27. Beckett
BECKETT
Sawyer’s Cravings:
- Grilled cheese with pickles
- Tacos
- Corndogs and mustard
I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting my eyes slip closed as I listened to my father’s grating voice.
He’d called me nearly every day since I left Richard’s office for a status update.
And every day I’d told him that I didn’t have one.
It wasn’t my fault that things didn’t move as fast in rural Tennessee as they did in New York City.
“Watch your smart ass mouth, boy,” my father snarled from the other line. “You should be wrapping this shit up by now. What is taking so long?”
“Why don’t you ask Richard?” I said through clenched teeth. “After all, I’m waiting on him.”
Richard and I hadn’t spoken much about the project since our meeting, but he had texted me a link to a forum that he said had a lot of good information for expecting parents. It was surprisingly thoughtful. Something I hadn’t been sure the man was capable of.
“He denied their proposal, but he hasn’t heard from them. I already checked,” he snapped. “You’re supposed to be the middleman between the two, putting the pressure on the Bennetts to sell me what I want. So, where the fuck is my update?”
“Olivia is stubborn. You know that. The harder I push, the more she digs in her heels. We haven’t reached a breaking point yet.” And we never would. Not if I had anything to say about it.
When we had dinner at Duke and Olivia’s house, I’d pulled her aside and asked her why my father was so set on that real estate. She said that men like my father wanted what they couldn’t have. It’d become nothing more than a game to him.
She also said it might have something to do with Duke consistently calling him the wrong name when they met, wounding his pride more than the word ‘no’ ever could.
Knowing my father as well as I did, I told her she was probably right.
“If you aren’t capable of getting this done, boy, tell me now. I can have new boots on the ground before you have a chance to pack up your shit.”
“I can do it,” I seethed. “But you have to realize this is a goddamn marathon and not a sprint. Which you should know, seeing as you’ve been going toe-to-toe with her for nearly two years now.”
The irony of that wasn’t lost on me. My father could be one of the most charming men I’d ever met when he wanted something. If Olivia didn’t fall for his honeyed words, there was no way in hell she was going to give it up when they dripped with vinegar.
I felt his anger in the silence that followed.
It should’ve been comforting not to hear the crash of shattering glass, but it left me feeling uneasy.
His violence was nothing new. I’d dodged my fair share of crystal tumblers over the years.
But the deafening quiet on the other line was something I’d only heard a handful of times in my life, and nothing good ever followed.
“Give me a month,” I said on an exhale. “Richard may be in your pocket, but he still has procedures to follow. You know as well as I do that if things aren’t done as close to the book as possible, Olivia has the means and connections to turn all this shit around on us.
We have to be smart about this.” I hoped using logic to reason with him would be enough, but I wasn’t so sure anymore. Especially when he stayed quiet.
When he finally spoke, I knew I was running out of time. “If there isn’t a deal memo on my fucking desk by the end of April, you can consider our little deal off. I’m getting impatient, Beckett.”
I don’t know how long I stared at the wall after the call went dead, drowning in the silence as my coffee went cold. Most of the time, I was able to brush off my father’s threats, but I had so much more at stake now.
My father couldn’t show up in Pinecrest. Not yet.
Not until I was able to get out from under his control for good.
I didn’t trust the man as far as I could throw him.
The thought of him finding out about Sawyer and the baby was terrifying.
They would be the perfect leverage to keep me right where I was.
His perfect fucking soldier, a lackey who did all the dirty work on his behalf.
I’d felt the crushing weight of his disappointment since I was a kid.
For so long, I wondered what I’d done wrong to earn his ire rather than his love.
It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized it was just who he was.
The man was miserable. He hated everyone and everything that didn’t serve him.
The fact that I didn’t cower at his rage only made him hate me more, but he kept me close because I was his only heir.
The need for a legacy that would outlive him was greater than anything he felt for me.
What scared me now was the fact that I was no longer the only male Montgomery in his line of succession.
I wouldn’t put it past him to make all of Sawyer’s fears come true, either.
A grandson granted him the opportunity of a do-over.
He wouldn’t hesitate to slander my girl in front of a judge, and he’d feel no remorse when her parental rights were stripped away with the resounding thud of a gavel.
I blew out a breath, running my hand through my hair. My curls had grown out since I’d been here. I was in desperate need of a cut. Maybe I could ask one of the guys where they went. That was what friends did, right?
It caught me off guard thinking of them in that way, but I did.
Duke, Grady, and Lukas were better to me than most of the guys I’d known since I was a kid.
They welcomed me with open arms, even if I’d been a harder sell for Duke.
His distrust of me came from a place of love and concern for Sawyer, so I couldn’t begrudge him for it.
I liked that he kept a watchful eye on her.
Made me feel better about her working so long in a rowdy bar.
I grabbed my now-cold coffee and made my way into the kitchen. I’d need to make another cup if I had any hope of figuring out how the fuck to get out of this mess. Draining the mug, I grabbed a pod and placed it into the machine, leaning against the counter as I waited.
The sound of tires crunching against gravel drew my attention toward the front of the cabin. I checked the time on my watch. It was too early for Sawyer to be off work, and anyone else I knew in this town had no reason to make a house call.
