Page 28 of The Inevitable Us

“Ok, but you have to remember what Graham taught you. Don’t answer any questions, even if they ask your names. And they’ll be tricky. So don’t respond to anything they do or say at all. If you want to leave, just have Sawyer or Brody leave with you….”

Mom goes on to lecture us until we reach the venue. Bodyguards line the carpet until Dad comes out to greet us at the entryway. With the help of Laurel, for the first time ever, the entire Coleman family poses for the press. They arranged us so that Rory stood between Josie and Nate, and I was on the end, our parents centered between us.

Sawyer moves towards me when the lights start to flicker, blinding me.

“Hey Rosie, step closer to Josephine,” a young photographer yells out at us. I stand still as I’ve been instructed to do, refusing to answer them. They still haven’t figured out that I’m called Rosalie, and my sister is Josie, and it’s been ten years. A paparazzi had misheard my mother. They’d thought they’d heard my mother call me Rosie instead of Rosa-lee, and now they think it’s my name. I hate that. My forehead wrinkles in anger. Mom and Dad have never confirmed our names, so as far as they know, those aren’t our names at all.

“Are you ok, Little Miss?” I look up at Sawyer, standing next to me, and he winks reassuringly at me.

I nod. “Yes, I’m ok. I just can’t see with all the lights,” I whisper back.

Sawyer leans in to whisper into my ear. “Be brave, Little Miss, it’s almost over, “ as a photographer snaps the photo.

Looking at the picture, everyone else only sees a photo of the Coleman family the night Dad retired. I see Sawyer comforting me when I needed it the most, leaning in, and my own adoring smile back at him.

The picture was one of many my dad’s assistant Laurel had printed, carefully selecting which one to use for the TV special. I’d asked for a copy of the picture from her, and it stayed sticky taped to the inside of my locker throughout middle school and high school.

With a deep sigh, I slip the photo next to a picture of Nate and Dad together. They’re fist-bumping before a game; Dad in the sapphire blue Smithfield Academy polo and a baseball cap pulled low.

I sleep that night, remembering the night Dad retired and searching for Sawyer in the crowd at Serendipity during the afterparty.

I find him at the door to the party. He gives me a nod, acknowledging me, before greeting a couple who approach the door. Biting my lip, I walk over to the back of the coffee bar and write a quick note to Sawyer. Folding it up, I wait so patiently to watch Sawyer refuse the couple’s entrance to the party. Before anyone else can come to the door, I pace over and slip Sawyer the note. He looks at the message in his palm, confused, and starts to say something. Embarrassed, I run away back into the party to find Rory. When I look back, he’s slipping the note into his pocket as two women approach. I see him glance back at me before greeting the women with his eyebrows furrowed. He never says anything about the note, but when our eyes meet later that evening I get a tiny hint of a smile and a wink in my direction before he goes back to work.

Chapter sixteen

Sawyer

UnlockingthedoortoRosalie’s loft, I can hear tiny feet scampering on the tile in the bathroom. I stick my head in before opening the door to let Charlie and Wednesday run free for a bit around the open space.

Wednesday greets me with a curious head tilt before barreling towards the open door. Charlie runs full speed towards a tiny ball, tackling it with a big pounce. When he reaches me, he lets out a pathetic “mraw.” I lean down to scratch his head and rub his chin a few times before he runs off with his sister to play for a bit. I have to admit, they are cute, and they seem to make Rosalie very happy.

It’s still quite early, and there’s no sign of Rosalie downstairs. I put the small brown bag and disposable cups on the coffee table before heading up to the bedroom.

The room is dark except for a tiny sliver of light from the curtains hanging in the bedroom. I walk over to the bed and squat down, my body just inches from Rosalie’s. I resist the urge to undress and just climb in with her. We have stuff to take care of today.

According to the schedule on the fridge, she’s free today, and I’m taking Rosalie out alone for the first time, a luxury we couldn’t have afforded to risk in Nashville.

I can feel her breath hot on my face when I lean in to brush my hand along her cheek. “Baby Girl, time to wake up. We have things to do.”

She jerks awake, her eyes popping open, and lets out a little scream in surprise. “Sawyer!” she says with a furrowed brow. “You scared the devil out of me!”

She blinks rapidly at me as her eyes try to focus. “Please, just let yourself in, why don’t you? Just make yourself at home.”

I give her a wry chuckle. Sass. Always sass. “Downstairs in 5 minutes. I brought coffee and bagels.”

“Iced coffee?” She yawns.

“Yeah, it’s not as good as Serendipity’s, but it’ll do.”

I amble down the stairs to wait for her while watching the kittens play wrestle with one another.

She’s still not dressed, and her hair’s in the sleepy bun I’ve seen her wear many times. I can see her nipples puckered under her pajama top. I fight the urge to lean over and cup each breast, sucking the nipple into my mouth.

“You know, it was your job to protect me. Ya know, from weird men sneaking into my bedroom,” she says when she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

Yawning, she walks over to the kittens’ shallow bowls and refills their wet food and water.

She picks up her bagel, smearing the cream cheese with a plastic knife, and plops down on the couch. “Why are you here?”

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