A knock sounded at the front door, and he frowned. The concierge hadn’t called up to let him know anyone was here.
He shot a look towards Callum, who had food all over himself, the highchair, and the surrounding floor, and then Gavin, who was happily bouncing his feet against the island while still wearing nothing but his underwear.
“Perfect!” he mumbled. It would be just his luck having the social worker show up right now.
Sawyer glanced down at his shirt, seeing the yogurt running down toward his pants, and groaned. Well at least it’s not the Bolognese. Another knock got him moving towards the door after telling Gavin to stay put. He was on his iPad, so he figured that should keep him occupied.
Sawyer peeked through the peephole and sighed with relief when he saw Nate on the other side. He flung it open. “I hope you brought booze because Daddy needs it.”
Sawyer snorted at calling himself ‘daddy.’ He sure as fuck didn’t feel like one. The live-in nanny was more like it.
“What the fuck?”
Sawyer’s head swiveled to the right at the sound of that voice. He blinked, but nope, he wasn’t seeing things. Ford was standing there. Ford was standing outside his apartment. How hadn’t he seen him?
Ford turned to Nate, who so far was just standing there with his hands behind his back and trying to hold back a laugh.
“You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” Sawyer could see Ford vibrating with agitation as he fumed, tears leaking from his eyes. “You brought me here to rub it in my face. Asshole.”
Sawyer was at a loss as to what to do, and then Ford turned his wrath on him. God, he’d never seen Ford so pissed off before, and if they made it through this, he never wanted to again.
“And you! You’ve been stringing me along this whole time just so I would take care of the resort. Your side piece while you play ‘daddy’ here in New York.”
Sawyer had to get control of this situation before it spiraled any further and the neighbors started to come out. “Ford, baby, you don’t understan—”
“Don’t you ‘baby’ me.” Ford pulled his phone out. “I’m going back to—”
At that moment, there was the sound of a dish and silverware clattering to the floor from inside the apartment, followed by Callum crying.
“You have kids?”
Sawyer just stood there, mouth gaping and staring at Ford.
“You have kids.” This time it wasn’t a question, and the look in Ford’s eyes cut him.
“Ford, please, I can explain,” Sawyer started.
“Unbelievable. Are you kidding me? There’s nothing to explain.”
Sawyer saw that Ford was ready to bolt, so he reached out to grab him.
“No, wait! Let me explain!” He was too late. Ford turned and ran from him. He glared daggers at Nate. “You could have given me a heads up he was here with you.”
His friend shrugged. “I told you to tell him. This is what happens when you don’t listen to your friends”
Now was not the time to curse his friend out. “Stay with the kids!”
He darted past Nate, but Ford got to the elevator before him and he just stood there watching as the doors closed. Fuck! He shouldn’t have kept it from him. He should have told him. Now, it could be too late.
But even as that thought floated into his head, another one came on its heels. Ford had come for him. He’d flown from Colorado by himself and braved the city.
He’d come for Sawyer.
9
Ford
Ford ran out of the lobby as if he knew where he was going. Someone bumped into him on the sidewalk, not even bothering to apologize, then another and another. He swiped away the tears falling from his eyes.
How could Sawyer have lied to him this whole time? How was it possible that he had kids and Ford knew nothing about them?
Everything had been a lie.
“Ford.”
Sawyer’s voice had his legs moving forward without thinking. He didn’t want Sawyer to see him like this, and he was in no mood to have any more conversation with him.
Someone grabbed the back of his coat and yanked him into their chest right as a car honked and curses were yelled at him.
“Ford, please listen to me.” Sawyer turned Ford around in his arms and held on, even as Ford struggled to get out of his hold.
“Get your hands off me, you, you, you asshole.” His insides burned. Fuck, he’d never been this angry.
“Please, baby, just give me a chance to explain.”
Ford wanted to scream at him, tell him there was nothing he could say. But the tears blinded him, and his throat was too tight to speak. He hated Sawyer seeing him so weak, but Ford felt like someone had reached into his chest and was cutting his heart out with a dull knife so he could feel the pain as it was ripped from his chest.
“How could you?” he yelled. “You lied to me!” Ford was making a scene, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t like anyone in New York City knew who he was. Better here than Amber Falls where news of his gullibility would spread like lice through a fifth-grade class.
As people continued to stream by them, some stared, but he was like toothpaste that was out of the tube, there was no going back. He wiped his eyes angrily, pissed that tears still leaked.
“You lied to me, Sawyer.” His voice broke saying that name. “I trusted you with everything. My heart...” Ford swallowed and swiped at the tears that didn’t seem to get the memo that he was angry.
Sawyer shook his head. “I didn’t, not about them,” he said. “I know how this looks, but I swear… I didn’t lie to you about the kids.”
Ford crossed his arms and glared at him. “You didn’t? Explain to me how that works. You have kids. I didn’t know you had kids. Who’s the father? Or, maybe it’s a woman…
