“Little dude. C’mon, listen to your mom.”
Cooper huffs but gets up from the couch and moves to get his bag from the front door. “I’m gonna get some markers to draw on your cast, okay?”
Sawyer flashes him a thumbs-up before turning to my mother. “Hi, Mrs. Charles. I’d get up, but…” He gestures to his leg with a rueful grin. “Hoping you’ll excuse me this time.”
“Of course. And call me Sonya. It’s lovely to meet you, I am sorry to hear about your accident. I won’t stay long, I know you’re just settling in. But you’ll have to come to Westport sometime for dinner with Tori’s father and me.”
Sawyer flashes her a charming grin. “That would be great. I’m sure my mom would love to have the two of you join one of our family dinners, but I should warn you, with five of us kids, plus our partners, it gets a little wild.”
Have I entered an alternate universe? My boyfriend is inviting my mother to family dinner withhisfamily? I shake my head, trying to make sense of the madness as Cooper runs back out of his room with a fistful of markers.
“I’m ready, Sawyer!”
“I’ll get out of your hair,” my mom says, moving to the door. “Hey, Coop? Can I get a hug goodbye?”
Cooper darts over to her. “Bye Grandma, thanks for a fun weekend, love you.” Then he darts back and settles in on the floor at Sawyer’s side.
“Nice to meet you, Sonya,” Sawyer calls with an easy grin.
“You, too. Take care, Sawyer.”
I walk my mother out the front door and down to her car where she turns to take my arm. “Victoria Charles, that man is a gem. I can tell from just a few minutes with him.”
I smile. “Thanks, Mom, but I already know.”
She squeezes my arm gently. “Good. You and Cooper deserve to be happy.”
We hug, and I watch as she gets in her car and drives off before turning back to my house. The front drapes are open, letting me look right in to see Cooper bent over Sawyer’s leg, no doubt drawing something on his cast.
And I’m filled with an overwhelming wave of love. This is what I’ve waited so long for. This feeling of happiness, of completeness.
This is my happily ever after.
Sawyer manages to prove everyone wrong and is a model patient and house guest over the next two days. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been stressful, but not because of him. I’ve been a nervous mess, worried he’ll hurt himself further somehow. Which is why tonight, which happens to be book club night, I’m not exactly excited about leaving. But no matter what excuse I come up with, Sawyer and Cooper are refusing to let me back out of going.
“Mom, if you don’t go, then they have nothing to talk about.”
I arch my brow at him. “They can talk about my book without me just fine. I don’t know if I should leave you two.”
It’s Sawyer’s turn to help me realize I’m being foolish for no reason. “Angel, you have to go. They’re excited to talk to a famous author. Don’t let being scared of something make you push it away.” The meaningful but loving look he gives me breaks my resolve.
“Fine, you’re right. But I’ll have my phone with me the entire time, and if you need anything —” There’s an unexpected knock at the door that has me frowning. “Who the heck is that?” I move to open it, and to my surprise, Cam and Beckett are on my front porch.
“Um, hi guys,” I say, glancing back to see a knowing look on Sawyer’s face. “I’m guessing you’re here to take me to book club.” I sigh.
“Beck is going to hang out with me and Cooper, so if I need any help, he’s here. Cam’s driving, so you can have a glass of wine and relax, angel. You’ve earned it.”
I walk back over to him and lean down to kiss him. I hear Cooper’s “Eww, Mom” but ignore it. He’s going to have to get used to me kissing this man. To be fair, when we told him Sunday night that Sawyer and I loved each other, he very matter-of-factly said, “Okay, cool. It’s about time.” And that was it. Apparently, my kid saw this coming a mile away.
I straighten up and ruffle Coop’s hair before picking up the bag that has some prizes and giveaways for the book club members and move back to the front door.
“Alright, let’s go. Be good, boys.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Sawyer teases.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got them,” Beckett says quietly, standing by the door. I flash him a grateful smile, then follow Cam to her car.
A couple of hours later, I’ve forgotten why I was so hesitant to come here tonight. The women raved about my book, asked incredibly insightful and fun questions, and we had a blast with the games and giveaways I planned. It’s been the perfect reminder of why I love writing. It’s not just for myself, it’s for my readers. It’s their happiness, and escape, and inspiration that fuels my own.
