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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

COLLINS

W hat is it about us getting caught in the act? Or in this case, almost.

Oh, yes, because we have sex at inappropriate times and in largely inappropriate places.

I guess that’s what happens when you can’t get enough of each other.

How the hell we gathered ourselves and I made it into Sawyer’s bedroom before Ezra walked in the door, I have no idea.

Pulling on my leather pants and a bra, I close my eyes and wince. “Fuck.” In my haste to get out of the way, I totally forgot Sawyer’s T-shirt.

Dressed in the clothes Sawyer picked me up in after work, I stand at the top of the stairs, which lead directly into his living room. I can hear voices, and one of them is definitely Ezra’s.

“Dad, why is your shirt on the floor?” Ezra asks.

I cringe, biting down on my fist in an attempt to rid the embarrassment as it tears through me.

Sawyer clears his throat, obviously just as embarrassed. “I was doing push-ups and overheated. Anyway, how was Nate?”

I assume Nate is the friend he saw tonight.

“He’s good.” Ezra’s reply is brief.

“And what did you talk about?” Sawyer pushes.

Jesus, it’s like pulling teeth.

“Mostly the Knicks. He thinks they’re the best team right now. They aren’t,” he adds with confidence.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.

Sawyer

Come downstairs when you’re ready, Baby Girl. I’m making us something to eat.

Nerves swirl in my stomach as I take the first step and head down the stairs.

When I round the corner, Ezra is side-on to me, sitting on the couch, facing the TV above the fireplace, head buried in his phone. The Breakfast Club is still on pause where we left it.

A floorboard creaks beneath my foot, and Sawyer pokes his head around the archway leading to the kitchen. He’s wearing the T-shirt, a smile, and … glasses?

Ezra’s head darts in my direction, his jaw wide open as he tries to process what he’s seeing.

I lift my hand in a tentative wave, like some kind of goddamn weirdo. “Hi.”

Ezra drops his phone beside him and leaps off the couch, still looking just as confused. “W-what are you doing here?” He looks at me and then at Sawyer, who throws a towel over his shoulder and walks toward me, never taking his eyes from mine.

“Well, I actually invited Collins over for dinner tonight since you were seeing Nate.” Sawyer stops just in front of me and turns to Ezra. “We also had something to tell you.” He reaches out and takes my hand in his.

Ezra’s attention drops from his dad to our joined hands in between us. “Wait, are you two, like, a thing now?” He takes a couple of paces toward us, lips tipping up in the corner. “I knew you were lying when you said you didn’t like each other. Friends, my ass.”

Sawyer turns toward Ezra, an unimpressed brow raised at his son.

I smirk, rolling my lips together.

“You’re right though, Ez,” I say, clueless about why I gave him a nickname, but loving how it sounds. “Sawyer and I are more than friends, and I came over tonight because we wanted you to be the first to find out.”

The room falls silent, and for a split second, panic shoots through me when I see the glassiness in his eyes.

Shit . Is this not what he wanted after all? I really fucking hope he doesn’t think I’m here to replace his mom because I’ll never be her. I don’t want to be her.

My concern is only fleeting though when Ezra makes a beeline for me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and I rest my chin on top of his head when he dips it down, our similar height even more noticeable.

He smells like Sawyer—fresh, clean, and comforting.

Sawyer drops my hand and scrubs a rough palm over his jaw, his green eyes glassy, just like his son’s.

“Does this mean you’ll definitely come to Alyssa and Dom’s after dinner and spend the entire Christmas with us? We don’t even have to play board games if you don’t want.”

I wrap my arms around his waist, my mind hasn’t changed since Ezra asked me over pizza. Still, I’m intrigued by the games on offer. “Specifically, what board games are we talking about?”

His face is serious when he pulls back. “I like Jenga and Clue, but I kill it every time with Monopoly. No one can beat me, not even Dad. Right?” He turns over his shoulder, and Sawyer shakes his head a little, trying to regroup.

“Alyssa came pretty close last year. You’re just lucky with the dice and always get Park Place or Boardwalk.”

Ezra releases me, propping his hands on his hips. “Yeah, well, that’s what all the losers say. I’ve won two years in a row now.”

Sawyer folds his arms across his chest, and Ezra spins back around to face me.

“But for real, you guys are actually together?” He points at me. “So, you’re my dad’s girlfriend?”

I nod once, that label still sparking the tingles I’ve always felt around the broody hockey captain. “Yep, that’s right.”

“Have you kissed yet?”

Sawyer immediately bursts into a coughing fit, and I blow out a single laugh.

