34. Ava
CHAPTER 34
Ava
THE VILLAGE
“Be careful , or so help me God, I’m going to have to put my nurse hat back on.”
Chuckling, Sawyer lets me take his elbow so I can help him hobble toward the house. “But you’re so hot when you wear your nurse hat.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Even now, I blush when I think about the sneaky little hand job I gave Sawyer earlier today before he was discharged.
What can I say? The doctor had assured us Sawyer was good to go. She also told him to take it easy because he was going to be sore for a while.
A hand job seemed like a win for everyone. I didn’t want to excite him too much with a blow job. I definitely wasn’t going to risk climbing into bed with him for any kind of penetration situation.
So, after the nurse did her rounds, I grabbed the lube I’d bought while on a dinner run yesterday and confirmed that, yes, Sawyer’s dick did indeed still have full functionality.
“Why are everyone’s cars here?” Sawyer asks, looking around the gravel drive in front of his house. “Please don’t tell me?—”
“They came to show their support because they love and miss you.” I give Sawyer’s elbow a gentle tug, making sure he climbs the stairs one at a time. “Such a crime, I know.”
Sawyer’s eyes meet mine in the fading twilight. He looks as tired as I feel. His mustache and beard are overgrown, and his face is still swollen from the bruises and lacerations he got from the accident. His lip looks a lot better, though, despite the five stitches it needed.
Despite all that—maybe because of it—he is still the handsomest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“You invited them, didn’t you?” Sawyer asks.
I shrug. “Who am I to tell your family they can’t bring food over?”
“They all brought food at the same time?”
“Can you believe it? The nerve of them.” Grinning, I reach for the screen door. The wooden door behind it is open, letting in the mild evening air. Spring is definitely on its way.
“Hey.” Sawyer pulls me back for a second. “I’m still getting used to this shit.”
“‘This shit’ meaning letting people show up and take care of you?”
“Yes.”
“Good thing I’m persistent.”
His eyes flick to my mouth. “Good thing.”
“Are you feeling okay?” I keep my voice low.
I can already hear noise coming from inside the house. Wyatt is singing something. A pair of little-girl giggles sounds above a deep belly laugh. Duke, if I had to guess.
Sawyer pauses. He’s exhausted, but his eyes are still clear, bright with emotion. “I’m all right. Just glad—grateful—I had you at the hospital with me. I’d be feeling a hell of a lot worse if I was coming home alone.”
“Aw, honey. Who knew hand jobs could be so restorative?”
He laughs, wincing. “That was your idea.”
“It was, and you’re welcome.” I twist the knob. “Ready?”
“I’m ready, pretty girl.”
I open the door, and as we step inside we’re immediately greeted by the smell of something delicious cooking and a cacophony of familiar voices.
The door closes behind us with a familiar thwack.
Home . That’s what this feels like. The home I grew up in.
The home I’ve longed for—that sense of wholly belonging somewhere. Of being safe and seen and supported.
When I floated the idea of a welcome-home party for Sawyer, the response from the Rivers family was enthusiastic to say the least. I didn’t want it to be too big of a production—Sawyer is still in a good bit of pain, and we’re both absolutely wiped—but I did want to mark the occasion with a family gathering.
Just felt right. We have so, so many things to celebrate, and Sawyer’s accident hit home the fact that all of us being alive is foremost among them.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sheer panic I felt when I got the news that Sawyer had flipped his truck and was being taken to the hospital. I was putting Carter through her paces in the arena when Mrs. Wallace came running through the door, her face ashen as she told me to check my phone.
The EMT knew the Rivers boys, so Cash was the first to be contacted. Cash then called me. I was still in my riding clothes and hat when I walked into the hospital twenty minutes later.
Speaking of Sawyer’s oldest brother, he’s the first to poke his head into the front hallway.
His face splits into a smile. “He’s home, y’all!”
The sound of little feet running fills the house, and next thing I know Ella and Junie are bursting into the hallway. They’re wearing costumes—June is in a Spider-Man onesie, the mask pushed up on her head to reveal her sweet little smile, while Ella is in a sparkly mermaid dress complete with a tail—and they scream when they see us.
“Daddy! Hi, I’m a mermaid! Also I missed you!” Ella makes a beeline for Sawyer.
