Chapter 49 Sawyer
Chapter forty-nine
Sawyer
Big, heavy arms encircle my waist from behind, enveloping me in a warm hug.
My subconscious knows who it is before I even sink back into his hold. From his vanilla and lime scent to the possessive grip on my hips, I’m certain that when I turn around, I’ll find Ty.
“Did I wake you?” I murmur, peering over my shoulder.
He rests his chin on my head, swaying from side to side in front of the kitchen sink. When he releases me, I turn and look up into his warm, open eyes. He looks at me like I’m everything. It’s unnerving and exhilarating.
“I heard you poking around down here, but I’ve been up for a few hours,” he admits. “I don’t sleep well without you. And my side is killing me this morning.”
He reaches past me and removes a glass from the cupboard, his attention lingering on me as he fills it from the sink and pops a few pills into his mouth.
A niggle of guilt percolates in my belly.
I don’t have anything to apologize for, but I also want to be sensitive to the delicacy of our new dynamic, so I lean into my instincts.
“I was out of it last night,” I admit. “By the time I went to the bathroom, washed up, and was ready for bed, Noah was coming in, saying you were sleeping upstairs.”
“I was exhausted last night, too,” he tells me. “I slept in one of the guest rooms. It was pretty comfortable, honestly. I’m glad you got some rest, mon ange. Did you sleep with Mercer?”
The question comes out even. There isn’t a hint of malice or contention there. So I answer in the same way: honestly and steadily.
“Yes. Noah tucked us in.” I stifle a laugh at the memory. “It was a good thing. Mercer and I needed a chance to connect where the stakes felt lower.”
He weaves one hand through my hair. “Good.” Angling in, he kisses me on the forehead. As he steps back, he peers out the window over the kitchen sink.
“It looks like the snow’s finally stopped.”
I step back and lean against the counter, studying him. “For now. I checked the radar an hour ago. It’s supposed to start up again this afternoon.” I crack my knuckles one hand at a time, steeling myself to dive into this topic.
“Do you need to be on campus at a certain time today?”
Brows scrunched, he shakes his head. “Merce confirmed that everything is closed. No class and no practice. Not that I was doing anything at practice besides warming the bench anyway.”
I can’t hide my grin. “‘Merce,’ huh?”
His eyes widen, then he slams them shut with a groan and scrubs one hand down his face.
“It just slipped out. Clearly, we’ve been here too long.
” His lips twitch and that joy still radiates from him.
“That said, I don’t have any reason to race back to campus.
I’m okay staying here a while longer—if that’s what you want, too. ”
It’s the “too” that sends butterflies fluttering, filling me with a light, floaty, effervescent hope.
Ty’s not just trying or tolerating. He wants to be here, whether he consciously recognizes that or not.
He’s letting the other guys in. He’s galvanizing my hopes and dreams in beautiful, unexpected ways.
He wanders to the fridge and pulls out a container of cinnamon-brown sugar sweetener, then pours a cup of coffee and adds enough creamer to make the contents of the mug take on the color of sand.
Instead of bringing the cup to me like I assumed, he lifts it to his own mouth and takes a long sip.
When he lowers it and meets my eyes, he gives me a puzzled frown. “What?”
I scoff. “Are you serious right now? Since when do you drink coffee with flavored creamer?”
He scowls at the mug he’s cradling, though his expression turns bashful when he looks back at me. “Since Noah brought some to my dorm last week. A few of the flavors are way too damn sweet, but this brown sugar one is great.”
I press my lips together, glee bubbling up inside me. “Noah brought you coffee?”
Ty pulls a face, then runs a hand through his messy bedhead. “Among other things.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I gingerly hug his torso, then plant my chin on his chest. “The brown sugar flavor is one of my favorites, too.”
A hint of a smile teases his lips. “Oh yeah?”
“Mm-hmm. Give me a taste.”
Instead of sharing his coffee, he kisses me softly. I hum against him, relishing the soft sweetness of his mouth. Before long, he pulls back and lifts the mug to my lips.
