Chapter 10 Sawyer
TEN
Sawyer
Ellie settled in as if she’d always belonged here—even though she was a damn celebrity half the people in this house worshipped, me included.
My sister Dotty tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and laughed with Ellie on the couch.
Across the room, my older brother Colt stood a few feet back, eyes fixed on the redhead he brought tonight and her son, like the rest of the world had disappeared.
I sure as hell was glad I wasn’t the only brother who’d brought a surprise.
I turned, cocking my head in silent question toward Colt. Let’s talk. He narrowed his eyes at me like I was already pissing him off.
“Hey, you okay here for a second?” I asked Ellie.
She glanced from Lilah to me then smiled. “Yeah, I’m good. Go.”
I motioned for him to follow. He groaned like it physically hurt him to do so, but he headed for the back hallway of the ranch house anyway.
“What do you want?” he grumbled as soon as we were out of earshot.
“I mean…I’d like to know what’s going on between you and the pretty little redhead over there, but I’ve got a feeling you’re not gonna tell me.”
“Don’t call her that,” he snapped.
“Well, that answers my question.”
“Nothing is going on,” he muttered, but he was smiling.
Smiling.
My brother. Mr. Grumpy, who only loved our sister and his niece, was full-on, stupid boy in love, smiling.
“Holy shit,” I whisper-shouted. “Something did happen.”
“She’s going through a tough time right now. I invited her to be around good people, but I’m starting to question my decision.”
“You aren’t going to tell me what happened then?”
My brother-in-law rounded the corner and frowned at us. “Wait, what’d I miss?” Trent asked.
“Nothing,” Colt barked.
Trent pointed between the two of us, then looked to Colt. “Look, I know I'm not technically your brother, but brother-in-law's got to count for something. That gives me the right to ask if you're sleeping with that gingersnap back there.”
Before I could process what was happening, Colt had Trent slammed against the wall with his fist twisted in his shirt.
“First of all,” he said in a deadly quiet voice, “call her that again, and I'll fucking kill you.”
Trent wheezed against the wall, still trapped in Colt's grip. “And second?”
Even with Trent having a few inches on him, I'd have put my money on Colt in any fight. The way his muscles coiled, the controlled fury in his stance—Trent was outmatched.
Colt shoved him away with enough force to rattle the wall.
“Second, it's none of your goddamn business. Why aren't you more worried about him and the celebrity sitting in our living room?”
“Hey,” I said, hands up. “Leave me out of this.”
Trent rolled his shoulders and tugged his sleeves back down. “Well, I’m clearly not going to get anything out of him. So yeah, what the hell is going on there?”
“We’re dating. That’s what.”
Trent blinked. “And how the fuck did that happen?”
I sighed and rubbed my face, knowing damn well I wasn’t about to admit we were fake dating. That didn’t mean I had to lie either. So, I gave them the version Ellie and I agreed on—and the one that kept running through my head.
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “We’re dating. We started talking recently. I like her. She’s smart, gorgeous, and she smells like heaven. She makes me laugh when I shouldn’t even be smiling, and I think I might be going a little bit crazy.”
Especially considering we only just had our first real conversation this morning. They didn’t need to know that.
Colt looked at me like I’d told him I wrote poetry in my free time. “Oh, you’re cooked.”
“Welcome to the club.” Trent clapped me on the back and turned to Colt. “You too—”
Colt pinned him with a death stare.
“You know what? Never mind.”
“I’m done here,” Colt muttered, already walking away.
Trent waited a beat and turned back to me. “For real though. You like her?”
“Yeah.” Way more than I should, considering it was all supposed to be fake. I exhaled, leaning back against the wall. “I try not to think about you and my sister together too often. You’re welcome, by the way—but seriously, man, this is a lot. How do you do it?”
“It’s like you can’t breathe around her, right?”
I thought about it for a second—yup, that was exactly it.
“I swear, all I want to do is be near Ellie, touch her, make her laugh…and I’m pretty sure she only tolerates me.”
