Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Sawyer
I pull outside the gates that Ellie texted me to meet her at, only five minutes after school gets out, which is pretty incredible for me.
Considering I have to wait another five minutes before I see Ellie walking out of the gates, I’d actually say this is the earliest I’ve ever been.
It’s weird being nervous about picking up a teenage girl from high school, but I am. Maybe it’s because, just like her father, I seem to have this annoying, nagging feeling of wanting her to like me.
I’ve seen Ellie more than a handful of times since the first time I met her at Blackheart. She gets dropped off there occasionally after school and hangs there until her dad is done working.
Or if he’s working late, she’ll leave with Kaden or Asher, who will watch them, normally with their wives, until King gets home. Willow apparently hangs out at her best friend’s house after school most days, but she’ll also occasionally get dropped off there too.
The first time Ellie was dropped off there was when I was working. She spent the majority of the time in the break room in the back.
While King was working on his last appointment for the day, she made her way up to the lobby, mumbling about how Uncle Asher was annoying her. She sat on the couch, headphones on and laptop open, and I left her alone.
After that, I guess she decided being in the lobby with me was more peaceful than being in the break room with people coming in and out and disturbing her.
Eventually, I decided to disturb her too, mainly because I was curious about what was on that laptop of hers that she was so focused on. Turns out she had a music production app open and was mixing songs, making music.
It seemed like she was skeptical about showing me at first, but once she did and she started talking about it, she just seemed excited to share it. Kind of how she was when she showed me the vinyls that she got the first time I met her.
I feel like my reaction to how cool and exciting it was fueled her in a way. She’s started hanging out at Blackheart more, and I get to hear everything about what she’s working on now.
She still won’t let me hear the actual music, but I get it. It’s personal to her. It’s her creation, and sharing that with anyone can be scary. That doesn’t mean I don’t constantly beg to hear.
One day, I hope she’ll let me. I’m nothing if not determined. Maybe even tonight.
As tons of teenagers start walking out of the school, I have a small internal freak out at how she’ll find me since she won’t recognize the car.
I roll down the window as she walks over, so she sees it’s me. I consider yelling her name when she doesn’t see me right away, but considering she has her signature headphones on, I doubt she’ll hear me.
Luckily, she spots me a few seconds later. She walks over to the car, opening the door and dropping her backpack onto the floor in front of her before sliding into the passenger seat.
She slips the headphones off, leaving them hanging around her neck, before turning to me.
“How was school, sweetie?” I tease her in the most overenthusiastic motherly voice that I can.
“Please refrain from ever doing that again.” She looks at me, part disgusted and part amused.
“But the look on your face makes it so worth it.” I smirk at her. “Really, how was school? Learn anything?” I ask as I put the car in drive, pulling away from the school and heading toward King’s house.
“I learned how to make a plant move with light, and that my world geography teacher screams like a girl when he sees a spider.” She looks at me, bored.
“Sounds like a solid day of learning to me,” I tell her, and she laughs under her breath.
“Nice car,” she says, looking around at the black and red interior of Aria’s BMW that she keeps way cleaner than I ever could.
“Thanks.” I smile at her. “It’s not mine.”
“Well, whose is it?” she asks, her brows scrunched together.
“I don’t know. I stole it.” I shrug, peeking over at her in my peripheral vision to see her eyes wide.
“I’m kidding. It’s my best friend’s car.” I laugh at her.
“You have friends?” she asks, teasing me.
“How offensive.” I fake gasp. “I absolutely have friends. Well, at least the one.” I chuckle, and she does the same.
I grab my phone from the cupholder in the center console, handing it to Ellie.
“It’s connected to Bluetooth, play whatever you want,” I tell her, and her face lights up in a way I’ve only ever seen when she’s telling me about music.
She wastes no time opening the music app and finding a song. She slumps back into the seat content on listening, and I do the same as I drive. The drive back to King’s house is only fifteen minutes, and it’s three ten by the time we get back. Ellie goes to her room when we get home, saying she has homework she wants to get out of the way, and I end up digging through the kitchen in search of a snack.
