting out of her underdog team.
Since he hadn’t eaten, he stopped at the concession stand, picking up two hot dogs and a Dr Pepper.
Not the most nutritious dinner, but these days, both he and Paisley were eating more meals on the run.
As much as he liked her being the head girls basketball coach, Sawyer couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for himself.
Once the schedule kicked in, Paisley had been consumed by basketball and her myriad of responsibilities.
After school practices occurred throughout the week, and she coached varsity games on Tuesdays and Friday nights.
She also attended every JV game. While Hope Sewell was the head coach for those games, Paisley made certain she was on the bench with her assistant at each of those games, guiding Hope in game decisions.
And that didn’t even take in the weekend tournaments.
Sawyer was discouraged. He knew Paisley was living her new dream as a coach, but their relationship now took a backseat to basketball.
He, too, was much busier than usual, with not only his caseload growing but in handling things for The Packman Foundation.
He loved being a part of Bill’s foundation, but their busy schedules had helped to put a damper on what had been building between Paisley and him.
And that included finding the right moment to ask her to marry him.
He told himself this would be a yearly occurrence.
That October through February would be the time when Paisley’s job took precedence.
They would simply have to work around her schedule.
Most likely, they wouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas like a normal family because of basketball.
He decided he would need to talk with West about this.
As head coach of the Hawks football team, West also spent a good chunk of time away from his family.
Maybe it would be better to talk with Kelby and see how she dealt with being a football widow with a baby. He could relate more to her situation.
It worried him that when he and Paisley did have kids, childcare would be challenging.
He wanted to be at her games, but he would probably be the parent who missed them in order to feed and bathe their children and put them to bed at a decent time.
He chuckled to himself as he made his way into the bleachers.
They weren’t even engaged yet, and he already worried about a mountain of things.
“Sawyer!” Bill called.
He joined Bill, Ginny, and Dizzy in the bleachers.
They had been sitting together for the non-district games, and he got a kick out of the two older men screaming at the refs and cheering on the Lady Hawks with such passion.
Sawyer was glad that Bill had become a close friend to both Paisley and him.
He wanted Bill’s last year to be a good one.
Bill and Paisley had taken to each other and almost seemed like a father and daughter now to one another.
He hoped it filled a part of them which had been empty.
“Think the girls are ready to trounce the Trojans?” Dizzy asked, shoveling popcorn into his mouth.
“Paisley says they are. No girl on the team has ever beaten the Trojans.”
“Desi’s looked good in warmups,” Ginny said.
“Sheila and Effie have been hitting threes well the past two games,” Bill said. “And Tessie’s been on fire.”
Sawyer thought Bill looked a little pale. Quietly, he leaned in and asked, “You feeling okay?”
Bill shrugged. “Okay. Haven’t had much of an appetite lately, though.”
Darby and Jace appeared at the bottom of the stands. “Hold this,” Sawyer said, handing his hot dogs to Bill and rushing down the stairs to meet them.
“Hey, big brother,” Darby said.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded. “You should be at home resting.”
“Duh, I’m here to see us beat the Trojans. And support Paisley, of course.”
He looked to Jace, who shrugged. “She’s got a mind of her own. The baby already does, too. I’m going to be outnumbered in my own household.”
“Where are you sitting?” his sister asked. She glanced up and waved. “I see Dizzy. Come on.”
Jace took Darby’s elbow and guided her slowly up the stairs. Sawyer took his seat again, with Darby and Jace sitting on the row in front of them.
“When’s the baby coming?” Dizzy asked.
“Soon. I’m due in two days,” Darby told him. “On Thursday. I’m hoping I can finish the semester on Friday and then have Sam. That would be more convenient, but I know babies come when they want to.”
“You’re naming him Sam?” asked Bill.
“Yes. It was our dad’s name,” Darby shared. “Sawyer’s fine with that.”
“She’s having the first baby, so she should get first dibs on a name,” Sawyer said.
“You better get started soon,” Bill teased.
“I plan to.”
He did. Sawyer decided that he’d waited long enough to marry Paisley.
If he asked her tonight, they could get married over her two-week winter break.
He’d already checked, and though the boys basketball team was playing in a tournament in Dallas, the girls didn’t have one scheduled.
Paisley was holding a few practices after Christmas, though.
Surely, they could work a wedding around those.
The pregame activities were in full swing by now.
A small group of band members played as the cheerleaders performed a dance.
Then the buzzer sounded, and the PA announcer, a biology teacher at HHS, introduced the starters for each team and their coaches.
It pleased him that Paisley got such a good hand from the crowd.
Then again, she had really turned the team around from where they were this time last year.
Already, attendance at Lady Hawk games was up, thanks to their winning record.
Sawyer watched Paisley more than he did the game.
How intense she was. How the players huddled around her during timeouts as she madly scribbled on a small whiteboard, gesturing with her hands.
She wasn’t shy during play, hollering at players, telling them where to be and what they should be doing.
He realized it was a learning experience for them, but it also was one for Paisley, too, since it was her first year.
At halftime, he went for popcorns for his group, but as he headed back up the stairs, he saw Darby and Jace going down them.
“Heading home?” he asked.
“I’m tired,” his sister said. “And I’ve still got three more days of school to get in.”
He passed one of the boxes of popcorn to her. “Snack on this on the way home.”
She pulled him down for a hug. “Thanks, Sawyer.”
