“Let’s get out of here,” Ford said. Everyone agreed, and he slid out of the booth with Sawyer following.
When Gavin’s hand slipped into his, then Sawyer’s, their eyes met over his head. Ford knew they would do everything in their power to make sure Gavin—and all the kids—actually were okay.
Ford prayed that getting a house, their own rooms, and putting down roots would make them feel even more secure. Because he knew that was all Sawyer wanted for them.
And so did he.
14
Sawyer
“What? But it’s too soon.” Barbara looked between him and Ford. Ford had of course been right. His mom wasn’t taking them moving out very well. The kids had all gone to bed, and it was just him, Ford, Barb, and Doug in the living room.
“Mom… you knew we would have to leave sooner or later. Sawyer, the kids, and I can’t stay here,” Ford pointed out to his mom. “Mom, Dad, I’m sure you’re ready for us to leave and be in our own place, right.”
His dad held up his hands, almost in protest. “I’m staying out of this one.”
“Thanks a lot,” Ford mumbled. He faced his mom, but Sawyer knew he needed to step in.
“Barbara…” Every time he wanted to call her Mom, he couldn’t quite do it. “I know it’s sudden, but we’re not moving far away. We’re going to be a couple of miles down the road.” Sawyer didn’t add that they needed their own space, and he didn’t mean just the kids. “You guys have been amazing, but it’s time that we let you have your house back to yourselves. I’m sure you’re tired of having us underfoot.”
“Never,” Barb insisted. “We’ve loved having you here.” Her eyes flitted between them. “We adore having you all here. We’ll miss that.”
“We’ll be over often, Mom,” Ford chimed in. “We are going to still need your help with the kids.” Ford looked over at him nodding, and Sawyer chimed in.
“We’ll need you to watch Callum when we’re at work, and the kids could still come here after they get off the bus.”
Ford took over. “Sawyer and I are going to be pretty busy at work, so we’ll need your help often. We’re not leaving the area, Mom.”
“Sunday dinners,” Sawyer blurted. “We can have Sunday dinners.”
Where had that come from? He looked over at Ford to find him smiling.
Barb slumped into Doug and let out a resigned sigh. She looked sad, but she finally gave in. Doug patted her thigh, and she sighed again, then nodded.
“I know you’re right,” Barb said, then her eyes narrowed. “And I’m trusting that you mean every word and that you will bring the kids around often.”
Sawyer put his hands up. Yeah, he had a feeling Barb would come after them if they kept the kids away.
“You’ll see them every day, Mom.” Ford shook his head. “You can still spoil them daily.”
That managed to get a smile from Barb, and Ford reached over and took Sawyer’s hand. Sawyer couldn’t believe that by the end of the following week, they would be moved into their new home.
Between the site and working to get their new house ready for the move, they collapsed into bed each night with nothing more than a kiss between them before they fell asleep.
It wasn’t exactly the house that he and Ford had spoken about, one built from scratch on the same land as Ford’s parents, but he reminded himself that could still happen. This was just to start their lives together as a family.
It was a day off from school, teacher training or something, so Sawyer and Ford had brought the older kids to see the house while Barb watched Cal.
The house they had chosen was one of the mountain village homes with vaulted ceilings, a massive great-room fireplace shared with the adjacent family room that had floor-to-ceiling windows and gave them an amazing view of the surrounding canyon, and there were covered porches and decks that Sawyer knew would be amazing in the summer. The kitchen was open plan and flowed into the dining area, and Sawyer loved it because it felt like something that you came home to and watched your kids doing their homework at the table or had family dinners where they all talked about their day.
It also had six bedrooms, which may have seemed a little much, especially with the private guest wing that held two other bedrooms, but Sawyer figured it would be perfect for when Mark and his family came to visit.
There was also a small theater and a wine room that he and Ford had agreed to leave empty for now. The basement he knew would make a great kid’s activity room, and the final bonus was ski-in/ski-out access, and their very own ski room.
Not that the kids could ski yet, but it was now on the list of family activities.
He’d also checked to find there was a family living next door, and hopefully, they would become friends with the neighbors. Sawyer didn’t want to live next to one of the company-owned properties that got rented out to vacationers. That wouldn’t feel like home with a continual rotation of couples, families, or groups moving through the area.
In his mind, home had neighbors that watched your house while you were out of town and pulled your garbage cans in for you.
Ha! Like you could pick your neighbor in New York out of a line up.
God he hoped the kids liked it.
“Okay, so the beds, crib, and the tables for the kids’ rooms are definitely coming tomorrow.” Ford walked up beside him with his tablet in hand and scrolled through it. “The last thing I want to do is move in and have to sleep on the floor. So I’ll come over while you’re at the site and wait for them”
“Thanks, babe.” He brushed his lips over Ford’s. “And I’m with you on that.” Sawyer moved so he was behind Ford and placed his hands on his
