Layer by Layer (Riggings Brothers 1)

“Hey.” I lift her chin with my index finger. “They know I would never have brought you here if you didn’t mean something to me. That’s not what we do. We don’t bring casual dates here. The five of us, we love this place. They know me, and they know that you’re not just some random woman.”

She nods and pulls out of my hold. I don’t stop her. Instead, I drop the quilt and begin to get dressed as well. Once dressed, I grab the condom and shove it into my pocket, and together we fold the quilts and place them back in the box beneath the bench seat.

“I feel like we should take them with us to wash them,” she says once I shut the lid to the seat.

“I’ll come back out tomorrow and make sure it gets done. If we take them with us now, my brothers are going to give you even more shit. I’m fine either way, but I figured you wouldn’t want that kind of attention.”

“No, I don’t.” She steps forward and slides her arm around my waist. “I know what happened here tonight makes things awkward, but, Royce…” she looks up at me, “you’re worth it.”

This woman has effectively brought me to my knees. I swallow back the lump in my throat, kiss her forehead, and guide her back toward my brothers and the fire. There are so many emotions racing through me, and I can’t seem to settle on just one. The only thing I can be certain of is that Sawyer Gibson is mine.“We were getting ready to send out a search party,” Conrad says once we’re back in their line of sight.

“I know this land like the back of my hand,” I remind him.

“Oh, we know.” Grant smirks.

“The search party was to save Sawyer from you,” Marshall chimes in.

“All good?” Owen asks. His eyes are on Sawyer. I don’t take it personally. He knows I would never hurt her. I’m proud that my brothers, my best friends, are looking out for her, even when it comes to me.

“Yes. This place is gorgeous.” She looks up at me. “Magical even.” There is a small smile playing at her lips, and I have half a mind to lean down and take her lips with mine.

Owen’s eyes find mine, and he nods. I know what that nod means. My brother approves. None of them liked my ex-wife, but I was too blind to what I thought we had to see between the lines. This time, my eyes are wide open. I’m not letting my head choose for me. Instead, I’m following my heart. My head tried to talk me out of it, but my heart won.

“Beer?” Owen asks.

“Nah, I’m driving us home. Babe?” I raise my eyebrows in question.

I have no doubt there is a light pink shade of her cheeks from my calling her babe. “Yes.” She nods. “Thank you.” Owen reaches into the cooler and hands her a beer.

“You cold?” I ask her.

“I’m fine.”

I nod, leading her back to the same chair we were sitting in earlier, and pull her into my lap. To my surprise, my brothers don’t give me shit. Instead, they welcome Sawyer into the fold of our family. They include her in conversation and ask her about her life. They share stories about me when I was younger, the havoc the five of us used to wreak. It’s the best night of my life. Hands down. The beautiful woman in my arms gave me a piece of herself, and in turn, I gave her all of me. I have never felt this kind of peace or contentment. I owe that all to her.

We spend hours sitting by the fire, drinking beer, and sharing memories. Sawyer tells some of her own, vacations with her parents, her college days. I soak up every tiny morsel she’s willing to share with us.

By the time the fire has died down, it’s well into the morning hours, and Sawyer has long since passed out against my chest. With a wave to my brothers, I carry her to my truck and drive us home.

“Royce.” Her sleepy eyes blink open before closing again.

“I got you, babe. We’re at my place. I’m taking you to bed.” She nuzzles into my neck as I carry her bridal style to my room and place her on the bed. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable,” I say, pulling off her shoes. She sits up and raises her arms in the air, allowing me to pull her shirt off. I move onto her shorts before reaching behind her and unclasping her bra. Her ample breasts are on full display, and I’m cursing the fact that I didn’t turn on the lamp. “Let me get you a shirt to sleep in.”