Page 2 of Charged With Forever

They shake hands and he lets me know he’s meeting our dads for a drink. "See you later,” he says, then touches his lips to mine before going upstairs to change.

"You got your happily ever after," she mutters as we begin working.

I force a smile at her obvious excitement for us, all the while knowing as great as things appear from the outside, nothing is ever perfect.

Not even for us.

Chapter 2

Cole

As I already had a beer with dinner, I enjoy my glass of water while Clive, my dad, and Sawyer’s, Caleb, discuss the stalking cases that popped up in town in the last few weeks.

"No leads at all? This bastard must be slick if my son can't even find him," my dad boasts proudly. I’m glad he’s that confident in my abilities, but I'm almost thirty, so it can be a little embarrassing, too. Plus, he's also my boss, which can be somewhat uncomfortable as I don’t want it to seem like favoritism. Not that he would do that.

"No kidding,” Caleb agrees. “The world is a scary place. I'm glad my baby girl is well-equipped to handle it."

"If need be, Sawyer could slay dragons," I add with a grin. My woman has always been a badass, even when we were in high school.

"She gets that from her mother," Caleb interjects as usual. "The smart lawyering stuff is all me.” he reminds with a smirk, making me chuckle.

"So far, he's careful, leaving only creepy notes with no real threat, which makes it difficult to figure out his identity. I hate the idea of having to wait until he escalates to catch him." They nod, knowing he technically hasn’t committed a criminal act at this point, despite more than a dozen women coming forward regarding random notes they received. It's frustrating.

"Let’s table the work talk," Caleb chimes in after a couple minutes. "Your tenth anniversary is coming up. What are you getting Sawyer?" I know exactly what I’m doing, but I'm not telling her dad. He can’t keep his mouth shut where she’s concerned, and she’s the same with him. They are very close. So, I lie. "I'm still mulling it over."

My dad laughs, muttering, “I know what your mom wants and it’s not even her celebration." He pauses for effect, then continues with, "A grandchild."

Caleb snickers, pats me on the back, then nods. "Maybe even two." It’s not like Sawyer and I haven’t thought about having kids. We’ve each been so focused on school and establishing our careers that starting our family became more of a someday thing. Besides, we’re not even married yet.

"No pressure," dad throws out. Yeah, right. The moms are counting down the days until they can get their hands on their first grandchild. Our dads are just as bad. Thankfully, the topic is quickly changed, not that it helps much.

"You'll have to do better than cheap necklaces, too," Caleb teases with a nod to the simple heart pendant hanging around my neck from a sterling silver chain. Admittedly, it's a woman's and Sawyer’s is identical.

It was the first gift I ever got her. I was in the academy and she was in her last year of high school. Neither of us had ever been in a relationship before, so we were learning as we went. We’d gotten in a stupid fight, which lead to me purchasing them to show my commitment to us and apologize at the same time. A decade later and we still haven’t taken them off. I got some shit from a couple of my fellow trainees, but a few punches took care of that. The thing about Sawyer is that she appreciates the simple things in life. She doesn’t value posh or extravagant items.

After our meal, I head home, thoughts of the stalker, marriage, and kids swirling through my mind. Not the best combo. Sawyer and I both have a lot on our plates with work. Pulling in, I notice Tina's car is gone, meaning I have my girl to myself for once.

Entering our house, I shut the door behind me and go through the place, double-checking the locks. There’s still a mountain of files and paperwork on the table, telling me she’s nowhere near done her work. I’d say she’s been working too hard lately, but she’s always been this way. First with law school, then starting her firm right after. Maybe we need a little break, a chance to unwind and reconnect? As appealing, and necessary, as a vacation sounds, I know it won’t happen for a while. We’re both busy.

The long day finally catches up with me as I make my way upstairs where I quietly take off my clothes. Too tired to deal with them right now, I leave them in a pile on the floor, then quickly brush my teeth before crawling in bed. When I feel Sawyer’s warm, naked body, I’m suddenly no longer tired. Hopefully, she isn’t either. I run my hands down her arms, moving her hair to kiss the back of her neck, causing her to moan as she starts to stir. It seems like it’s been forever since we had each other. Our spells between intimate moments have been getting longer. It’s been an added frustration to my plate.

"Cole?"

I growl as I pinch her ass, resulting in her yelp of surprise. Yeah, she’s awake now. "Who else would it be?"

"My side piece,” she jokes. “I thought you were working late."

"Not funny, sweetheart," I inform her as I flip her over and press myself against her. I kiss her hard as her fingers begin digging in my skin, an impatient need for her taste flooding me. She seems to feel the same as she hikes her leg around my hip, her wet core rubbing against my cock. She's so ready, letting me slip into her easily. We make slow and passionate love, and like always, it's fantastic. She's been my first everything, and I know she'll be my only.

As we lay there afterward, satisfaction thrumming through us, we talk about the upcoming week. It’s another busy one for both of us, which doesn't leave us a lot of time to be together. That seems to be happening more and more lately, I comfort myself with the reminder it’ll blow over once things settle down. Once they do, we’ll get back to normal and we can take that vacation, return to how we used to be. Only better.

Right?

Chapter 3

Sawyer

As my phone rings off the hook, I look over the newest client files on my desk, as more are being added, in an attempt to match them to one of my lawyers. Both are evidence as to how well the firm is doing, I’m thankful for, but it is a lot of work. I wouldn’t change it for anything because this is what I’ve always wanted to do. Then again, when I pictured it, I was the lawyer in the trenches, not the boss of it all.

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