Jackson's Destiny (Sawyer Brothers #2)

by C. A. Harms

  “You look beautiful, Am,” he said as he stared at her, shaking his head lightly as if to clear his thoughts.

  “What are you doing here?” Amber’s voice was hoarse. “I thought you couldn’t get away from work.”

  “Walking my only daughter down the aisle is much more important.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder toward me. “Not to mention a certain person reamed my ass for being a shit father.”

  Amber swallowed hard as her gaze connected with mine.

  “She’s completely right, and it’s time for me to stop being so self-absorbed,” he said. “I just hope I’m not too late to make things right with you.” He looked more sincere than I ever thought he could. My heart was racing, my stomach was in knots, and all I wanted was for this entire day to be perfect for Amber. She deserved it.

  “You’re not too late,” she whispered, and just like that, all hope of preserving our makeup went straight out the window.

  The door opened, and Alena entered with Olivia by her side. They both froze as they watched Amber and her father hugging.

  When Amber’s father released his hold on her, she looked over and gave Alena a reassuring smile. Then her gaze shifted to Olivia. “Dad, meet Olivia. Ryan’s daughter and a very special girl in my life.” Amber winked at Liv when her cheeks reddened. “Liv, this is my father. You can call him Tom.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” Olivia said as she held her hand out toward him.

  As Am stepped up to my side, she bumped my hip with her own. “Thank you for this,” she whispered.

  “You don’t owe me any thank-yous,” I assured her.

  “You’re right,” she said. “I owe you so much more. You’re an amazing friend, Bay, and I love you.”

  I draped an arm over her shoulder and held out my other hand to Alena. She joined us, and I squeezed them both close. “I love you two knuckleheads.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Jackson

  Usually during a wedding, all eyes are on the bride, but mine were actually glued to a very sexy maid of honor. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Amber looked gorgeous, and my brother was one lucky man, but Bailey was the most beautiful person in the room. I barely heard a word spoken during the entire ceremony. It was as if I had tunnel vision and Bailey was the only person in the room.

  When the preacher said, “You may kiss the bride,” Bailey lifted her eyes to meet mine. A small smiled spread across her lips, and I vowed to myself that one day soon, she and I would be back here in this very spot saying our own ”I do’s.”

  When the newly married couple had stepped down from the altar, I rushed to Bailey and gave her a kiss of her own. Noah cleared his throat behind us, making Bailey giggle against my lips.

  “Move it along, you two,” he whispered as he nudged my shoulder.

  I intertwined my fingers through Bailey’s and held her delicate hand firmly in mine. I wasn’t the kind of guy who enjoyed all the girly shit like hand-holding and snuggling, but it was different with Bailey. I needed to feel her body against mine so much, I even craved small things like holding hands.

  We held the ceremony and the following reception at the one place we all loved—the ranch. Being surrounded by the place my father spent his life building just made his presence even stronger, even though he couldn’t physically be here. I truly think we all felt it.

  Standing just to the left of the tent entrance, the entire wedding party greeted the guests as they entered. I held Bailey’s hips and positioned her in front of me, her back pressed firmly against my front. As the younger guys from town passed, they eyed Bailey and Alena appreciatively. No one had to tell me how lucky I was.

  Bailey arched her neck back as she looked up at me, then nudged her head to the right. I immediately shifted my gaze and couldn’t help the smile that took over my face. Noah was pressed up against Alena’s side with his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on whatever he was whispering in her ear.

  The moment she bit down hard on her lower lip, I had to look away. It was a scene I no longer needed to be witness to, but the idea that Noah may be letting go of the shit his ex-fiancée had put him through gave me a small sense of relief. If he could find even an ounce of what Bailey and I had, he wouldn’t give two shits about what Stacy had done to him years ago.

  “Looks like they’re getting along,” Bailey said as she looked up at me with a gleam in her eyes.

  “Leave it alone, my little matchmaker. They’ll get there on their own,” I assured her.

  “But—”

  I shook my head. “No buts, babe.”

  She didn’t like being told no, but it sure was cute when she tried to look mad.

  ***

  “If I tell you something, you promise not to freak out on me?” I couldn’t help but chuckle when she looked up at me and cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

  “Depends on what it is.”

  I chuckled again, and she slapped at my chest with her open hand. “Well?” she asked in an annoyed tone.

  “No need to get all feisty on me, Spitfire, damn.” I loved getting her riled up. I leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose, and she couldn’t hide the smile that pulled at her lips.

  “I want you to move in with me,” I said. She tilted her chin upward, and our eyes met. “I don’t want to share a few nights a week. I want to share every night and morning. I want you to call my home yours.”

  She looked to our left, and I followed her gaze. Alena was less than ten feet away, curled against Noah as they swayed together to the slow song playing. I knew Bailey was torn about leaving Alena alone in the apartment.

  “I have a feeling she’ll be fine. In fact, I can almost guarantee in the near future, there will be nights she doesn’t come home. I mean, come on, baby, do you really wanna hear her and Noah knocking boots?” I grinned when her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Yeah, I know. Moving in with me sounds like a good idea, huh?”

