Page 7 of Spiced Up by Sawyer (Mountain Men Fall Harder #3)

Chapter Six

SAWYER

I'm chopping wood like my life depends on it. Each swing of the ax sends shock waves up my arms, but it's not enough to drown out the echo of my own words. I accused the woman I love of just fucking me for a good time and then leaving.

The woman I love.

I bury the ax in the stump and lean against it, breathing hard. When did Lola go from being a threat to being everything I never knew I wanted?

It doesn't matter now. She'll submit her report recommending this place for development, and everything I've spent my life protecting will be destroyed. She'll go back to her corporate world, and I'll be left picking up the pieces.

Just like I always am.

A car’s coming up the gravel drive. I turn away, in no state to see visitors. Then I see her through the trees. Lola, climbing out of her rental car, small and determined. She’s so damn beautiful that it makes my chest ache.

She's carrying her laptop. Probably coming to tell me in person that she's recommending the development. Wants to let me down easy before she heads back to Nashville.

I stay where I am, arms crossed, as she approaches. Lola's wearing the same clothes from last night, and her hair is messy. When she gets close enough, it’s clear she's been crying.

“Sawyer. I need to show you something.” Her voice is hoarse.

“Let me guess. Your report.”

She flinches like I slapped her. “Yes. My report.”

“I don't want to see or hear it, Lola. I can't listen to you explain why ruining this place makes good business sense.”

She opens her laptop, and the screen glows between us. “Please. Look at this.”

I want to walk away. Go inside, lock the door, and pretend this morning never happened. But the desperation in her voice stops me.

I look at the screen, reading the words twice over before they sink in. “What’s this?”

“It's my report.” Her voice is barely a whisper. “The one I sent to Mr. Grande an hour ago.”

My eyes scan further down the page.

I look up at her, and tears are streaming down her face. “You told them not to build here.”

She nods.

“But your job?—”

“Is over.” She laughs bitterly. “Mr. Grande called it 'environmental extremist bullshit' and hung up on me. I'll probably be fired by five.”

I stare at her, trying to process what she's telling me. She chose this place over her career, her family's expectations, and everything she's worked for.

“Why?”

“Because you were right. I have been living my life for people who don't see me. But you see me, Sawyer. You see who I really am, not who I'm trying to be.”

“Lola…”

She closes the laptop, clutching it to her chest like a shield. “I know what I said this morning hurt you, and you probably don't trust me anymore. But I needed you to understand that what we had wasn't a mistake. It was the most real thing I’ve ever felt in my life.”

I can't speak or move. She chose me .

Lola squares her shoulders. “I just... I wanted you to know the truth.”

She turns to leave, and that snaps me out of my paralysis. I cross the distance between us in three strides, catching her arm. “Wait. Where are you going?”

She looks up at me with those gorgeous green eyes that undo me every time. “I have no idea. I don't have a job anymore. I'll probably have to go back to Nashville, figure out what's next.”

“What if I asked you to stay?”

Her breath catches. “What?”

“Stay here. With me.” I cup her face in my hands, thumbs brushing away her tears.

“Sawyer, I can't ask you to?—”

“You're not asking. I'm offering. I love you, Lola. I love that you're brave enough to do the right thing even when it costs you everything. I love that you see beauty in this place the way I do.”

“I love you too.” The words are muffled against my chest as she melts into me. “I love you so much it terrifies me.”

I pull back to look at her, and the hope in her eyes makes my heart race. “Good. Petrifying, scary, terrifying love is the best kind.”

Lola laughs. “What are we going to do? I don't have a job, you're a park ranger, and I just made enemies of one of the biggest development companies in the South.”

I kiss her forehead, her cheeks, the corner of her mouth. “Let’s figure it out together.”

“Okay, big guy,” she says.

When she smiles, I know we're going to be just fine. And then I stop thinking about the future and kiss her.