I settle on peanut butter-filled pretzels, bringing the whole bucket of them over to the couch in the living room and putting on the TV as I eat. I find Burlesque playing on a random channel, and I sit back and watch.
Ellie comes out of her room, headphones around her neck and laptop in hand, about halfway through the movie.
“What movie is this?” she asks, plopping down on the couch next to me and setting her laptop down on the coffee table in front of us.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve never seen Burlesque .” I turn to her in shock, because what teenage girl hasn’t seen Burlesque ? Especially someone who loves music as much as her.
“Nope.” She shrugs.
“That’s a travesty we absolutely need to fix.” I shake my head at her. “Get comfy. I’m starting it over.”
“I was just gonna work on some music stuff while sitting out here with you,” she says, looking longingly at her laptop.
“You can do whatever you want after we finish the movie. Trust me, it’s a must-watch,” I tell her. “Maybe it’ll even inspire you.” I raise a brow at her.
“We’ll see.” She rolls her eyes, settling back into the couch and accepting her fate as I rewind the movie back to the beginning. Thirty-five minutes into it, and I smile to myself when I look over to see it already has her full attention.
We stay that way, curled up on the couch, eyes glued to the screen, passing peanut butter pretzels back and forth for the entire two-hour movie. When it finishes, she absolutely loves it, just like I expected.
The two of us are talking about the movie when Willow gets dropped at home about twenty minutes later.
“I’m home!” she yells loudly as she walks through the door.
“Willow, we’re literally right here,” Ellie says.
“Hi, Sawyer.” Willow smiles wide at me, ignoring her sister.
“Hey, you.” I smile back at her, jumping off the couch. “I have a surprise for you. Be right back,” I tell her.
“I love surprises,” she squeals.
I laugh at her as I run back into King’s bedroom to get the small box of Sour Patch watermelons out of my bag. I hold it behind my back as I walk back into the living room, her curious eyes watching me.
“For you.” I pull the candy out from behind my back, holding it out to her, and she immediately grabs it from my hands.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She practically jumps into me, wrapping her arms around me tightly.
“You’re welcome.” I chuckle, hugging her back. “There’s one condition, though.” I look down at her.
“What?” she asks, looking up at me with wide eyes.
“You have to share them with me and Ellie. Deal?”
“Deal.” She nods excitedly.
“I’m good. I don’t like candy,” Ellie says.
“Weirdo.” I gasp at her.
“I know, right?” Willow says, which makes Ellie throw a pillow at her.
I should probably do the adult thing and tell her not to throw couch pillows at her little sister, but I can’t help laughing at the two of them instead.
Willow plops down on the floor in front of the coffee table next to me and Ellie, ripping open the box of candy and dumping some into her hand before offering some to me. I happily take a few and set the box back down on the coffee table in front of me.
Ellie continues to tell me all her thoughts about the music in the movie, while Willow essentially dumps the entire contents of her backpack out to find her single sheet of homework.
She continues eating the candy as she stares at the sheet for what has to be less than two minutes before she falls back onto the floor dramatically.
“I hate division.” She huffs. “Why do I need to learn eight different ways to divide things if the first one works fine?”
“There’s eight ways to do division?” I ask, surprised. Guess curriculum has changed in the last fifteen years.
“Exactly,” Willow yells. “Ellie, can you please help me?” She looks at her sister. “Pretty pretty please?” she begs.
“Fine.” Ellie sighs, getting up to sit on the floor next to her.
I wish I was the type of person who could help a kid with homework, but the truth is, I was never much of a school person. I mean, I went, and I passed, barely, but I was never very good at it.
“While you two do that, I’m gonna order us some dinner. Everyone good with pizza?” I ask, figuring it’s the simplest.
“Yum, I love pizza.” Willow sighs dreamily. “Oh, and garlic rolls, please. Lots of them,” she says excitedly.
“Sounds good to me.” Ellie shrugs. “We can get Pizza Time. They’re normally pretty quick.”
“Got it.” I nod at her. “I’ll order.”
“Oh, and my dad said he left his credit card on the counter for you to order food with,” Ellie adds.
