A Song for Rory

by Cerella Sechrist

  They drove to Connor’s house without much conversation except for Rory’s directions. Sawyer wasn’t uncomfortable, and he didn’t sense Rory was, either. It’s just that they’d spent so many hours on the road together over the years that driving together was second nature to them. He turned on the radio but left the volume on low, content to let it run as background noise. They kept the windows down, and a nice breeze ran over his skin and kept him cool.

  It was only as he pulled up to the curb by Connor’s house that he felt the first ripple of nerves. He wondered what Rory had told her brother about inviting Sawyer to come with her today. He doubted Connor was keen on the idea of him joining the party. Despite his uneasiness, he couldn’t help wishing he’d been privy to that conversation. Connor and Rory were both bullheaded. He could only imagine what she’d said to convince him that Sawyer was coming to the get-together.

  As he exited the vehicle and went to open Rory’s door, his doubts assailed him once more, and he swallowed at the thought of what he’d say to Connor if the other man questioned his intentions toward Rory. He thought about taking her hand as they walked up to the house, but he hesitated, uncertain of whether she’d accept the gesture.

  They reached the porch, and Rory rang the doorbell. His nerves must have been evident because he suddenly felt her hand slip into his. She squeezed gently, and just like that, he relaxed. Seconds later, the door opened, and Harper greeted them with a welcoming smile.

  “Hey, you made it!”

  From the surprise in her tone, Sawyer wondered if his attendance had been in doubt. Rory released his hand, and he worried it was because she didn’t want to be seen holding it. His fingers cooled at the loss of her touch, and he felt the rise of butterflies once more.

  “Sawyer, this is Connor’s fiancée, Harper,” Rory began. “Harper—”

  “Sawyer Landry, I know.”

  From the corner of his eye, Sawyer saw Rory’s brow wrinkle. She glanced his way, her expression suspicious. “Have you two met?”

  Harper laughed, but it sounded slightly forced to his ears. “Rory, come on. He’s famous. I mean, who doesn’t know Sawyer Landry?”

  Sawyer decided to play along. If Harper wasn’t going to reveal they’d met before then he thought it might be better if he didn’t, either. He stuck out a hand. “Pleased to meet you... Harper, was it?”

  Harper’s caramel-brown eyes practically twinkled as she placed her hand in his. “Harper Worth, soon to be Callahan,” she added with a touch of pride. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Sawyer.”

  Before Rory could question them further, Harper opened the door wide enough for them to step through.

  “Come on in, dinner’s almost ready.”

  Sawyer placed his hand at the small of Rory’s back, felt her stiffen momentarily, and then relax. He didn’t take his hand away until Harper ushered them into the dining room, and he was introduced to the rest of the dinner party.

  * * *

  RORY COULDN’T STOP herself from stealing surreptitious glances in Sawyer’s direction. She felt like a teenager again, in the early days of her and Sawyer’s relationship, when everything was new and tentative. She would do the same thing then as she was doing now—sneak covert glances at him, as if to reassure herself he was really her boyfriend. Her emotions were much the same as they’d been then, too—she was uncertain he really wanted her and not some other girl.

  But he’d come back to Findlay Roads. For her. And declared his love, offered to make amends for how he’d left her. Though part of her remained wary and wounded, the larger part believed him and wanted to trust him again. For nearly two years, she’d tried to find a way past her grief at their breakup, and now, it seemed there was no need to. Sawyer had come back. And he loved her.

  Of course, there was a lot to consider, she thought as she watched him catching up with their friend, Erin. Sawyer lived in Nashville now, and his music career had given him a new way of life. He’d be traveling, on tour for much of the time. But she could join him, couldn’t she? Or at least, she could fly out occasionally to wherever he was performing and spend some time with him. She frowned at the thought. She didn’t want pieces of Sawyer, though. After how close they’d been before, traveling cross-country for months at a time and spending nearly every waking moment together, could she really be satisfied with the occasional weekend or a couple of weeks at a time? If she committed to this relationship, what did their future look like?