After I’ve taken my own sip, I rest my head on his chest, taking care not to apply too much pressure.
“I want more of this, mon ange,” he murmurs, weaving his free hand through my hair and cradling my head.
“More coffee?” I tease.
He chuckles. “More mornings together. Us in the kitchen. All four of us together…”
My heart nearly stops and emotion clogs my throat. I want more of this, too.
Sighing, he looks away. “I know last night wasn’t perfect…”
I squeeze him maybe a little too hard. “It was perfect.”
“I almost punched your other boyfriend in the face,” he huffs, his face pinched.
A little snort escapes me. “He was being a dick. And you only almost punched one of them.” I nuzzle against his chest again, breathing him in.
“The effort and the intention were perfect. There’s no one way this all has to go.
Perfection is found in all the little moments of grace, where we’re willing to be patient and flexible with each other. ”
“Okay, Dr. Davvies,” he murmurs, pressing his lips into the crown of my head. “You sounded like your mom just now.”
The sentiment warms me from the inside. A degree in peace communications isn’t part of my ten-year plan, but I love that Ty remembers that about my mom and made the connection. I’m grateful that the two of us share good memories, not just painful ones.
He rubs his free hand up and down my spine. “The team travels a lot. It’ll be a good thing, I think, knowing you’ll have them.”
He’s talking about the future.
He’s talking about our future.
Emotion rises up in me, but I force my voice to remain steady. “I don’t know if Noah will ever want to leave here. And Mercer has tenure. What if Holt becomes home?”
He shrugs, the move easy. “I’ve lived a lot of places over the years. Home isn’t a certain building or geographic location. For me, home has always been wherever you are.”
Tearing up, I pop up on my toes and kiss him in earnest.
When we break apart, he wipes at my bottom lip, then steals one more kiss. “Assuming everything goes smoothly and I get called up with the Galaxy, I’ll still need to have a place in Georgia.”
I grin up at him. “We’ll need to have a place in Georgia. And we’ll make it work, for better or worse.”
“For better or worse, huh?” A teasing smile dances over his expression.
I cringe, though the smile is still there, too. Yeah. Okay. So what if I just accidently recited part of the traditional wedding vows?
With a deep breath in, I gather the courage to bring up another issue I’ve been thinking about. “Yesterday,” I hedge, “when we told Noah everything, and he assumed the reason you kept calling me your wife was to grant us spousal privilege from testifying against each other…”
I trail off, looking away, suddenly worried I’ve gone too far. But I want to be sure there’s nothing left unsaid between any of us as we lay the foundation of our relationship.
Ty takes another sip of his coffee, then holds it out to me, but I shake my head, too anxious for his response.
“You asking me to marry you, mon ange?”
I roll my eyes, relief washing over me. If he can tease me about it, then we’re doing okay.
“His assumption makes a lot of sense. It might be worth pursuing, just in case. You’re going to be a professional athlete.
And your new team already thinks we’re married,” I remind him.
“What if someone goes digging? What if someone back in Montreal who knew your dad talks to the media or starts posting on message boards?”
A shudder racks through him. With a clenched jaw, he shakes his head. “I already did this wrong once. I’m not fucking it up again.”
He cradles my cheek, staring down at me like I’m the most precious thing in his life.
“You’re going to be my wife,” he declares. “Sooner rather than later, if I have my way. But there are other people to consider. And… and you deserve a real proposal. A real wedding, if that’s what you want.”
I pop up onto my toes and kiss him softly. “I just want you. And them.”
“I just want you to get everything you want,” he retorts.
“So it’s settled,” I offer nonchalantly.
“Not yet. But it will be.”
Ty’s words burrow deep in my chest, soothing all the uncertainty and heartache that have plagued me over the last few years.
We’re unconventional and perfectly imperfect. Nothing is settled, but it will be. I believe in my heart of hearts we’ll get the happy ending we deserve.