Page 114 of Make it a Double

We stood off to the side as Cleo and Olivia got their baby fix. Lukas, Grady, and Duke chatted business nearby. Construction was due to start in a few weeks. There was going to be a big celebration to commemorate the occasion. Sawyer desperately wanted to go but struggled with the idea of leaving Oliver behind for even a few hours. I wasn’t going to push her, but I hoped she decided to go in the end. She missed her customers more than she let on.

Tate had even agreed to stay in town to help with the renovations. She and Duke had spent many hours with their heads bent together as they discussed ideas for the interior. Art was her specialty, but she had an eye for design regardless of what it was for.

Eventually, Grady and Cleo said their goodbyes, followed by Duke, Olivia, and Lukas. Tate was the only one who lingered, and for good reason. She made eye contact with me over Sawyer’s head before disappearing down the hall.

Because the past few weeks had been so busy, I hadn’t found a good time to give Sawyer the present Tate and I had been working on. I’d planned to give it to her before Oliver was born, but now was as good a time as any.

When Tate said her goodbyes, she threw me a wink before sauntering out the door, leaving us alone as a family for the first time.

“I’m going to put him down, and then crawl into bed. I’m exhausted,” Sawyer said with a yawn. Oliver was fast asleep in her arms. Thankfully, he’d been a decent sleeper. Neither of us knew how long that would last, so we were urged to take advantage while we could.

I reached out, gently touching her arm as she headed for the bed. “Will you come back out here after you put him up?” I asked. “There’s something I want to show you.”

She looked at me in question, but nodded her head before disappearing down the hall. I peeked into the nursery to make sure Tate had, in fact, put everything where it was supposed to go. Thankfully, she had, because I felt Sawyer’s presence at my back. I turned quickly, hoping she hadn’t snuck a peek.

“Okay, he’s down, and I think he’s sleeping,” she said, glancing at the baby monitor. “But I don’t know how long that’ll last, so keep that in mind with whatever you’re planning.”

“Yes ma’am.” I gave her a mock salute. “Do you mind if I cover your eyes for the reveal?”

“Honestly, Beckett?” I nodded, and she turned around, waving her hand in my direction. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Placing my hands over her eyes, I guided her to the door and pushed it open with my foot. “Alright, we’re going to walk forward, and I’ll tell you when to stop.” When we were standing in the middle of the room, I said, “Alright. Here we are.”

I was so goddamn nervous, I wanted to throw up as I pulled back my hands. Sawyer blinked against the light, looking around until her eyes landed on the rocking chair in the corner.

She turned to me quickly, eyes sparkling. “You didn’t…”

“Oh, yes. I did,” I said, beaming. “Come on… I kept your panties for crying out loud. You didn’t think I kept this?”

There, in the corner of the room, was the child-sized teddy bear I won for her on our first date. I’d taken the thing back to New York with me, intent on getting it to her somehow after she’d left it behind. But time got away from me, and when I was headed back to Pinecrest, I wasn’t even sure she’d give me the time of day. Now, it seemed like the perfect final touch to our son’s nursery.

Sawyer stepped closer, reaching out toward the bear when she noticed the second part of my gift. “What’s this?” she asked, picking up the green leather-bound scrapbook sitting on the chair. “A photo album of our time together? Who knew you were so sentimental?” she joked.

Her smile slipped as she opened to the first page and saw Oliver’s first sonogram picture. The same one that’d been crudely taped to her notebook before.

“I know you said you wanted to put together a scrapbook, but didn’t have the time to do it the way you wanted. This may not be what you imagined. And if it’s not, Tate has assured me that it can all be redone however you want it…” I trailed off, shrugging.

“I didn’t even know you’d read it. You didn’t say anything,” she said, carefully running her fingers over the pages. “I was so unfair to you in the beginning.”

I stepped behind her and stared at the pages I’d long since memorized. Her words didn’t haunt me like they did before. They weren’t a sucker punch that left me gasping for air. “You weren’t unfair, Sawyer. You were cautious, doing what you felt was right at the time. I don’t fault you for that.” Reaching over her shoulder, I flipped through the pages until I found what I was looking for. “I did, however, make a few additions. I hope you don’t mind.”

Sawyer glanced over her shoulder briefly before moving the bear from its perch and taking a seat. Since my notes throughout her pregnancy had been stored on my phone, I painstakingly hand wrote them to fill the pages she left off on. Every single one of her cravings was listed, along with what made her turn her nose up in disgust. There were little notes about her growing belly, and pictures she’d never known I took.

By the time she flipped to the last page, Sawyer was a mess. Her face was all splotchy from crying, and there was a wet spot on her shirt where she’d been wiping her nose.

“This page is my favorite,” I said, nodding toward the book. “I realized how many times we’d joked about actually making that silly bucket list, so I did it for us.”

She barked out a laugh as she skimmed over the list. “I see you’ve got the essentials,” she mused. “Kissing on ferris wheels and knocking up the small-town bartender to boot. It’s all here. Looks like we’ve checked everything off.”

“Almost. There’s only one left,” I said, pointing to the very last item on the list.

Marry the small-town girl and live happily ever after.

Her gaze landed on the page before jerking up to meet mine. “Beckett…”

“Now, this isn’t a proposal. Not yet, anyway, but I hope you know that I intend to check this box off one day. Whether that’s tomorrow or ten years down the road. I’m not letting you go, Sawyer Sutton. Ever. You’re mine from now until the end of time,” I said, voice breaking. “I came into that bar looking for a single shot to turn my life around. Somehow, you and Oliver managed to make it a double instead.”

Sawyer made a noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “That’s the corniest thing you’ve ever said, but,” she paused, blinking away tears, “it’s also stupidly sweet. I’m glad you’re not getting down on one knee yet, though. I don’t think my emotions could handle it, honestly. I need a break.”