by K. C. Lynn
“Oh?” I ask curiously.
He points over at the table beside him. My gaze follows his finger and I gasp when I see what he’s pointing at. My breath completely seizes in my lungs and my heart explodes with emotion as I stare at the one thing I thought I would never see again… my Mama.
Sawyer picks up the pearl marble urn and holds it out to me. “This belongs to you, Cupcake. I had hoped, after I showed you this, you would forgive me for breaking my promise to you.”
Taking it from him, with shaking hands, I stare at it for a second before pulling the urn into my chest, close to my heart. Hugging my mother’s ashes, I lose all control and begin sobbing something fierce. I cry for my Mama, for me and for everythin’ that we lost together. But most of all I cry that I finally have her back, that someone loved me enough to get her back for me.
“Thank you, just… thank you so much,” I choke out through my sobs, the words not seeming to mean enough. “You’ll never know what it means to have her back, to not have her stuck there with him anymore.”
Reaching up, Sawyer cups one side of my face, and his thumb tries wiping away the steady stream of my tears. “Everything’s going to be okay now, Grace. We’ll give her a nice funeral like she deserves. We can bury her ashes or spread them, we’ll do whatever you want, baby.”
I seriously love this man with every fiber of my being, and I believe, with all my heart, that Mama sent me here to Sunset Bay, not just to meet the friends that I have but to find Sawyer. The only person who has truly made me remember what it’s like to feel loved again.
Christmas Morning…
I wake up to the sound of a strong and steady heartbeat as my cheek sleeps against the one place I love the most. Remembering what day it is, I shoot up and go to jump out of bed when Sawyer grabs me around the waist and hauls me back against him. His warm, hard, delicious body covers my back, while he starts rainin’ kisses up the side of my neck.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Cupcake?” he whispers in my ear before giving it a sharp nip.
“Mmmmm…” moaning, I drop my head back against his shoulder. When his hands begin to move up my stomach, I quickly rip out of his grasp and hop off the bed, not wanting him to distract me further. “I’m goin’ to go get your Christmas presents. Wait here.”
“Get back here, woman, I want your sexy ass naked for my Christmas gift.”
Laughing, I ignore his demand and run out of the room excitedly. I rush down the stairs of our new house that we’ve only lived in for a couple weeks, and walk into the living room. I grab Chuckie’s stocking before walking over and pulling out Sawyer’s presents from under the tree. I’m a little surprised to see he still hasn’t put out my gift.
Hmmm, where is he hidin’ it?
Strugglin’ to carry all three gifts, I walk back up the stairs and begin to feel nervous.
I sure hope he likes them.
I wasn’t able to afford much, because well… I still don’t have a job. It was a big fight between Sawyer and I, but he eventually won. He made me promise I wouldn’t look for a job until after Christmas since we were so busy with finding a new place and movin’. After the hospital, I just couldn’t go back to the house after everything that had happened there: Sawyer getting shot and Miguel’s brother dying…
Don’t think about it, Grace.
At least the one good thing that came from all this is Miguel has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of ever gettin’ parole. Detective Ramirez called a week ago with the news. Miguel was not only convicted for my Mother’s death, but also for the part he played in the forensic scientist’s murder. The judge who let him out came clean and admitted to everythin’ after being questioned; he is also facing charges of his own now. I had thought about going to Miguel’s sentencing, but after talking with Sawyer I decided against it. Miguel is someone I never want to see again for any reason. The phone call from Detective Ramirez was satisfying enough, an early Christmas present he had said.
Shaking myself from my thoughts, I walk into our room to see Sawyer sittin’ up in bed, glaring at me. “Why aren’t you naked?”
Biting back a smile, I roll my eyes then kneel on the floor to give Chuckie his stocking first. “Merry Christmas my sweet, precious boy. This is for bein’ the best dog a girl could ever have. I love you very much.” I give him a bunch of kisses before letting him chow down on all the treats that are inside.
Standing up, I see Sawyer still glarin’ at me. “Don’t pout, it’s not sexy,” I tease then chuckle when his eyes narrow even more. “Don’t worry, I got somethin’ for my other special guy too.”
