“She was such a good person,” I whisper.
Sawyer presses a lingering kiss to the top of my head. “Tell me about her.”
I smile through the tears, forcing myself to focus only on the good memories. Of all-night sleepovers spent talking about boys or schoolwork. Of long summer days on the beach, swimming and searching for seashells.
And with each memory I relay to the man I love, I slowly unbox the pain I’ve kept locked up for far too long.
“How are you doing?” my mom asks as she takes a seat at her kitchen table. The scent of freshly brewed coffee fills my lungs, perking me up just slightly. I spent most of the night sitting on my bathroom floor with Sawyer as I relayed happy memories of my friend. He’d listened intently, asking questions and engaging until the pain I’d felt was muted just enough to let in some of the happy I’d felt back then.
Once I could barely keep my eyes open, he’d lifted me into his strong arms and carried me over to my bed, sitting with me until I fell asleep. This morning, when I woke, I found him lying on the floor beside the bed, head propped up on one of his muscled arms.
I’d crawled down next to him on the floor, curling into his side as he held me.
“I’m doing better,” I say. “Sawyer is with Captain Leopold now, giving his statement about the shop and boat house explosions.”
“It’s all over?”
“It is. The man gave a confession after Sawyer broke his nose and fractured his orbital bone.”
My mom arches a brow. “I don’t condone violence, but in this instance—go, Sawyer.”
I laugh softly. “Yeah, well, they’re waiting to see if this guy lawyers up and whether or not he’ll come after Sawyer and Weston for assault.”
“Surely he can’t do that.”
I shrug. “He won’t win. Or, at least, Jack doesn’t think he will. Not with all the evidence they have on him.”
She cocks her head to the side. “How are things with Jack?”
“Good. I think. Or, at least as good as they can be. He’s been kind and understanding. When he came by for coffee this morning, he and Sawyer were even having a civil conversation.”
My mom feigns shock. “You don’t say! The same Sawyer who sat at my dining room table and shot him murderous looks as if those alone could get rid of him?”
Smiling, I nod. “Seems they bonded over saving me.”
“Well, both men love you, Anastasia. Neither wants anything to happen to you.”
“Love.” I smile. “I feel bad, but I never felt for Jack what I feel for Sawyer. It’s crazy, though. I dated Jack for eight months. But with Sawyer, it’s just like it clicked day one. That sounds insane.”
My mom covers my hand with hers. “Not even a little, honey. You’ve loved Sawyer for years now. It just took both of you an obscene amount of time to figure it out.”
I snort. “That obvious?”
“Please. Marlene and I talked about it all the time. She finally started trying to set him up with women after you were with Jack. We were both tired of him looking like a wounded animal.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “That’s a sad description.”
“But an accurate one.”
There’s a knock at the door, and my pulse jumps even as my mom gets to her feet.
“Mom, maybe we should?—”
She gently squeezes my shoulder. “Sweetie. They caught him. It’s probably just Deputy Shultz. He’s been watching the house ever since Zane and Tessa left this morning. Something your brother assures me won’t be necessary once he’s been transferred to the County Jail.”
I take a deep breath to steady my nerves as she releases my shoulder and crosses toward the door. Will I ever not be scared?
“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise!” my mom says.