  As if he could hear her thoughts, Sawyer turned, in midconversation with Erin, and caught her eye. Even as he was speaking, his mouth lifted in a grin, and he sent a brief wink her way. Her heart sped up, and she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips. She’d missed him. She’d almost convinced herself she was doing okay until he’d appeared and upended her world by telling her he wanted her back.

  “Uncle Sawyer, look!”

  Sawyer’s eyes shifted to Molly, Connor’s eight-year-old daughter, as she tugged his arm. In Molly’s time line, Sawyer had been gone for far longer than he should have been, a fact that she pointed out less than five minutes in the door.

  Now, her niece was intent on making up for lost time by demanding Sawyer’s attention as often as she could gain it and showing him the various highlights he’d missed while he’d been away, via photographs and mementos.

  “And this is the article they put in the newspaper when the restaurant almost burned down,” she informed him, thrusting a tattered newsprint clipping into his hand. Sawyer took it and patiently skimmed it. Rory felt her heart warm at the care he took to give Molly his full concentration. He’d make a great dad someday.

  She dropped her head at the thought. She’d entertained the idea of her and Sawyer settling down one day and having children, but that seemed like ages ago. She wasn’t quite prepared to invest her heart so fully again just yet.

  She missed Sawyer’s response to Molly as Harper sidled up next to her.

  “You look deep in thought,” Harper observed.

  Rory shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe I’m just hungry.”

  Harper laughed. “Isn’t that usually my line? At least, that’s what Connor says.”

  Rory looked at Harper just in time to catch her friend gazing in Connor’s direction. The love on Harper’s face caused Rory to experience a surge of affection for her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Harper really did love Connor and Molly, body and soul. Despite her initial doubts, she couldn’t have imagined a better wife for Connor or mom for Molly.

  “He chose well, you know.”

  Harper snapped to attention and looked in Rory’s direction. “What?”

  Rory shook her head. “Nothing.” And then, simply because she wanted to, she wrapped her arms around Harper. “I’m excited you’re going to be my sister. That’s all.”

  Harper seemed flustered by the sudden affection, but after a beat, she tightened the embrace. “I’m happy, too. More than you can imagine.”

  When they pulled away, Rory noticed a faint sheen of tears in Harper’s eyes. She fanned herself dramatically.

  “Whew. It’s getting a little emotional in here, isn’t it?”

  Rory nudged her. “We can’t have that, can we?”

  Harper nudged back. “Well, I suspect it has something to do with the handsome cowboy over there.”

  Rory couldn’t help herself. She immediately looked in Sawyer’s direction. Tessa had joined the conversation with Sawyer and Erin while Molly had moved on to pester Rafael for a piggyback ride. Rory watched them for a moment—her friends. The man she loved, even if she couldn’t admit it to him just yet.

  Seconds later, she felt Harper’s hand on her arm.

  “In all seriousness, Rory...is everything okay? With him being back?”

  Rory thought about this question, weighing the risk of being hurt again with the longing to let Sawyer
back into her life. He was still Sawyer. Yet, if she was honest with herself, she sensed something more in him. He was...steadier, somehow. He’d always been strong, someone she could rely on...until that fateful day when fame came calling. But since he’d returned, he seemed more conscious of who he was and how his words and actions affected others. Perhaps that was a result of his fame, of being in the public eye so much. Maybe scrutiny had made him take a harder look at himself. At some point, didn’t she have to trust that he was a man of his word, and he wouldn’t leave her a second time?

  Then again, what was that old saying? Once burned, twice shy? Maybe that was why she was so hesitant. She knew what heartache felt like now and wasn’t in a hurry to experience it again.

  “Yeah, everything’s okay,” she finally answered.

  Now, if only she could make herself believe that.

  * * *

  SAWYER WAS A little worried when dinner got off to a bit of a rocky start. Molly had practically attached herself to his hip since he’d walked in the door, and when they gathered around the dining table, she insisted he sit next to her with Rory on his other side.

