Olivia's Ride (Sawyer Brothers Book 4) (16 page)

Epilogue

Two and a half years later

Keeton

“I need you to understand just how much I love your daughter.” My heart raced as I looked out toward the open grassy area I would now call my home.

After I graduated with my degree in Computer Science and Engineering, I continued to work at the garage and do side jobs using my degree. I didn’t want to settle at a job when I knew I wouldn’t be staying, I was only stalling until Olivia was completed with school. Two weeks ago she graduated with her teaching degree. And it was two weeks ago we packed up everything and moved to Livingston to settle. It had been our plan since that first summer I spent here with her family.

They may have terrorized me and put me through test after test to prove my love for Olivia, but here I was. I had since then fallen in love with not only Montana, but the Sawyer family as well.

I finally had that family I craved for so long.

“I want to ask your permission to marry Olivia.” Just the idea of calling her my wife brought a smile to my face every time. I wanted to share my life with her. I wanted to see her carry my children and together we would shower them with so much love they never got the chance to feel unwanted. “Nothing would make me happier than having your blessing, sir.”

And I meant that.

Ryan intimidated me in the beginning, and if I’m being honest, he fucking put a fear in me I never wanted to feel again. But over time he and I developed a closeness I now treasure. He was someone I looked up to and valued, just as I did Noah and Jackson, too. They had all become a huge part of my life. I’m thankful every day I was in the student commons that day when the spicy brunette set the arrogant jock in his place.

It could have been any other man who caught her attention, but it was me, and I knew just how lucky I was.

Olivia was the most beautiful person I knew, and that ran so much deeper than just looks. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

“I know she’s safe with you,” Ryan said, and I looked away from the woman I loved as she ran around with her brothers and little sister in the open land before us. “All I’ve ever wanted for her was her happiness. You make her happy.”

“She’s such an amazing person,” I said. “She makes me a better man; without her I don’t know what I’d do. But I know I never want to find out.”

“You have my blessing,” he assured me with a slight nod of his head. “Having the both of you back here in Livingston is a blessing.”

“This is home,” I told him. “Not just for Liv, but me too. I’ve never in my life ever felt the sense of belonging I feel when I’m here. You’ve all become my family.”

“Even after all the shit we put you through, huh?” Ryan asked with a chuckle.

“If you hadn’t put me to the test, I wouldn’t have the respect I have for all of you,” I told him. “It doesn’t take much to pick up on the love you have for one another. It’s admirable the way you all have one another’s back, the way you watch out for one another, and love each other. But that girl right there,” I said, pointing toward Olivia. “I’ve never loved anyone more than I love her. I need you to know that, Ryan. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t go through to keep her safe. She means more to me than anything else ever has.”

“I know,” he replied. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be allowing you to marry her.”

He offered a smirk, and our moment was suddenly broken by loud squeals and laughter that was moving in closer.

Olivia smiled brightly as she eyed me and then her father.

“Why do the two of you look so serious?” she asked as I placed my arm over her shoulder and pulled her in closer.

“Just guy talk,” Ryan assured her before I could say anything. “Which leads me to the next thing we need to discuss.”

Now Olivia wasn’t the only one looking at her father with curiosity.

Amber at his side, wearing a matching smile, made it obvious she already knew what Ryan was referring too.

“You remember this spot, Liv?” Ryan asked as he looked out in front of him, as if he was remembering some fond memory. “What happened in this very location?”

I looked back at forth between the three of them, waiting for someone to clue me in. Both Amber and Olivia were batting their lashes as they fought back tears beginning to fill their eyes.

Olivia didn’t speak, but chose to nod her head in response.

“This was the very location that I married Olivia’s mother,” Ryan said, mainly directed to me, because everyone else already knew what memories this spot held.

Amber was one hell of a woman. I had to give her that. All the times I have been around her, never once did she ever appear offended when Ryan and Olivia took a stroll down memory lane. Most of the time she smiled and laughed over the stories they told.