“I think that’s enough questions for now, don’t you?” his dad replies, cocking his head toward the stairs. “Don’t you have any homework to catch up on since I know you’ve already had dinner?”

Ezra drops his shoulders, defeated. “Just some math, but it isn’t due until the day after tomorrow.”

Sawyer motions toward the staircase. “Doesn’t mean you should leave it until the final second.”

Ignoring his dad, Ezra refocuses back on me. “Does this mean you’re moving in with us? You can bring your bikes.”

I have zero idea how to respond, but I try my best. “I don’t think I’ll be moving in anytime soon.”

I flick my eyes to Sawyer for a brief second, keen on gauging his response to my statement. He gives nothing away, only shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

“But I may stay over from time to time, if that’s okay with you?”

Ezra doesn’t hesitate. “Absolutely, it is. It’s real boring around here, and Dad knows nothing about bikes.” Seemingly satisfied with my answer, he makes for the stairs, taking the first few steps and then stopping, deep in thought. “I’m happy you and my dad are dating. Like I said before, I didn’t think he’d find anyone after Mom.”

When Ezra disappears out of sight, we stand a few feet apart, staring at each other.

“I didn’t know you wore glasses.” I break the silence first, walking over and pulling off his silver frames, trying them on for size.

Sawyer scratches his chest as he watches me. “You really think I was going to own up to needing reading glasses? You already think I’m old. Contacts have been my best friend, but now that I have you trapped, I’m about to reveal all my geriatric secrets.”

I bite down on my bottom lip, vision blurry since I don’t need a prescription. “I’d say keeping this secret has been your loss. They’re hot as fuck.”

He softly scoffs and steps forward, towering over me. “And you look cute as fuck in them.” In what’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite things he does, Sawyer tips my chin up to look at him. “Where the hell have you been all these years, Collins? We both needed you so much, and now that you’re here, I never want to let you go.”

He reaches down, looping his arms under my ass, and I release a high-pitched squeal, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Feeling this free to be myself is liberating, almost like I’ve been hiding the lighter girl in a cupboard somewhere, scared to let her out and risk being vulnerable.

Being vulnerable around Sawyer is no risk at all—I can feel that deep in my soul.

I lean down, his oversize glasses slipping to the end of my nose.

“And now you look like a naughty teacher, about to ream me out for being a bad boy,” Sawyer jests, although I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s going to make me wear them later in bed.

“What were you using these for anyway?”

He spins us around, pressing my back into the side of the staircase, and I loop my legs around his waist.

“I told you, I’m making dinner, and I needed to check a recipe. They always use such small print in those books.”

I pull his mouth down to me. “You keep telling yourself that, old man.”

Sawyer traces his lips over mine, and already, I’m thinking about the benefits of skipping dinner.

“You know, in a few years, when your eyes need a little assistance, I won’t tease you like you do me.”

His hands grip my waist tighter. His reference to our future is like an elephant in the room.

I pull his mouth back to mine, eager to show him I’m okay and not freaking out, and we melt into a long kiss before breaking off with our heads pressed together, my fingers teasing the hairs at the nape of his neck.

“I’m not here to replace Ezra’s mom, you know,” I say, unable to hold the thought that’s been turning in my conscience since we told Ezra we were dating.

“I know,” Sawyer replies on a long breath, picking his head up to study my face.

He pulls the glasses off and pokes them through the railings, setting them on the stairs behind my head. “Neither me nor Ezra sees you as anything but who you are. I want you to be exactly what you are right now to him—one of his best friends and someone way cooler than his dad.” He pauses for a split second. “And I want you to be the woman I’ve been obsessed with for over a year. Being with me doesn’t carry any expectations, Baby Girl. All I want is your time and love and to know you’re totally and one hundred percent mine.”

He kisses me, sweeping his tongue into my mouth in a show of sincerity as pure and honest as the words he just said. Truthfully, there isn’t really anything complicated about being with Sawyer Bryce.

Still, hearing him confirm it out loud melts away any last shred of worry, and with each pass of his tongue against mine, I fall deeper into his world, content to be tangled up with him for as long as possible.

“Knew it!” a small voice calls from above, and we break apart, both looking up the stairs.

Ezra stands with his hands propped on his hips, a smug smile all over his face. “I knew you were kissing. But just for the record, I never want to see it again.” He disappears out of sight, bedroom door slamming behind him, closely followed by, “Ewww!”

I turn back to Sawyer to see his lips quivering with laughter.

“Welcome to the world of the preteen, featuring my delightful son, Ezra Sawyer Bryce.”