Jackson's Destiny (Sawyer Brothers #2) (15 page)

Epilogue

Bailey

It had been two weeks since Jackson moved me into his place. Yes, he moved me in, as in packed my things and loaded them into his truck. I sat on my bedroom floor as he took charge, leaving me with no say.

Of course I got no help from anyone. All those assholes, his brothers and my girls, just stood off to the side and laughed as if it was some sort of comedy show. The damn Sawyer men were a rare breed, and I couldn’t help loving that I had been lucky enough to snag the best one. I mean, come on, he was sexy as sin, dirty-minded, and he knew how to make those dirty words come to life when we were alone. He was demanding and cocky, but when he was feeling gentle, the man laid on the sweet like nothing I had ever witnessed. Jackson was the perfect package, and he was all mine.

Life was great, and I was relishing in it.

I was still being forced to work on the ranch, even though I’m sure I created more havoc and destruction than it was worth. But I loved the fact I got to witness my sexy, shirtless cowboy get all manly and take charge. It made our afternoons quite interesting. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to dig hay out of places no woman should ever find hay in. But it was worth it, because Jackson made me forget all about the small annoyance. He always aimed to please, and I had yet to see him fail.

I had been worried about moving out of the apartment and leaving Alena alone, but as Jackson predicted, Noah had been keeping her entertained. I don’t think it was quite the boot-knocking Jackson said it was, but they had been spending a lot of time with each other. They were super sweet together, and I truly hoped it grew into something. I had found myself wanting to match-make on more than one occasion, but Jackson would always convince me to keep my nose out of their business. Well, at least for a short time, anyway, because I would only continue to scheme when he wasn’t around. In fact, Amber too had been creating a plan of attack.

I heard Olivia’s laughter just before the front door opened. “I did not,” she said.

“Oh yes you did,” Jackson insisted as he dropped his keys onto the table next to the couch. “Thank God it wasn’t Bailey’s Jeep. Hell, she would flip her shit if it was.”

That comment caught my full attention. “What happened?”

They both turned to face me, and Jackson grinned. Pointing toward Liv, he continued to taunt her with his orneriness. “Little Miss Speed Demon here wrecked my truck.”

Olivia’s eyes widened, and she looked like she was panicking. “You liar. You said you’d never tell.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. The two of them were always so funny together. They would pick and prod at one another, always trying to get under one another’s skin, even over little things.

“Bailey is different,” Jackson said as he walked around the counter and placed his hand on my hip. “She’s the cool aunt who’s with the cool uncle, and she ain’t gonna say shit. Are ya, babe?”

Before I could answer, he leaned forward and placed a kiss against my lips. Not one of those soft, sweet kisses but one of the hard, loud ones that was playful and full of silliness.

“Besides, I need her to run into town and pick up the tire after Booker gets it mounted and balanced.”

“Tire?’ I asked.

“Yep. Never yell ‘squirrel’ when a teenage girl is behind the wheel.” Jackson widened his eyes. “I should have just let her hit it.”

“There was no squirrel, you fool,” Olivia fired back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I know. It was a reflex test, and darlin’, you failed that shit,” he told her with a chuckle.

I was so damn lost at this point. “Wait, what happened, exactly?”

“This dumbass yelled ‘squirrel,’ and I freaked out. But there was no damn squirrel. He just wanted to see how I would react.” She looked away from me and narrowed her eyes at Jackson. “He scared the hell out of me, and I ran off the road.”

“‘Ran off the road,’ hell,” Jackson barked. “She went down in the ditch and blew out my tire. Bent my rim to shit and crushed my running board.” He leaned over the counter, placing his elbow on the marble top. “Oh, and let’s not forget about the hood and windshield.”

“What happened to the hood and windshield?” I asked.

Jackson stared at Olivia, and she stared back at him. They were waiting for the other to explain.

“Fine,” Olivia huffed. “I hit Mr. Burk’s irrigation equipment. Well, just the side of it. It scraped the hood and cracked the windshield. But in my defense, it’s the dumbass’s fault for yelling ‘squirrel.’”

