Page 57 of Make it a Double

Even though it wasn’t much, it felt monumental. It was confirmation that I was doing something right, even when I felt like I was doing everything wrong. “Only the best for my favorite people,” I said, letting my eyes dip to her stomach.

If I were smart, I wouldn’t already be so attached to a woman I barely knew and the child she was carrying, but I couldn’t help it. There was something about her I didn’t want to let go. Before I knew she was pregnant, I was dead set on taking her out for another date—or five, if I were lucky. The fact that it was my baby in her belly only amplified that need.

But I needed to play it cool. The last thing I wanted was to scare her off.

Grabbing the box of donuts, I held it out for her. “Twelve of Pinecrest’s finest donuts,” I said, opening the lid to reveal the assortment of sweets.

They weren’t in the best shape after taking a beating during that walk, but they were still edible. Her eyes greedily swept over them before homing in on a glazed chocolate cake. She plucked it from the box, murmuring her thanks, as I set it down and reached inside the cooler for an ice-cold Cherry 7UP. I tucked that bit of knowledge away for the future. I’d been compiling a list on my phone. The more I learned about what she liked, the better prepared I could be for any cravings she might have in the future. I’d already grabbed extra sodas at the store to put in my fridge. It might’ve been presumptuous to assume she’d ever step foot in my house again, but I was ready either way.

Sawyer had half the donut in her mouth when her eyes lit up at the drink in my hands. She wrapped her fingers around the bottle and moaned before swallowing the bite she’d taken. “Oh my god, this is heavenly.” Screwing off the lid, she took a sip and sighed. “Thank you.”

I plopped down in the seat next to her. Without thinking, I reached over and gave her free hand a squeeze. “Anything for you.”

“What if I asked for something like In-N-Out? Are you going to build one in the middle of town?”

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “I’d fly it in for you like a normal person.”

Her laugh was genuine and warm, like the summer day we met. I couldn’t help but smile like a fool as she tipped her head back. “You and I have different definitions of normal.”

“I could fly you there instead. I do have access to a private jet.”

“God, I miss that,” Olivia said with a sigh. “That was a definite perk of my former job.”

Sawyer glanced between the two of us and shook her head. “Sometimes, I’m reminded that I’m in an entirely different tax bracket. Sitting here, talking about taking private planes across the country for a fast food burger, is one of them.”

“You’re right,” I said earnestly. “We should think bigger. What about pasta in Italy? Or pastries in Paris? There’s a chef at this Michelin-starred restaurant right off the Seine, I think you’d love.”

Sawyer’s eyes nearly doubled in size. “Whoa, buddy. I don’t even have a passport. Let’s pump the brakes.”

We’d have to change that. There were so many places I wanted to take her. So many things for her to experience. Even if she wanted to live in Pinecrest for the rest of her life, she deserved to still see the world.

The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. It was the first time I’d ever actually considered the fact that she may not want to leave Pinecrest. And why would she? Her entire support system was here. She wouldn’t want to lose that sense of security and safety. Especially not to move to an unfamiliar city with a man she didn’t even know.

Her hesitation to tell me about the pregnancy suddenly made sense. It was like the flip of a light switch in a pitch-black room. Sawyer admitted it herself. She’d been terrified I’d try to fight her, to take her child away just because I could. My money and power made me dangerous, which was a decidedly disgusting feeling.

What would staying mean for us? I’d been working my ass off to separate my business from my father’s, but I’d always planned on staying in either L.A. or New York. I owned property on both coasts, bouncing around from one to the other depending on which had the better weather.

If I was determined to keep that future intact, what would it look like? A fucking plane ride every time I wanted to see my kid? He didn't deserve that. Neither did Sawyer. I'd be no better than the man I despised.

Well, I refused to let our son grow up wondering why his father was never around. This was my chance to rewrite history, to break the stigma I’d always carried about being a shitty father simply because it was all I’d ever known.

Sawyer and our son deserved the best. I just needed to figure out how to give them exactly that.

SAWYER

“There’s my girl!” Duke boomed, opening his arms as his daughter, Harper, came bounding toward us.

Her cheeks were only a few shades lighter than her sweat-slicked auburn hair as she collided with her father. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her middle and picking her up. She was getting so big, almost too big to be picked up and carried around, but Duke didn’t care. He did it anyway.

“Did you see the last goal I scored?” She asked. Her smile was nothing short of triumphant. “Jess tried to block me, but I was too fast.”

“I never liked that girl, anyway,” Charlie, Liv and Grady’s daughter, muttered as she came up next to me. “She’s so mean. Always taunts Harper at school.”

“Then she got what she deserved,” Duke said. He set Harper down, watching as his daughter gave her sister a huge, sweaty hug that had them both shrieking and laughing as Charlie tried to get away.

Their family wasn’t traditional by any means, but it worked. Those girls were surrounded by people who loved them, and it was a nice reminder that the so-called traditional way wasn’t always the right way.

Beckett stood beside me, silently watching the girls play around as everyone around them packed up to go home. He’d been acting strange since our conversation about the passport, keeping quiet and not even murmuring any corny one-liners that would make me roll my eyes as much as they secretly made me swoon.