“You’re the prettiest mermaid I ever did see,” he replies, voice thick.
“We have to be gentle with Daddy, remember?” I say. “He has some boo-boos that still need to heal.”
“Speaking of boo-boos.” Sawyer lifts his head. “Junie, I brought you some cool Band-Aids the nurses at the hospital gave me.”
My chest twists.
June’s face lights up. “I like Band-Aids.”
“I know you do,” he replies with a smile.
Ella slows before gingerly wrapping her arms around his legs. “I’m gentle, Daddy. Are you feeling better?”
“I am, Elly Belly Boo.” Sawyer blinks, hard, clearing his throat while he pats Ella’s back. “I missed you too. So much.” He sniffles.
I can tell it’s killing him to not pick her up, so I do, hiking her onto my hip. “Wanna give Daddy a kiss?”
Sawyer offers her his cheek, tapping it with his finger. “Smooch right here.”
“Okay.” Ella lightly kisses his scruffy cheek. “I love you.”
He plants a kiss on her cheek. I take the opportunity to kiss her other cheek, making her squeal.
“We love you too,” I say.
Sawyer’s eyes catch on mine, the silent communication between us as loud and potent as if we were actually saying the words.
Thank you , Ava , he says.
And I reply, Stop thanking me for falling hopelessly in love, Sawyer. You and your baby made that too damn easy.
Mule ambles toward us, his tail thumping against our legs.
“Hey, Mule,” Sawyer says with a laugh. “Bet you missed me most, didn’t you, buddy?”
“I think he was legit depressed without you,” Cash says. “We could hardly get him to go outside.”
Sawyer blinks for the hundredth time.
I run my hand over his back. “It’s nice to be missed, isn’t it?”
“Mommy.” June tugs on my jacket. “Uncle Cashy let us ride the ponies! And Auntie Sally took us to see the goats. They smelled bad but were very cute.”
My heart swells, ballooning to fill my entire chest cavity. While I was at the hospital with Sawyer, his brothers took turns caring for the girls here at the house. It was just easier to keep Junie and Ella together, and we figured they’d be a comfort to each other while he and I were away.
Seeing their lit-up faces, I’d say we were right.
Also, I love how she’s already calling Sawyer’s brothers and sisters-in-law Uncle and Auntie . I bet that’s how Cash and Sally introduced themselves to my daughter. The way his family has welcomed us into their fold—no hesitation, no questions asked—has me tearing up too.
“Awww, look how cute the four of y’all are,” Mollie says as she steps into the hallway. “Welcome home, Sawyer.”
“Thanks, Mollie,” he replies gruffly. “Appreciate you helping hold down the fort while I was laid up.”
“Are you kidding?” She gives him a gentle side hug when he holds out his arm. “We had a blast with these two cuties. They’re bona fide cowgirls now, aren’t you? Uncle Cash made sure they learned to lasso and everything.”
“Uncle Cashy is a cowboy,” Junie tells me. “Just like Mr. Sawyer.”
“I like cowboys,” I reply with a smile.
“Who doesn’t?” Mollie says with a laugh. “Y’all come on in. Wyatt’s got pot roast in the oven?—”
“And I got a couple of six packs of Shiner.” Cash holds up his longneck. “They aren’t gonna drink themselves. C’mon back. You need help, Sawyer?”
“Nah. I’m only mostly incapacitated.” Sawyer glances at me. “You good?”
My sweet cowboy, asking if I’m okay when he’s the one hobbling around with three broken ribs, a lung that’s only recently started to work again, and a busted lip.
I grab his hand. “Yeah, honey, I’m good. Really, really good.”
With Ella still on my hip, we head down the hall toward the kitchen. I allow Sawyer to go in first. He immediately draws to a stop when he sees that everyone is here—all his brothers, their significant others. Even John B and Patsy, Sally’s parents, showed up, along with Goody Gershwin, the ranch’s attorney, and her wife Tallulah.
I smile at the chorus of voices that greet his arrival. Everyone welcomes him home, Duke approaching to clap him on the shoulder.
“Dude, I miss the mustache,” he says with a smile. “You practically have a full beard now, and that’s my look.”
Sawyer starts to cry. Full-on shoulders-shaking, lips-trembling, big-fat-tears cry.
