Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

  If only she could work up some genuine enthusiasm for any of it.

  Sitting at her desk in the office, Regan was finishing entering in all their banking information for the week when her cell phone rang. The screen showed that it was Caroline’s Realtor, Jackie, calling.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Regan, it’s Jackie from GFN Realty. How are you?”

  “Fine, Jackie. What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I know your mom is out cruising the Caribbean—and I am so jealous of her—but I got a call from the new owners. They found some boxes in the attic and there’s some mail that came in before the post office processed the change of address.”

  “Oh, okay. Do you have the stuff at the office? I can stop by on my way home tonight and pick it up.”

  “No, no, it’s all at the house. They don’t mind holding it until Caroline gets back, but I just thought you might want to go get it. It’s a box of photographs and a couple of boxes of Christmas decorations. Do you want me to tell them you’ll swing by or do you want to let your mom do it?”

  Caroline had hired movers to pack up the house to spare her and Regan the emotional task. In her current state of mind, Regan welcomed going to the house for their belongings. “Tell them I’ll be by tonight after six, if that’s okay. They can leave the boxes on the front porch if they’re not going to be home. There’s no rain in the forecast, so they should be fine.”

  “Sounds good, Regan. Thank you for taking care of this. I was glad the sale went so quickly and you were spared having to show the house repeatedly.”

  “Thanks. I have to admit I was shocked that it happened the way it did. It seemed as though the sign hadn’t been up in the yard for more than an hour and the house was sold.”

  “The buyer said they had friends in the neighborhood. So when the house went on the market, they called them and let them know. It worked out perfectly for everyone.”

  “I’ll say,” Regan said and truly meant it. “I’m sure they’ll love it, especially with all the renovations.”

  “They plan on doing a lot of work to it. I was kind of surprised.”

  That made Regan mad. “Seriously? That house was like a show home after the Bennetts were through. What more could these people possibly do to it?”

  “Honestly, I didn’t ask. When we closed on the house, they mentioned they had a lot of ideas on how they wanted to add to it, so who knows what they’ll do.”

  “Some people don’t recognize a great home when they see it,” she muttered. “Okay, either way, not my problem and I promise to keep my opinions to myself when I stop by later.”

  “Good girl,” Jackie said. “I really appreciate you going by there, Regan. I’m sure you’re anxious to get your family’s things back, as well.”

  “Absolutely. I can’t believe Mom missed this stuff.”

  “They said it was tucked away in the back of the attic so I’m sure it was just an oversight.”

  They hung up and Regan rethought her plan for the night. There was a great Chinese takeout place near the house, and the thought of some of Lin’s famous dumplings made her tummy smile. “I’ll get the boxes, pick up the food, then go home and eat and go through some pictures. Not an altogether pathetic Friday night. Close, but not completely.”

  At six o’clock, Regan said good night to her staff and wished them all a good weekend. “I’ll be around if you need me,” she assured them, “so don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Go, relax,” Todd said. “And for goodness’ sake, do something that makes you smile. We miss seeing you smile around here.”

  Unable to help herself, Regan walked over and hugged him. “People like you make me smile. I’m sorry I’ve been such a mess lately. I promise to do better.”

  Todd took both her hands in his. “You don’t have to promise anything. We all love you, Rae, and we just want to see you be happy again.”

  Emotion threatened to overwhelm her. “I want that too.” She gave him another quick hug and headed for the door. “I’ll see you all on Monday!”

  The drive to the house didn’t take long. When she pulled into the driveway, she had to calm herself. The house already looked different: the landscaping in the front had been manicured and the front door and garage door had been painted.

  “Certainly didn’t waste any time, did they?” she muttered as she exited the car. Regan had to remind herself to be polite no matter what they were doing to her beautiful and perfect family home. It wasn’t her place to point out if they were ruining everything. There were no cars in the driveway, but when she reached the front door, the boxes weren’t there and the door was ajar. She knocked on the screen door and waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  “Hello?” she called out and heard the sound of a power saw off in the distance. “Great, now I have to witness the work.” Lord knew she’d had enough of renovations and power tools to last a lifetime.

  She called out one more time and then cautiously opened the screen door to let herself in. “Hello? Um, it’s Regan Amerson. Jackie from GFN called and told me you had some boxes for me.” As she walked further into the house, Regan saw the boxes on the dining room table along with a small pile of mail. She contemplated simply grabbing the stuff and going, but that didn’t seem right.

  For the most part, the interior looked exactly the same. There wasn’t a lot of furniture to be found, but she supposed they were still in the process of moving in and getting settled. With a huff of frustration, she headed to the French doors leading out to the yard. The saw was still buzzing but the person working it was well out of sight. “For real?” she muttered.

  Pushing open the door with more force than she intended, Regan stepped out onto the deck and went in search of the homeowner. “Like I have nothing else better to do than chase these people around. There are dumplings waiting to be ordered.”

