by Liz Durano
Even Frank and Doreen agree and I like to see them smile and laugh when they’re not overwhelmed by the company. They’ve always been the type of family who kept to themselves and Drew was the same way.
They’re visiting for the second time in eight months since we all met at the courthouse, and while things started out rocky, we’re taking it one day at a time. They’re happy to spend time with Tyler and I’m not about to keep him away from them. We’ll make the trip back to LA in a few months
Even though the twins’ birthday isn’t for three days and there’ll be another party at a party place in town, today is a pseudo kids’ birthday party and adult gathering only the Drexel’s can pull off. The Phoenix is filled to the brim with guests that spill over to the front ‘lawn’ as Dax calls it, with its patch of fake grass where the kids can play and where the trampoline is currently occupied by Dyami and two of his friends. Dax and Todd are manning the grill while Gabe, a doctor, handles the music selection.
Frank and Doreen are at the table talking to Nana and Daniel, Dax’s father who flew in from New York, and Addison, one of Harlow’s colleagues and her husband, Jordan. They’ve brought their daughter with them, Piper, who’s about the same age as Tyler and they’re playing together in the nursery with DJ and Ani-Pea under the watchful eye of Sarah and Benny. I’ve yet to keep track of everyone and if not for Sawyer who reminds me who’s who, I’d be lost. I just wish Drew got to come here and experience all this. It’s probably the only bittersweet part of the party but I’ve long recognized that it’s part of the program. He’ll always be a part of me.
“Hey, beautiful, want to take a walk on the roof and watch the sunset?”
“Sure.” Sawyer takes my hand and guides me away from the front of the Pearl, walking along a path lined with solar lights on either side. It’s starting to get dark and they’re already lit up, reminding me of the trail of breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel left to guide them back home.
Sawyer walks up the hill behind the Pearl, holding out his hand as he helps me up, guiding me up the bermed hill that is part of the Pearl’s insulated roof. We don’t talk as we watch the sun sink down the horizon, the sky lit up in varying shades of yellow, orange, and purple. Sawyer stands behind me, his arms circling my waist and his bearded chin resting on my shoulder.
Who knew I’d find myself in the middle of the high desert living in a community off the grid with its weird-looking houses and quirky people, myself included? Certainly not me, but my trial period of three months have come and gone and Tyler and I are still here, loving every single day we wake up in our strange-looking home with vegetables and flowers growing under the same roof.
Who knew I’d find happiness again after I’d given up the day Drew died?
“Can I ask you a question?”
I turn my head to look at Sawyer, giggling when our lips meet in a soft kiss. The question will have to wait for I feel myself melt in his arms, my body twisting to face him until I wrap my arms around his neck, the sunset forgotten, too.
“You were saying?” I ask, pulling away.
Sawyer’s face almost turns pale and I frown, about to ask him if he’s alright. But the moment he takes a deep breath and blows air through his lips, I notice something else. The Pearl is quiet. How can a place filled with so many people suddenly be quiet?
“I rehearsed a speech so many times but somehow I can’t remember a thing. My mind just went blank,” he says sheepishly, taking something from his jeans pocket. I don’t have to look at it to know what it is. The silence below us is enough.
“Say it,” I whisper. “Say whatever comes to your head.” I’ve never been one to need speeches.
“I love you, Alma. Will you marry me?”
I suck in a deep breath. If he’d made a speech, I’d have been crying my eyes out and ruin all my makeup. “Yes,” I whisper. “I do. Yes, yes, yes.”
Sawyer slips the ring on my finger. It’s made of mahogany with a birch liner and inlaid along the middle with crushed green malachite. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Then he kisses me and from the periphery of my vision, I see someone’s head pop up along the area where the trampoline would be and then disappear. It pops up again, higher this time. It’s Dyami.
“She said yes!”
The sound of cheers fill the air and I don’t have to peek over the edge of the berm to know that they’ve all been waiting for this moment.
“You’re sneaky,” I say, laughing in the middle of our kiss and I’m glad no one can see that my face is bright red. “Who knew?”
“Everyone did.”
And of course, everyone knew.
Sneaky buggers.
Five Months After That…
Alma
By LA standards, the Santa Fe Municipal Airport is quiet and orderly. It’s also very small and from what I’ve heard, a lot of people don’t even know it exists. But as long as it has a direct flight to LA, it’s top on our list of airports.
