Forever With His Boss

by Rheland Richmond

  “Damn.” Nate patted him on the back. “You do need a drink.”

  Sawyer snorted. “Or three.” Sawyer watched the liquid move in his glass as he swirled it around. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do. But I have to go pick them up tomorrow morning.”

  “Have you told Ford? I’m sure he would come down and help if you asked.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, I have no idea how. It just feels like too much to dump on a new relationship.”

  “From everything you’ve told me about him, I don’t think he’s the type to bail.”

  He’d told Nate all about Ford when his friend had driven him home the day he’d come back since he’d stayed at the office late and Mark already had further to travel to make it to his home in Connecticut.

  “I don’t think he would, but man, we’ve not even been together for three months. How does that conversation even go?”

  Nate didn’t answer immediately, which he appreciated.

  “My opinion, just be honest with him, and either he’ll stay or he’ll go. But if you’re as serious about him as you say you are, then he deserves the truth.” When he met Nate’s gaze, the look on his said, ‘You know I’m right.’

  “Three kids man, three. That’s a lot of truth to expect any guy to understand.” He stared in his drink, hoping the answers would come to him.

  Nate grasped his shoulder, and he looked his friend’s way. “The right person… they won’t care. So I guess you have to ask yourself if Ford is that person.”

  They sat there in silence as Sawyer nursed his second drink, mulling over what Nate had said to him and how much his life was about to change in the morning. He appreciated his friend staying there while he processed everything the day had just dumped on him.

  Sawyer stood up and tossed the rest of his drink back. “Thank you, Nate, for coming out tonight. I should get going. Wouldn’t want to show up hungover to meet the social worker.”

  “Good luck?” Nate chuckled. “Is that even the right thing to say?”

  “Well, I definitely need all the luck I can get.”

  5

  Ford

  After another week had passed, Ford felt they were back on track to pick up where Larry had left off. The first couple of days, he may have held off on getting things going, but only slightly. Ford assumed… hoped really, that Sawyer would come back to get things sorted and get the new contractor going.

  Don’t lie. You thought he would rush back to you.

  That clearly wasn’t the case, and even though he felt like someone told him Santa wasn’t real, Ford pushed on to get the job done. But the ‘why isn’t he back yet’ question wouldn’t stop ringing in his head.

  The plan was ten days, maybe two weeks, then Sawyer would return, and they were passing that with no indication that Sawyer was even close to coming back.

  You have a meeting. This is not the time to wallow in your feelings.

  Drake was coming in to get everything situated for him and his crew to officially carry on with the building of the resort.

  He’d called the references that Drake had submitted, and Ford was pleased to find that everyone seemed happy with Drake’s work. Even though this would be his biggest solo project, the foreman of one of the crews Drake worked on assured Ford he was in good hands. Which Drake proved further by insisting on doing a thorough inventory of what had been done already to see if they would run into any problems from what the first contractor had completed so far.

  Ford hadn’t even considered that, but it had made him more certain of his choice. They’d also had an earlier meeting with the architect in charge, which had gone great. Today was just a signing-the-contract day.

  He was using Sawyer’s office but left the door that separated his office from Ford’s desk area open so he could hear when anyone came in.

  Maybe I should get an assistant.

  Before he could dwell too much on that thought, his friend appeared in the doorway. Ford got on his feet and strode towards Owen and hugged him.

  “What are you doing here?” Ford stepped back. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “I know.” Owen let out a sigh. “I was bored of studying and needed to get out of the house, so I went over to Mom’s.” He nodded over at his brother. “Then Drake said he was coming here, so I figured I’d tag along. Don’t worry, I won’t get in the way.”

  Ford stretched his hand out to Drake for a hand shake. “It’s good to see you again, Drake.” He released Drake’s hand and walked over to his side of the desk, motioning for everyone to sit. “Let’s get this signed. I’m sure you’re ready to get to work.”

  Drake nodded. “My newly assembled team is ready, and you can rest assured that we are not going to let you down.”

  Ford smiled at Drake. “I know you won’t, or I’ll give your mom a call.” Drake snorted, and Owen threw his head back and laughed.

  “No threat necessary.” Drake’s hands were up in the universal sign of surrender, and he smiled good naturedly.

  A grin tugged at Ford’s lips. Okay, so this was already better than Larry. It had been like walking on eggshells around the other man. Actually, more like he’d been walking through a field filled with unexploded mines.

  Ford picked up the budget he’d printed and held it out to Drake. “I’m sure you went over this from the email I sent, but this is what the old contractor estimated.”

  Drake nodded. “I think we can do it for a lower price.” Drake picked up the document and turned it to the second page. “Here, the cost for the materials, not to speak ill of anyone, but he overcharged by a lot, so I think we will come in a bit lower, and it’s off season so my men are happy to have the work, trust me they won’t slack off. That I can assure you.”

  Ford looked over to Owen. His friend was smiling, his eyes shining with pride for his brother.

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea how greatly this saves my ass.” Ford beamed at the two brothers. “You don’t know what a load off it is to be working with people I can trust.”

