Chapter Ten
Another week passed, and Christmas Eve was just three days away.
Lorna was off bed rest and got the all-clear from the doctor to go back to her daily activities.
She called Piper every day since they caught Joe, but Piper refused to talk to anyone, including Sawyer.
He went up to the cabin to help Tag put things back to normal, and Piper wouldn’t even look at him.
She seemed lost in herself, and he was afraid that even Tag wouldn’t be able to help her.
She went to a few therapy sessions, and Tag said that they were helping.
He told Sawyer that she felt some closure for the first time since leaving New York.
He was happy that she was able to find some positive outcome from the whole shit fest, but he also needed to talk to her to tell her how sorry he was.
He needed to ask her forgiveness. If they were going to both be a part of Lorna’s life, he wanted a clean slate.
Tag told him to give her some time and that she would come around.
Still, Sawyer worried that he caused a rift that might not be repairable.
He helped Lorna around the house, getting ready for Christmas, and when she took a shift at Scrumptious, he would try to go with her.
The Sheriff’s Office wanted him full-time, but he didn’t want to accept their offer without working things out with Piper.
He needed to help her find a replacement who would be able to protect her.
He was at the house making dinner when Piper walked into the kitchen.
Tag sent him a warning text that she was on her way over, and he appreciated the heads-up.
“Hey Piper, how are you doing?” He crossed the kitchen, wanting to hug her, but hesitated.
Were they at that point? Hell, she felt like family, and now that he was going to marry Lorna and have a kid with her, Piper was his family.
He broke with protocol and pulled her in for a hug.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, patting his back.
“Hi, Sawyer. I’m doing better. Actually, I’m feeling pretty darn great.” Sawyer pulled back to look her in the eyes. How was she doing great? Joe abducted her just over a week ago, and she was great?
“Okay, care to share?” He pulled out the kitchen chair for her and sat down across the table to face her.
“Listen, I know what you are thinking, what everyone must be thinking. But I really am good. I’ve been dealing with my parents’ deaths for a long time now.
Joe was always a missing piece. You see, I only knew of two men who were there that day.
I was so young that after I’d pointed out the two in a lineup, they let me leave with Lorna and come back home.
About six months later, I testified to what I’d seen that day.
At the time, since I was a minor, they let me videotape my testimony that put away both of Joe’s brothers.
My therapist convinced the judge that testifying in person would damage the progress that I’d made in getting past witnessing my parents’ murders.
I was never in the courtroom and never knew that Joe was a part of everything.
” Sawyer nodded, wanting to understand where Piper was going with this story.
He already knew most of it, but only from what Lorna told him.
Hearing it from Piper made him want to keep her safe from every threat that she would face.
She became more than just a job to him; she was his friend and would soon be family.
“Capturing Joe helped me to feel some of the closure that I was looking for in New York when I met you. I always felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing, and now I know that I was right, that my instincts were right. This whole ordeal has made me feel—stronger.” She reached across the table and took Sawyer’s hand.
“I have you to thank for everything, Sawyer.” He pulled his hand free and stood, causing the chair to scrape across the floor.
“No, I failed you, Piper. I let a murderer show up at your doorstep and hurt you and your husband. I couldn’t stop him from taking you.
I need to step down from being your bodyguard.
I have too many distractions to be good at my job anymore.
You deserve better.” Piper shook her head and stood to face Sawyer.
“No, that’s complete bullshit, Sawyer. I needed some time to work out my shit, and now that I have, I find that you’ve just been wallowing in self-pity this whole week.
I’m not going to let you fucking quit. I hired you to do a job, and you have.
Now I need you to pull your head out of your ass and get on with protecting my family.
Your assignment was never just to keep me safe.
My grandmother’s money put targets on all my family and close friends.
You are the one who came up with a plan to capture Joe and kept everyone around me safe in the process.
So I don’t want to hear another word about you quitting.
” Sawyer looked at Piper. She was furious with him, and all he could do was stand there and smile at her.
He knew he must look like a fool, but he didn’t care.
Piper was as fierce as his Lorna, and he loved her even more for it.
