2. Beckett #2
Even though, yes, technically it had been Tatum’s call that stopped me from driving away, it was the thought of Sawyer’s disappointment that held me firmly in place.
I knew nothing about the woman except that she had striking green eyes, a ridiculously addictive smile, and what seemed like an innocent heart.
It’d be a goddamn shame if I ruined any of that with my inability to follow through with something I said I’d do.
I might’ve had a playboy reputation back home, but no one could ever say that I was careless with their affection.
Rules and expectations were set from the very beginning so that the men and women I dated knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.
I didn’t do relationships or any lovey-dovey bullshit that might be misconstrued as more than a late-night fuck.
I didn’t even do sleepovers afterward because that felt too personal.
But I didn’t want to be the reason Sawyer grew jaded. My rules went out the window the moment I’d pursued her and asked for more of her time, so now I had to be a gentleman and follow through with this little date of ours before returning to my old ways.
“I know, I know. I just have to suck it up for a night. How hard can it be?” I asked.
Just then, a flash of color caught my attention, and I glanced up at the entrance.
Sawyer was standing beneath the cheap lights, glancing around and shifting her weight anxiously while looking like a goddamn dream.
She was wearing a flirty little cotton sundress with small yellow flowers embroidered on it.
Her hair was more copper than I remembered it being less than an hour ago, but she’d let it down.
It fell around her face in loose waves that reminded me of home.
“Tate, I’ve gotta go,” I said, never taking my eyes off the woman in front of me.
Despite my sister’s protests, I quickly ended the call and stepped outside into the warm Tennessee air. I was assaulted by various smells as I made my way through the parking lot, but to my surprise, I didn’t hate them.
Sawyer’s gaze found me as I cleared the front line of cars and she smiled.
The nervous energy she’d been radiating seemed to vanish as she took me in.
“I thought you might have changed your mind,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I mean, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.
I had to force myself to get out of my car because I didn’t want to get up here and look like an idiot waiting for someone who wasn’t going to show. ”
She was unbelievably cute when she rambled. Especially when a soft pink hue stained her cheeks, and she averted her gaze. I had to stuff my hands in my pockets to keep them to myself. “I know the feeling,” I admitted. “I, uh, almost didn’t show. I don’t normally do this kind of thing.”
Why I admitted that I almost stood her up was beyond me. What surprised me even more was the quick flash of relief I saw on her face. “Thank you for your honesty,” she said with a brief chuckle. “You know, it won’t hurt my feelings if you still want to call it off. No bad blood, or whatever.”
There it was. The out I’d been praying for. I could walk away with a guilt-free conscience, get in a quick workout, or indulge in some trash TV.
And yet my feet remained rooted to the spot.
“Are you trying to send me packing for my sake, or yours?” I asked, rocking back on my heels. If she didn’t want to spend her night with me, that was one thing, but if she was just saying that for me… I’d be damned if I walked away.
Just then my phone rang. I winced, uttering a half-assed apology as I pulled it from my pocket and saw my father’s contact flash.
If I didn’t answer now, he wouldn’t stop calling.
There was no telling what he wanted. He was probably three sheets to the fucking wind, wanting to take out whatever had pissed him off on me.
But that was a problem for later. Because tonight was just for me and Sawyer.
Pocketing my phone, I turned to Sawyer with a smile. “Sorry. Where were we?”
“Oh, I offered my help for your bucket list woes, but I…” Sawyer paused, fiddling with a silver charm bracelet on her wrist and refusing to meet my gaze. “I just wanted to give you an out. There’s no need to be here if you don’t want to be.”
The careful way she worded her response didn’t go unnoticed.
I stepped forward and gently took her chin between my fingers.
There was nowhere else for her to look but at me.
“If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have stayed, Sawyer.
” At the mention of her name, her lips parted.
It’d happened at the bar the first time I said it, too.
The tiniest movement, but I caught it all the same.
I stepped back, giving her an easy smile.
“Besides, something tells me I’ll never find a better tour guide. ”
“I highly doubt—”
“I want to be here. Do you?”
She narrowed her gaze before slowly nodding.
“I was hoping you’d feel that way,” I said, holding out my elbow for her to take. She stared at me for a moment before looping her arm through mine. It was the first time I caught a hint of her perfume. It was soft. Subtle. Like freshly baked pastries on a warm summer day.
The walk to the entry booth was short. Sawyer shot me a quick glance when I bought a ridiculous number of tickets.
She probably thought I’d want to get out of here as quickly as possible, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
If I was going to indulge in small town comforts for one night, I might as well go all in.
When in Rome, and all that.
“Alright. You’re the boss,” I said, turning to her as I tucked the red tickets into my pocket. “Where do we go first?”
Sawyer glanced around, taking her time to weigh all our options. When she settled on the closest food stand, I almost laughed. “Have you ever had a funnel cake?”