  “That wasn’t necessary,” she said, looking up at me with her nose still crinkled. “I was just thinking over what I was going to tell Alena. How to break it to her that she’ll be living alone. You getting all X-rated was just wrong.”

  Excitement shot through me. She had just agreed to move in with me, and I felt like I had just won the fucking lottery.

  It was the first step to the rest of our lives.

  Epilogue

  Bailey

  It had been two weeks since Jackson moved me into his place. Yes, he moved me in, as in packed my things and loaded them into his truck. I sat on my bedroom floor as he took charge, leaving me with no say.

  Of course I got no help from anyone. All those assholes, his brothers and my girls, just stood off to the side and laughed as if it was some sort of comedy show. The damn Sawyer men were a rare breed, and I couldn’t help loving that I had been lucky enough to snag the best one. I mean, come on, he was sexy as sin, dirty-minded, and he knew how to make those dirty words come to life when we were alone. He was demanding and cocky, but when he was feeling gentle, the man laid on the sweet like nothing I had ever witnessed. Jackson was the perfect package, and he was all mine.

  Life was great, and I was relishing in it.

  I was still being forced to work on the ranch, even though I’m sure I created more havoc and destruction than it was worth. But I loved the fact I got to witness my sexy, shirtless cowboy get all manly and take charge. It made our afternoons quite interesting. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to dig hay out of places no woman should ever find hay in. But it was worth it, because Jackson made me forget all about the small annoyance. He always aimed to please, and I had yet to see him fail.

  I had been worried about moving out of the apartment and leaving Alena alone, but as Jackson predicted, Noah had been keeping her entertained. I don’t think it was quite the boot-knocking Jackson said it was, but they had been spending a lot of time with each other. They were super sweet together, and I truly hoped
it grew into something. I had found myself wanting to match-make on more than one occasion, but Jackson would always convince me to keep my nose out of their business. Well, at least for a short time, anyway, because I would only continue to scheme when he wasn’t around. In fact, Amber too had been creating a plan of attack.

  I heard Olivia’s laughter just before the front door opened. “I did not,” she said.

  “Oh yes you did,” Jackson insisted as he dropped his keys onto the table next to the couch. “Thank God it wasn’t Bailey’s Jeep. Hell, she would flip her shit if it was.”

  That comment caught my full attention. “What happened?”

  They both turned to face me, and Jackson grinned. Pointing toward Liv, he continued to taunt her with his orneriness. “Little Miss Speed Demon here wrecked my truck.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened, and she looked like she was panicking. “You liar. You said you’d never tell.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. The two of them were always so funny together. They would pick and prod at one another, always trying to get under one another’s skin, even over little things.

  “Bailey is different,” Jackson said as he walked around the counter and placed his hand on my hip. “She’s the cool aunt who’s with the cool uncle, and she ain’t gonna say shit. Are ya, babe?”

  Before I could answer, he leaned forward and placed a kiss against my lips. Not one of those soft, sweet kisses but one of the hard, loud ones that was playful and full of silliness.

  “Besides, I need her to run into town and pick up the tire after Booker gets it mounted and balanced.”

  “Tire?’ I asked.

  “Yep. Never yell ‘squirrel’ when a teenage girl is behind the wheel.” Jackson widened his eyes. “I should have just let her hit it.”

  “There was no squirrel, you fool,” Olivia fired back, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I know. It was a reflex test, and darlin’, you failed that shit,” he told her with a chuckle.

  I was so damn lost at this point. “Wait, what happened, exactly?”

  “This dumbass yelled ‘squirrel,’ and I freaked out. But there was no damn squirrel. He just wanted to see how I would react.” She looked away from me and narrowed her eyes at Jackson. “He scared the hell out of me, and I ran off the road.”

  “‘Ran off the road,’ hell,” Jackson barked. “She went down in the ditch and blew out my tire. Bent my rim to shit and crushed my running board.” He leaned over the counter, placing his elbow on the marble top. “Oh, and let’s not forget about the hood and windshield.”

  “What happened to the hood and windshield?” I asked.

  Jackson stared at Olivia, and she stared back at him. They were waiting for the other to explain.

  “Fine,” Olivia huffed. “I hit Mr. Burk’s irrigation equipment. Well, just the side of it. It scraped the hood and cracked the windshield. But in my defense, it’s the dumbass’s fault for yelling ‘squirrel.’”

  I could no longer hold back my laughter. I bent at the waist, and tears blurred my vision as I howled. Jackson was right; I wouldn’t say a word, but I sure as hell was going to take a few minutes to be amused by the situation he and Liv had found themselves in.

  ***

  Jackson

  “Your father always said Bailey would be good for you,” Ma said as we sat on my parents’ back porch, looking out at our new extended family. Amber and Ryan were in charge of cooking. Noah and Alena had been whispering back and forth all afternoon, so we all just let them have their time alone. Bailey and Olivia were sitting at the picnic table straight in front of us, making some kind of bracelets with materials that Olivia had brought. Bailey was so focused on the thread she held between her fingers that her nose and eyes were crinkled up.

