19. Sawyer
Sawyer
I wake with the sun on my face and immediately know I’m not in my bed. The sheets feel different, the light too bright, and as I open my eyes, I understand why.
“What the fuck.” I sit up, a little groggy and discombobulated.
Annabelle is still beside me, sound asleep, and I admire her for a moment.
Her face is relaxed, her beautiful long hair sweeping over the pillow.
She’s even beautiful when she sleeps. The way she came last night, the way her body molded to mine, the way she grinded her ass into my raging hard dick had me feeling so many things.
Even now, thinking about it, my cock is rock-solid.
In bed, with me, her body moved in a way that was all woman.
I felt every dip and curve, and now my feelings for her have grown even more. I bet she looks fucking amazing naked.
I spot the gash on her forehead and frown. It doesn’t look much better, but at least the butterfly closures held overnight, meaning she doesn’t need stitches. I reach out for her, my hand gliding across her waist, over her curves, her soft skin feeling like heaven.
“Hey…” she says sleepily, grabbing my attention as she rolls over. Her singlet pulls a little, giving me a view of her chest that teases me. I spot a few red love marks on her neck and bite on my back molars, knowing I was the person to put those there.
“Morning, Mama.” My voice sounds like gravel.
“You’re still here?” She smiles, but my brow furrows.
“Where did you think I’d be?” I wonder what time the boys will wake and whether I can have her again beforehand.
“I thought you might’ve snuck out in the night or early this morning.”
I lie back down next to her, the two of us now face-to-face, our noses a mere inch apart.
“I’m not sneaking out of here. I like waking up with you.” My hand rests on the dip in her waist. I move my fingers a little, her top lifting a bit, and touch her bare skin. I’m itching to take her lips in a searing kiss, to feel more of her like last night.
“Mmmm… kids in the room when you wake is probably not your ideal scenario?”
I freeze my movements. My eyes flick to the floor on her side, and I see a bundle in front of her.
Noah, still holding his monster spray. He must’ve crept in during the night.
Then my eyes sweep down next to him, where I spot Kevin.
Lying with his brother, the two of them are still asleep, covered in blankets.
Fuck. No morning glory for either of us today.
I run my hand through my hair. “That’s not something I’ve had to navigate before.”
“It doesn’t happen often. But they’re kids.” Shrugging on her side, she watches me carefully.
“It just gives a new meaning to the word edging…” I tease her, and as she smiles up at me, I lean over and take her lips with mine. The kiss is short and not scorching like I want it to be, but her hand lifts, cupping my jaw, and I pull her closer, enjoying the feel of her in my arms.
“Are you a breakfast guy?” she asks as I pull back, and I grin.
“Sometimes. Other times, I rush to the office and live off coffee for the day.”
“What are you today?”
The answer is, I have no idea. I’m usually well attuned to my schedule.
I’m up early to work out, and I hit the ground running on emails and ensure I clock in for all my meetings.
I probably have a million things to do, but having no idea what time it is, and with my cell phone still in my suit jacket hanging on her bedroom door, I find that I couldn’t care less.
Today, my mind is blank. For the life of me, I can’t think of anything but her.
“Breakfast sounds pretty good right about now.” I rub her nose with mine, and she hums, the sound warming my chest.
“Pancakes okay with you?” she asks quietly, our lips moving against each other, albeit incredibly slowly.
“Anything you make, I will love,” I whisper into another kiss. My workday’s starting in an entirely new way. Who knew a Broadway show over breakfast would be much more entertaining.
I’m on my second coffee for the day, and the fact that the diner is close by is either a really good or a really bad thing. My waistline is no doubt going to grow from Rochelle's food, as well as Annabelle’s.
I’ve spent most of the day in meetings, filed a few key contracts, and I’m feeling relatively stress free.
“You have a minute?” Jerry walks into my office, and I smile.
“Sure, let's take a seat.” I gesture to my Chesterfield lounge. The small space is completely different to my city office, yet one that’s strangely comforting.
“How are you feeling?” I know that retirement is different for everyone.
When my mom decided to retire, she was scared.
Having worked all her life at low-paying jobs, she didn’t have much money of her own.
But Sutton and I got her set up, paid into her retirement fund, and she’s now having the time of her life.
Wendy, my assistant, is itching to start her twilight years.
The all-expenses-paid cruise I purchased for her and her husband will no doubt see them off in luxury.
“I’m feeling ready. But the question is, are you?” Jerry looks at me inquisitively. Of course I'm ready. Whispers is child’s play compared to the city.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Jerry.” I smirk. Cocky perhaps, but I know what I’m doing.
“You know I used to work in the city.”
“You did?” I didn’t know this piece of information. I assumed he worked here his entire life.