  Looking around, Regan immediately noticed the new stainless-steel grill and the nice table and chairs set up under a big adjustable umbrella. “At least they didn’t ruin the deck area,” she said under her breath as she walked toward the steps that led down to the yard. “Hello?” she called out again.

  “Around the side,” a male voice called out, and as Regan made her way over, she noticed some new plants and flowers lining one side of the tall wooden fence. She shrugged, refusing to be impressed with their selection of colors or how neat and perfect it all looked.

  The man had his back to her—he was shirtless.

  She knew that back.

  She’d run her hands over it dozens of times.

  She’d even bitten it a time or two.

  What the hell is Sawyer doing here?

  Chapter 11

  “I don’t understand,” Regan said. “What are you doing here? Did the new owners ask you to do more work on the house?”

  Sawyer drank in the sight of her. She looked better than anything had in a long time. There was a sadness to her and he knew he was the cause of that. Hated himself for it. “Jackie said you’d be stopping by. I have everything on the dining room table for you.” He gestured toward the house, but Regan didn’t budge.

  “You didn’t answer my question. Were you hired to do more renovations on the house?”

  Reaching for the towel he had nearby, Sawyer wiped the sweat from his brow before reaching for his jug of ice water and taking a long drink. “You could say that,” he finally answered.

  Regan huffed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Whatever.” She was quiet for a moment, and he would have sworn she was going to argue with him, but instead she waved him off. “Look, I’ve got plans, so I’ll just get the boxes and go.” She turned to walk away but Sawyer stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

  “How have you been?”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Regan looked at him with disbelief. “S
eriously? You think I want to stand here and do the small talk thing with you?”

  “What do you want?” he asked softly, his gaze lingering on her face, his eyes telling her how much he missed her.

  Her expressive face—he could almost hear the snarky retorts she wanted to throw at him—nearly made him smile. She wasn’t going to give him an inch, he knew that. He didn’t expect her to. Although, right now? He almost wished she’d lash out at him so they could go back to the way things were.

  “I want to get my things and go,” she said and almost pulled off sounding confident, but her breath hitched a bit and she watched as Sawyer’s features softened even more.

  Unable to help himself, he reached out and touched her face. Regan closed her eyes as his fingers skimmed down her cheek, her jaw. “I’ve missed you, Regan. It’s been hell without you.”

  She slowly took a step back. “I’m sorry you’ve had a hard time, Sawyer,” she said carefully and then looked around the yard with longing. “I really need to go.”

  He nodded. Wordlessly, he led her back into the dining room. “I’ll help you load the boxes in your car. The mail’s right there. It wasn’t much, but I wasn’t sure what was important and what wasn’t, and I didn’t want Caroline to miss anything.”

  Regan reached for the pile, which was right next to another one with an envelope on top that was addressed to Sawyer Bennett. While Sawyer carried the first box out to her car, she quickly went through the rest of the pile and noticed they were all addressed to him. When he came back in for the next box, Regan held up an envelope and waved it at him. “What the hell, Sawyer? What’s going on? I thought you were just doing more renovations for the new owner.”

  “I never said that,” he said blandly. “You did.”

  “Well, you didn’t disagree with me. What gives?”

  “I bought the house. So I guess, technically, I am doing work for the new homeowner, who just happens to be me.”

  She looked ready to spit nails. “And you didn’t think that was pertinent information? If Jackie had told me you were the owner, I would have asked her to pick these things up. I knew I couldn’t trust you, Sawyer, but I didn’t expect you to be cruel.”

  “Cruel?” he repeated. “How am I being cruel?” He was completely confused. Did she not see where he was going with all this? They had always been able to read each other so clearly and now it seemed like they were strangers.

  “After all I went through emotionally with this house and then with you, you swoop in and buy the place? And then make me come here so you can rub my nose in it? You don’t think that’s being cruel?”

  He’d had enough. With great purpose, Sawyer strode over to her and took her in his arms and kissed her like he’d been dreaming of doing ever since she’d walked out on him. Regan fought him for just a moment, but then seemed to melt against him. When her arms went up around his neck, Sawyer finally felt like there was hope.

  He slanted his mouth over hers again and again, reacquainting himself with the feel of her, the taste of her. “I missed you so damn much,” he said against her throat as he kissed his way down to her collarbone and then back again. There was so much more he wanted to say, but she pulled his mouth back to hers for another hungry kiss. It didn’t take long for her to align her body to his and she seemed to be doing her best to get as close to him as she possibly could without stripping.

  With more strength than Sawyer actually felt, he broke the kiss and held Regan away from him. “I didn’t do this to be cruel to you, Regan. I did this for you. For us.”

  She looked at him with confusion. “I…I don’t understand.”

  “You once said to me that you couldn’t buy this house because you were old-fashioned and most men were intimidated by a woman who not only owned her own business but her own home. Well, I’m old-fashioned, too. I believe a man should provide for his wife by putting food on the table, taking care of the bills, making sure she knows she is loved and provided for and…gives her a roof over her head.” He pointed upward. “I wanted to provide you with this particular roof.”