  “Here, Sawyer.” She pointed to the chair next to hers.

  He knew better than to argue. Even at eight years old, Molly was as stubborn as her father and aunt. He took the seat beside her while Rory sat next to him. Connor had spent most of the evening in the kitchen, and Sawyer had easily relaxed in the rest of the company. Harper’s sister, Paige, and her husband, Weston, had been unable to attend since they lived an hour-and-a-half away in Washington, DC, but the rest of the wedding party was in full attendance, including Harper’s sister, Tessa; Erin, as one of Harper’s bridesmaids; Rafael, who was serving as DJ for the reception as well as a groomsman; and Rory, as another of the bridesmaids. Erin’s husband, Gavin, was also a groomsman, but with his current army deployment, he wouldn’t be home until the week of the wedding. Connor had another friend, from his time in culinary school, who would be flying in for the event but since Jake owned a restaurant in Portland, Maine, he couldn’t make it before then. So it was a relatively small group gathered around the table for the thank-you dinner that Connor and Harper were hosting. For his part, Sawyer was just fine with the intimate number. Though he didn’t mind large groups, it could sometimes feel awkward if someone became starstruck—which was more likely with a greater number of people. And he’d had to disentangle himself from more than one fascinated fan over the last year.

  As they waited for Connor to bring in the food, Sawyer focused on Molly.

  “So what’s this I hear about you being in a wedding? You’re not getting married, are you?”

  She sighed with childlike gusto. “No, silly. It’s Dad and Harper getting married, not me. I’m only eight.”

  “Eight going on eighteen,” Harper muttered, grinning as she spoke.

  “That sounds about right,” Sawyer teased. “So, does that mean you’re dating yet?”

  Molly giggled. “Nooo. Dad says I can’t date until I’m thirty.”

  “Your dad’s right.”

  She rolled her eyes with little-girl exasperation. “But Aunt Rory just turned thirty, and you guys were already dating forever.”

  He felt Rory shift beside him, but he did his best not to look in her direction. He didn’t want to draw attention to Molly’s statement and make things more awkward.

  “Molly, I’m not sure any boys will be able to handle you until they’re thirty,” Rafael remarked. This observation drew a round of laughter, thankfully pulling the attention away from him and Rory.

  Before anything else could be said, Connor entered the room balancing several dishes in his arms. They all moved to help him, and Sawyer’s mouth began to water. He didn’t need to read the reviews of Connor’s restaurant to know he was an incredible cook. Though he was wary of how Connor would behave with him being there, he had to admit he was looking forward to the meal. And he hoped Connor wouldn’t be too critical of him in everyone else’s presence.

  “Sawyer,” Connor greeted him with a nod after all the dishes were on the table. “Nice to see you again. We’re glad you could join us tonight.”

  Connor’s tone was pleasant enough, not at all disapproving as Sawyer feared it would be.

  “Um, thanks,” Sawyer mumbled, thrown off by the unexpected hospitality.

  Harper was beaming with pride, and he suspected she’d had no small part in her fiancée’s politeness. He shot a glance in Rory’s direction just in time to see her shoulders lose some of their stiffness. So, she’d been as nervous as he had.

  Bless Harper Worth. She was clearly a good influence on this family.

  For the next few minutes, the conversation revolved around small talk as Connor took his seat, and the food was passed around. Sawyer loaded his plate with crab-stuffed rockfish, asparagus in lemon-brown butter sauce and the roasted new potatoes that Connor had prepared. As soon as everyone was served, Sawyer made a point to compliment Connor on the meal.

  “I have to admit, I’ve missed your cooking,” he told him.

  Connor made a sound of disbelief. “No need to stroke my ego, Sawyer. I’m sure you’ve had food that was just as good during the last couple years.”

  Harper pointedly cleared her throat at the slight edge to Connor’s tone. The other man frowned.

  “That is, I hear Nashville has quite the culinary scene.”