“Fantastic,” I say, turning to go toward the kitchen. If he’s offering to pay for dinner, I definitely won’t be turning him down.
I call the restaurant, ordering two large cheese pizzas and a dozen garlic rolls. It’s probably way more food than we need, but I mean, I’m not paying, plus…leftovers.
The food comes pretty quickly, and the three of us waste no time practically inhaling it. We eat more than we should but there’s still a good amount left that I wrap up and put away in the fridge.
Ellie goes to her room right when we finish eating, her laptop and headphones in tow to go do her own thing while Willow and I hang back on the couch watching TV. She insists on starting from the beginning of the new teen drama show she’s been watching so I can catch up on it with her, which is sweet. I can’t say it’s something I’d ever watch myself, but the way she gets so excited about the show makes it all worth it to watch with her.
King never said anything about bedtimes for either of them, and it’s not like I ever had a bedtime, so I assume it’s fine to just let them stay up until they’re tired. Around ten, I notice Willow starting to doze off on the couch.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” I nudge her gently.
“Hmm?” She stirs slightly, opening her eyes and looking up at me.
Her eyes are lighter than King and Ellie’s, more of a hazel than a brown. Her hair is also a lighter brown than the two of them. They all still look alike, but I assume Willow most closely resembles her mother. Although I have no clue what said mother looks like.
I searched around the house earlier to see if there were any pictures hanging around, but there were none. Not a single trace of her anywhere.
It makes me sad for the girls, but at the same time, I understand it. It seems they have more than enough love from their dad. If the girls’ mom really did feel how King said she did, then I wholeheartedly believe that her leaving was the best thing she ever did for those kids.
“You ready to head to bed?” I ask her, and she nods, letting out a big yawn.
I shut off the TV while she drags herself off the couch to go get ready for bed. I clean up, shutting off the rest of the house lights, figuring I’ll go to bed myself.
I stop in Willow’s room first and find her climbing into bed as I step in the doorway.
“Are you all good for the night?” I ask her.
“Yup, I’m good.” She nods. “Good night, Sawyer.” She smiles, pulling the covers up to her chin.
“Good night.” I smile back at her.
I walk out of her room, closing the door behind me, and walk over to Ellie’s door. I knock twice before slowly pushing it open when I get no response.
I find her sitting at the desk in her room, headphones on and eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. I walk up behind her, looking at the music software open on her laptop and what looks like a million different tracks overlapping.
She doesn’t notice me at first, so I tap her on the shoulder, and she jumps slightly, relaxing when she sees it’s me.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” I tell her. “Willow just went to bed, so I just wanted to say good night.”
“It’s fine.” She swivels her chair around to face me. “Are you going to bed now too?” she asks.
“Eh, I figure I might as well.” I shrug.
“Oh, okay.” She nods to herself. “Good night.”
“Good night.” I smile, turning to walk out of her room.
“Hey, Sawyer?”
“Yeah?” I turn back around, facing her.
“Could I…” She hesitates. “Could I maybe show you what I’ve been working on?” she asks, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
“Really? You want me to listen?” I ask, surprised.
“I mean, you don’t have to.” She backtracks. “Only if you want?—”
“Are you kidding me?” I cut her off. “Of course, I want to listen. I’m honored.” I jump onto her bed, placing my hands in my lap, patiently waiting.
“Okay, but it’s just a rough draft.” She turns back to her laptop. “And this software isn’t great, so I can only do so much. So, it’s not perfect, you know? So?—”
“Ellie, just play the song.” I laugh at her.
“Yeah.” She sighs, unplugging her headphones and clicking play on her laptop.
The start of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac plays softly through the speakers, but it sounds different than the original. Stevie Nicks’s voice shines loudly, the music almost softer, hollower in the background.
As she continues to sing, the instruments pick up in a way that feels natural. Guitar, drums, bass, and then what sounds like a violin track comes in, perfectly matching the rest of the instruments.
Then Stevie’s voice gets softer, and a new track starts to come in. “Otherside” by Red Hot Chili Peppers backtrack blends with Stevie’s vocals effortlessly, before their vocals are added in as well.
