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As Dallas pulled the truck to a stop in the driveway in front of the main house where Dallas and Nolan lived, I said, “I’m just going to go put this stuff”—I held up my bag of hair products—“away and then I’ll start on chores on the northeast end.”
I could see Dallas was about to protest so I quickly shut the door and trotted up the stairs to my apartment. As much as I loved that the guys all wanted to protect me, they couldn’t be with me twenty-four seven. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to lock myself into a room somewhere and wait for Marcus to come for me or wonder if he’d given up on his twisted need to win. The wildlife sanctuary was a huge place and needed a lot of hands to keep it running smoothly. If Dallas insisted on shadowing me, it would take hours longer than usual to finish everything.
I set the bag on my coffee table and then went to the kitchenette to grab a bottle of water before turning back toward the door. I drew in a deep breath to steady myself because Marcus’s voice was in my head telling me that I looked like a fool with the light hair. As I made my way down the steps, I was still trying to mentally kick Marcus’s ugly voice to the curb, so I was looking at my feet rather than up. I automatically turned left at the bottom of the stairs to head to the area of the sanctuary where I’d be working when another voice, one that now held more power over me than Marcus’s ever would, called my name.
“Sawyer.”
My heart began pounding in my chest.
Jett was back. Nerves rattled my belly as I realized this was our morning-after moment. I hoped like hell it wouldn’t be awkward, though my hair was definitely going to be a topic of conversation.
I turned around, fully expecting to see a surprised Jett taking in my hair.
But Jett’s surprise didn’t even hold a candle to mine.
Because he was standing.
He was standing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
JETT
There were a million things running through my brain as I watched the play of emotions on Sawyer’s face as he slowly made his way to me. At the forefront was the silent plea with my exhausted body to hold it together for just a little while longer as I held on to the door of Maddox’s truck for dear life. Running a close second was the inexplicable fear that my decision would somehow change things between Sawyer and me. My choice to finally try the prosthetic legs that Maddox had been encouraging me to get for months had been partially driven by my need to be enough of a real man for Sawyer, but last night had changed everything.
Sawyer loved me.
Me.
Just as I was.
But what if it was all too much too soon? What if I was inadvertently putting some kind of weird pressure on him by making him think I’d done all this for him? What if it looked like I was trying to compete with that fucker of an ex of his? Or worse, he saw the move as me trying to be above him somehow?
“Hey,” I heard Maddox say to me softly from the other side of the truck. He was standing near the hood. “Breathe, brother,” he said, and then he was turning his back on me, presumably so he could go and greet his own man.
I pulled some much-needed oxygen into my lungs. Sawyer was only a handful of feet away but instead of stopping as he neared me, he walked right into my arms.
Or arm, rather, since I was still holding on to the door with the other.
My world immediately righted itself the second his strong arms wrapped around me without hesitation. I buried my face against his neck and reveled in the light touch of his fingers caressing the back of my neck.
“I’m so proud of you,” he breathed against my skin.
They were the exact words I needed to hear. That he understood the emotional toll all of this was having shouldn’t have surprised me, though. He knew better than anyone what it meant to turn a corner and start life from what seemed like the beginning.
I pulled back enough that I could look him in the eye. I let my thumb graze his cheek as I clasped his face and then raised my hand so I could skim my fingers through his hair.
“Proud of you too,” I murmured, then added, “It’s beautiful” as I took in the different shades of yellow and gold. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered as I dropped my eyes back to his. When I covered his mouth with mine, Sawyer returned my gentle kiss.
When we parted, I hugged him again, savoring the feel of him in my arms and knowing he would always be there.