  “Trust me, you’re the one doing me a favor.” Drake looked over at his brother and smiled. “I wasn’t sure how long getting my construction company off the ground would take. Who knew my little brother would hook me up?”

  “Well, I’m glad we can help each other out.” Ford got on his feet. “I don’t think you’ve seen the model.”

  Drake was shaking his head as he stood, too, and met Ford in front of the model that Sawyer had made for the final vision of the property.

  Ford pointed out the different parts of the resort, and Drake listened and asked questions as he showed him everything from the separate chalets for VIP clients, to the wine cellar and gourmet kitchen.

  The original structure owned by Mr. Roberts had been much smaller and very run down by the time Sawyer bought it. The former owner’s daughter had wanted nothing to do with it, and the man couldn’t keep up with it.

  “This is going to be amazing.” Owen’s voice had him lifting his head up to meet his gaze.

  “I know, right?” Ford couldn’t stop his grin. He was proud to be a part of this.

  “Amber Falls has always been a budget ski town, but with this”—he waved at the model—“it will definitely be a game changer. We may end up as one of the main Colorado towns to visit.” Drake sounded impressed.

  “We hope so,” Ford said. “But I know Sawyer wants to make sure it doesn’t become just another exclusive vacation town. You know?”

  Owen and Drake nodded.

  “I don’t think it will, but there will be more jobs.” Owen’s eyes widened before he excitedly said, “And maybe we can get a brunch spot.” He then chuckled. “I would love to say, ‘wanna do brunch?’”

  “Why yes, Owen, I would love to do brunch with you.” Their gazes met, and they burst out laughing.

  But Owen wasn’t wrong. Amber Falls was about to get a face-lift, and it was all thanks to Sawyer. He just wished his boyfriend was here to see it happen.<
br />
  Drake shook his head at their antics, a smile on his face, but then he was back to serious mode.

  “The owner is lucky that he didn’t have to create slopes from scratch, because that would have made the project much, much longer.” Drake said. “And definitely harder to get approved.”

  “I know, exactly.” Ford nodded. “All we have to do is upgrade the lifts and maybe add a new one.”

  Ford’s phone started to ring, and he hurried over to where he’d left it on the desk. Please let it be Sawyer. It’d been a few days since they’d spoken, and even then, the conversation had been brief, Sawyer’s responses short. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but worry had started to tickle at the back of his mind.

  “Give me a minute, please,” Ford said, remembering his manners.

  “Take your time,” Drake replied before looking back at the model and the blueprint up on the wall.

  Ford nodded and left them to it. When he glanced down at the caller ID, his shoulders slumped. “Hello?”

  “Hey, honey, it’s Mom.”

  He let out a sigh. “I know, Mom.”

  Ford was disappointed it wasn’t Sawyer calling for an afternoon quickie… wouldn’t be the good kind anyway… but he held on to the fact that Sawyer was working hard to get back to him and that they would be reunited soon. Hopefully.

  He turned around and lowered his voice so Owen and Drake were not disturbed by his conversation.

  “What’s up, Mom?” Ford tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. It wasn’t his mom’s fault.

  “Am I interrupting?” Her voice was lowered to match his, which made him smile.

  “Kind of, but it’s okay. You know you don’t have to whisper, right?”

  She replied at normal volume with a chuckle, “I didn’t even know I was.”

  Ford rolled his eyes, but then his brow creased. “What’s up, Mom? Is Dad okay?” He hadn’t been expecting a call from her.

  “Oh yes. He’s perfectly fine,” she said. “I was just seeing if you would be home for dinner. I’m making meatloaf.”

  Ford scrubbed a hand down his face and rolled his eyes, even as a smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, Mother, I’ll be home for dinner. Actually, I should be home early today since I’ll be leaving here in a bit.”

  He hadn’t left before eight the last few nights, but since they were getting back on track tomorrow, he could start heading home at a decent time.

  “Okay, honey. See you soon”

  Ford hung up, shaking his head… would his mother ever stop treating him like a child?

  “Maybe if you got your own place,” he muttered to himself.

  When he turned around, it was to find Owen’s eyes on him, and his friend seemed to be holding back his laughter.

  Okay, so they’d heard his conversation. Ford held up his hand as if to say, “Say one word, and I’ll kill you.”

  “How does everything look?” Ford walked over to meet the brothers.

  Drake’s eyes shone, enthusiasm pouring off him. “I think it looks great. We can have a crew here tomorrow morning.”

  “Fantastic.” Ford clapped his hands grinning. “I guess if that is all, I’ll walk you out.”

  Owen shook his head. “You don’t have to do that, Ford. We know the way.”

  “Trust me, I’ve been sitting here going over documents, researching people for some of the positions, and I need to stretch my legs.” He took a second to grab his coat, then followed behind Owen and Drake.

  As they filed out of the office, Drake spoke. “I want to thank you for thinking of me for this project.” Drake stopped and turned, and Ford nearly ran into him. “You have no idea what it means to me. Not just because I am grateful to have a job so soon after returning home, but also for being part of something that will change Amber Falls.”

  Ford’s lips curved. Okay, so it wasn’t a requirement for the contractor to be passionate about this project, but it was definitely a bonus.