It’s two songs I never would’ve put together, but they blend seamlessly. I look up at Ellie, who’s watching me while anxiously biting her lip. She lowers the music so I can speak.
“Ellie, it’s amazing,” I tell her genuinely.
“You think?” she asks.
“Hell yes. I mean, seriously, it’s incredible. I can’t believe you made that. How?” I ask her.
“Thanks, Sawyer.” Her mouth tilts up in a slight grin that reminds me a lot of her dad’s. “It really isn’t that hard. You just have to find base tracks that have similar chords or bpm, and then I added in that violin track to tie it all together.”
“Oh yeah, no big deal. Sounds easy,” I tease her.
“It gets easier the more you do it.” She laughs.
“So, is this what you want to do?” I ask. “Make music? Or DJ? I’m not sure how it works.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she says. “I like music production a lot, and it’s fun. I think if I could choose a dream job, it would be to be a music producer.”
“Then that’s what you’ll be,” I say confidently.
“It’s just a dream. It’s not that easy.” She laughs lightly.
“Maybe.” I shrug, standing from her bed. “But you don’t seem like someone who’s scared of a challenge.” I smirk at her.
“I guess not.” She nods, a smile on her face. “Thanks for listening. And you know, supporting me.”
“Thanks for sharing it with me, El.” I squeeze her shoulder before walking toward her door again. “And for real, I’m officially your biggest fan.” I wink at her.
“Good night, Sawyer.” She laughs lightly.
“Good night,” I say.
I have a smile on my face as I close her door behind me. I meant it when I said I felt honored that she played her music for me. I know it’s not something she does for just anyone, and knowing I’ve earned that type of trust with her makes me feel special in a way. Like I’ve been invited into Ellie’s first-class circle of trust.
I walk down the hallway, making my way to King’s bedroom where I’m supposed to be sleeping. I close the door behind me and lean back against the door.
It’s like I feel suffocated by his overwhelming presence even when he’s not here. I shake it off, grab my things, and go into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and change into soft shorts and an oversized T-shirt before making my way back into the bedroom.
I stare at his bed like it’s my enemy. I look back and forth between the pillows, trying to figure out which one looks more used, so I don’t sleep on his side of the bed, but it’s no use. The pillows look exactly the same.
I sigh, pulling back the covers and climbing into the bed. His scent hits me the second my head hits the pillow. It’s woodsy with a hint of spice.
It’s…intoxicating.
I use the remote next to the bed to turn off the light, and I plug my phone into the charger. I’m about to set it down as it starts buzzing. I look down, seeing Damien King flash across the screen. I take a deep breath before clicking Answer , bringing the phone to my ear.
“Hello?” I speak.
“Hi.” His deep voice filters through the phone speaker. “Sorry if it’s too late. I just wanted to check in.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say. “Everything’s good. We all just hung out, and the girls are in bed now.”
“Okay, that’s good,” he says. Silence lingers through the phone before he speaks again. “And you’re good?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just in bed.” I anxiously chew on my lip.
“My bed?” he asks, his voice rough.
“Yup. Your bed,” I say. “That’s what you insisted on, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I did.” He clears his throat through the phone.
“Okay then.” I laugh lightly under my breath.
It’s weird talking to him on the phone like this, but I get him wanting to check in on his kids. Still, I’ve never talked to him on the phone before. I barely talk to him in person other than our few moments as it is.
“Anyway, I should get some sleep,” I say to break the silence. “I’ll update you on the girls tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” he says. “Sleep tight, Sawyer,” he says, his voice quiet, softer than normal.
“You too.” I hesitate. “Good night, Damien.” His first name slips through my lips accidentally, yet in a way that seems so natural.
I hear his slight intake of breath through the phone before he speaks. “Good night.”
I hang up the phone, putting it down on the nightstand, and turn on my side, cradling the pillow.
Laying between King’s sheets, with his scent surrounding me and the sound of his voice fresh in my head, I feel similar to how I do when I’m with him. It’s unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.
It feels safe.
I let my eyes drift closed, sure I won’t get a wink of sleep, yet, to my surprise, I sleep better than I think I ever have.