Rory laughed, and the sound of it drew his head around. He hadn’t heard Rory laugh once since he’d come back, much less at a question like the one Kenesha had just asked.
“Something like that,” Rory replied. “He’s famous, you know. A country music singer. Just won a big award.”
The kids eyed him skeptically.
“He don’t look famous,” Jamal said.
“Hey,” Sawyer protested. “Give a guy a chance, would you?”
Rory shook her head. “I’m serious. He and I used to perform together, but then he got a big recording contract. Lives in Nashville now.”
They eyed him warily, not sure what to make of this.
“What’s he doing here?” Jamal asked.
Rory shrugged. “I thought you might like the chance to meet him. Show him what you can do.”
Jamal grunted, not giving in so easily. From the corner of his eye, Sawyer saw the only other adult in the room approach.
“Well, this is a surprise.” He shifted his attention to the dark-skinned, fortysomething man who had stepped up to them.
“Hi, Leland. Sorry, it was sort of a last-minute thing to bring him along. Sawyer, this is Leland. Leland, Sawyer.”
Leland held out a hand, and Sawyer took it. “No problem, Rory. In fact, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Sawyer. I have your album, and I love your music.”
“Thanks.”
With these words, Leland confirmed what Rory had told the kids. They began talking and moving closer.
“You’re really famous? For real?”
“You know Beyoncé?”
“How much money you make?”
Leland held up a hand. “Whoa, slow down there. Is that any way to welcome Sawyer to the group?”
There was some grumbling, but the kids backed off.
“Tell you what, why don’t we show Sawyer what we’ve been working on the last few weeks?”
This suggestion restored the mood, and the kids broke off to prepare. As soon as it was just the two of them, Sawyer turned to Rory.
“So, this is the ‘one condition’ you mentioned?”
She nodded. “I wanted you to come here and meet these kids. Talk to them. Show them...I don’t know, that they matter. That they’re worth the time of someone...like you.”
“Like me?”
She turned away. He looked back over the room.
“How often do you come here?”
“I try to come at least twice a month,” she replied. “It’s part of the Baltimore inner-city Kids and Culture campaign. They have some after-school programs, and then these weekend events. The kids come, and we sing and learn about different styles of music. And just hang out. Sometimes, that’s all they really want—just to chill and have someone listen to them. It gives them somewhere to be other than the streets and a creative outlet to pour their energy into.”
Sawyer was staring at her now.
“How long have you been doing this?”
She finally looked at him. Her eyes were bright in a way he’d never seen them, her cheeks flushed. She looked away again.
“A little over a year. I don’t always get to come as often as I’d like. Sometimes, work interferes. And lately, bridesmaid duties have kept me from showing up regularly.”
“Rory, that’s...” He shook his head, amazed. “That’s great.” He was humbled. Rory had taken her music and used it for a cause greater than herself. How much had he given back, especially after how blessed he’d been the last two years?
Maybe he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and grabbing her hand. She stiffened at his touch, but then, after another few seconds, she relaxed. He squeezed her fingers, leaned in and whispered, “I think this is a lot cooler than any Artist of the Year award.”
She didn’t say anything, but when he looked at her face, she was smiling.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, Rory was in awe of how easily Sawyer had won over the kids in the group. They’d performed their current song for him—a mash-up of folk rock and rap, which Sawyer enthusiastically applauded once they were finished. She’d forgotten how he could manage to do that, make someone feel so special. He’d done it for her often enough, but it warmed her heart to see how he behaved around these kids. Within the first hour, he’d had them gathered around as he strummed out one of his singles on the guitar for them to learn. Once they had that down, he invited them to freestyle some rap lyrics into his verses. The kids took turns coming up with various rhymes until they’d laid the groundwork for an entirely new version of Sawyer’s song.
They took a break halfway through, after Jamal challenged Sawyer to a rap-off. Sawyer was better at it than Rory would have suspected, but he still couldn’t compete with Jamal’s quick and inventive rhymes, especially when one of them referenced Rory as Sawyer’s “lady.” There were a lot of “oohs” after that one, but Rory brushed them off and kept braiding one of the younger girls’ hair as she’d been doing when the rap-off began.
But even though she didn’t allow herself to be drawn into the interaction between Sawyer and the kids, she couldn’t resist watching him. Once he’d realized what they were doing there, he’d relaxed and began exhibiting a camaraderie with the kids. Over the course of a couple hours, she watched them embrace him, the girls making attempts to flirt and the boys cutting on him until they saw he was a good sport, then asking him to join them in some of their freestyle hip-hop. At one point, a hip-hop dance battle began, and though Sawyer tried to bow out of it, the kids insisted he join in.
So he did. He had them all rolling with laughter over his poorly timed dance steps. Even Rory couldn’t contain her giggles as he tried to keep up with Jamal and some of the other kids’ quick and graceful movements. He shrugged off their ribbing and asked them to teach him some moves. They were merciless in trying to get him to beatbox, and he did his best to keep up.