Because that was the truth—this whole thing was an act with a built-in expiration date.
Trent gave a crooked smile. “She’s here, isn’t she? She must like you a little bit.”
“Not helpful.”
His smile softened. “Look, you know me. I talk shit, I joke around, but your sister? She’s everything.
She’s brilliant, and beautiful, and somehow both fierce and gentle at the same time.
Yeah, it’s hard to breathe around her, because every time I look at her, I can’t quite believe she chose me.
But I wake up every damn day determined to be the man she deserves.
I don’t ever want her to doubt how much I want her, how much I love her.
The truth is, I’d rather lose my breath a thousand times than live a single day without her. ”
“You know, if she didn’t fall in love with you, I might’ve from that alone. Damn.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Gracie yelled from the other room.
“I have a feeling you’ll be fine if you keep up that James family charm,” Trent said as we turned back into the living room.
“Alright, let’s eat,” my dad said.
We all settled around the table, and Ellie squeezed in next to me.
“So, Sawyer,” Dotty said. “I got to hear from Ellie a little, but I’d love to hear from you exactly how this all happened. And why didn’t you tell me until now?”
Her words might have been cordial, but I knew her better than that.
I cleared my throat, suddenly nervous. “We connected after…” I hesitated, searching for the right words. “Everything happened.”
Trent spoke up. “You mean that time Dorian and Ellie were shot by Noah’s ex-boyfriend?”
“Trent!” Dorian shot him a sharp glare from across the table.
Noah placed a hand on Dorian’s arm. “It’s okay. It’s the truth. Go on, Sawyer,” she said.
I let out a breath. “Yeah, well…after that, we started talking, and we hit it off. So, we decided to give it a shot.”
Ellie didn’t even have a second to respond before Gracie lit up. “Ellie Miles! Do you know Uncle Sawyer has the biggest crush on you? He told me so himself.”
I exhaled through my nose. “Smooth, G.”
Even if she wasn’t wrong.
“But you do,” Gracie insisted. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s okay to have big feelings.”
“Lots of big revelations tonight,” my dad chimed in, shaking his head. “First, we get the grump walking in with a plus two, and now, we’ve got the big, tough football star dating the one woman who could make half the people at this table lose their damn minds.”
Colt scoffed. “And I get scolded for my language when you say shit like that?”
Dotty leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “What exactly was your opening line, Sawyer?” She mocked my low voice. “Hi, I’m huge, concussed, and emotionally unavailable. Sorry I kissed you while under duress. Wanna grab dinner sometime?”
Lilah choked on her water, and Caleb giggled.
Ellie smirked, patting my arm. “Something like that.”
“Oh, come on. I’m not emotionally unavailable,” I groaned, glaring at Dotty. “And I got more game than that.”
Dorian chuckled. “Maybe on the field.”
“Well, technically,” Ellie said, “I asked him out first.”
“No freaking way,” my dad said.
“Yup. I called and asked him to go for coffee. He was so shocked, he could barely speak, but it was adorable.”
I leaned toward her, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Keep calling me adorable in front of my family, and I might have to show you what else I’m good at, Ellie baby.”
She went still for a heartbeat, her fingers tightening almost imperceptibly around her glass, before she turned back to the conversation.
Dotty made a dramatic gagging noise. “I’m gonna need a bucket.”
Dorian pointed his fork. “You’re the one who asked how it started. As if you and Trent are any better.”
“I don’t want to hear it from you, Mr. Fell in Love with My Best Friend.”
Dorian pointed to Trent. “Says the girl who fell in love with my best friend first.”
I looked around the table, then to Ellie. “This is exactly why I never bring people home. They’re vultures. Loving, nosy vultures.”
My dad raised a brow. “Better to be nosy than unaware. I had to find out my son was dating a celebrity from a news article.”
“Sorry about that,” Ellie said. “We were hoping to beat the media.”
