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Both Sawyer and Tricia stood in front of the kitchen breakfast island, her with her back to me, Sawyer facing toward me and the stairs.
My heart almost burst again when I saw him casually standing there in my kitchen, looking like he belonged. He cradled a large ceramic mug between hands that knew me intimately, his ass leaning casually against the countertop, legs crossed at ankles, and when he looked up at me, his loving smile hit me square in the chest.
"And here she is, the light of my life." My heart skipped a beat with the sudden bolt of electricity that shot through me as I took him in and heard genuine pride in his voice.
Fresh from the shower, he stood smiling with his damp dark hair swept sexily back from his shaven face.
Wearing a clean blue T-shirt that showed off his magnificently hard, toned torso, he looked edible. My eyes fell to his dark blue jeans, slung low on his waist, and I almost groaned before I distracted myself when I dropped my gaze to his bare feet. I noted there wasn't one inch of Sawyer I wasn't attracted to.
"Hey. I don't think I've slept that soundly since Colby was born," I tried to sound casual, even though my senses and mind were already reeling in response to the sight of him and the conversation I'd overheard.
Tricia smiled and immediately dove into the hallway before coming back, pulling on her heavy coat. Sawyer pushed off the countertop and stepped closer to meet me, instantly enveloping me in his arms. I glanced toward Tricia, and for some reason, I felt oddly shy.
"I hope you don't mind, but I've been entertaining your man while you slept," she said, wiggling her eyebrows and flashing me a grin to give her comment some weight. "Now that you're awake, I'll be off. I'm taking my dad's truck into the local auto shop for its service today, and then I have a few other errands to run."
When she turned her back, Sawyer raised an eyebrow and I chuckled.
"Yes, Sawyer, this time she's telling the truth, her father does own a truck."
* * *
As it turned out, a day alone with Sawyer was exactly what we'd needed. We lay cuddled up on my couch and talked for most of the day. It was the first time we'd had such a stretch of uninterrupted time to talk, and we were able to voice all of our insecurities and fears. I even addressed my mistake in not being able to accept the wonderful second chance Sawyer offered to us.
"I know it's hard for you to imagine a life where there are no other people to care about," I stated.
"No other people?"
"Can you imagine what it's like to live as a child where there are no other relatives, apart from your mom?"
He thought for a moment and shook his head. "It feels empty."
"Exactly, and that's how Colby's life is to some extent. He has me and his dad and Logan's parents. That's where our line ends. He has two friends at school, who don't live near, and no other relatives. He needs people in his life he can rely on. I want you to meet him, but I don't want you to break his heart if we don't stay together."
"Billie, none of us can be certain of anything in life. You can't control everything for him. He'll never build his perspective if you try to keep the world from hurting him. And how do we move forward if you won't let me in?" I considered his answer and knew his reasoning was sound. Then I decided, even without the romantic links, he was the kind of man I wanted Colby to know.
"You're right. I'd like you to meet my son." The beaming smile of delight and the pleasure in his bright shining eyes showed me how happy he felt about this. It was a huge step for me to take, but it showed Sawyer I placed my trust in him not to hurt us.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Are you?" I replied.
"Can't wait," he gushed. He pulled me in close and kissed the top of my head. Holding me even tighter, he moved my head to under his chin, cradled it with his hand, and sighed again. "This is the perfect way to spend the rest of the day, doing nothing, lying here with you like this," he murmured. As there was nothing left to say, we both listened to the heavy rain lash against the windowpane. Although it sounded stormy outside, my heart was perfectly calm.
It was a rainstorm that had brought us together, but what I hadn't known at the time was that it had been a cleansing rain. Since then, I'd weathered the storm of divorcing Logan and falling in love with a perfect man, who felt he was destined to be with me.
