40. Sarah
CHAPTER FORTY
sarah
“Go, go, go.” I wasn’t sure I’d ever driven so fast.
Rain pelted the windshield as I sped down the Harlow’s driveway with Colt’s truck on my tail.
The call from Sammy had sent me into a panic. I’d immediately left the cafe, but the drive over had made me anxious knowing what had happened.
Colt and I pulled our cars to a halt and I threw open my door.
“ Sarah !” He called my name as he got out, the same fear in his eyes that I felt.
Freezing rain drenched us, but I could barely feel it. I grabbed his hand and the two of us rushed to the house, busting through the front door.
“Mom!”
Jake and Davy got up and I pulled them both into a hug. My knees were jelly, but I kept standing while holding them tight.
“Sammy drives like a race car driver and we almost died but then he did this crazy turn thing and we’re fine now,” Jake said.
“It’s called a U-turn ,” Davy quipped.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. “I have no words,” I whispered. “Are you both okay?”
“We’re okay, Mom,” Davy answered.
I hugged them again as tight as I could, looking at Colt and Sammy over the tops of their heads. Colt pulled Sammy into a hard kiss. Sammy’s parents—Bob and Lynn—looked at each other with raised brows and then she sighed.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Sammy rolled his eyes as he drew back from Colt. “They made a bet on us.”
On us? I stared at him and Colt. I could only think about two things at the moment and that was one, thank god the boys were safe and two, us.
Lynn stood up and smiled. “I’m going to get started on dinner. Everyone else is arriving shortly.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Mom, I think you’re squeezing us to death.”
I kissed the top of Jake’s head and then Davy’s too. Reluctantly, I released them as the door opened and everyone else piled into the living room. Honey came in first followed by Hunter, Cam and Haley, and Emma. I let go of the boys, releasing them to everyone else.
Cam and Hunter beelined for their brother and dragged Sammy into a hug. Haley pulled me into one too and I leaned against her.
“I need to talk to Sammy and Colt,” I whispered.
“Yep. We’ve got the boys.”
I squeezed her tight. Emma approached us as Honey and the boys started rambling. The horrific event was now a superhero story, and Jake certainly told it with flair. I leaned into Emma, shaking my head.
“When Sammy called me, everything stopped,” I said. I glanced up at him and Colt again. Unsurprisingly, they still had their heads down and were talking with Hunter and Cam.
“They look like they’re plotting,” Emma said.
Haley and I nodded in agreement. My sister looked at me, her lips pressing together. “Sammy said he recognized the woman as the one that y’all ran into?”
“Yeah.”
We needed to find out who she and her husband were. And how she was connected to all of this. We were all on the same page now.
Hunter cleared his throat. “I’m going to call the police and let them know what happened.”
Sammy nodded. “That would be good. I haven’t done that yet.”
The man who attacked me at the cafe had to be her husband, right? But why?
I’d have to think about that later. Right now, more than anything else, I needed to speak to Sammy and Colt alone.
The hum of everyone talking over each other filled the house, but now that I knew Jake and Davy were safe, I crossed the living room to them and tapped on Colt’s shoulder, interrupting their group.
“Hey,” he whispered. I felt the weight of his gaze on me, Sammy’s too.
“Hey,” I said. Fuck, I was nervous.
Hunter looped his thumbs in his jeans, offering me a worried smile. “How’s your head?”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I’m thankful everyone else is too. I need to steal Sammy and Colt away from the two of you.”
Cam nodded. “Go right ahead.” His gaze darted to Haley and his expression softened. “I’m going to go help my beautiful wife.”
I glanced back and my eyes widened as Hal tried to reach a bottle on top of a cabinet. Cam was fast and already behind her, his hand on her lower back as he pulled it down for her.
“We can talk in one of the spare rooms,” Sammy said.
Colt’s expression was grim. We followed Sammy down a short hall and into a small bedroom that smelled like clean linen. He shut the door quietly.
I turned to face the two of them. Now that I was really looking at them, it hit me how tired they looked. I don’t think I’d ever seen dark circles under Colt’s eyes before.
Deep breath. I hated confrontation, but I had to do this.
“I am so sorry to both of you,” I started. “I fucked up. I panicked and instead of talking to either of you, I shut down.” My heart was beating so damn fast. “I am still healing. I am still picking up the pieces of who I am and learning how to be okay again. I am still figuring out how to accept being loved. For years, I was stuck in a cycle with someone who wore me down every day, bit by tiny bit. When I was attacked outside the cafe, all I could think was that I was putting you both in danger and I wasn’t worth it, but that was David talking.”
“Sarah—”
“Let me finish,” I whispered. “I need to say this, please.”
They nodded, listening intently.
“Colt, I’ve known you since I came to Citrus Cove. I never thought we’d have a chance together again, but we got one. And Sammy, you have changed everything in my life for the better. Because of the two of you, I’m realizing I deserve to be loved and cared for. I’m not the burden my mind has made me believe I am. I’m not perfect. I’m a mom. I’m a mess. My schedule is hard because I’m always at the cafe and when I’m not there, I’m trying to keep up with my boys. All of that is to say, I love both of you. I don’t expect either of you to forgive me, but thank you for keeping my boys safe. Thank you for helping me with everything over the last few weeks. I understand if you want nothing to do with me anymore and will respect whatever you decide, but I want you. I want both of you in my life if you’ll have me.”
Colt breathed out and bent over, planting his hands on his knees.
“Colt? What’s wrong?” I rushed forward as Sammy pulled him back to standing again.
He grabbed hold of my face, tears streaming down his cheeks. “How on earth could you possibly think we don’t want anything to do with you?”
Suddenly, Sammy was pulling me between the two of them. I sucked in a breath as he leaned in, whispering in my ear. “Do you really think we’d walk away from you just because you’re busy? We knew what we were signing up for when we fell in love with you.”
My mouth fell open. “You… You love…”
“Sugar, we love you,” Colt whispered. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
“I love you both,” Sammy said, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll get through this. But please don’t ever doubt us wanting to be with you again, Sarah.”
“I’ll try not to.” I wiped my eyes and leaned up to kiss Colt and then Sammy, melting between them. “I was planning on talking to you tomorrow, but then this happened today, and I just… I needed to say it.”
“I’m glad you did, angel,” Sammy said. “I think I scared the boys with my driving. Hell, I scared myself.”
Colt blew out a shaky breath. “Sammy, getting the call about you scared the shit out of me. I need both of you to be wrapped in bubble wrap and safely away from these psychos. My cowboy heart can’t take it.”
“We need to find out who those people are,” I said. “I don’t know why they’re doing this. And to attack the boys and you, I just…”
“She was driving David’s old truck,” Sammy said, shaking his head. “It was a total mindfuck. Pops fed me three whiskey shots because I was shaking so badly.”
I grabbed his face and kissed him hard. “Thank you. I can’t imagine what would have happened.”
Colt and I wrapped our arms around him, a tangle of bodies and wild heartbeats.
“I don’t want to change subjects too drastically, but the weather is getting bad,” Colt said.
“Do the two of you want to stay with us?” I asked. “You can sleep in my bed…”
“Yes,” they both said immediately.
“Hopefully we’ll fit,” I chuckled.
“We’ll make us fit.”