She was a god-damn angel, that’s all I had to say.

The woman had a heart of fucking gold.

“I want you and Keeton to have this spot to build your future,” her father added, catching me off guard. I looked up at him just as he continued. “Gran, Jackson, and Noah agree. Gramps would have wanted you close, Liv. This piece right here was always meant to be yours. It was the spot your mother and I had chosen for you, and the spot I want you and Keeton to now share.”

I felt my throat burn as I watched Ryan grow emotional for only the second time since I’ve known him.

“I want to watch the two of you build a life together. I want to be able to see my grandkids grow up and be just across the lake from it all.” A tear ran over his cheek and Amber tightened her hold on his waist. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to have the kind of love I’ve had, first with your mother and now with Am. And sweetheart, you got that.”

“Dad,” Olivia whispered as her body shook against mine.

“Your happiness will always be something I’ll strive for, but now I have the help of this guy.” He nodded his head in my direction. “And something tells me if you have him by your side, I won’t have to worry so much.”

His words meant so much. And he was right; I would always make sure Liv knew how loved she was, and nothing would ever tarnish her light because her happiness meant the world to me.

This would be the spot we would begin our lives together. It would be the spot we built our home and began filling it with the kind of love only Olivia has shown me.

I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

The love I had for this girl was overwhelming and consuming, and at times I felt as if I could barely catch my breath, but nothing had ever felt so good. I welcomed the ache she gave me every time she flashed that smile or the way she looked at me. It was as if I was the greatest person she knew.

That was an amazing feeling.

***

Olivia

“I can’t see a damn thing,” I said as I took another cautious step forward.

“Well that’s the whole point,” Trinity said with a laugh.

She had forced me to put on this damn blindfold before shoving me into the cab of my own truck and forcing me to not peek.

This entire thing had Keeton written all over it. I was excited and a bit terrified.

“Just keep your panties on, we’re almost there,” she insisted.

“Almost where?” I pushed for answers I already knew I wouldn’t be getting. Apparently Trinity was a terrific keeper of secrets. I thought of torturing it out of her by threatening to tell the new officer at the station that she secretly fantasizes about him and his handcuffs, but I chose to leave it be. She was still very timid when it came to men.

Trinity had a terrible experience with a man that used her inexperienced and kind heart against her. He sucked her in, tore her down, and then spit her out. Damn selfish pig deserved to be castrated for the hell he put her through. She still had terrible trust issues when it came to men. But there was something intriguing about Chase Douglas that had caught her eye, even if she shied away every time he smiled at her.

In time, I hoped she would find a way to let go of her past and find happiness like I had with Keeton. It was something I found myself wishing for often. Trinity was such a sweet, generous and fun person; she deserved her own happy.

The truck slowed to a stop and I was so lost in my world of matchmaker that I found myself reaching out to brace myself against the dash. “Hold on, girl, Keeton’ll be pissed if I show up with you sporting a bloody lip or something.”

So it was Keeton. I knew it.

I hadn’t seen him since right after lunch. He had given me some lame excuse about going with Uncle Noah to the ranch when I knew for a fact Uncle Noah was on shift at the station. But instead of calling bullshit I let it ride. I had felt for the last week that everyone around me had been up to no good. They were all so secretive and jumpy when I was around.

The passenger door came open and I knew it wasn’t Trinity because she had not yet crawled out from behind the wheel.

A strong hand gripped my thigh, that familiar scent I loved so much engulfed me, and I knew it was Keeton at my side. He reached across my lap and unbuckled my seatbelt just before brushing his lips over mine. “Hey baby,” he whispered and the feeling of his breath tickled my jaw and gave me goosebumps. “Come with me.”

“Where?” I asked, yet my question had again gone unanswered.

I allowed him to help me from the truck and lead me with one hand on my lower back as he held my hand firmly in his other.