One thing was for sure: this family was going to keep him on his toes.
He laughed and pulled Piper in for a hug, squeezing her tight until he could feel all the anger and tension leave her body.
“I’m sorry, Piper. You’re right, I was being an ass. If you still want my protection, you’ll have it,” Sawyer offered.
Piper nodded, “Good, because now you’re going to have two new people to keep safe.” She waited for him to catch on as she palmed her flat stomach. Finally, it hit him—she was pregnant too.
“You and Tag?” He picked her up, spinning her around. She giggled and slapped at him to put her down. She did look a little green.
“Whoa, there. Unlike my aunt, I have morning sickness, something awful. And yes, Tag and I are expecting just a few weeks after you and Lorna. We haven’t told anyone else yet.
” Sawyer kissed her cheek and released her.
She sat back down at the kitchen table, seeming to need a minute.
Sawyer made her a cup of hot tea and set it in front of her.
“Thanks. Do you have any crackers?” Piper croaked. He found the box of crackers that they kept in the pantry and handed them to her.
“Sorry that I spun you around, I didn’t know,” Sawyer said.
“Not a problem. I’ll be better in a few minutes. I wanted to tell you, and I plan on telling Lorna on Christmas. It’ll be her gift from Tag and me,” Piper said, sipping her tea.
Sawyer nodded, “I can keep a secret for a few days. But I’m wondering if you can help me with something.” Eyeing him suspiciously, Piper took a bite of her cracker and nodded.
“Can you help me set up a surprise wedding for Lorna? I think it’s about time I married your aunt.” Piper smiled, “It is about time. So, when is the big day going to be?” Piper grabbed her phone and loaded her calendar app.
Sawyer couldn’t help his nervous laugh. “Um, Christmas Day?” Piper stopped typing on her phone to look up at him.
“Come again?” she asked. Sawyer shrugged. It was the only way he could truly surprise Lorna. If he left it to chance, life would keep getting in the way, and he wanted to marry her before the baby was born.
“Lorna has been so caught up with you and everything with that asshole Joe. She didn’t have any time to enjoy the idea of being pregnant or engaged.
If I let her think too hard about when we should get married, she’ll never settle on a date.
Besides, she hasn’t been in the Christmas spirit, and I figured a wedding might help with that.
” Piper nibbled on another cracker and sipped her tea, contemplating his request.
“Sounds good to me,” she said around a mouthful of crackers. “How do we pull this off in just two days?” He shook his head. Besides taking Lorna to the justice of the peace, he wasn’t sure how to get everything together in time.
“I have no idea, that’s why I need help,” he admitted. Piper smiled, and he knew that he had asked the right person. She was amazing at multitasking. If anyone could put a wedding together in a few days, it was Piper.
“Leave it to me. I think we just need to recruit a few more people, and we should be able to get this thing done.” Sawyer pulled out his chair, sat down, and started a list of everything they needed to do while Piper scrolled through her contacts to enlist everyone’s help.
“Thanks, Pipe,” he smiled across the table at her, “for everything.”
“You’re welcome, Sawyer. Or, should I call you Uncle Sawyer now?” She giggled at his uncomfortable groan, and they both got to work. If they could pull off the impossible, it was going to be a magical Christmas.
Lorna rushed around their bedroom trying to find a dress.
She wasn’t even through her first trimester yet, but none of her clothes fit right.
Finally, she tugged on a skirt and sweater that seemed to work.
She looked at herself in the mirror and shrugged.
Maybe if she did a little something with her hair and makeup, she would feel halfway human.
She was still exhausted, and every little chore was an effort.
About thirty minutes later, she emerged to find Sawyer nervously pacing the family room.
She had a sneaky feeling that he was up to something, but he wasn’t giving anything away.
All she knew was to get dressed up and be ready to leave the house by 6 pm.
“Reporting as ordered, sir.” She gave him a mock salute, and he shook his head.
“That was the weakest salute I’ve ever seen.” She smiled at his comment. “Turn, let me see you, honey,” Sawyer ordered.