I could no longer hold back my laughter. I bent at the waist, and tears blurred my vision as I howled. Jackson was right; I wouldn’t say a word, but I sure as hell was going to take a few minutes to be amused by the situation he and Liv had found themselves in.

***

Jackson

“Your father always said Bailey would be good for you,” Ma said as we sat on my parents’ back porch, looking out at our new extended family. Amber and Ryan were in charge of cooking. Noah and Alena had been whispering back and forth all afternoon, so we all just let them have their time alone. Bailey and Olivia were sitting at the picnic table straight in front of us, making some kind of bracelets with materials that Olivia had brought. Bailey was so focused on the thread she held between her fingers that her nose and eyes were crinkled up.

“He was right. She is good for me,” I replied.

A comfortable silence set in as we observed everyone. I still missed my father, but each day that passed made the deep ache from his absence just a little easier to bear. I knew it would never truly fade. I would always regret the time I wasted, the times I ran around being the town playboy when I should have been being a man. I just hoped he knew in some way that he did right by me. Hell, he did right by us all; he’d made my brothers and me the men we are now—men that knew the value of family.

“I’m gonna ask her to marry me.” I had been rolling the confession around in my head for a while now, and without another thought I let my ma in on my little secret. “I bought the ring last week. I spent three days trying to find a way to find out her size without her noticing. She finally took that ring she always wears off when I convinced her we needed to paint the bathroom.”

I shifted my gaze to my mother, taking in her smile before continuing. “She was pissed when she thought she lost her ring, but I had to take it into the jeweler for the measurement.”

“Did you ever give it back to her?” She looked genuinely curious.

“I pretended to find it on the floor under the shelf. It was easy enough to pull off since that shelf is right next to the desk where she laid it.” I shrugged.

“So when you planning on asking?”

“When the time is right.”

“Well, the time is right,” she assured me. “Hell, son, with the pace you boys are all moving at, I’m never gonna have some more grandbabies to cuddle.” She slapped my shoulder. “Get your ass out there and get me another daughter-in-law.”

“Ma, I said when the—”

She narrowed her eyes, giving me that “boy, don’t mess with your momma” look.

I held my hands up, surrendering to the death glare. “Fine, woman, I’m going.”

I had been carrying her ring around with me since I picked it up on Tuesday, waiting for the right moment. I guess the moment was now.

I reached into my pocket and pinned the band between my fingers as I walked toward my girl. Olivia looked up at me first, and shortly thereafter, Bailey did the same.

“Hey, handsome,” she said with a wink.

“Hey, baby,” I offered with a lift of my chin. “You got a minute?”

“Sure, whatch’ya need?” She lowered the half-made bracelet to her lap and arched her neck to look up at me, squinting in the sunlight.

I lowered myself to one knee. To most, it would appear I was just getting closer to Bay so she didn’t have to be blinded by the sun. I could tell she thought the same until she looked down at the hand I was holding out between us. Her eyes widened and then filled with unshed tears.

“I was just wondering if you had a few free minutes so I could ask you to marry me.” I heard a squeal that I knew came from Amber. “You know I love you more than I can ever even attempt to express with just words. You truly have been the light of my life, Bay. I just never want to lose that light, baby.”

She lifted her hand to her mouth, and her shoulders shook as she tried with everything in her to hold back her sob.

“So what do you say, darlin’? Will you marry me?” Chills covered my arms because I had never been more nervous and excited than I was in that moment.

I was completely caught off guard when she stood and pretty much jumped into my arms. I lost my balance and fell back, wrapping my arms around her and taking her with me.

I hit the ground with a thud, and her body covered mine. When our eyes met, she giggled.

“Is that a yes?”

“Oh my sweet cowboy, that is a hell yes,” she assured me just before her lips crashed against mine.

The cheers and hoots from our family slowly faded around us as I concentrated solely on the woman I planned to spend the rest of my life with.

“I love you, sweetheart,” I whispered.

“And I love you,” she assured me.

And her love was all I needed to feel whole.

