Chapter Two
Sawyer greeted Kelsey with a warm hug when she exited her car. He and Royce had bundled up like it was twenty below, while Kelsey just wore an ivory cardigan over her cheetah-print turtleneck and black corduroy overalls. “Aren’t you freezing?” Sawyer asked when she stepped back from their embrace.
Kelsey giggled as she rubbed her hand over her baby bump.
“I’m putting off enough heat for three people,” she told him.
“Trust me. I’m not cold, but I have winter gear in the car in case of an emergency.
” Kelsey opened her arms and hugged Royce next.
“Miguel called and said he’s running a few minutes behind.
He said we should go inside and get comfortable. He’ll be here before we know it.”
Miguel Perez was the lawyer Kelsey had chosen to represent her throughout the surrogate process.
He was a snazzy dresser and more handsome than one man had the right to be, but he was perpetually running behind schedule.
Sawyer didn’t get the impression his tardiness was because of arrogance, but it still annoyed him.
They had four weeks left until Darla’s due date, and it was crunch time.
All their legal planning appointments were important, but this one was the most significant because Kelsey would relinquish her parental rights to Darla so that Royce and Sawyer could bring her home from the hospital.
It was a temporary agreement until their adoption became permanent, but it was the first big step to making it happen.
Sawyer hadn’t wanted to wait so long, but their attorneys assured them it was a standard practice with traditional surrogates since the paperwork couldn’t go before a judge until after Darla was born.
Still, the last-minute stuff created a knot of tension in his chest that made it hard for him to breathe.
Sawyer took Kelsey’s hand as they headed toward Owens, McKinley, and Reese Family Law. “How are you feeling?”
They both knew it was a loaded question, but Kelsey met his gaze with a smile. “I’m feeling great today.”
A car stopped in the parking lot near them, and Sawyer glanced over out of caution. Andrew exited the rear seat and thanked the driver before shutting the door and jogging to them.
Kelsey released Sawyer’s hand and met her husband halfway. Andrew wrapped his brawny arms around her, then rubbed his hands up and down her back.
“Where’s your coat?” Andrew asked.
“See,” Sawyer said. “It’s freezing.”
Kelsey scowled at him over her shoulder. “It’s forty-five degrees. People up north would kill for temperatures like this in January.” She turned back around to smile at her husband. “I didn’t know you were coming. I would’ve picked you up.”
“Last-minute decision.” Cupping her face, Andrew brushed his thumb over her cheek.
“Ella is with my mom, and I thought we could enjoy a nice dinner after your appointment. I ordered a ride and left my car at the office. We can swing by and get it later tonight, or you can drop me off on your way to work in the morning.”
Kelsey leaned into his touch and sighed. “You’re the best.”
Royce linked his fingers with Sawyer’s and led him away to give the couple some privacy, humming Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” as they went.
“Yes, you are,” Sawyer said. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Kelsey and Andrew were still in the same spot.
Kels had rested her head on Andrew’s shoulder, and he rocked her from side to side as if dancing in place.
She wore an expression of pure bliss, not sorrow or regret, and the knot in Sawyer’s chest eased slightly.
“After you,” Royce said, recapturing Sawyer’s attention. He’d opened the large mahogany door and gestured for Sawyer to enter ahead of him.
Sawyer stopped long enough to kiss his cheek before stepping inside the warm building. Their law firm was on the second floor, so they took the stairs and entered the waiting room. The receptionist looked up from her task and greeted them with a smile.
“Hi, guys,” Lola said. “Will it just be the two of you meeting with Ivy this evening?”
“No,” Sawyer replied. “Kelsey and her husband will be up in a few minutes. Mr. Perez will also be here, though he’s running a little behind.”
“No problem. I’ll just let Ivy know you’re here, and I’ll set you up in the conference room.”
Sawyer walked over to the fancy hot beverage bar while Lola spoke quietly into her phone. “Do you want something?”
“No, thanks,” Royce replied.
Sawyer prepared a fancy hot chocolate with an abundance of marshmallows for Kelsey and a salted caramel coffee for himself.
“You’re a rock star,” Kelsey said when Sawyer handed the steaming cup to her.
“Do you want anything, Andrew?” Sawyer asked. They’d stopped calling him Big Sexy after Alec left town, and it seemed like the big guy missed the endearment.
“Um, I’m not sure. Let me see what’s available.”
“Everything,” Sawyer, Royce, and Kelsey said.
Andrew shook his head at the trio of trouble before heading over to the beverage bar.
“They have cold drinks in the minifridge below the counter, babe,” Kelsey said.
