Page 54 of Brokered Betrayals
Sawyer padded into the living room and checked his phone for missed calls. He didn’t have any, so he tapped the screen on Royce’s phone and froze at what he saw there. Ivy had called Royce twice, sent a text message, and left a voicemail. Sawyer stared at the screen until the phone went dark. He knew Royce’spasscode and could access the messages, but he couldn’t make himself move. He just stood there, frozen in place, as his mind conjured all the scary things she could’ve said.
A chill started in Sawyer’s extremities and worked its way toward the center of his body, as if he’d been left out in the cold. And wasn’t that the crux of his deepest fears? The one thing he wouldn’t allow himself to voice, not even to himself. That he’d be left in the cold when the dust settled. Sawyer couldn’t see a judge denying Royce custody of his daughter, but he could see a world that denied Sawyer’s legal recognition as Darla’s father. The chill crept into his chest and wrapped around his heart, squeezing until its beat became a slow, dull thud in his ears.
Left in the cold.
A rattling noise joined the thud. Were those his bones? Was he about to break apart at the seams? It took Sawyer a moment to realize the noise came from his chattering teeth.
“Sawyer.” Royce’s voice was close, and he sounded worried. “Baby, what’s wrong? Is Darla okay?”
He fought through the freezing fear and met his husband’s frightened gaze. “Lost in the cold.”
“What do you mean? Who’s lost in the cold?”
Sawyer shook his head. “I am.”
Royce rubbed his hands up and down Sawyer’s biceps. “I bet you are freezing. You’re standing buck-ass naked in the living room in February.”
The skin-on-skin friction sparked warmth and feeling into Sawyer’s arms, but his mind remained paralyzed in fear. “Ivy called,” he finally said.
Royce’s hands stilled. “What did she say?”
“I don’t know,” Sawyer replied. “She only called you. I’m not Darla’s father. I’m not her anything.”
“Baby,” Royce said. “Don’t do this.” He wrapped a throw blanket around Sawyer’s shoulders and pulled him into hisembrace. “We already know what Ivy is going to tell us. Our adoption hearing is going to be delayed. Could be weeks, or it could be months. But it will happen. I believe this with every bone in my body. I need you to believe it too.”
“But if it doesn’t—”
“No,” Royce said. “We are not doing this to ourselves. Darla Grace Locke is your daughter in every way that counts, and you will get the legal documents to prove it. Do you hear me?”
“But—”
Royce shook his head. “No buts. Do you trust me?” He took Sawyer’s hands, stared him in the eyes, and slowly repeated the question. “Do you trust me?”
“With every fiber of my being.” No hesitation or reservations. “You’re my one true constant.”
“We will move to another state if that’s what it takes,” Royce said. “Nothing and no one is going to keep you from the life I promised you.”
Sawyer breathed deeply and silently repeated the vow, wrapping the beautiful words around his heart until he covered all the cracks. “I believe you.”
“Good.” Royce kissed him, letting his lips linger for a few seconds before pulling back. “Let’s see what Ivy has to say.” He released Sawyer to pick up his phone. “She texted around one o’clock just to say that she should have some news about our adoption this afternoon. She called twice just before we woke up and left a message.” Royce clicked on the voicemail, and Ivy simply asked him to call back at his earliest convenience. He tapped the phone icon to dial her back and placed the call on speaker.
“Hello, Royce,” Ivy said when she answered. Her voice was calm and neutral, so it was impossible to read anything into it.
“Sorry I missed your messages today.”
“No worries. Life with a newborn can be chaotic.”
“It is,” Royce agreed. “Do you have an update about our adoption?”
“As I cautioned, Judge Hampton has temporarily postponed all adoptions being processed through our firm while they do a review of past cases involving the adoption agency at the center of the allegations.”
“But we’re not affiliated with Shania Price,” Sawyer said.
“Hello, Sawyer,” Ivy said. “While that’s true, the judge is going to review some of our other cases at random just to ensure we’re operating ethically. Guys, I know I have no right to ask this, but I need you to believe me when I say she will not find a smoking gun. Ned Owens lost his life because he was going to take this shady lady down. Every single lawyer working at our firm was adopted or has adopted children, so this is very personal for us. We know how important it is for things to be done properly. Your adoption will proceed in your favor. It’s just a matter of time.”
Sawyer released a shaky breath. “I can’t imagine how stressful this entire situation is for the parents at the center of this nightmare. My heart goes out to them.”
“Mine does as well,” Royce said.