Page 32 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)
“ A re you sure you don’t mind?” Royce asked. “We don’t want to intrude on this fine Wednesday evening.”
Alec chuckled and stepped aside so their party of five could enter his spacious beach house. “You mean the way I blew into your life and wreaked all kinds of hell?”
Royce tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean…”
Sawyer elbowed him hard. “Ignore him. My husband can be quite the brat.”
“It’s all good,” Alec replied. “Hi, Kelsey.”
“Hi, honey.” She didn’t bother asking how he was doing because the answer was evident in his wan complexion and the dark smudges under his eyes.
But resilience and determination shimmered in Alec’s green gaze.
Hugging was Kelsey’s love language, so she wrapped him up tightly before introducing Alec to her family.
“This is my husband, Andrew,” she said. “We’re calling him Big Sexy for obvious reasons. ”
Alec’s brow shot up as he scanned the tall, handsome man in front of him. Then his mouth quirked into a wry smile. “Because he has the same name as my serial killer father or because…”
Always a good sport, Big Sexy extended his hand and said, “All the above.”
Alec winked at Kelsey. “Good on you.” He met Ella next, who shyly buried her face in her father’s neck. “Does anyone want a tour of the house before you start your beach photo shoot?”
“Me!” Kelsey said.
“Me! Me!” Ella chimed, her shyness all but forgotten as she clapped her adorable hands and matched her mama’s energy.
“Where my girls go, I go too.” Big Sexy gestured for Kelsey to lead the way.
When Sawyer moved to follow them, Royce snagged his wrist and held him in place. He leaned in close and pressed his lips to Sawyer’s ear. “I’m not the only one with bratty behavior. I’ve yet to get even for that impromptu dinner party you hosted.”
“One guest isn’t a dinner party,” Sawyer said. He turned and met his gaze, dark eyes dancing with mischief. “Not my fault you fell asleep before you could instruct me on how to be a good husband.”
Royce cupped Sawyer’s jaw and stroked his thumb over his lips. “You couldn’t be a better husband if you tried.” He pulled Sawyer in for a quick, hard kiss. “But I’ll happily cheer on your efforts.”
Sawyer laughed. “I just bet you will.”
They kissed again, their mouths lingering long enough to make him wish for home, but they hadn’t stopped by Alec’s beach house for a casual hang.
Kelsey and Sawyer had come up with an idea for a pregnancy announcement and Big Sexy, husband and father extraordinaire, moonlighted as an amateur photographer and had volunteered to snap the photographs.
“Oh! Oops!” The interruption came from a woman whose voice Royce didn’t recognize.
He reluctantly pulled his lips away from Sawyer’s and smiled at her. “Hello.”
“Hi.” She winked at Sawyer and said, “Damn, you did good.”
Sawyer laughed. “Behave, Marina.”
Ahhh. “You’re Alec’s producer.” Holding out his hand, he said, “Royce Locke. It’s nice to meet you.”
Marina’s cheeks went pink, and she extended the hand with a frosty margarita in it. “Oops again. I don’t think we should let Ricky get near the blender anymore. Powerful stuff.” She switched the drink to her other hand and shook Royce’s. “It’s nice to meet you too. Forgive my unprofessionalism.”
“It’s all good.”
Sawyer nodded toward the drink. “I don’t recall seeing margarita night on the production schedule.”
Marina tipped her head back and laughed throatily.
“Maybe not, but we damn well deserve it. What a week it’s been so far.
” She gestured to Sawyer with her margarita and said, “He solved an almost thirty-year-old cold case. And you…” She took a sip of her drink as if she needed courage. “And you made a daring rescue.”
“I wouldn’t say it was daring,” Royce hemmed.
“Dane’s family would argue, and they’d be right.” Marina raised her glass, saluting Sawyer and then Royce. “You’re both amazing men. And now I need to go find some food to absorb the alcohol.”
Ella’s delighted squeals of joy caught their attention before Royce could swoop in and kiss Sawyer again. “Shen! Shen!”
“Ocean,” Kelsey said, emphasizing the O , as she followed her excited daughter toward the wall of windows at the back of the house. “I see the perfect spot for our photographs. A nice clean stretch of sand without a ton of tourists.”
“The lighting is perfect,” Big Sexy said. “Let’s get down to the beach because it won’t last long. We might have thirty minutes.” He’d insisted on taking the photos during the evening blue hour once Kelsey told him they’d be wearing white clothes for the pictures.
“Can I help with anything?” Alec asked.
“How good are you with writing in the sand? We need really crisp letters to stand out,” Big Sexy said, suddenly sounding like a set designer.