  “Oh, sure,” Sawyer agreed, trying to be as polite as Connor was obviously striving to be. “But I haven’t had much of a chance to try the restaurants there. I’ve been too busy touring, which means eating at odd times and whatever’s available. It’s not quite the same as this.”

  “As this?” Harper prompted, her tone curious.

  “Sitting down with friends, at a real meal. Like a family.”

  This response obviously pleased Harper. She smiled, and gave a slight nod. And he didn’t miss the look she shot in Rory’s direction, as if to let her know she approved.

  “Will you be traveling less now that the tour for your first album has ended?” Tessa asked.

  He thought of his father, knowing the remaining time they had together was limited. “I really hope so,” he replied without elaborating. “I have to put in some studio time, begin working on my second album.”

  Harper’s eyes lit with interest. “Oh, yeah? So you’ll be writing new songs?”

  Connor sighed. “What she’s trying very hard not to tell you is that she’s a big fan of your music.”

  Harper blinked several times and looked flustered. “Well, of course, I enjoy all kinds of music...”

  “You might as well give it up, love. You know every word to every song on his album.”

  Harper’s face turned a soft shade of pink.

  “Really?” Rory said. “I didn’t know that. How did I not know that?”

  “Well...maybe not every word,” Harper hedged.

  “But you never listen to country music,” Rory pointed out.

  “Not when you’re around,” Connor mumbled beneath his breath.

  “Oh.” Rory’s eyes grew wide. He wondered if Rory had been avoiding country music, too, so she didn’t have to face any painful reminders of him. He cringed at the thought. He’d really broken her heart, hadn’t he? It didn’t make him proud, nor did it boost his ego. He didn’t deserve her. After all the years, after everything they’d done and seen together, she deserved so much more than to be tossed aside.

  “Harper and me listen to Sawyer’s CD every time we’re in the car,” Molly stated and then broke into an off-key version of his first single, “Firefly Nights.”

  “Molly, not at the table,” Connor admonished.

  Sawyer was humbled, amused and embarrassed all at once. Fortunately, Erin and Harper seemed to recognize the need for a subject change, and they steered the conv
ersation in other directions, toward talk of the wedding and the reception that was to be held at the restaurant, as well as Connor and Harper’s plans for their honeymoon in Ireland. Rory spoke with envy about their trip, and he remembered that revisiting her homeland was something she’d always wanted to do. He allowed his mind to wander briefly, wondering if they might consider a trip to Ireland for their own honeymoon...provided he could win back Rory’s heart and convince her to become his wife. Or maybe he could schedule several stops there on his next tour, and Rory could join him.

  Talk eventually turned to the music for the reception, and he and Rafael found common ground in comparing rockabilly classics to current music trends. Despite the occasional tense exchange between him and Connor, dinner turned out to be a pleasant affair, both in terms of company as well as food.

  After a dessert of strawberry pie and ice cream, Molly was sent to bed while the adults retired to the living area for conversation. Sawyer was preparing to sit beside Rory on the couch when Connor tapped him on the arm.

  “Mind if I have a word, mate?”

  Sawyer didn’t see how he could deny him. Fighting uneasiness, he glanced at Rory and found her talking to Erin. Rather than disturb her, he followed Connor toward the back of the house and onto the patio, anxious to hear what was on the other man’s mind.

  When they stepped outside, Connor gestured for Sawyer to take a seat on the porch’s cushioned chairs.

  “No thanks. I think I’ll stand.”

  Whatever Connor had to say, he wanted to hear it on his feet. Connor shrugged as if it made no difference to him. But then he hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other, as though reluctant to share his thoughts.

  “Rory’d kill me if she knew I’d asked to talk to you,” he finally began.

  Sawyer released his breath in a soft laugh. “You almost sound like you’re afraid of her,” he said, unable to resist ribbing the other man.

  Connor made a face. “I’m surrounded by females. Between Harper, Molly and Rory, I’m always apologizing for something.”