As Sadie unfolded it over her, she could see the faint goosebumps on Evan’s uncovered arms. Since the blanket was small, she scooted closer, handing him the blanket to move over his lower body.
“You can use it if you’re cold. I’ll be okay until we get back.”
“Your teeth are chattering right now, and we have another ten minutes or so before we get back. Just put it over you and stop being stubborn.”
They maneuvered the blanket so most of his arms were covered while still holding the reins, and Sadie scooted a little closer, trying to make it easier with no wasted blanket space. Being so close to his body heat was just another benefit.
The feel of his arm next to hers sent her back to high school when she would fantasize about what it would feel like to have his hand surrounding hers. As if reading her thoughts, he reached his hand over and grasped hers, not saying a word in the process.
Sadie froze, worried that if she moved too much, he’d let go and the magic of the moment would be gone. She’d have to face it that her old crush feelings were back with a vengeance with the fulfilling of many of those old dreams. But could she make a relationship work? Was it possible for a girl who came from a background like hers to have a happy relationship with someone?
If it was a possibility with anyone, it was Evan, who came from the most stable family she’d ever seen.
Chapter 16
Reaching over and taking Sadie’s hand had been a big risk, but she didn’t seem to object. He didn’t think she’d be one to totally rebuff him, but she’d been firm earlier about her convictions to not marry.
After dropping off the riders and helping them transport their pumpkins to their various vehicles, Evan hopped back onto the wagon and looked over at Sadie.
“Do you want to go with me to take the wagon back? Or did you need to get back to the house?” He watched as she bit her lip, and the urge to lean over and kiss her was stronger than ever.
“How about I run and get us jackets before we do that? My arms feel like popsicles.” She grinned and slid down, running out of sight. It wasn’t long before she returned, holding out a zip-up jacket for him.
“I found this in your Tahoe. Looks like you are prepared as well.” She giggled as she pulled on her Hawthorne football hoodie.
“I can’t believe you still have that. Didn’t I give that to you when we were in college?”
Sadie nodded. “I forgot a jacket, and we were heading to that outdoor concert freshman year. You offered me this one.”
“And you never gave it back,” he said, teasing in his voice.
“You were kind of a jerk after that. Well, let me rephrase that. You were a jerk before, but after that, you were a total jerk. I tried to avoid you as often as possible from that point, especially after that party, and I kept telling Aubrey to take it back to you, but she conveniently forgot every time.”
Evan turned to her, regret filling him. “I didn’t realize I’d hurt you that bad. I’m really sorry.”
Sadie studied his face for several seconds before she placed the blanket over her legs and then his, almost as a sign that she’d forgiven him for that terrible night in college.
That memory was one of those he’d worked to block out after ten years. It had been several weeks after he’d lent her his sweatshirt when the football team had won a big rivalry game. They’d come back to campus to several large parties throughout the dorms. He remembered seeing Aubrey and Sadie at a party, but it had been a while since he’d focused on the words he’d uttered when he saw her wearing the sweatshirt again.
“Look, it’s my sister and her jersey-chasing friend.” Even though he’d been drunk at the time, he’d never forget the look on Sadie’s face, as though she’d been slapped. She’d nodded and left the party with Aubrey running after her.
Even later, Evan had never found the right time to apologize to her. Later that night was when his frat brother Eddie had died in a head-on collision, and then days later, several of the guys got into trouble for destroying their hotel rooms a few hours away from campus on a “bonding trip.”
“Thank you for apologizing,” Sadie said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“I shouldn’t have been like that to you or anyone. One reason why I quit drinking. I made the winning touchdown in our big spring game and felt like I was on top of the world. But then Eddie’s accident messed with a lot of us. That was when we trashed the hotel.”
Sadie looked at him with curiosity. “I never heard about the hotel. I just remember all of Delta Phi having a memorial for Eddie. Was anyone else in the car with him?”
Evan shook his head. “No, which was probably a good thing. A bunch of us in the IBC contribute to a fund in honor of him and the family killed in the other car. We found out later that the family had two children who weren’t in the car at the time and had to be taken in by family members. We’ve put them through college, and they’re both leading relatively normal lives now.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “I had no idea. Aubrey only ever got bits and pieces.” She paused a moment and then asked, “So, what happened at the hotel?”
“Gabe found out that his longtime girlfriend had passed away from cancer. She hadn’t wanted him to know the extent of it, so she kept it from him, saying she’d be okay. A bunch of us took him out to help him feel better and ended up breaking a large amount of hotel furniture. That’s when Coach Montgomery was named as the house mentor. He made sure all of us who participated in the vandalism worked it off.”
“What did you have to do?”
“I worked in the hotel we trashed. It was spring, so we just had practice for football. I’d drive up to the hotel and work for hours in the laundry, and then sometimes they had me working with the maids when we were shorthanded.”
Sadie laughed. “I’m surprised you wanted to keep working in hotels when that was a punishment.”