“I’m your man,” Alec said. He darted into the kitchen and returned with a long skewer used to roast marshmallows or hot dogs over an open fire. “This should make the letters look sharp and precise.”
“You’re hired.” Big Sexy hoisted his camera bag onto his shoulders and handed a tote full of beach-and-baby-themed props to Alec.
The trio yielded to his detailed instructions, moving here, posing there, and having the best time of their lives.
In most photos, Royce and Sawyer stood on either side of Kelsey and kissed her cheeks as she made heart hands over her belly or held up the sonogram.
Big Sexy also took several photos of just the expectant dads with the sonogram.
Alec had written Baby Locke Arriving February 2026 in the tidiest sand lettering Royce had ever seen.
Ella let them borrow her sand bucket and shovel for some photos before she reclaimed them.
Marina had traded the margarita for water and sat in the sand and watched Ella build a castle while they worked.
Ricky filmed the entire photo shoot for them, and Royce looked forward to watching it on repeat until Lil Plum arrived.
When they parted ways in Alec’s driveway, Royce hugged Kelsey longer than usual and rocked her gently. “You’re our hero. We won’t ever forget it, and Lil Plum will always know about the magnificent woman who gave her life.”
Kelsey rested her cheek against his. “I love you guys so much, and I am so happy to be a part of your miracle.”
“Damn it,” Big Sexy said. “Here comes the waterworks.”
Royce looked over as both Big Sexy and Sawyer wiped their eyes. Ella, tucked against her father’s chest, clapped her hands. “I hope our Lil Plum is half as happy as Ella Jane.”
Kelsey snorted as she stepped back. “Be careful what you wish for, honey. That little girl is a ray of sunshine, and she will burn you if you aren’t careful.”
Royce looked at his pretty princess in disbelief. “You say that all the time, but I’ve yet to see the proof.”
“Go now!” Ella yelled before blowing kisses at Royce and Sawyer.
Kelsey gestured. “There’s a tiny taste of her majesty’s dominance. It’s her world, and we just get to live in it.”
“As it should be.” Royce blew kisses back at her. “Love you, Ella Jane.”
“I’ll email a few photos after I’ve experimented with some edits,” Big Sexy said as he placed Ella into her car seat.
“Don’t edit too much,” Sawyer said. “I want the photos to look like we do, not the supermodel versions of us.”
He gave them a thumbs-up as he opened the passenger door for his wife. “Go now!” Big Sexy said, then dramatically imitated Ella’s goodbye kisses.
Royce acted like he was grabbing them from the air while Sawyer blew some back. What a sight they must’ve made in the driveway. Kelsey’s boisterous laughter in the front seat said it was comedy gold. They waved as Big Sexy’s vehicle backed down the driveway.
“How long is the Big Sexy thing going to last?” Royce asked once they got into his SUV. “It evokes weird things.”
“Well, calling him Andrew evokes weird things for me right now,” Sawyer said. “Maybe we can come up with our own nickname for him.”
“I can get on board with that,” Royce said. “Something to do with his Scottish heritage.”
“Fine,” Sawyer said. “You’re in charge of that. Do you want to grab something to eat while we’re out or eat leftovers?”
Royce put the SUV in reverse and backed out of the driveway. “Leftovers.” Three nights into their week, and they’d already had two pseudo dinner parties. “And then I want you naked and all to myself.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me.”
Back at home, they changed out of their pristine white clothes in favor of loose shorts before removing the leftovers from the refrigerator and setting them out buffet-style on the kitchen island.
They filled their plates, reheated whatever needed it, and tucked in.
Royce devoured his portion of the eggplant Parmesan casserole and forked a bite from Sawyer’s plate.
“I used to hate eating leftovers as an adult, no matter how good the meal,” Royce said. “It reminded me of how broke we were as kids, eating the same thing for three or four days in a row.”
“And now?” Sawyer asked, moving his plate closer to Royce so he could steal another bite of the casserole.
“I changed my thinking after attending the Sawyer Locke School of Gratitude and Mindfulness.” Royce basked in the warmth he experienced every time he attached his last name to Sawyer’s first. It made him downright giddy.
His husband’s smirk let Royce know his detour to Happy Town hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“Instead of seeing the leftovers as punishment or embarrassment, I look back in awe at the way my mom held everything together when it would’ve been so much easier to give up.
Even when she was as sick as Nina, she fought hard until the end.
Being wasteful feels like a disservice to her memory.
” He snagged another bite from Sawyer’s plate and lifted his fork in the air. “To you, Mama.”
Sawyer saluted her too.