Andrew grabbed an apple juice from the refrigerator and joined them.
Kelsey eyed the bottle as she sipped her hot chocolate. “That looks good too.”
Her husband extended the juice to her with one hand and wiped the hot chocolate smudge off her lip with the other. “You can have it. I’ll trade you.”
Kelsey volleyed her gaze between the beverages as she tried to decide. Andrew chuckled and slid the juice into her handbag before retreating to grab another from the refrigerator.
Lola stood up and gestured for everyone to follow her to an elegantly appointed conference room. “Ivy is going to be with you in just a few minutes. I see you’ve grabbed something to drink already, but is there anything else I can get for you? We have some cookies in the break room.”
“We’re fine,” Sawyer said. “Thank you.”
Once Lola left, Royce leaned closer to him. “I could’ve really used a cookie.” He sounded frazzled, and Sawyer turned to him in concern. The short drive from the precinct hadn’t allowed much time for conversation, but Royce had seemed to be in a great mood.
“Rough day?”
“Nah,” Royce replied. “I just like to rile you up.”
Andrew flopped down into a chair and crossed his beefy arms over his chest like an overgrown toddler. “I wanted a cookie.” The amount of petulance he injected into his voice made them laugh, and Sawyer’s anxiety lessened even more. “I’m a big boy now. I can eat a cookie before dinner.”
“And I’m a hundred months pregnant with your baby,” Kelsey told Sawyer. “I wanted two cookies.”
The relief Sawyer felt moments before dissipated, and his knot of tension tightened again. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to act as the group representative. Maybe I’m more nervous than I realized.”
He liked to think he was in control of his own destiny, but this process reminded Sawyer that he was often just a passenger in his own damn life.
But not a princess kind of passenger. He was more of a backseat driver.
Royce’s hand found his under the table and squeezed.
Such a slight gesture shouldn’t have a large impact on his mood, but it did.
No matter what they faced, Sawyer wouldn’t do it alone.
He met Kelsey’s soulful brown eyes, and her expression said, “I’ve got you.
” As he exhaled, Sawyer pictured his negative thoughts leaving his body along with his breath.
“I’ll go ask Lola for some cookies,” he said.
Kelsey reached across the table and took his hand. “Honey, I was just teasing. Sugar is the last thing I need right now. I had two cupcakes this afternoon.”
Royce sat up straighter. “At work? Did someone bring in cupcakes?”
Shrugging, Kelsey said, “I think it was someone’s birthday because there were dozens of cupcakes in the break room.”
Royce looked at Sawyer with an outraged expression. “They forget about us basement dwellers at the precinct. No one thinks of calling downstairs to let us know there are sugary confections available.”
Sawyer worked his bottom lip between his teeth. “Ummm.”
Royce gasped as dramatically as a telenovela actress.
“Escandalosa,” Kelsey declared as Andrew laughed.
“The betrayal,” Royce agreed. “You knew there were cupcakes upstairs and didn’t tell me.
” Royce narrowed his eyes and studied Sawyer’s expression as he tried not to give in to the laughter building inside him.
Then Royce leaned forward and sniffed Sawyer before widening his eyes. “You ate cupcakes without me?”
Sawyer slumped his shoulders and gave Royce his best sad puppy expression.
He’d seen the gesture work for Dolly a hundred times.
“I assumed you’d already ferreted out the sugar and carbs by the time I stumbled onto them,” Sawyer replied.
“And you were busy training the substitute instructors who are filling in for you during paternity leave.”
Royce’s brow shot up. He was not about to let this go. “You don’t think Blue, Katie, and Diego would’ve enjoyed a cupcake?”
“That you have to train three people to fill your shoes says it all,” Sawyer replied. “No time for cupcake breaks.”
Kelsey gave the response a slow clap. “That’s a Royce Locke level of bullshit right there.”
Sawyer puffed out his chest and gave a mock bow. “Thank you. I have a dedicated instructor who is thorough and sexy as hell.”
Narrowing his eyes, Royce said, “I’m not sure if I’m proud or disturbed. You didn’t blink or even pause before you uttered such tripe. It just rolled off your tongue so easily.”
“Imagine the habits he’ll pick up from you after twelve weeks of paternity leave,” Andrew said. “You’ll barely leave the house for the first six weeks. So much togetherness.”
Kelsey snorted and pointed across the table at Royce. “You think he’ll stick out the full twelve weeks?”
“Hey!” Royce protested.
Kelsey shifted her finger to Sawyer. “And you think he’ll allow it?”
“Hey!” Royce repeated.