Page 61 of Waiting For Fate

“Say the words and I’ll drop to my knees and beg like a dog.” I close what little space is left between us, running a hand carefully through her curly hair.

“I don’t want to get hurt again, Sawyer,” she whispers, and it breaks my heart knowing that I’ve caused her any kind of pain in the past.

“Then let me heal what I hurt and prove to you that I’m not walking away again.” Her eyes flick up to mine and she says the single best word I’ve ever heard.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” My heart picks up speed as I confirm that I’ve heard her right. She nods her head and smiles softly at me. As the people around us begin the countdown to midnight, I take her face in my hands.

“Please tell me I can kiss you, Dove. That I can let everyone here know that you’re mine.” She bites her lip, and it completely unravels me. My heart is hers, whether she wants it or not.

“Yes, please.”

Motherfucker.

My lips land on hers just as the fireworks go off around us. My hands travel to her ass, and I pull her body flush to mine and her arms wrap around my neck. I swipe my tongue across her soft lips, and she parts them, allowing her tongue to dance with mine. While people shout around us, cameras flash, and fireworks pop in the sky, the only thing I can think is—this is how it was always meant to be.

Me and Dove against the world.

I’ll be damned if I fuck this up again.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pick her up, feeling her foot pop out behind her as she squeals against my lips. I finally set her back down, allowing both of us to come up for air, and I’m certain I’ve never been happier than I am right now.

“Since I’m no longer pretending that I hate you, I guess I’ll let you know… you look so sexy in this blue suit.” Her hands fist the collar of my jacket as she bites her now swollen lips.

“You should see how I look out of it.” I wink at her and when her eyes grow wide and her cheeks flame, I know I’m going to have the time of my life making her mine—properly.

CHAPTER 26

LEAH

You’re fine, heart. Just keep beating. Don’t be dramatic.

The image of Sawyer completely naked has infiltrated my mind and I’m now unable to think of anything else. He stands behind me with his arms wrapped around me like a blanket as we watch the fireworks together, and I still can’t quite believe that we’re here.

After all these years, Sawyer and I are actually together. I keep waiting for the alarm to go off and wake me from this dream. But when he nestles his face against my neck and electricity travels down the length of my spine, I know it’s real. How could everything I feel when I’m with him be anything but real?

“You wanna get out of here?” he whispers against my skin. My heart skips and a nervous energy I wish I could get rid of washes over me.

“Where to?” I hold my breath as I wait for what I feel is the inevitable “your place or mine” response.

“Let’s go driving.” He gives me a smile that takes me back in time. Back to high school when he would make me yell shotgun before anyone else could claim the front seat when we would go driving just to burn gas. Windows down, music up, and laughing until our cheeks hurt.

“Okay.” I can feel my cheeks burn as I smile up at him.

He grabs my hand and leads us downstairs, wrapping me in his arms the entire time we wait for the valet to bring his truck around. When the guy comes around to open my door, Sawyer steps around me and stops him.

“I got it, thanks man.” He shakes his hand and I see him slip the valet a twenty-dollar bill as a tip. The guy nods and smiles at him gratefully and wishes us a good night.

I think I sometimes forget that Sawyer is a professional hockey player and that they don’t make baby bucks like little old school teachers. He’s always been just Sawyer to me, but seeing him in this suit tailored to perfection, tipping someone twenty dollars like its loose change and opening the door to his pristine black Ford Raptor makes me feel a little out of my depth.

There’s no telling what kind of women he’s used to being with either, or what kind of lifestyle he maintains. I have no idea if I’ll even fit into his life now the way I might have back when our feelings for each other first developed—and that’s a terrifying realization.

We drive around for almost an hour, talking about anything and everything. I tell him about some of my most memorable stories from kids I’ve taught over the years, and he tells me about some college memories he wished he could have shared with me back when they first happened. He clues me in on the conversation he had with Taylor the night of the hockey game when he threatened Jackson, and it takes everything in me not to pick up my phone and call her to yell at her for not telling me.

I know she was trying to make up for what happened by doing what Sawyer asked and letting him do it himself, so I refrain from yelling at her— for tonight.

We’re in the middle of discussing how his season is going, when I bring up the fact that I’ve kept up with every single one of his games for the entirety of his career.

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