On the bench next to me, Doreen and Tyler are having their farewell conversation while Sawyer accompanies Frank checking in their luggage at the end of the terminal.
Tyler is crying. He can’t understand why Grandma and Grandpa are leaving after only five days in town when there’s so much yet to do—at least, from the standpoint of a toddler.
“We’ll be back in a few months, dear,” Doreen says, glancing at my direction and I nod.
“She’s right, Ty. They’ll be back before you know it,” I say as Tyler looks up at me. He’s the carbon copy of Drew in every way from his light blond hair to his sky blue eyes and the sound of his laugh.
“And there’s always FaceTime,” Doreen says, smiling. “We’ll do that every week, right?”
He nods before giving her a hug. “Miss you, Gamma.”
“I’m gonna miss you, too, dear, so very much.”
I know Doreen’s been fighting back the tears and I can’t blame her. She and Frank truly love their grandson and have done their best to visit him as much as they can. With Frank in the process of selling his business to a colleague, they’re looking forward to spending more time with Tyler although I don’t know if that involves a move to Taos or Santa Fe.
While we’ve managed to repair our relationship since the custody lawsuit, I don’t know if I can ever trust Kevin. For now, I’m glad he hasn’t made an effort to show up unannounced or even tag along with his parents. One day, I’ll get over my anger with him but I won’t be forced to entertain him if I don’t want to.
Baby steps. That’s what Sawyer tells me, and it’s been baby steps for all of us, from the day he asked me to marry him five months ago to our intimate wedding ceremony two months later at the Pearl.
One day at a time.
When Frank joins us, he lifts Tyler in his arms. “Who’s my little prince?”
“Me!” Tyler shrieks happily as Frank holds him closer.
“Their luggage all checked in?” I ask as Sawyer stands next to me, his arms circling my waist possessively.
“Yup.” He glances at his watch. “Their flight should be boarding soon.”
“Ty is really going to miss them this time,” I say. “He’s more aware of their absences.”
Sawyer pulls me into a hug, not caring if anyone’s watching. It’s been over a year since the custody hearing, since he found out what really happened the day when I called him asking for help and almost fell back into his darkness. But it’s also been a time of learning to trust each other and falling in love with each other more and more each day.
It also hasn’t been easy. Some days the guilt hits us hard, like Drew’s birthday or the anniversary of his death. But Sawyer and I don’t ignore the emotions that come up. Drew will always be a part of our lives, just like his compass that Sawyer keeps with him to help guide him to do what’s right.
As soon as the crew announce that the flight to LA is boarding, Doreen wraps me in an embrace.
“Thank you so much for having us, Alma. Frank and I h
ad such a wonderful time again,” Doreen says. “We really appreciate you and your friends taking the time for us.”
“We always love having you. Tyler most of all,” I say, turning to Frank who gives me a quick hug before shaking Sawyer’s hand. And I mean what I say. Although we had a rocky start and they never really liked me in the beginning, the most important thing is Tyler. But even so, there were moments of bonding for everyone. Sawyer and Frank joined Dax and Daniel at Arroyo Seco to fish for wild trout the moment they learned that Frank was an avid fisherman. Frank is more of a deep sea fishing type of guy but it didn’t matter. He said saltwater or freshwater, a fish is still a fish, and tastes great grilled with a side of beer and good company.
“Three months, munchkin,” Frank says, kissing Tyler’s forehead. “We’ll be back to visit you again, okay?”
“Okay, wampa.”
As Frank sets Tyler down, he runs to Sawyer. I watch Sawyer beam proudly as he gets down on one knee and together they watch Frank and Doreen head toward the departure gate.
We wait until the doors close before Sawyer straightens up and I take his hand. I reach for Tyler with my other hand to guide him to his stroller but he reaches both arms up to Sawyer. “Da-da, carry!”
As Sawyer picks him up, I give him a look of mock disapproval. “You’re spoiling him.”
“Of course, I’m spoiling him.” Sawyer says as Tyler rests his head on Sawyer’s broad shoulder and he pulls me next to him, “just like I’ll spoil his sister when she arrives in three months.”
I laugh because he’s telling the truth. Already, half of the the nursery is decked out in pink while the other half is in blue, all courtesy of Sawyer who can’t wait for our daughter to arrive. I have no complaints. Soon, we’ll need a bigger place but for now, the Willow, like our family, is perfect just the way it is. And I plan to cherish every single day as it comes.