I lay the big present on his lap and the two smaller ones beside him, before hopping on the other side of him. “Hurry up and open it,” I clap excitedly.
“I told you not to get me anything,” he grumbles.
“And I told ya I was goin’ to anyways, so be quiet and open it already.”
Chuckling, he starts opening the big one first and I begin to feel nervous again.
“Holy shit, Cupcake, this is awesome. How did you get this?” he asks, surprised, while staring at his Hockey Jersey that I had framed for him.
“Your mom mailed it to me. I did a pretty good job at hidin’ it from you, didn’t I?” I say proudly.
He grins, “Yeah, baby, really good. I had no idea.”
“Okay, now this one,” I hand him the one I want him to open next and keep the other I want saved for last.
Unwrapping the black leather book, he begins to flip through the pages of the scrapbook I had made of all the years he played hockey. From every picture that was ever taken to all the newspaper clippings his dad kept.
Getting to the last page he reads the words I had scripted on it:
Silver Creek’s hockey legend #11 Sawyer Evans
He gives me an arrogant, sexy grin, “Damn straight, Cupcake.” I roll my eyes and giggle, “Do ya like it?”
“Yeah, baby, I love it. Thank you.” Leaning over he gives me a quick hard kiss.
“You are very welcome… Okay now this one.”
I hand him the last one shyly, my cheeks already starting to turn pink from a blush.
Sheesh, get a grip, Grace.
It’s somethin’ I still can’t believe I did, but havin’ Julia and Kayla do it too made it a little easier.
As soon as he gets a glimpse of the picture, his smile vanishes and his eyes turn to fire. “Oh fuck me!”
I feel my blush deepen as he stares at the 8 x 10 boudoir photo of me in his hockey jersey.
I clear my throat nervously, “Uh, Katelyn has this friend that takes these kind of pictures and well… I hope you don’t mind I used your hockey jersey before framin’ it.”
Oh god, did I seriously just say that? You’re such an idiot, Grace.
Sawyer laughs, but it’s strained. “Jesus, Grace, I don’t fucking mind at all. Baby, you look hot as fuck, I’m ready to come just looking at this fucking picture.”
Smilin’, I crawl over and straddle him. Feeling his erection under me starts a minor ache between my own legs.
“One more thing,” I say softly.
I give him a light kiss before turning the picture over, for him to read the back. His hungry expression turns soft as he reads the words I wrote for him:
Sexy Sawyer,
You may be a legend in Silver Creek, but you will always be a hero to me. I love you more than words can express.
Love,
Your Cupcake
After he’s done reading it, he looks up at me with an expression I can’t decipher. Dropping the picture to the side, he frames my face with his hands and gives me one heck of a delicious kiss. One that has my heart skippin’ a beat, and warmth blooming through my whole body.
I wrap my arms around his neck and give just as good as I get. Groaning, his hands mold to my ass, but before things can get too hot and heavy, I ask the one thing I’m dying to know…
“Sawyer?” I mumble against his lips.
“What baby?” he replies, barely breaking our kiss.
“Where’s my present?”
He stops abruptly and pulls back to look at me. His mouth splits into a big grin before he bursts out laughing.
I bite my lip, trying to hold in my own giggle, but can’t.
He playfully slaps a palm to his forehead. “Damn, Cupcake, I knew I forgot something.”
Still laughing, I shake my head knowing he’s lying. Sawyer would never forget to get me a gift for any occasion, especially our first Christmas together. And although he’s already everythin’ I’ve ever wanted, I’m not goin’ to lie and say it hasn’t been killin’ me to know what he got me.
“Okay, you’re right. Let’s get dressed and we’ll go get your present,” he says with a mischievous grin.
“It’s not here?”
“Nope.”
“Scared you weren’t goin’ to be able to hide it from me, Sexy Sawyer?” I ask teasingly.
“Yeah, something like that,” he chuckles, then slaps my ass playfully. “Now go get dressed, time’s a wasting. But nothing fancy, just throw on sweats or something.”
