Page 59 of Sawyer
But he didn’t get to finish his thought. A heavy pounding at the door demanded their attention.
Ravage walked in, carrying a shoe box. “Best I can tell, the only thing missing is a pair of shoes. Why the fuck would someone break into a house to steal a pair of shoes?”
Her heart froze. Yes, Ravage held a shoebox, but it hadn’t contained shoes. “That’s the box I kept my letters to Jaxon in. Daddy, that man stole my letters.”
This time, Sawyer’s look was for Ravage. “We need to find whoever is trying to hurt my Little girl.”
Ravage lifted his chin. “I’ll take care of it,” he said. “You gonna need me anymore today?”
“No, we’re packing up and heading back to Darling. When you find something, call me.”
Without another word, Ravage walked out.
Sawyer gazed down at her, and the look in his eyes did wicked things to her princess parts. “I want nothing more than to sink my fingers into your soft curls and show you just how much your words meant to me, babygirl. And I will definitely be doing that as soon as we get back to Darling. But right now, we need to get you packed so that we can leave.”
She sighed. The last time she’d left for Darling, she hadn’t thought she’d be gone long. This time was different. This time, she was moving to a new home where she would live happily ever after with her new Daddy. Nothing could stop them now.
CHAPTER 20
Sawyer glanced in his rearview mirror as he pulled into his driveway, trying to figure out how in the hell he’d lost control in a matter of minutes. They’d been packing up Lele’s things… and then, this. His gaze shifted to the tiny spellcaster beside him. “Tell me again, Half-Pint. How in the hell did we wind up bringing that pink road hazard on wheels back to Darling?”
She flashed him one of her brilliant smiles that stole his breath every time. “We wound up with Lola Motor-Bunny because you are the most wonderful Daddy in the world. And because I promised to wear full body armor and a special, super helmet every time I even walked by her. And it’s pink with bunny ears! I can’t believe you found one that matches Lola Motor-Bunny. Now I’ll never crash again.”
Yeah, he hadn’t exactly been scrolling the internet and found it. He’d custom-ordered the helmet for her the first time he’d seen her riding it to work. He’d almost had a heart attack when she slammed on her brakes to let a turtle cross the road unharmed. After she’d skidded to a halt on the wet pavement, she’d parked herbike in the middle of the street and directed traffic until the thing made it to the other side of the road. Her helmet was the top of the line in head protection. Even if it was covered in bunny decals and had long pink ears sticking out of the top.
“You're not gonna need to worry about that, babygirl. That helmet is for when you ride with me. You may have talked to me into bringing it to Darling, but that doesn't mean you’re gonna ride it.”
“Daddy, that's not fair!”
“Fair is a place with rides and funnel cakes. If I see you on that bike, we’re gonna have a problem. A serious one that involves your grandma’s wooden spatula.”
She humphed and took in the sights of Darling as they drove through town. He was going to show her every one of them. He hadn’t told her they had a Cravin’ Cookies in town. She was going to love it here.
When they walked through the front door of his house, shouts of “surprise” filled the air. Beach balls dangled from the ceiling, and pool toys covered every surface in his family room. The Musketiaras had arrived with their Daddies in tow, all of them. Littles in cute swimsuits jumped and squealed all around them, each wearing a sparkly crown.
With a grin, he turned to his girl. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he lifted her high and spun her around. "Welcome to Darling, little girl,” he said. “Welcome home.”
When he returned her to her feet, she stared at the gathering of all her new friends and promptly burst into tears. Sawyer scooped her up in his arms again. Yeah, his Little girl was a crier, and that was perfectly fine with him. She had big feelings, and she wasn’t used to the positive kind of love and attention. He was just the Daddy to dry her tears and hold her tight.
With everyone there to help and celebrate her moving toDarling, it only took a few minutes to unload his truck. He refused to let himself get angry again over the ridiculously small number of belongings she had to bring. That was okay, too. From now on, he was going to shower her with everything she’d ever wanted.
Once they were done, Sawyer turned to the excited group of Littles now standing in his kitchen. “I can't help but notice you all are wearing swimsuits. Does that mean it's time for a pool party?”
“Yes!” the girls all chorus.
Minutes later, the girls were coated in sunscreen and eager to dive into the pool. He had to be the bearer of bad news. “You can’t get in the pool for twenty minutes for the sunscreen to soak in.”
Wringing her hands, Lele asked, “What are we supposed to do until then? Everyone’s going to get bored and leave.”
It was time for his Little girl to learn what true friendship was. “Half-Pint, they aren’t here for the pool. They’re here for you. They aren’t going to leave. Besides, you can't have a party without music.” Pulling out his phone, he asked. “What would you like to swim to today, babygirl?” As if he didn't know exactly what his Half-Pint would say.
Lele did not disappoint. Not that she ever could. “The only thing better than a pool party with new friends is a disco pool party with new friends!”
“Disco?” Gabi said. “I've heard of that, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it.”
Rory smirked. “I have,” she said. “I’ve watched clips online of John Travolta in that sexy white suit, shaking his booty and strutting all over the dance floor.”
“Hey,” Ezra Harper, a detective on the Darling police force and a good friend, called out, “That’s enough talking about sexy men who aren’t me.”
