Me: That was close.Owen: She doesn’t have a clue.Me: I know. Thanks for going with me tomorrow.Owen: I’ve got your back.Tossing my phone back on my desk, I answer a few more emails before shutting down my laptop. I pack it up along with a contract I’ve been working on, just in case I get time over the weekend to review it. I doubt it, but it’s better to be prepared than to have to come back to the office to get it. I’m ready to go drag Sawyer from her desk when my cell phone rings. Glancing, I see Jase’s name.
“What’s up?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.
“Just tried to call Owen and he didn’t answer.”
“He was in my office. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, there’s a hotel chain in Florida for sale. The place is beautiful, but they’re bleeding money. I was hoping Owen might be willing to take a look at the books before I take the leap and buy it.”
“You know he will. He’s a whiz at that shit.”
“That’s the truth. Hey, how are things with Sawyer?” he asks.
“Perfect.”
He whistles. “That’s a pretty big claim coming from you.”
“I get it now. I understand you and Sam. I didn’t before, but it all makes perfect sense to me.”
“Told you, man. Once you find the right woman, everything changes.”
“Like magic.”
“Exactly. Just like fucking magic. Hey, there’s Owen. I’ll catch you later.”
Ending the call, I slide my phone in my pocket, pick up my bag of work to take home that I hope I don’t touch, and go find my girl.“I should be home by five or so,” I tell Sawyer as we’re getting ready for the day. “Did you talk to Hadley to see if they wanted to come over?”
“I mentioned it, but I’m not sure if she’s going to or not. I’d say they just want to be in their new home.”
“Maybe. Either way, make plans for whenever. This is the only day that I had something not on my calendar.” On purpose, but I leave that information to myself.
“Okay,” she says, sitting on the bed to pull her boots on.
My girl was excited for the fall weather to wear her boots. I don’t understand it, but I don’t question it either. It makes her happy, and that’s all that matters to me. I make a mental note to get with Sam to order her a couple of pairs for Christmas.
“I’ll see you later.” She stands and places a kiss on my lips.
“I’m right behind you. I just need to finish getting dressed. My sexy girlfriend distracted me,” I say, pulling her into another kiss.
“See you tonight.” Her green eyes are sparkling with happiness, and I fight the urge to pound on my chest. I did that.
I wait until I hear the front door close before dropping my towel and quickly getting dressed. Making sure I have my keys, wallet, and phone, I’m out the door to pick up Owen.
Pulling up to his house, I beep, letting him know I’m here, but there’s no need because he’s stepping out onto his front porch at the same time.
“Hey, man,” I say when he climbs into the passenger seat.
“You ready for this?” he asks me.
“Yes.”
“I admit. This time around, I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thanks, O,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. It means the world to me that my family loves Sawyer as much as I do. That’s just another contrast from her and my ex. I should have listened to my family, opened my eyes, but I can’t change the past. All I can do is focus on my future. Focus on Sawyer.
“So, what does she think that we’re doing today?”
“I was vague. I told her I was helping you. She’s over at Hadley and Derek’s new place. Wanted me to go with her.”
“She’ll forgive that little white lie.” He laughs.
“Yeah,” I agree. When she finds out that I couldn’t go with her today because I was buying her an engagement ring, she’ll understand. Owen and I talk shop on the drive to the jeweler. It’s in the heart of downtown Nashville, and I’m relieved that Hadley and Derek live on the outskirts and on the other side of town. There should be no reason I would bump into Sawyer today. That would be difficult to explain.
“You know the others are going to give you shit because they didn’t get to come with you,” Owen says as we climb out of the car.
“Too risky,” I tell him. “If everyone knew, there is a higher probability of her thinking, something is up. You know Marsh and Con can’t keep a secret to save their lives.”
“At least not other people’s.” Owen laughs.
“Exactly.” I pull open the door and motion for Owen to go ahead of me. “Time to look toward the future.” Owen nods, a small smile playing on his lips as he smacks me on the shoulder and enters the store.