“Eeeekkk!” I hop off him excitedly. I don’t bother to remove my white booty shorts and matching tank that I slept in. I opt for the quickest route of throwing on my comfy, soft pink sweats and matching pink zippered hoodie.
“Okay ready, let’s go.”
Looking over at Sawyer I see him already dressed as well. He’s wearing his black Nike athletic pants that hang in all the right places, and his red Puma T-shirt that molds perfectly to his hard, defined body.
How the man can make sweats look so damn hot is beyond me.
“Keep looking at me like that, Cupcake, and you can forget about seeing your Christmas gift until I’ve had my way with you.
I roll my eyes but feel my cheeks turn the same color as my outfit, which only makes him chuckle. “All right, let’s get going. We’re on a bit of a time crunch.”
“Okay, just a sec.” I kneel down where Chuckie’s still chomping away on his smoked bone. “We’ll be right back, boy. Then we’ll go for a walk later, I promise.” I give him a kiss and a hug before standing back up.
“You kiss that dog way too fucking much,” Sawyer grumbles. “You jealous of my dog, Sexy Sawyer?”
“I’m jealous of anything you kiss if it’s not me.”
With a smile I walk past him and snag his shirt, dragging him behind me. “Play your cards right, Evans, and you may just get lucky.”
“Oh don’t worry, baby, I fucking intend to.”
Oh boy, I can’t wait to see this present he has for me…
A few minutes later I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Sawyer’s truck, driving to god knows where. Anticipation and excitement rush through me, but it quickly fades when I realize we are headed towards the center of town. My stomach sinks knowing we will be driving past the diner. Turning, I stare out my side of the window, which is the opposite side that the diner was on. I know it seems silly but since the fire I have avoided seeing it at all costs. That place meant an awful lot to me and it would devastate me further to see Mac’s life demolished. Sawyer knows this part of town, he must have no choice but to drive through it. I am even more curious now as to where he is taking me.
“How much longer?” I ask impatiently, while I continue to stare out my window. “Not long,” is the only reply I get.
“Give me a hint.”
“No.” I blow out a frustrated breath, which makes him chuckle. Sexy Bugger.
Where could we be goin’ that he has to drive through town to get to… Oh, the airport? Maybe we’re going to see his family. No, he would have had me pack a bag… unless he packed me one already. That would be so amazin’ if we were, I’ve missed them like crazy…
I get pulled from my thoughts when the truck comes to a stop in the center of town. My heart rate spikes with anxiety and I keep my eyes glued to the pharmacy doors that are right across the street from where the diner used to be.
“Sawyer? Why are you stoppin’?”
He grabs my hand but I refuse to turn and look at him, not wanting to see what I know is on his side. “Grace, baby, look at me.”
Feeling like I’ve suddenly swallowed razor blades, I shake my head.
I hear him blow out a heavy breath before he gets out of the truck and walks over to my side. Opening my door, he reaches his hand up for me to take- I don’t.
“Why are you doin’ this?” I whisper shakily.
He looks at me sadly, “Don’t you trust me, Cupcake?”
I do, I trust him with my whole heart. Taking a deep breath, I tentatively put my hand in his and let him help me down from the truck. I keep my head down as he starts walking us across the street. My heart beats wildly in my chest as devastation begins to consume me… and I haven’t even seen the destruction yet.
He stops right in front of where the diner used to be. Staring at my shoes, I shake my head, really not wanting to look.
I follow Sawyer’s feet as he walks to stand in front of me. He frames my face and tilts my head up until my gaze connects with his. Leaning down, he presses his lips to the corner of my eye, catching a tear that escapes with a kiss. “Merry Christmas, Cupcake.”
My eyes narrow in confusion, wonderin’ what kind of sane person thinks this is a Christmas gift, until he moves out of the way.
I blink a few times, thinkin’ my eyes are playin’ tricks on me, as I stare at something that makes no sense, yet feels like I’ve seen it a thousand times before. Very quickly I realize I have… in my dreams.