“Don’t worry,” he manages, wiping his eyes, “Ava already asked me to bring back the ’stache.”
Duke’s eyes meet mine over Sawyer’s shoulder. “She’s got good taste.”
“She did pick you, brother.” Wyatt hands Sawyer a beer he definitely shouldn’t drink but probably will anyway. “Of course she’s got good taste.”
Then he pulls Sawyer in for a hug, careful not to squeeze him too hard.
“Group hug!” Ryder calls out, and then everyone is piling on. Gently, of course. Ryder puts a hand on Sawyer’s back. Mollie grabs Sawyer’s hand, and Sally grabs the other. Junie wraps herself around his leg. Ella wiggles out of my grasp and wraps herself around Junie.
“Y’all,” Sawyer says, half crying, half chuckling. “This is … a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” Cash says, walking past me to join the hug.
I’m not sure there’s a dry eye in the room as I lean in and press a kiss to the top of his nape and hug him from behind. “Try to make us stop. I dare you.”
But Sawyer just shakes his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Because I think this—y’all—it might be the dream. It is the dream.”
“You bet your ass I’m a dream,” Wyatt says.
Sally hushes him. “There are children present.”
“You bet your behind ,” he corrects.
“No, Uncle Wy, it’s bottom ,” Junie says.
Ella nods. “Or heinie.”
“Y’all are so dang cute,” Patsy says with a smile.
I lean in to murmur in Sawyer’s ear. “Happy?”
Sawyer turns his head to meet my eyes. “Very.”
* * *
We go to town on Wyatt’s pot roast and Patsy’s mashed sweet potatoes. The girls are wild for the cupcakes Mollie brought from the Caffeinated Cowgirl downtown, which we serve with the hand-churned vanilla bean ice cream John B made for just the occasion.
It’s pure chaos. People eat at the counter, on the couch, and perched on the hearth by the fireplace.
It’s also a ton of fun. Sawyer doesn’t stop smiling. The girls love getting all the attention from the adults in the room.
Everyone pitches in to clean up. Patsy reminds us that there’s King Ranch casserole in the freezer and a roasted chicken in the fridge, which Wyatt and Sally stocked with essentials—milk, fruit, and yogurt and smoothie pouches for the kids.
My heart is bursting by the time it’s just Sawyer and me on the couch. He started to cry all over again when I informed him June and I would be staying here until he was fully healed. She and Ella were beside themselves to be put to bed together in Ella’s room a little bit ago. I can still hear them giggling together.
“They’re so fucking cute.” Sawyer puts a hand on my thigh.
I reach over to play with his hair. “You’re so fucking cute. How are you feeling?”
“Sore. Tired.” His gaze meets mine. In the light of the fire Ryder lit earlier, Sawyer’s eyes gleam with tenderness. “Happy. I missed everyone.”
“They missed you. We all did. Life wasn’t the same. I’m so”—my voice catches—“so relieved and so happy you’re back and you’re okay.”
“I’ll be okay as long as you’re here.”
I hold his gaze. “I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.”
His eyes go wide. “That mean?—”
“I’m asking to move in with you, yes.”
“But you don’t want?—”
“I want you.” I gingerly press a kiss to his cheek. “And I want us all to be together. I thought we could put twin beds in Ella’s room so the girls can get their sleepover. And then we’ll put a king in your room so you and I can get ours.”
“I like this scenario,” he says huskily.
At my feet, Mule starts to wag his tail. My heart explodes into a thousand butterflies. I’m doing it—I’m trusting Sawyer. Trusting the universe.
I’m letting love win.
“Stay, pretty girl,” Sawyer continues. “Not so I can tie you down, but so we can be free. Together. Us and the girls. We’ll do whatever the fuck we want, be whoever the fuck we want, as long as we’re together. Because that’s what makes me happiest.”
I’m shaking and I’m laughing, tears rolling down my face. “That makes me the happiest, too.”
“Forever?”
“Forever. One condition, though.”
He reaches up to wipe away my tears. “Name it.”
“We have to have really ridiculous hotel sex at really ridiculous hotels at least once a year.”
Sawyer laughs. “I’ll bring the champagne.”
“I’ll bring the Tide pen.”
He’s still laughing when he leans in to kiss me. “Deal.”