  “Trust me, I am very happy to be working with someone that gets it, so I should be thanking you. I probably would have still been scrambling to find someone that…” Ford didn’t want to call Larry an asshole, but that was what his former contractor had been.

  “Meshes well?” Owen supplied.

  Ford nodded, smiling gratefully at his friend. “That works. Anyway, if it wasn’t for you and your team coming in to save the day, we’d still be on pause. I hope it hasn’t been a hassle to hire guys.”

  “Not at all. I had contacts, and they’re all looking forward to getting started.” Drake reassured him.

  “Okay, you’re thankful,” Owen interrupted and pointed at his brother. “Ford is thankful. Can we get moving?”

  He and Drake snorted, and they exited the trailer.

  “Impatient much?” he teased Owen. Ford slung his arm around his friend’s neck.

  “Didn’t you say the kids were going over to their friend’s house, and Dean was picking them up after work?” Drake asked his brother. “So you can stay out a little longer.”

  Ford could tell there was a conversation he was missing out on, but before he could ask, Owen began speaking.

  “I did, but,” Owen looked away and gasped. “Oh my.”

  “Nice try, changing the subject,” Drake said.

  Ford’s looked to where his friend was staring, and his jaw dropped when he saw what was on the sign advertising the opening of the resort. He just stared at it.

  “Who would… Who did that?” Owen’s face contorted, showing both disbelief and horror at whatever had captured his attention.

  “Fuck you, fa—” Drake stopped short of reading the last word in shock. It was painted in bright letters on the sign. Drake asked, “Who would have done that?”

  Ford had a pretty good idea. His heart sank into his stomach. Larry had apparently decided to be a thorn in his side. If he reported it, it would be yet another setback.

  Could he just get a new sign announcing the opening and ignore that one?

  He looked over to Drake and found the man staring hard at the sign, his hands fisted.

  God, would the man quit because of the drama?

  “I’m sorry. I hope this doesn’t make you want to run away from this job. It’s just the old contractor being a nuisance... I’ll get that taken care of.”

  Drake turned to Ford. “Don’t even worry about it. And if you want, I can take the sign down, clean it up, and have it back tomorrow.”

  “Really? That would be awesome.” Ford pressed a palm against his stomach as he looked up. “Thank you so much.”

  “Don’t even mention it.” Drake went to the bed of his truck and grabbed a toolbox, then headed towards the sign.

  Owen’s arms went around his waist. “Trust me, Drake’s guys won’t care. It’ll just make them want to do an even better job on this.”

  Ford hoped so. Fuck, he wished Sawyer was there with him, sharing this too. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be in charge after all.

  He just wanted his boyfriend back.

  Sawyer

  Six days earlier…

  Sawyer had gotten very little sleep the night before, and as he pulled up the street to the address the social worker had given him, the anxiety began to increase, causing him to squeeze the steering wheel harder to keep his hands from shaking.

  The neighborhood was middle class, and when his GPS sang out, “Your destination is on the right,” he slowly guided his SUV to the curb and parked, blowing out a breath before looking through the passenger window. The house was an unremarkable saltbox style home with a small, manicured front lawn, but no indication that there were any children who lived here.

  “Is this supposed to be what a foster home looks like?” he mumbled to himself.

  Sweeping his eyes over to the covered porch in the middle of the front of the house, he saw a woman holding a small bundle, and one child gripping her free hand while the other held onto a small Thor rolling suitcase next to him.

  The third
of his… siblings was standing apart from the others with her arms crossed, leaning against the porch pillar on the opposite side.

  “Well, Sawyer, might as well get this over with.”

  Stepping out of his car and closing the door behind him, he made his way up the walkway, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Mr. Lancaster,” the woman said as she removed her hand from the little boy’s and held it out to him. “I’m Madison Walker. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

  Sawyer shook her hand while replying, “It’s nice to meet you as well. Are the foster parents coming out soon? I’d like to thank them for taking in my siblings.”

  Ms. Walker hesitated a moment before answering him. “They… had me come over to get the children ready first thing this morning, but wanted to sleep in since it was so early.”

  Sawyer stood silent as he processed this, then looked over the children and back up at the social worker. Early? How could someone who was a foster parent not want to see off the children they took in?

  “Okay… Well then, I guess there’s no need to stay on the porch any longer.

  Madison laughed. “No, not really. The sooner we get them settled in the car and the paperwork signed, the better. With that, she began to introduce the children. “This little one in my arms is Callum, this young man is Gavin, and here is Savanna—”

  “Savie,” the young girl standing off to the other side of the stairs interrupted, rolling her eyes and then turning away.

  This is going to be interesting. Sawyer couldn’t help thinking, deflating a bit as he grabbed the other bags of luggage and they all made their way back down to his car, where the two older kids piled into the back.

  He already had second, third, and fourth thoughts, so why not add a sister that hated him on sight?

  “You sure I can do this?” Sawyer asked Madison, his eyes on the kids in the back of his car. He had forgotten to get a car seat for Callum, but Madison, a step ahead, had brought one with her for him to use.