Standing before me is a beautiful, soft pink Victorian style building, with white trim and white fleur-de-lis that outline the roof. Across the large windows in beautiful white script reads:
A Slice of Hope With A Sprinkle of Grace
Emotion erupts through me like a volcano as I stare at my and Mama’s dream. “Oh my god, Sawyer, what have you done?” I choke out quietly.
The pink building begins to blur as tears start flowing like a river down my face. Instead of answering me he grabs my hand. “Come on, baby.” He leads me to the door and pulls out a set of keys to unlock it.
When he pulls me in behind him, I gasp and my hands fly to my mouth as I take in what is an exact replica of my drawing. Everything is the same: from the layout, to the soft yellow walls, right down to the pink tables and chairs.
After a few silent minutes I wipe my eyes and finally get my feet to move. I walk up to one of the tables and run my hand along the top. I laugh when I see a cupcake painted in the center of it.
I look over at Sawyer, who shrugs. “I know this is your thing, but I had to add a little something to it that would be from me,” he explains with a grin.
Smiling, I shake my head, still not believing any of this. “How on earth did you do this? I mean, only eight weeks ago the diner was here.”
“My dad.”
“Your dad?” I repeat in shock.
“Yeah. Shortly after the fire I called him and told him about your drawing and asked him how do-able it would be to get it done by Christmas. He said he would make it happen. He called in every favor he had owed to him and brought a crew down here with him. They worked their asses off to get it done in time. I think it’s the first time my dad has been on the tools in over fifteen years.”
“Your dad helped build it?” I ask quietly.
Sawyer smiles, “Yeah, he said he wanted to build it with his own two hands just for you.”
Warmth explodes through my chest at hearing that.
“But I would have too, Cupcake, if I could have gotten away with it. So don’t go giving him too much credit. It’s still my present,” he adds teasingly.
“This had to cost a fortune, Sawyer,” I say guiltily.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It’s too much.”
“The fuck it is! It’s my damn Christmas gift, I can spend however much I fucking want on it.”
Shaking m
y head I let it drop, knowing now is not the time to argue about this.
Wanting to see the rest of it, I walk further into the bakery but quickly come to an abrupt halt.
“Oh my god,” I cover my mouth as a sob rips from my chest. Everything around me fades away as I stare at what’s behind the counter.
Covering over half of the massive wall is my favorite photo of Mama and me at the state fair. Above it, in the same beautiful script as outside, reads:
In Loving Memory of Hope Morgan
Through blurred vision, I walk up to the picture and lay my hand on the side of my Mother’s face. The photo is so big and so clear; I’d swear she was here with me right now. On it’s own accord my forehead drops against her and I begin to cry harder than I ever have in my life. Every kind of emotion that exists plagues me at the moment: sadness at how much I miss her, guilt for us not being able to share our dream together and most of all love. Because even though she’s not here with me anymore I still love her, maybe even more than I did when she was alive.
I feel Sawyer come up behind me, his arms wrap around my waist and his big hard body covers mine, immediately bringing me warmth and comfort.
“Don’t cry, Cupcake,” he whispers in my ear before planting a soft kiss on the side of my neck.
“I miss her so much,” I choke out through my sobs.
“I know, baby, but soon everything will start to feel a little better because a part of her will always live on through you. Her memory will be kept alive through this bakery and a piece of her will be shared with everyone who comes in here and eats the pies that you and her created. You’re still going to share this with her, Grace, just in a different way.”
How does he always know what to say to make everything better?
Turning in his arms, I wrap mine around his waist and stare up into his handsome face. He looks down at me sadly and wipes my tears away with his thumb.
“You’re wrong. She will live on now, all because of you. You have no idea what you have done for me, Sawyer. Not just with this bakery, but with everything since coming into my life. There was a huge gaping hole in my heart after I lost her, and every day it got bigger until I came to Sunset Bay. Then I met Mac and my friends, and the hole suddenly stopped growing. Then I met you…” I step in closer, bringing myself flush against him. “And since the day you came into the diner to walk me home, that huge hole started getting a little smaller every day and now it barely exists. I love her and miss her more than I can ever say, but since you it doesn’t hurt as much anymore, you make it better… you seem to make everything better.”
