Ford totally got parents that slipped some cough syrup to their kids before flights because he and Sawyer were those people who got the evil looks from other passengers. Even being in first class didn’t spare them.
Savanna didn’t talk to either of them the whole trip, which made things super fun… Not. She had headphones in from the moment they got in the car service that drove them to the airport, through check-in, and from take-off to landing.
She’d made her feelings about moving very clear, and he couldn’t even blame her. She was moving across the country after losing her main parent. It was a lot of change for anyone, not to mention a kid.
So he ignored the occasional evil looks she sent their way.
“She’ll come around,” Ford said again to Sawyer after they had disembarked and were grabbing their luggage from the baggage carousel. Ford had a front row seat the past week, seeing just how much Sawyer was trying with his sister, but Savanna wasn’t budging.
Savanna stormed past Sawyer to get her suitcase, ignoring them.
“Will she?” Sawyer looked over at his sister, standing away from them like they had the plague. “She was just coming around, actually eating meals with us, and now this.” Sawyer looked at him.
Ford plastered on a confident smile that he wasn’t really feeling, but one of them had to be hopeful, right? He really wanted to believe and prayed that Savanna would come to see that Sawyer was only trying to do what he thought was best for them.
“She will come around,” Ford repeated, but that time he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or Sawyer.
“I hope so,” Sawyer murmured. Sawyer continued to hold Callum since there was no point getting the stroller open for the short walk out of the terminal.
Ford pulled his bag behind him through the building and then loaded up the additional luggage that Sawyer and the kids had brought along. He stacked the bags onto the luggage cart and made sure they were steady before he nodded to him. That should do. Sawyer kept giving him apologetic looks because Callum refused to be put down, so Ford had to handle all the luggage by himself.
Savanna grabbed her own luggage and duffel bag, then started walking away from them. Ford double checked Gavin had his backpack over his shoulder before they all headed towards the front door.
“Did you call your parents and let them know we were arriving today”—Sawyer bit his lips—“and that we have three kids in tow?”
“I did. I called them when you called the social worker.” Ford grinned at the memory. When he’d mentioned to his mother that they now came complete with kids, he thought the entire city could hear her yell through the phone.
They exited the baggage claim, and standing behind the rope right at the end was a driver holding the sign ‘Erickson.’
Ford smiled at the man and introduced himself. “I hope you brought the seven-seater with space for the luggage and car seat like I asked?”
The driver nodded and took the luggage cart from him.
This was their life now. He and Sawyer would definitely need to make a list of everything that needed to be done now that they were here.
It had taken five days to get organized and leave New York, a little longer than they hoped, although it had been easier than expected moving the kids. Since Sawyer was their legal guardian, not a foster parent, there were less hoops to jump through.
“What’d they say?” Sawyer interrupted the start of the list he was compiling in his head.
“They’re pretty excited.” Ford chuckled. “I think we can expect some major spoiling.” His parents, especially his mom, couldn’t wait. She was thrilled that she didn’t have to wait for him and Sawyer to give her grandkids—her words, not his.
“Of course.” Sawyer grinned. “I would expect nothing less from Barb.”
They got the elevator to the parking garage and followed the driver to the large SUV, a Lincoln Aviator, and when they opened the car, there was the car seat all ready for Callum.
“See… they come prepared,” Sawyer said.
Ford stuck his tongue out, and Sawyer beamed. So maybe he was being a little much checking and double-checking that the car service remembered a car seat… but he was already protective of the kids.
While the driver loaded their suitcase, they got everyone in, Savanna going all the way to the back seat in the third row. Gavin followed his sister, and Ford said a prayer a fight wouldn’t break out between the two of them.
They made sure the kids were buckled in before pushing the seat back. Sawyer got Callum into the car seat between them and secured the baby, then they were ready to go.
The driver looked back to make sure they were all set before he pulled out of the parking space. The man was mostly quiet, and when Ford looked back, Savanna and Gavin were on their phone and tablet respectively.
With the kids occupied, he finally got a chance to ask Sawyer about the call he’d gotten before they left his house. “What’d the social worker say?” Ford spoke quietly.
“She took down the address of where we’ll be.” Sawyer’s voice dropped lower. “Just in case their mother decides she wants to set up a time to come visit them.”
Sawyer looked over to the kids and then back to Ford. He lowered his voice even more. “She’s still in rehab, so she won’t be visiting anytime soon.”
Ford nodded. That was good, even though there was a tiny part of him that worried about her showing up. He knew that Sawyer was getting attached to the kids already, and it would be hard to have someone else come in and try to stake a claim