Thank you so much for reading Breaking the Rules.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Sawyer and Alma’s story.
Author’s Note
I knew I wanted to write Sawyer’s story the moment he appeared in Everything She Ever Wanted. As a massage therapist, I’ve worked with veterans whose words and bodies told the stories of what they saw and went through in the wars they fought for our country. Sometimes they didn’t have to say anything. Granted, it took me years to finally open my eyes and do my own reading and ask my own questions to fully understand and I am grateful each and every day for their service and sacrifice. Most of all, none of their stories and accounts made it in this book; that falls under patient privacy. Everything Sawyer experiences is from my own imagination.
His story was supposed to come right after Dax and Harlow’s but after the reception of Harlow’s first chapter that left some readers triggered because of sensitive themes, I was too scared to write anything that dealt with heavy themes. And so I wrote the Falling for Jordan instead, skirting the very themes I had wanted to explore so much.
But why write if I’m going to be too scared to write anything that could possibly trigger someone? I write to explore my own emotions and my fears. I write to connect with others through the power of story. I write to heal. And sometimes, writing means writing all the pain, angst and fear alongside love and happiness. It’s the balance of light and dark, shadows and light, and in the process, I hope you enjoyed the story.
The next story I’m writing is the prequel to Everything She Ever Wanted and it’s Sarah and Benny’s story. That will be followed by Daniel’s story, Dax’s father.
If you’re curious about Heath Kheiron, the millionaire Sawyer guards (they met when they were kids), you’ll find him in Collateral Attraction.
If you’d like to stay informed of what I’m working on next and their release dates, please sign up for my mailing list at lizdurano.com/subscribe
You can also follow my latest stories on Patreon at patreon.com/lizdurano
Sawyer and Alma’s Playlist
Wish You Were Here (Live) - Velvet Revolver
Wrong Side of Heaven - Five Finger Death Punch
Are We Too Late - Tom Lee
You Don’t Know - Katelyn Tarver
Inner Demons - Julia Brennan
Remember Everything - Five Finger Death Punch
Gone Away - Five Finger Death Punch
The Sound of Silence - Disturbed
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Zombie - Bad Wolves
Wish You Were Here - Avenged Sevenfold
New Kid In Town - Eagles
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Halestorm
Learning to Fly - Tom Petty
I’m On Fire - Bruce Springsteen
Tougher Than the Rest - Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
If I Should Fall Behind - Bruce Springsteen
Feel Again (Stay) - Blue October
Take It To the Limit - Eagles
Acknowledgments
This book wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of so many people who encouraged me to keep going every time I set the pen down to write something else that seemed ‘easier.’
My eternal thanks to Michelle Jo Quinn for being an amazing friend and for always pushing me to be better each day. To Charity Chimni for always “cracking the whip” to make sure I stay on track at all times. Doesn’t always work but I do my best.
Thank you to Ellen Hawrylciw and Evelyn Martha for all your help, to Cherry Shrestha and Belinda Bauknecht, and to all the readers who have followed me through all the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support.
Also From Liz Durano
Want to know more about Dax and Harlow?
Check out Everything She Ever Wanted!
* * *
Dive into the world of Celebrity!
A barista in search of the truth. A Hollywood star yearning for authenticity. A chance meeting that will change their lives forever.
Loving Ashe | Loving Riley
* * *
Collateral Attraction
How far will she go to save her twin sister? Is losing her heart to a man bent on revenge worth the price?
* * *
California Love Series
After years of abuse and heartache, single mother Sam Martin could use a break. But when true love finally comes, will her fears rule the day?
Finding Sam | In His Heart
* * *
Want to keep up with the latest on Liz’s books? Join her mailing list!
About Liz
Liz grew up devouring fairy tales and her mother’s book collection (don’t tell her!) that included Harold Robbins, James Clavell, and Colleen McCullough. Although she studied Journalism in college, she discovered that she preferred writing fiction and so these days, that’s what she does. She writes women’s fiction and romance and lives in Southern California with her family and a Chihuahua mix who keeps guard of her writing space.
You can follow Liz’s book adventures by signing up for her newsletter at lizdurano.com/subscribe or follow her on Facebook at @lizduranobooks
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