Rory wondered what Sawyer’s fans would think if they could see him now, but then she thought they might enjoy this as much as she was. Seeing Sawyer without inhibitions, sacrificing any sense of dignity in order to buoy these kids’ spirits... It moved her. It reminded her of the Sawyer she’d once known, who was kind and selfless and giving. Maybe he was right. Maybe he hadn’t changed as much as his circumstances had. Perhaps breaking up with her really had been a mistake he’d come to regret. Could she continue to hold that against him? To make him pay for that one mistake, especially when he was so desperately asking for her forgiveness?
She was so deep in this thought that she didn’t realize she’d stopped braiding Zara’s hair until the little girl nudged her. “Are you finished, Miss Rory?”
“Oh. Sorry, love, no.” She began moving her fingers in and out once more, keeping her attention focused on the braid.
When she looked up again, she found Sawyer watching her. Their eyes locked, and he held her stare, his expression serious.
She’d promised him that if he came today, she’d consider his request—to forgive and forget, to move on and be friends and...maybe more. He’d certainly lived up to his end of the bargain.
Sawyer didn’t turn away until one of the kids jumped onto his back, forcing him to shift his focus.
Rory knew he’d be expecting her answer soon.
CHAPTER SIX
THEY STOPPED FOR burgers and fries at a diner on the way home. Sawyer insisted it was his treat. Rory had softened in the hours they’d spent at the youth center, and Sawyer had the sense that she was seriously considering his request for a second chance.
He pulled out his baseball cap again and tugged it low over his forehead as they placed their orders. Their waitress eyed him suspiciously but didn’t comment on his disguise. When she walked away, Rory clucked her tongue. “It’s strange, the way you have to hide now.”
“I’m not hiding,” he amended, “but sometimes, being recognized can be overwhelming.”
She arched an eyebrow.
“Not just for me,” he went on, “but for whoever’s with me. I wouldn’t want you to feel awkward.”
“Hmm.”
He decided to change the subject.
“Rory, thanks for today. That was a lot of fun.”
She tugged a napkin free of the tabletop dispenser and began folding it into squares. “You were really good with the kids.”
“They’re a good group.”
The waitress reappeared with the drinks, a Sprite for Sawyer and iced tea for Rory. He didn’t speak until they were alone again.
“So, what’s the story there? How’d you get involved?”
Rory took her time tapping one end of the straw on the table until it poked through the other end. She pulled the wrapper free and slid the straw into her glass.
“I wasted a lot of time my first year back, just...moping. After a while, I decided I needed to find something bigger than myself to invest my time in. And not long after that, I read an article about the Kids and Culture thing. The program is a way to keep kids off the streets. It gives them an outlet, a place to go, a way to express themselves in a safe and controlled environment.”
“It seems like a good program.”
“It is.” She became more animated as she spoke. “Sawyer, you should see some of the situations these kids come from. Almost all of them are from single-parent homes, and several, like Jamal, are being raised by a grandparent while their mom or dad is in prison.”
She straightened, gesturing as she continued. “And Zara? The little girl whose hair I was braiding? She and her mom are living out of a van in the alley behind the building. Leland and I have tried to help out to get her off the streets, but she’s a proud woman.”
“That’s terrible,” Sawyer sympathized.
“It is,” Rory agreed. “Zara is such a sweetheart. She’s shyer than a lot of the other kids, but you should hear her sing. She starts quiet, like a sparrow, and then her voice grows as she goes along.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to hear it. Maybe next time.”
Rory straightened, her eyes widening. “Next time?”
He realized how this sounded. “Well, I mean...if it’s a standing invitation, that is.”
Rory blinked and then looked down at the tabletop. He remained quiet, letting her work out whatever she needed to say. Before she found the words, the waitress reappeared with their food and set the plates in front of them, sashaying away after Sawyer confirmed they didn’t need anything else.
He didn’t touch his food, though, but watched Rory instead.
“I just don’t know how to wrap my head around the fact that you’re back,” she finally said. “And especially when you say you want for us, to be, you know.”
“To be together.”
She let out a breath and met his eyes. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that, Sawyer. I—I want to be, but I’m not sure that I am.”
He weighed his words carefully. “I’m willing to wait for you, Rory. I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”
She licked her lips. “I appreciate that, but—”
“No.” He rested his hand on the table. “No, you’re not hearing me. I will wait, however long I need to wait. I owe you that much. And I’ll do whatever it takes. If I need to commute to Nashville and spend more time in Findlay Roads, then that’s what I’ll do. If you’re here then there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He stretched out his hand across the table, willing her to take it. “You’re it, Rory. You’re the one thing that’s been missing from my life the last two years. And, I don’t know, maybe I needed that time to recognize just what an integral part of my life you are.”
“Or maybe you just need someone to bounce ideas off of, to jump-start your music writing again.”