“Have you heard of Walker and Co.?” Walker and Co. is one of my competitors. They aren’t as big now, but back in the day, they were the law firm everyone wanted to work for. They were who I modeled my own firm after.
“Yes…” My head tilts, wondering where he’s going with this.
“Well, I started Walker and Co. when I was in my mid-twenties, not long after I finished law school.”
“You started Walker and Co.?” I clarify, because none of it makes sense. But as I look at him, his appearance seems somewhat familiar, knowing I’ve probably seen his photo somewhere along the line, perhaps when I was researching internships in college.
“I did. Built it up over a decade or so, before I came to Whispers.” He grins at the memory.
“What made you come to Whispers? You were at the top of your game. Your law firm was worth millions. Still is,” I ask, bewildered.
“Love,” he says, and my questioning thoughts pause.
“Love?”
“Met my girl Bernie here when I was passing through one day. My jet had to land to refuel, some issue we had when flying from the West Coast back to the East. Ended up staying a night, met Bernie at the diner. Had dinner and never left. We just celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary last month.”
I’m a little baffled. “But Walker and Co. was one of the bigger players. You would’ve been a multimillionaire.”
“Still am. Sold at the height. I got my millions, invested them well, and moved here to the love of my life. I’ve worked in this office ever since.” He huffs another laugh as he looks around, taking in the walls, like he’s saying a silent goodbye.
I shake my head, trying to process this. “But… that doesn’t make any sense…”
“Well, work back then isn’t what it is now. You kids run meetings online, any time of the day or night. Back in my day, it was all face-to-face, in an office. I had to make a choice. Work or Bernie.”
“But you built an empire. Then you just left it all and came to Whispers?”
“Yeah. You know what they say, love makes you do crazy things.”
“Didn’t you miss it? The hustle, the thrill of the chase, the deals, the negotiation?” I grew my career on big deals, on million-dollar contracts. I’ve negotiated some large transactions, helped many of my clients with significant business growth, Tanner and Connor one such example.
“None of it really means much. More about your own ego than anything else. Besides, my Bernie has given me lots to negotiate, lots of thrills, and lots of good times over the years. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Nodding, I find myself smiling, one person on my mind as I ask, “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Bernie was worth it.” I swallow, knowing he knows. Hell, the whole town practically knows about Annabelle and me if the look Rochelle was giving me in the diner earlier today was anything to go by.
“I knew the minute I laid eyes on her.”
I feel a jolt of realization zap me to my core. I can still remember exactly what Annabelle was wearing the first time I saw her, including her scowl when I cursed in front of the kids.
“But how were you satisfied from a work perspective?” What he’s talking about is somewhat admirable, but my work fuels me. It’s been my driving force for years. The one constant, the one thing I can control and build, making me a billionaire in my own right.
“Whispers may be a small, sleepy town, but even in your sleep, you still have nightmares. Don’t underestimate the problems that will arise for you here.
Sure, they may not be every week, or maybe they will be, but you’ll have a good workload, one that keeps you busy and pushes you to your limits at times.
But you’ll also have a good work/life balance and get to go home to a warm hug, a hot, home-cooked meal, and the love of a good woman.
That’s something I never found in the city, and I don’t imagine it’s any easier to find there now.
” It feels like he’s a parent, inadvertently offering me advice.
I’m familiar with some criminal cases here in Whispers over the years.
Hell, just the issues my friends have had with their partners is enough to keep me busy for months.
I look at my calendar, knowing I have a few locals booked in for meetings over the course of the next few weeks.
At the time, I assumed it would be simple paper shuffling, a few signatures, and a low level of work required, but I’m starting to see that it may be more than that.
“Alright, well, I need to go. Will I see you at the game tomorrow?” He stands like he didn’t just drop a bomb on me, and I walk toward him, putting out my hand to shake his.
“I think so.” Weekends in Whispers are something I was adamant I wouldn't do, yet now I don’t want to miss the game or miss spending more time with Annabelle and the kids.
“Good. It’s nice to have a new face to support the teams. Good luck here, Sawyer,” he says as we shake.
I grin. “Enjoy retirement, Jerry.”
“I plan to.” He grabs his bag and walks out, this law office and its clients now all mine.
As I watch him go, I look out across the street. People are walking around, women stopping to chat, a couple of older guys carrying some furniture into a building, and I see Jerry heading straight across to the diner, which seems to be the place to be during the day.
Maybe Jerry’s right. I know Whispers is where billionaires come to hide, and maybe this little town has more to offer me in business than I originally gave it credit for.
I think about his words, about him and his wife, and then I think about Annabelle.
I have meetings scheduled with my team and a to-do list to check off, but knowing she’s now home from work and the boys are not with her at the moment, I grab my jacket and head out the door.