***Sneak Peek***

Noah’s Journey

Sawyer Bothers, Book Three

Alena

“Thank you,” I said with a sweet smile as Noah took my hand and helped me from the truck. I was a pro in heels, but with my nerves and the way Noah made me feel, I was wobbling on my legs and had to focus on not falling over.

“You’re very welcome.” A sly grin spread across his lips. Noah pretended to be all confident and self-assured, but I knew it was just a front. He had a soft side, and I had made it my mission to uncover it. I had a feeling he would be one hell of a lover.

When I was steady on my feet, Noah stepped closer, pressing himself against me. “Have I told you how amazingly sexy you look tonight?” His gruff voice warmed my insides. I loved his deep raspy voice. It had me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts.

“You have, a couple times, but please don’t feel like you can’t keep expressing your appreciation.” I placed my hand on his chest and slid it upward to rest just over his heart. “Tonight has been perfect. Everything about it.”

I ran my tongue over my dry lower lip to moisten it and caught his gaze as he followed the movement. A whimper left me as he mirrored me, wetting his own lips.

“It has been,” he agreed, not taking his gaze from my mouth. “Do you know what would make it that much better?”

I shook my head as my heart raced with anticipation.

He leaned in just a little closer, and his mouth hovered over mine. “This,” he whispered, just before covering my lips with his own.

My body sagged as he wrapped his arm around my waist and spread his palm out over my lower back. Our bodies molded together as I weaved my hands up his torso and linked them together behind his neck.

Our kiss started out innocent and sweet and quickly deepened. He swiped the tip of his tongue across my lips, and I immediately opened up to him and chased his tongue with my own.

Noah backed me up until he’d pinned me against the side of his truck. He moved his arms up, caging me against it.

“You’re making it really hard for me to be a gentleman,” he said before diving back in for more.

Pulling away from the kiss, I arched my neck, and he trailed kisses along its side to the base of my throat.

“God, then don’t,” I panted. “Stop thinking so much, Noah, and just react.”

He groaned as he pressed himself against me tighter, and I could feel just what I was doing to him. His hardness pushed against my stomach as he ground against me.

“You’ll regret saying that,” he assured me.

“No, I can safely say I won’t regret a moment of the time I spend with you.” I meant it too. Whether we spent it in a lust-filled state like we were now, or being playful like we were less than two hours ago, my time spent with Noah was nothing short of perfection.

His eyes were locked on mine, as if he could see what I was thinking. We were both so completely lost in one another, we didn’t notice anyone approaching until we heard a woman’s voice.

“Noah?”

Noah looked back over his shoulder, still shielding my body with his. When his body stiffened, I rose up on my toes to look over his shoulder.

A very attractive blonde stood five feet away, staring up at Noah. I couldn’t tell whether she looked scared or just shocked, but Noah didn’t look happy.

“It is you,” she responded, then looked over toward me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Sure you didn’t, because you aren’t conniving or manipulative.” Noah’s voice was instantly cold and distant. “No, not you, Stacy. You’re sweet and kind. You never have an ulterior motive.”

Stacy, as in his ex-fiancée. My throat tightened as I watched them in silence.

Stacy shifted nervously on her feet, and I saw movement toward her left.

“Momma? I thought we were getting ice cream.”

A small boy, maybe around three years old, walked up to her side and tugged on the hem of her shirt. Then he looked up at Noah, and in that moment everything shifted.

Things seemed to be moving in slow motion, as though I could see every little flicker of someone’s eyelashes, every little rise and fall of their chest. When I looked to my left, I instantly sensed that Noah was experiencing the same thing. His nostrils flared, and his cheeks reddened in anger.

“Is there something you need to tell me, Stacy?” he asked in a disgusted tone I had never heard from him and didn’t even realize he was capable of.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as her eyes filled with tears, and in that moment I knew. I slowly felt Noah fading away from me as he walked toward the little boy staring back at him with curiosity.

My heart ached, not just for Noah, but for myself. It may have been selfish, but I could feel what Noah and I had been building together over the last few weeks slowly slipping away.