Evan shifted, sitting as close as he could to her while still focusing on the horses and the road. “I paid it off at the end of fall my sophomore year. Then an opening came up at the hotel closer to school, and I worked at the desk. I learned a lot of the ins and outs of how a hotel works. But you wouldn’t have known all that because you avoided me.” He looked over at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
“Like the plague,” she said, grinning. “So is that how you got your big start in owning hotels?”
“Kind of. Since I got a full-ride scholarship for football—”
“Ugh. Really?” Sadie said, cutting him off. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard you say that?”
Evan frowned. “Okay, I wasn’t trying to flaunt that fact right now. Just listen.”
Sadie adjusted the blanket up higher, tucking it around the shoulder furthest from him. She turned and rolled her eyes to say her patience was thin.
“All I meant was that since I didn’t have to pay for school, the money I earned after paying off the debt went into a savings account, and I started small with a fourplex apartment building. After that, I took out a large loan to cover my first hotel and all the renovations. When it made a profit, I moved on to the next one and the next.”
“How many do you own total?”
Evan scrunched his face together, trying to remember. “Twenty. But half of them are higher caliber hotels and bring in the more well-known clients or ones that have a lot of money.”
“So, is that what you worry about? The money?” Her tone sounded somewhat bitter, and Evan backpedaled a bit, realizing what he’d said.
“No, again, I’m sorry. What I meant is that there are different tiers of hotels. I’m hoping to earn a five-diamond award for the one in Vegas.”
“What’s that?” Sadie asked.
“It’s one of the most prestigious awards for hotels. There are a lot of inspections and things that need to be met, but I’ve only ever received a four-diamond award for one of the hotels in California. It would be nice to reach that new level.”
Sadie looked as though she
were thinking harder than normal. “I think I understand. It’s like me hoping to get the wedding with Charleigh French. Just a stepping stone. I like having a goal for something. It makes me push harder.”
“Exactly. That was one of the things I struggled with most after football was over. I had always been training to break rushing-yard records or speed up my running. After graduation, it took a while to figure out I needed to create my own goals to reach higher. So far, I’ve been able to accomplish all the things I’ve set my mind to. If you think that’s arrogant, then—”
Her hand reached out and wrapped around his bicep. “I’m sorry for saying that. Please forgive me. I guess I was just judging from the outside. Now I get that you want to improve, to get better all the time, and I admire that.”
He looked over and smiled at her, her features lit up by the rising moon. They pulled into Farmer Thompson’s property, and Evan maneuvered the wagon to sit where he’d been instructed by his father. They sat still for several moments, Evan’s insides screaming at him to kiss her.
Leaning forward, he was inches away from pressing his lips to hers, when lights flashed behind him and someone called out, “Evan? Sadie? Are you still here?”
Pulling back, Evan made eye contact with Sadie and couldn’t decide what it was she was feeling. “I guess we’d better go.”
Sadie’s voice sounded a bit breathless as she said, “Yeah, I guess we should.”
Evan slid down first and held out his hand for Sadie, helping her climb down. He folded the blanket as they walked toward the car. Opening the back door for Sadie on the passenger side, he made sure she got in and then closed the door with a soft click. Walking around the front, he glanced over as the driver’s side window rolled down.
Aiden grinned at him. “Did we interrupt something?” His voice was low, and Evan was grateful for that much. He didn’t want to make Sadie feel awkward.
“Maybe. Just drive us home.” He climbed into the seat behind Aiden, next to Sadie, as Aubrey was occupying the passenger seat.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you two since the festival began. Did you have fun?” Aubrey’s voice was normal, but from the little he could see of her face, she had questions she was dying to ask. Evan shook his head, widening his eyes in the hopes that she wouldn’t bring up anything right then. Never had he felt more like a kid in high school than that moment.
“It was a lot of fun. I’m surprised by how much fun I had.” Sadie grinned, and Evan could see the faint whiteness of her teeth in the dim light.
Aiden turned the Tahoe around and drove down a street on the right. “We need to pick up something Mom forgot to grab from Mrs. Goodwyn.”
Thinking nothing of it, Evan turned to look out the window, enjoying the sight of the fields in the darkness.
“Corn dogs.” The words were spoken softly, and Evan turned to look in Sadie’s direction, only seeing terror in her eyes. He scooted over, wrapping his arm around her.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered, grateful his brother and sister were talking about something that had happened earlier at the festival. “Are you okay?”
Sadie shook her head against his chest, and Evan looked up, realizing the source of her terror. They were passing the site where her home used to stand. She hid her face against him, and he squinted, trying to see what remained of the house. The town had done it’s best to clear the property of debris after the fire had taken hold. Although it wasn’t completely burned in the fire, the untouched part of the house was on the top floor. The bottom had been deemed unsafe, and the council had it knocked down when the Gibsons left town. It was nothing more than a block of concrete now.
Evan was stroking Sadie’s hair, trying to get her to calm down, when Aubrey turned around. “Sadie, are you okay?” She turned to look out the window, and her head swiveled back, shock and sadness on her face. “I’m so sorry.”
Aiden turned for a quick second before focusing on the road ahead. “What’s wrong?”