  “He was right. She is good for me,” I replied.

  A comfortable silence set in as we observed everyone. I still missed my father, but each day that passed made the deep ache from his absence just a little easier to bear. I knew it would never truly fade. I would always regret the time I wasted, the times I ran around being the town playboy when I should have been being a man. I just hoped he knew in some way that he did right by me. Hell, he did right by us all; he’d made my brothers and me the men we are now—men that knew the value of family.

  “I’m gonna ask her to marry me.” I had been rolling the confession around in my head for a while now, and without another thought I let my ma in on my little secret. “I bought the ring last week. I spent three days trying to find a way to find out her size without her noticing. She finally took that ring she always wears off when I convinced her we needed to paint the bathroom.”

  I shifted my gaze to my mother, taking in her smile before continuing. “She was pissed when she thought she lost her ring, but I had to take it into the jeweler for the measurement.”

  “Did you ever give it back to her?” She looked genuinely curious.

  “I pretended to find it on the floor under the shelf. It was easy enough to pull off since that shelf is right next to the desk where she laid it.” I shrugged.

  “So when you planning on asking?”

  “When the time is right.”

  “Well, the time is right,” she assured me. “Hell, son, with the pace you boys are all moving at, I’m never gonna have some more grandbabies to cuddle.” She slapped my shoulder. “Get your ass out there and get me another daughter-in-law.”

  “Ma, I said when the—”

  She narrowed her eyes, giving me that “boy, don’t mess with your momma” look.

  I held my hands up, surrendering to the death glare. “Fine, woman, I’m going.”

  I had been carrying her ring around with me since I picked it up on Tuesday, waiting for the right moment. I guess the moment was now.

  I reached into my pocket and pinned the band between my fingers as I walked toward my girl. Olivia looked up at me first, and shortly thereafter, Bailey did the same.

  “Hey, handsome,” she said with a wink.

  “Hey, baby,” I offered with a lift of my chin. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure, whatch’ya need?” She lowered the half-made bracelet to her lap and arched her neck to look up at me, squinting in the sunlight.

  I lowered myself to one knee. To most, it would appear I was just getting closer to Bay so she didn’t have to be blinded by the sun. I could tell she thought the same until she looked down at the hand I was holding out between us. Her eyes widened and then filled with unshed tears.

  “I was just wondering if you had a few free minutes so I could ask you to marry me.” I heard a squeal that I knew came from Amber. “You know I love you more than I can ever even attempt to express with just words. You truly have been the light of my life, Bay. I just never want to lose that light, baby.”

  She lifted her hand to her mouth, and her shoulders shook as she tried with everything in her to hold back her sob.

  “So what do you say, darlin’? Will you marry me?” Chills covered my arms because I had never been more nervous and excited than I was in that moment.

  I was completely caught off guard when she stood and pretty much jumped into my arms. I lost my balance and fell back, wrapping my arms around her and taking her with me.

  I hit the ground with a thud, and her body covered mine. When our eyes met, she giggled.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Oh my sweet cowboy, that is a hell yes,” she assured me just before her lips crashed against mine.

  The cheers and hoots from our family slowly faded around us as I concentrated solely on the woman I planned to spend the rest of my life with.

  “I love you, sweetheart,” I whispered.

  “And I love you,” she assured me.

  And her love was all I needed to feel whole.

  ***Sneak Peek***

  Noah’s Journey

  Sawyer Bothers, Book Three

  Alena

  “Thank you,” I said with a sweet smile as Noah took my hand and helped
me from the truck. I was a pro in heels, but with my nerves and the way Noah made me feel, I was wobbling on my legs and had to focus on not falling over.

  “You’re very welcome.” A sly grin spread across his lips. Noah pretended to be all confident and self-assured, but I knew it was just a front. He had a soft side, and I had made it my mission to uncover it. I had a feeling he would be one hell of a lover.

  When I was steady on my feet, Noah stepped closer, pressing himself against me. “Have I told you how amazingly sexy you look tonight?” His gruff voice warmed my insides. I loved his deep raspy voice. It had me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts.

  “You have, a couple times, but please don’t feel like you can’t keep expressing your appreciation.” I placed my hand on his chest and slid it upward to rest just over his heart. “Tonight has been perfect. Everything about it.”

  I ran my tongue over my dry lower lip to moisten it and caught his gaze as he followed the movement. A whimper left me as he mirrored me, wetting his own lips.

  “It has been,” he agreed, not taking his gaze from my mouth. “Do you know what would make it that much better?”

  I shook my head as my heart raced with anticipation.

  He leaned in just a little closer, and his mouth hovered over mine. “This,” he whispered, just before covering my lips with his own.

  My body sagged as he wrapped his arm around my waist and spread his palm out over my lower back. Our bodies molded together as I weaved my hands up his torso and linked them together behind his neck.

  Our kiss started out innocent and sweet and quickly deepened. He swiped the tip of his tongue across my lips, and I immediately opened up to him and chased his tongue with my own.

  Noah backed me up until he’d pinned me against the side of his truck. He moved his arms up, caging me against it.