He didn’t flinch at her words but rather kept his gaze steady on hers. “I miss that part of our relationship, I’ll admit it. But that’s not all I miss. Not what I miss the most.”
He kept his outstretched hand on the table, palm up.
“Give me another chance. You might think it’s a risk, but I know the truth.”
“Which is?”
“That I love you. That you mean more to me than anything else, and that I’m not going anywhere. I promise you that.”
She hesitated for a long time, but he waited, as patiently as he’d promised, until she finally rested her hand in his.
“I want to believe you,” she softly stated.
“Then believe me. I messed up, Rory. Please don’t doubt me, doubt us. Don’t keep us from being happy.”
She licked her lips, her expression thoughtful. “It’s a lot to take in all at once, yeah?” Her Irish accent was more pronounced in her uncertainty. “And I think I do trust you, Sawyer, but I just have to be sure. Of me, as much as of you. I don’t believe it would be wise to reenter a relationship with resentment. I need to make sure I won’t hold the past against you, in the future. Or this—” she used her other hand to gesture to him and then her and back again “—will never work.”
He was both surprised and pleased by her wisdom on that score.
“Okay,” he agreed. “We’re in total agreement then. I want you to be sure, too. And I promise I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust again, to prove to you I’m in this for the long haul.”
She offered him a faint smile, and it buoyed his hope.
“Give me a bit more time to think on it,” she said.
“You can have all the time you want.”
She nodded and toyed with a French fry, even as Sawyer continued to hold onto her fingers. “If you’d like, maybe you could come with me to this dinner I have tonight.” She made it sound like an off-the-cuff offer, but he suspected it was more.
“Sure, what kind of dinner?”
She shrugged. “It’s just a get-together that Connor and Harper are having, sort of a thank-you to everyone involved in the wedding.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about facing Connor again, given her brother’s reaction to him at their last meeting.
Rory tugged her fingers free of his and awkwardly reached for a napkin as she avoided his eyes. “It’s okay if you’d rather not come. I understand.”
He insistently reached for her hand once again. “Hey.” He waited until she met his eyes. “I’d love to. Just tell me where and when.”
The way her eyes lit up at his words soothed something deep within him. Being with Rory was right. It had always been right. He’d just had a brief period where he’d forgotten that.
“Be at my place by five.”
“It’s a date.”
She looked startled at this statement, but she didn’t protest. Instead, a small smile played around her lips as she reached for another French fry with her free hand.
It was a long time before he let go of her other one.
* * *
SAWYER TURNED THE radio up loud on the way to his parents’ after he’d dropped off Rory at her place. He slapped his hand on the steering wheel as he drove and when the DJ announced the next song, he couldn’t help letting out a small whoop of happiness. The first strains of his breakout hit reverberated through the speakers, and he found himself singing along to his own voice, marveling at his good fortune. How could he be so lucky? All his dreams had come true, and best of all, Rory was about to give him a second chance. He felt like he was on top of the world, that everything was going his way.
Take me or leave me
On this long stretch of road.
Love me forever,
Or leave me here cold...
He remembered the first time he’d ever
heard this song on the radio. He’d been driving to an interview to promote the upcoming release of his first album. None of it had seemed quite real yet at that point. He’d seen the album, held it in his hands. He’d heard the song played in the studio. But it wasn’t until he was in his car alone, navigating the Nashville highway, and hearing those opening notes filter from the speakers that he realized how far he’d come in such a short time. He’d been both overjoyed and humbled, and the only thing spoiling it was the sudden and unexpected desire to have Rory sitting in the passenger seat beside him.
Now, he was being given the opportunity to see that wish come true. He couldn’t imagine being any happier than he was right now.
As the last notes of the song faded away, he turned his dad’s pickup into the driveway and flicked off the radio. He felt another wash of happiness as he recognized his brother’s Honda Civic parked in front of the garage.
Chase was just exiting the vehicle as Sawyer pulled in. He quickly put the truck in Park and hopped out of the cab. He’d driven their dad’s pickup this morning while his dad used the sedan he and Chase had both learned to drive on. Though he’d offered to keep his rental while he was home, his dad insisted he use the truck, saying the sedan never got driven enough anymore anyway.
“What’s college done to you?” he teased his brother as he came around the front of the truck. “You’ve turned all preppy on me.”
Chase ran a hand through his neatly cut hair and then tugged self-consciously on the button-down shirt he wore. Sawyer almost felt badly for teasing him, but what else were big brothers for if not to tease their siblings unmercifully?
“Is that a vest you’re wearing?”
Chase rolled his eyes. “I’m a business major. I have to look the part.”
Sawyer gave him a once-over and arched an eyebrow. “You catch many girls in that getup?”
Now his brother looked mortified. “That’s none of your business.”
Sawyer smirked. “Or, maybe there’s just one girl in particular, huh?”
Chase frowned, and Sawyer finally relented.
A Song for Rory Page 7