“We drove down the old road. Why didn’t you think of it?” Aubrey asked, giving him a light punch in the shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Sadie,” Aiden said. “I wasn’t thinking. This is the fastest way to get to Mrs. Goodwyn’s house.”
Sadie’s body was shaking, and Evan did all he could to comfort her. He held her until they’d made it past the house and down a few more houses to where they needed to stop.
When Aubrey opened the door and jumped out, Sadie looked up and wiped at her eyes, tucking a thick section of hair behind both ears. The light wasn’t the best, but Evan could see shame on her face.
Leaning forward, he put his lips next to her ear. “You don’t have to be ashamed. Just know I’m here.” He gave her a small smile when he pulled back, and she nodded, rolling her lips in.
Aubrey got back in with a few glass plates, and they took off, the two in front talking about random things from the festival. Evan was grateful for that as it was to avoid making Sadie feel bad.
Once they arrived back at the ranch, Evan pulled Sadie aside while the other two walked into the house. It felt strange that Aubrey would leave, as she was usually the one to comfort or talk to Sadie about everything. Maybe she was just trying to push them together some more.
Evan put his hands on Sadie’s shoulders and looked down so he could see into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Sadie nodded. “Thank you for holding me. I didn’t think it would hit me so hard.”
“Do you need to see someone about it?” Evan had no idea what to do about things like this and figured if someone were trained to deal with anxiety or trauma, they might be a good person to talk to.
“I’ve seen a therapist on and off for several years. I’ll give her a call on Monday.” Sadie said.
He wasn’t quite ready to head inside, and he wanted to make sure she was all right. “Do you want to sit on the swing out back? We’ve already got a blanket.” He held up the small blanket they’d used to cuddle with in the wagon.
She grinned. “I’d like that.”
Before Evan had the chance to slip his hand into hers, Sadie placed her warm hand into his, and a jolt of excitement shot through him.
They walked slowly around the side of the ranch house, the bright moon above making it easier to avoid the large rocks in their path. Once they’d settled into the large swing, Evan draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as if he could protect her from further pain.
But holding her, something inside him healed, as if he’d just needed her by his side to make all his past mistakes seem less permanent.
She turned in his arms, her eyes bright as the moon shone off them. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For helping me get through this. For giving me the strength to move beyond my past, if only a few steps.”
He wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t sure he deserved such gratitude. Instead of saying anything, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his ever so lightly. The same shock from her touch rippled across his face, and he kissed her again, the taste of her lips just as sweet as he’d imagined.
Pulling back, he saw a blush creep up her cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. With his heart racing and his lungs doing their best to produce oxygen, he leaned back, his head tilted up to look at the stars above.
The silence between them stretched on, but he felt no need to spoil it with words. This weekend had been one of the best of his life, and he hoped that his deepening feelings for Sadie Gibson would be returned. He’d just have to take things one step at a time.
Chapter 17
The next morning, the Pearson family got up early once again to ready themselves for church. Sadie woke up thinking the night had ended as a wonderful dream after it had begun as the realization of all her nightmares. But she could still feel Evan’s kiss on her lips, even better than she ever could have imagined.
She’d been grateful that Aubrey was asleep by the time she came back in. As much as she wanted to s
pill it all to her best friend, she wanted to keep it to herself a bit longer. The safety she’d felt in Evan’s arms had made the night pass much more quickly than it would have if left to herself.
Entering the old chapel, Sadie felt a mixture of comfort and unease as she remembered all the times she’d come here. There had been times when things were going well with her family, and church was usually the only time when her parents went out together in public. It was all a show for the town, but Sadie, even now, could feel the stares of the people that Sunday after the fire, pity and disgust in their eyes as they looked at her and her sister.
Dolores ushered the family to what had been deemed the “Pearson Pew,” and they all squished in. At one point, Sadie wondered why she’d even come at all, the dread filling her.
As the pastor spoke, he talked of finding a way to let go of the past and move forward, speaking to her as if he knew exactly what she needed.
Once the service was over, Sadie moved outside, needing some fresh air after the stuffy room. Aubrey and Evan approached her, both looking fairly timid compared to their usual outgoing personalities.
“Are you ready to head back to Vegas?” Evan asked.
Sadie nodded. “Yes. I think that will be good so I can focus on the wedding again. I gave your mom those boxes so she can finish what I have in mind for a surprise for Taryn. I didn’t think we’d be so busy with the festival.”
“That’s what happens when you’re with the Pearsons.” Aubrey grinned and wrapped her arms around Sadie’s shoulders, pinning her arms against her sides.
Looking at her roommate and best friend, Sadie said, “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. You’re heading back to California tomorrow?”
Aubrey nodded. “Yeah. I have the night shift tomorrow night, so we’ll see how that goes after this weekend. Maybe I’ll sleep all day today since the two of you are leaving. Then again, Darren asked for my help with something for Melissa, so we’ll see if I get any sleep anyway.”
The Vegas Billionaire: An International Billionaire Club Series Page 9