I look across the table to see Colt smiling. Again. This time, Lilah was whispering something in his ear.
The dinner was loud, chaotic, and exactly what you’d expect from a James family gathering—which made it all the more insane how easily Ellie fit in. It was as if she’d been doing this for years instead of a single night.
After dinner, she teamed up with Gracie in a board game and even teased my dad.
I caught Ellie’s gaze across the room and gave her a nod, letting her know I was stepping out for a sec.
I needed air, even if that air was cold enough to freeze the freckles off my face.
The wind slapped me the second I stepped onto the porch. I sucked in a deep breath anyway, letting the chill settle in my lungs, and dropped into the old rocking chair that had been here since I was a kid, groaning as it creaked under my weight.
It was all so strange. A small-town boy with big dreams somehow made them all come true. The kid in a pee-wee football league who once dreamed of making it to the NFL was now a man about to retire, a pop star sitting in his childhood home.
Maybe I manifested this shit. Back in college, I used to have her poster taped to my dorm wall right next to my San Francisco Rebels one, as if they belonged in the same universe. Now, she was here—real, grounded, and good in a way that couldn’t be faked.
I'd seen firsthand how the spotlight could wreck someone, how it could turn decent people into ego-fueled, power-hungry monsters.
But Ellie? Fame hadn't touched her like it did most people.
She stood firmly for what mattered, using her voice and generosity to help where it was needed most. She had become a powerful role model—especially for girls like Gracie, who looked up to her as if she were the center of her universe.
She didn't act like the world owed her anything. She was just…Ellie.
Tonight, that same Ellie was letting my niece destroy her in Monopoly while my dad cheered her on—no ego in sight. No complaints. I just sat there, watching her like an idiot. An idiot who was definitely catching feelings in a situation that was supposed to be fake.
I wasn't sure what the hell I was supposed to do. A fake relationship was definitely not on my bucket list, but hey, I wasn’t complaining either.
The front door creaked open, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Colt stepped out like the damn Grim Reaper and dropped into the rocking chair beside me with a heavy sigh. He didn’t say a word.
I rocked slowly. “Out here to enjoy the breeze?”
He ran a hand down his face, then let it drop with a thud into his lap. “Needed air.”
“Same. Lots going on tonight.”
He grunted in agreement. “Does anyone else know you and Ellie are faking it?”
I nearly choked on the air I breathed. “Jesus, man. What the fuck?”
“You heard me.” He turned his head and met my eyes. Unbothered and annoyingly fucking perceptive.
I paused. “Is it that obvious?”
“Not really. I had my suspicions. You just confirmed them.”
“Sneaky bastard.”
He gave the barest smirk. “Detective, remember?”
“Right, right.” I leaned back. “Forgot you moonlight as a bloodhound. You think anyone else has picked up on it?”
“I don’t think so. Dotty might, but she won’t say anything unless she’s sure.”
I blew out a breath. “It started as a PR thing. You know, damage control. The body cam footage being released made it look like more than it was, and Ellie’s got a whole mess of bad press from her ex. It helps keep my coach happy. Seemed like a good idea.”
“But you like her.” It wasn’t a question.
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
He didn’t respond right away. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “You gonna tell me what’s going on with Lilah now?”
“No.”
“C’mon, pretty please?” I batted my lashes like an idiot. “You know, if you’d just open up more—”
“She’s getting divorced.” His tone dropped. “Bad situation, worse guy. I never liked him.” He shrugged. “I just want to be there. Make sure she’s okay.”
I was silent for a second. “So basically, you’re as cooked as I am.”
“You could say that.”
We sat there in silence for a beat, the cold biting at our skin. Somehow, I felt better knowing I wasn’t the only idiot sitting outside in freezing temps because he didn’t know what to do with his feelings.
“Well,” I finally said, “at least we’ll freeze to death in good company.”
Colt huffed out a laugh. “You talk too much.”
“Love you too, brother.”
He didn’t reply, but I swear, the corner of his mouth twitched.