It could be the rental coordinator checking on my stay, or someone might have just taken a wrong turn and needed to turn around. I waited, listening for voices, but was met with the three loud knocks instead.
“You gonna answer the door, or am I gonna stand here with my thumb up my ass all day?”
What the hell was Duke doing here in the middle of the day? Didn’t he have a bar to run?
Walking to my front door, I unlocked the deadbolt and swung it open. I was greeted by the sight of Duke, Grady, and Lukas standing on the porch. Their arms were laden with bags of baby supplies, including a fucking car seat equipped with a baby doll.
“‘Bout damn time,” Duke said, brushing past me with an especially large bag. “Oh, and I brought reinforcements.” Lukas and Grady quickly followed after him, murmuring their hellos as they made their way to the kitchen.
My front door stood wide open as I tried to focus on what was happening only feet away. Duke and Grady pulled out stacks of diapers, wipes, and clothes, while Lukas grabbed empty bottles and set them on the table.
“Um, hi? What is happening?” I asked. Was this a fever dream? A hallucination? That was the only thing that came to mind as I watched Lukas bend down and unbuckle the doll from its carrier before setting it on the island with the rest of their presents.
Duke propped his hands on his hips and scowled. “You wanted daddy lessons. That’s what we’re here to give you.”
“Daddy lessons? That sounds kinky,” Lukas retorted, looking around the space. His eyes lit up the moment they landed on my fresh coffee. “Aw, you shouldn’t have!”
“I didn’t,” I deadpanned.
It didn’t stop him from reaching for the cup and taking a long, exaggerated sip. “This asshole dragged me out of bed at the asscrack of dawn to drive to Knoxville so we could get supplies for this little event. I’m dying here.”
Taking a deep breath, I closed the door and made my way over to them. “So, why is he here?” I asked, pointing toward Lukas. “No offense or anything.”
He grinned broadly. “You’re looking at the world’s best uncle nine years running and two times over. I can do this shit in my sleep.”
I glanced at Grady, who shrugged and nodded. “As surprising as it may be, he is pretty good. No hospital visits yet.”
“I take offense to that. It’s not surprising,” Lukas said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And it’s not that hard, either.”
To be honest, when I asked Duke for help, I thought he might just tell me what books to read or give me a rundown on the finer points, not give a full-scale demonstration. The fact that he was taking time out of his day had to be a good sign, right?
“How’d you know I’d be home?” I asked.
“I asked Sawyer where I could find you,” Duke replied. “But you might want to let her know I’m not here to kill you. I think she was a little worried.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, there were four unread texts from Sawyer.
Sawyer:
Remind me not to eat tacos until this demon is out of me. My heartburn is out of control today.
Sawyer:
SOS. Duke called looking for you.
Sawyer:
Are you still alive?
Sawyer:
Do I need to send out search and rescue?
My fingers flew across the screen.
Me:
All good here, sugar. No need to worry about me.
She texted back instantly, like she had been waiting for my text to come through.
Sawyer:
I’ll call Olivia off the hunt then
Sawyer:
Dinner tonight?
I smiled. We’d eaten dinner together every night since we’d gone to Duke and Liv’s. It’d been nice to have some semblance of a routine and normalcy. I just hated how quiet it was when she left.
Me:
See you at 6:00.
“You done?” I looked up to see Duke watching me expectantly. The baby doll was tucked in the crook of one arm, while his other hand held up a baby bottle. “We’ve got a lot of shit to cover in a small amount of time. Get your head in the game.”
Pocketing my phone, I walked toward the island and plucked my coffee from Lukas’ grip. He protested as I brought it to my lips and took a sip. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
“Hell yeah! That’s the spirit,” Lukas said, holding his hand up for a high-five. “We’re gonna turn you into the biggest, baddest, sexiest daddy out there.”
Duke groaned. “Why do you have to make shit weird?”
“It’s what I do best.” Lukas shrugged, walking around the counter to grab a new cup from the cabinet. “But you know what’s weird for me? Being back here after building this thing. I don’t normally get to see the final product. It’s nice.”
The cabin really was nice, but I was starting to wish for something a bit more permanent. If I was really staying here, I needed to plant roots. I couldn’t live in this rental forever. “It’s great for the time being,” I said. “I’m starting to get a little homesick, though.”
Duke jerked his head up. “You thinking about leaving?”
“No,” I said quickly. The last thing I wanted was for him to believe I’d not only bail on Sawyer, but our son, too. “The opposite actually. I was kind of thinking about getting something a little more permanent.”
It was the obvious next step for me. I wanted something special.
Something that Sawyer and I could decorate however we wanted.
Images of her and me picking out nursery colors and cribs flashed before my eyes.
She deserved to make a place her home rather than cramming everything she owned in one tiny room in a rundown trailer.
Lukas rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Are you wanting to build something new, or find something with good bones?”
I’d spent my entire life in brand-new homes, which seemed like an odd thing to complain about, but I wanted something different. Something with personality. “Good bones, I think.”
“There aren’t many homes that go on the market in Pinecrest, but I’ll make a few calls and see what I can do.” He quirked a brow. “Dare I ask for a budget?”
I shook my head. Money didn’t matter. This wasn’t something I could put a price on. “Whatever it takes.”