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Sawyer’s eyes got as big as saucers. “Boy, he is not messing around.”
Again, he made her smile. “No, he is not.”
Since the Nashville debacle, Heath no longer let all the fans come into the room at the same time. Each group would come in one at a time and leave before the next set was allowed in. It was like he was afraid Sawyer had a few more long-lost relatives who might crash the party.
The first pair of fans came in—a mother and her teenage daughter. They looked so much alike.
“Hi there,” Piper said, giving the young girl a hug first. Immediately, the teen began to cry.
“I can’t believe I’m meeting you. I love you so much.”
Those famous three words. They were like daggers into her broken heart. As much as Piper loved to hear them, there was only one person she wanted to hear them from.
* * *
SAWYER NOTICED THE slight change in Piper’s expression when the fan told her she loved her.
“Well, I love you right back,” Piper said, regaining control. “And I am so glad you came out to see the show tonight.”
Sawyer shook hands with the mother and posed for the pictures with the three ladies. Piper put the fans in between them.
Being this close and still not being able to touch her was excruciating. It was like all his feelings for her had quadrupled since she’d walked out on him. He couldn’t explain it, and he certainly didn’t know what to do about it.
Everyone seemed to be following the rules Heath had laid out. No one asked any questions about the wedding, although they got a few curious glances and Sawyer noticed there was a lot more whispering when people went to the candy bar to get their treats.
Two young guys about Sawyer’s age were up last. They had big grins on their faces when they saw Piper. One wore a button-down shirt and khakis, while the other was sporting a Chicago Blackhawks sweatshirt and jeans.
“You are more beautiful in person than I imagined. Wow, look at you,” Khaki Pants said, taking Piper by the hand and making her spin around so he could get a good look at her.
Sawyer didn’t like it one bit.
“Can I get a hug?” the Blackhawks fan asked. “I have been dreaming about being this close to you for years.”
Piper went in for a quick hug, but the guy didn’t let go. “Oh man, you smell good.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” his buddy said. “Let me get a hug.”
Sawyer cleared his throat. “Hey, that’s enough, guys.” He couldn’t stand to watch them treat her like a piece of meat.
“What’s the matter? Is the ex a little jealous?” Mr. Khaki Pants asked, throwing his arm around Piper. “When you’re ready to be with a real man who will treat you like the princess you are, I want you to come find me. I’ve been told I’m one heck of a kisser. Maybe you want to find out if that’s true…”
Every muscle in Sawyer’s body was tense. He was about two seconds from punching them both in the face. He grabbed the guy’s arm and not so carefully removed it from Piper’s shoulders.
“You’re done,” Sawyer said, getting in his face.
“I’m done?” Khaki Pants questioned, giving Sawyer a push. “The way I hear it, you’re done. She left you and this is the way you treat her fans?”
Sawyer shoved him back, and then the guy’s friend joined in the tussle. Security stepped in and escorted both fans out. Sawyer was breathing heavily. The worst part was that the guy was right. He was done. Piper had let him go.
“I appreciate that you were trying to help, but next time let the security guys take care of jerks like that,” Heath said.
Sawyer glanced back over his shoulder to where Piper and Lana were huddled together.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
She nodded and came closer. “Don’t do that, okay? There are going to be people looking to get a rise out of you. I don’t want you to mess with your fun-loving, easygoing image. You’re everybody’s buddy.”
Of course she was more concerned about his image than her well-being. “Well, I don’t want two punks to think they can manhandle you because you’re a beautiful woman without a fiancé. If you don’t want me to step in, make sure your security gets in the mix a lot sooner.”
