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"Everything you said is true. He's the youngest of my children, but he's always had an old soul. It's been an awful experience for us and it has caused a huge rift between Ronald and me, but James is still one of my babies and with that comes unconditional love for him. Since Sawyer found you, I've seen him heal and his attitude toward James is slowly changing."
"Changing?" I prodded.
"Yes, he used to look at James like he wanted to rip his heart out for what he did."
"And now?"
"Now, he's indifferent toward him. I see this as a step in the right direction."
"What about Charlotte?" I asked, feeling a little as though I was betraying Sawyer's trust. I'd been burned by Logan, and there was still a little part of me that needed that little extra reassurance to know I was doing the right thing.
"Charlotte is full of regrets for what she did and who she did it with, and she's living with the consequences of her unfaithful behavior every day."
"She warned me off last night."
"She what?" Tammy snipped, her eyes wide and she sounded furious when she heard this.
"Yeah, she cornered me in the bathroom when Lorna went to her car."
"I hope you put her in her place, the insolent girl."
"Well, she did point out a few things that made me feel a little …uneasy," I disclosed.
"Such as?"
"How different we were, my age …"
"I'm seven years Ronald's senior," Harriett informed me. "You didn't invent toy-boys," she said with a wicked smirk. All of us laughed, but I felt an instant connection to her for putting me at ease.
"You are far more suited to Sawyer than she ever was," Caitlin barked immediately and effectively shut my comment down. "Pretty girls lose their looks, beautiful ones don't. And you're beautiful, sweet and unassuming. It melts my heart when I see how my brother looks at you."
"How he talks about her too," Tammy agreed, addressing Caitlin. They both smiled at one another.
"Thank you for accepting me. I know I'm not—" I blushed, feeling their attention on me.
"Not what? You're perfect for Sawyer and we can see he loves you. We can't wait to spend more time with you and to get to know Colby. My girls and Brock are excited for another child to play with. Sawyer talks to us about your son too, you know."
Their welcoming comments and solidarity against Charlotte filled my heart with hope, and although they were wealthy people, Sawyer's happiness was more important to them than anything. I'd never had the luxury of a big family before and the Wilds, apart from James, was everything I could have wished for.
* * *
It was almost 6:00 p.m. when Sawyer and his father came back from the boathouse, and my chest tightened as soon as I heard his voice in the hallway. With the hours away from him and his family's support of me being with him, any doubts about spending my life with him had quickly faded.
It had taken less than a day and a few kind words of acceptance from those around him to make me understand how much I truly meant to him. More importantly, I knew if he were to suddenly disappear from my life I'd struggle to live without him.
Naturally, I knew there would be a lot to sort out in terms of how we fit as a couple, how we would live together, Colby's needs, Sawyer's work commitments, and least of all, Logan. I had a moment where I wondered why I should have considered him. Then I reminded myself we shared Colby, and I would do anything to help our son manage his life with parents who lived apart.
Grabbing my hand, Sawyer yanked me up from the couch, lead me up to his room without a word. My heart pounded in anticipation of how he needed to be with me alone. As soon as he closed the door, he kissed me like he needed me to breathe. I kissed him back with the same desperation as I clung to the back of his shirt. Breaking the kiss, he continued to hold me like he never wanted to let me go and smiled.
"Wow. You missed me, huh?" he teased.
"Scarily so," I admitted, telling him my true gut feelings for once.
"Enough to marry me?" he asked, an eyebrow raised, and my heart flipped over at his playful words.
"What kind of proposal is that?" I teased, playing along.
"You'll have to forgive me because I'm a virgin at proposals."