  It took a moment for his words to sink in. “You bought this house…for…me? For us?”

  “Regan, from the moment I met you, I knew you were everything I ever wanted and yet never dreamed I’d have. You’ve made me laugh, you’ve made me happy, and you’ve made me mad as hell, but most of all, you made me feel loved. I never thought I’d fall in love with anybody, but one look at you? One touch of your hand and I was lost. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I know I should have said it way before now, but I didn’t want to scare you off. There never seemed to be the right time, and I see now that there were hundreds of times that would have been the right time, but I was too stupid to see them. I love you. I pray that you love me too, because I don’t think I can keep going without you being back in my life.”

  “I’ve loved you for a long time, too,” she finally said. “That’s why what Devin said hurt so much. He made me doubt what we had. I kept thinking you were a guy who hosted a TV show who had to act a lot as part of your job. I was afraid that seducing me was part of the act.”

  Sawyer cupped her face in his hands. “Sweetheart, what I felt for you from the moment you walked in the room in that spangly black T-shirt and shook my hand was one hundred percent real. If I could have taken you back to my hotel that night, I would have. I was ready to walk away from this job, but the thought of doing that and never seeing you again was something I was not prepared to do. I wanted to get to know you and for you to see me as who I am and not as the host of a TV show or the guy who was tearing up your family home. I just wanted you to see me as a man.”

  “Oh, believe me, I did,” she admitted with a shy smile. “I didn’t want to like you, but I couldn’t seem to stay away from you.” Regan stepped back into his embrace and held on tight. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I know you said you had plans tonight, but maybe, if it’s possible, you can cancel them and we can order some takeout and just talk. I’d like to talk about our future, Regan. I finally realized what I want to do with the rest of my life and I want it to start now. I don’t want to rush you, but I need you to know that I’m serious and I’m not looking for a roommate or someone to sleep with. I want a wife, a lover, someone to have children with, and I want that with you.”

  “Well then, this is your lucky day. I happen to be off all weekend because I’m trying to put into motion the plans for my future, and a husband, a lover, and someone to have babies with are on my wish list.”

  Sawyer smiled down at her, his eyes shining bright with love for her. “We’ve always been on the same page.”

  Regan nodded. “Then we must be meant to be.”

  “You know it.” Taking her by the hand, Sawyer walked them back to the yard so he could show her his plans for a pergola and a fire pit area, before pulling out his cell phone to order Chinese food.

  Epilogue

  Three months later…

  “What was your favorite part of the day?”

  “When everyone left.”

  Sawyer laughed and pulled Regan close. “No, seriously. I watched you fluttering around all over the place today and always with a smile on your face, but I want to know what your best part of the day was.”

  Regan snuggled in. The day had been long and it was late. Although she always loved their late-night chats, she was completely exhausted. “Well…if I had to choose, I would have to say that it was the location.”

  “We could have had the same thing,” he reminded her, but Regan shook her head.

  “I didn’t want the same thing. No, it was wonderful to see the look on Mom’s face as she saw the way the yard she’s always loved was transformed for her wedding. She’s never had much of a green thumb either, and with everything looking the way that it did—her smile was priceless.”

  “I’m glad she was happy.”r />
  “Did you see her face as she walked toward your dad? I hope the photographer was able to capture that because it was the stuff of fairy tales.”

  “You told me to hang those twinkly lights,” he said with a little disgust at himself for even using the word. “There had to be a million of those things around the yard so that it would look like a fairyland.”

  “Magical. I said it would look magical,” she reminded him. “And it did.” Regan placed a gentle kiss on his chest as she rested her hand over his heart. “Thank you for making it all look so amazing. You have a real gift for that sort of thing. Have you ever considered doing it professionally?”

  Sawyer chuckled and tickled her ribs until she was squirming and laughing. He rolled her beneath him. “Very funny.” His expression turned serious. “It was their wedding, and I wanted everything to be perfect. They’ve both waited a long time to get married again, so I wanted to make sure that everything went beyond their expectations. But I do have to admit, I outdid myself.”

  Regan slapped his arm and he rolled off her but immediately pulled her back to his side. “The yard did look amazing. It’s a good thing we put off doing the pool until next year. We would have had to eliminate about fifty people.”

  “Nah, we just would have had to get creative with the seating. Not that it matters—it’s not like we’re going to host another wedding back there.”

  “No,” she said absently. “It’s not.”

  “Are you sad that we didn’t have our wedding back there?”

  Regan shook her head. “No, our wedding was perfect. The beach at sunset? I still think you must have made a pact with God to make it so colorful that night.” Just thinking back to their wedding two months earlier had Regan feeling all dreamy. They hadn’t wanted to wait and neither wanted anything big. Sawyer had decided to take her to the coast. They’d discussed it over coffee a few days before that, told Max and Caroline of their plans, and decided to go for it.