The game had been tied at the half, but the Lady Hawks slowly began pulling away.
Effie Compton hit two three-pointers in a row, surprising the crowd and herself.
Even though the Trojans matched the Hawks basket after basket the remainder of the game, that lead held.
The Lady Hawks won the game, much to the delight of their home crowd.
“It’s good seeing Paisley in her element,” Bill said. “I think that girl could do anything she wants.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sawyer said. “Talk with you later.”
He headed down to the court, standing off to the side while Paisley talked with a few opposing players. She even called for her whiteboard, and Hope brought it over. He watched Paisley draw a play and explain it, two Lady Trojans standing nearby. Both slowly nodded their heads and then smiled.
“Thanks, Coach,” they said in unison.
As the pair walked away, he came and wrapped his arms around her. “Aiding and abetting the enemy?” he asked, kissing the tip of her nose.
“They had a couple of questions. Things that weren’t working for them. I explained it so they would understand where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing.” She smiled at him. “Now, will it come back to haunt me? I sure hope not.”
He kissed her lightly on the mouth. “Good game, Coach.”
“I was pleased with the way we played. It was a strong outing against the district champs. I’m just hoping we’ll be in the running to win district this year.”
“You will. I know you need to head to the locker room and address the team. See you back at my place?”
“Yes. Jen’s boyfriend started his forty-eight hours off this morning.” She laughed. “That means they’ll be hot and heavy if I go home.”
He touched her cheek. “Well, we can do hot and heavy and raise them a few scorching kisses.”
“I like how you think, Montgomery.”
“I like you, Coach. See you soon.”
Sawyer returned to his car and drove home, turning on lights and kicking up the heat in the house since the night was chilly. He turned the bed back and even lit a few candles in the bedroom before opening a bottle of wine to breathe.
When Paisley arrived, he was wearing nothing but his robe.
“You look awfully comfortable,” she said, dumping her backpack on the sofa.
He handed her a glass of wine. “I know. It’s not the weekend. But I thought we needed to celebrate your first district win.”
She took a sip of the wine and sighed. “Yum. This was a very good year. You’re an extremely thoughtful boyfriend, Sawyer.”
He took the wine glass from her hand and set it down, along with his own. Pulling her to him, he slid his arms around her and kissed her.
“I’d like to be more than that.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes, but she still asked, “What are you saying?”
He released her and dropped to one knee. Taking her hands in his, he said, “I’m saying that I’m crazy about you, Paisley Roberts. I think about you day and night. I’ve never been more comfortable around anyone the way I feel around you.”
Sawyer brushed his lips against her fingers and then gazed into her eyes. “I love you, Paisley. I want to spend all my days and nights with you. I want to share in all life’s big and small moments. I want you as my best friend. My confidant. My lover. My wife. The mother of my children.”
She shivered. “I love you, Sawyer. So much it almost hurts. It’s like I don’t even remember pre-Sawyer Paisley. I like who I am when I’m with you.”
He rose, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s a yes, Lawyer Sawyer. Definitely, positively, a big yes.”
The kiss went on and on, growing hotter. Needier. Her hands slid down his chest, finding the knot on the robe’s belt and working it free. Paisley parted the robe and kissed his chest, causing desire to run through him. With a gleeful noise, he swept her off her feet, carrying her to the bedroom.
Once there, he placed her back on her feet, stripping off her clothes, kissing her hungrily. They tumbled onto the bed, their hands roaming one another’s bodies, their mouths fused together. He couldn’t get enough of her. She was everything he wanted in a partner for life.
He reached to the nightstand, managing to open the drawer, and pulled out a condom. Tearing the packet open with his teeth, he started to remove it.
“Let me,” she said, her voice low and tempting.
She placed the condom over the tip of his penis and rolled it into place. Having her do this for him felt intimate. Right. As he began kissing her again, he thrust into her, hard, causing her to gasp. Their dance was wild. Frenzied. Ending in an orgasm for them both.
He collapsed atop her, totally spent, his hands cradling her face.
“I love you,” he said. “I want to marry you as soon as possible.”
“My break is only a few days away,” she said, her breathing uneven.
“We can apply for our marriage license online. Right now. It’ll speed up the process, and then we can stop by the courthouse and sign and pay tomorrow. Can you get away from school during your lunch and conference period? We could go then.”
“Only if you drive through Sonic and buy me a Frito pie and slush,” she said flirtatiously.
Sawyer laughed aloud, loving her even more. “I can do that. And I’ll even throw in some tots for good measure.”
“And tots? Well, then it’s a date.”
He kissed her again, low and slow, finding it hard to believe this woman was going to be all his.
Forever.
When he broke the kiss, though, he saw something in her eyes. Unease settled over him. “What?”
“Maybe we better talk before we buy the license.”
“We can have whatever kind of wedding you want,” he assured her. “Big. Small. Aunt Meg is a genius at pulling things together on short notice.” He chuckled. “She’s had some practice at making great weddings happen with very little time.”
“It’s not that,” Paisley said. “There’s something serious I want to discuss with you. I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, but it’s a big decision. I want your input, but I think my mind is already made up.”
Sawyer rolled to his side so that he wasn’t crushing her. A trickle of fear wound through him, but the need to know was even greater. “What do you want to talk about?”
Paisley looked at him a long time and then said, “I might give up coaching.”