“You guys are gonna need to let up a little at some point.” Owen leaned back in his seat. “You have to relearn to trust that everything will be okay. You can’t keep the kids in bubble wrap forever.”
Deep down Sawyer knew that Owen was right, but that rational part of his brain was buried under the anxieties of all they’d recently dealt with. He opened his mouth to tell Owen to back off it for now, but stopped when Dean placed a hand over Owen’s, causing him to look up at his employer, and then shook his head.
“I can go with them,” Savanna chimed in.
“Me too,” Kennedy spoke up.
The girls weren’t much older, but it did make Sawyer feel a tad more comfortable about it. Sawyer held Ford’s gaze for a moment, raising his brow, and when Ford gave a small nod, Sawyer said, “Just until the pizza gets here.”
“Thank you!” Gavin was out of his seat in a flash with Asher following behind him. Savie got up and followed, but at a much slower pace, and Sawyer watched them go. He knew they needed to worry a little less, but it was easier said than done.
The kids ran back a minute or so later. “We forgot to get money.”
That managed to break the tension, getting a laugh out of everyone.
Sawyer peeked his head in on Gavin and found him asleep. He watched him for a while before he finally shut the door and walked back to his own room. When he got inside, he saw Ford lying back in bed, tablet in hand.
Sawyer pulled back his robe and slid it off his shoulders, then allowed it to fall to the floor before he crawled onto the bed and moved up to the head. He leaned in and kissed Ford, interrupting his leisurely read. Ford laughed and then dropped the tablet on the bedside table before pulling Sawyer into another kiss.
“He’s right, you know?” Ford whispered against Sawyer’s lips.
“Who’s right?” Sawyer asked. He deepened the kiss, pressing his chest against Ford’s, as he held him up against the bed.
“Owen,” Ford simply said. He placed his hand against Sawyer’s shoulder, slightly pushing him back. Sawyer groaned and pulled back. He fell back onto his side and arched a brow.
“Right about what?” Sawyer pretended not to know what Ford was on about.
“We need to let up on the reins, just a little bit.”
Sawyer looked away from Ford’s loving eyes. He thought they were on the same page at the pizza parlor, but now it seemed like Ford was forgetting why they needed to be more protective. “Have you forgotten about… about, everything? The ordeal with Callum?”
Ford shook his head, violently. “How could I forget?” Ford closed his eyes “I relive that moment continuously… over and over and over again. It’s like a bad movie that just won’t quit. But, babe…” Ford seemed to hesitate. “I thought about what Owen said, and it’s true. We can’t be with them all the time, and we can’t raise them to live in fear. Eventually, they may become resentful of us for doing that, and that’s the last thing I want to see happen”
Sawyer covered his eyes with his arms and heaved a sigh. As much as he hated to admit it, everyone had a point. “Fine,” he mumbled. “I’ll try, but it might take me a minute.”
“Me, too, love,” Ford took his hand in his and brought their joined hands to his lips, “Me too.” He moved in, getting another kiss in before Sawyer slowly pulled back.
“Don’t make any plans for tomorrow night.” Sawyer whispered.
Ford arched his brow. “Why?”
“I have something special planned for our six month anniversary.” He tried to hide his grin, but failed.
Ford’s eyes lit up. “Come on, babe… what is it?” His smile was tempting, but Sawyer wouldn’t break. As much as Ford tried to guess or even beg him, he wasn’t about to share details.
“I’m not saying. But, I promise you… you won’t be disappointed.”
Sawyer left it at that. He kissed Ford, claiming his lips and feeling that tingling sensation course through his body. It happened every time he kissed Ford.
Ford was right. He wouldn’t let one bad situation ruin the life they were building, and he didn’t want to raise the kids to be afraid of… well, everything. So he would deal with his fears and anxieties for them… for his family.
33
Ford
Ford stared at his screensaver. A flashing swirl of color played across the darkness, and he just watched it, following the moving light with his eyes. After several minutes of staring, he shook his head.
“What’s wrong with you?” he grumbled, then moved his mouse to get away from the blank screen. Ford stared at the guest list he’d started for the opening, but it might as well have been in Swahili. He could barely focus.
His eyes went to the notepad beside his laptop, it had the number he’d copied a couple of hours ago—the number of the deputy district attorney handling their case. A growl escaped Ford’s throat as he exhaled. Ford was thinking long and hard of the reasons he shouldn’t pick up his phone and dial the lawyer.
God, he really wanted to believe that everything would work out. Sawyer had dealt with the lawyers and police so far so Ford didn’t have to worry about it. But Ford didn’t want him handling this alone, and he knew that if he tried to ask Sawyer what he needed from him, the man would just tell Ford to sit back and relax, take care of the resort because he had it all under control. That didn’t work for Ford. They were partners and would handle this together. Ford just needed to show Sawyer what that meant.
Ford wasn’t sure if it was Sawyer’s behavior the night before, but his dreams had been