“Do you have any idea just how much I love you?” he asked and I smiled. “I’m not sure there’s even a word to describe the feeling I get every time you flash me that gorgeous smile of yours. I just know that nine out of ten times you leave me breathless.” I could feel the effects of his words as my chest tightened and I fought back the tears.

He continued to lead me along, with the blindfold still blocking everything from my view.

“You are so deep in my soul I sometimes feel you are a part of me, like I can’t breathe without you near. And I love that feeling,” he confessed. “I love knowing that the love I have for you runs so deep that without it, I’d be lost.”

He slowed to a stop and positioned me in front of him as he reached up and began to untie the blindfold.

As the material fell from my eyes I had to blink a few times before it all came in to view.

There we stood on the dock where Amber and my father had their first kiss, their first date, and the very place my mother loved to spend hours just hanging her feet in the water below. But it no longer was just a lake in the darkness—it was now covered with tiny little flickers of light. An array of candles glistened in the center of small lanterns that floated in the water.

The deck also had the same small lanterns leading out toward the water.

“What is this?” I asked as I turned to look back at him.

He offered that sweet smile that still affected me as much as it had that first time he flashed it.

“This is the place where I ask the woman I adore to spend the rest her life with me,” Keeton whispered, and I swear in that moment my knees grew weak.

He stepped around and before I could say anything in return he knelt before me and took my hand in his. “Nothing would make me happier than having you as my wife.” He licked his lips and pulled something from his back pocket.

I watched in awe as he lifted the ring up and held it near the hand he still held.

“No one has ever loved me the way you do. No one has ever given me the hope and joy that you’ve given me, and I wanna spent the rest of my life having all those things. I want you by my side every day and in my arms every night.” His eyes locked on mine and he smiled sweetly. “Say you’ll marry me, Liv, because nothing would make me happier.”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

My lower lip trembled as I watched him slide the beautiful ring on my finger, before standing up to pull me into his arms.

“I love you so much,” he whispered into the crook of my neck as he hugged me tighter.

I knew my heart would always be safe with Keeton.

He had never truly felt the effects of a love this strong until he fully allowed me to love him. But now he was loved so fiercely, it was truly a beautiful thing.

And he was mine.

Nothing felt better. Nothing made me feel more alive than his love.

And I knew then that my momma had again sent me a gift.

She brought me the love of a man who would forever keep me safe.

***Sneak Peek***

Trinity’s Trust

Book Five of the Sawyer Brothers Series

Chapter One

Trinity

Sometimes I found myself trapped in that house, still fearful of his return. My mind would fall back to that place where I felt as if it was all deserved. Michael had a control over me that I couldn’t explain, and I allowed it.

I lived with it and just accepted it as my fate until that final day when I could no longer take the hate he threw at me. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror anymore. I was just too ashamed. I let things go too far.

It was my fault I never stood up to him; instead, I allowed him to knock me down daily and take his anger out on me. It was disgusting, the person I had become.

I was really heartbroken now when I thought back on those times.

But I escaped and somehow, by some miracle I found my way to Livingston. I stumbled upon some of the greatest people with the warmest souls. And now I was proud to refer to those people as family. It didn’t matter that we didn’t share the same blood; they loved me just the same and I them.

I would forever be grateful to Noah and Ryan for helping me find the right path that day. They honestly could have shipped me down the road and forgotten about the homeless girl they found stranded in a car on a back road. Instead they introduced me to the women they loved, and in turn I found myself surrounded by so much love I had no idea what to do with it all.

The three Sawyer men referred to me as their sister and so did their wives. And Tammy, God bless her, gave me the love of a mother, and nothing had ever felt so good.

I had been so deep in thought that I hadn’t heard the bell above the door chime announcing a customer had entered. But the sound of a deep voice caused me to yelp in surprise as I spun around with my hand pressed against my chest.

There, only a few feet away, stood the man who starred in so many of my dreams lately I felt sometimes like they were real.

Chase Douglas.

He was so god-damn yummy, but there was no way I could even tell him I thought so. But I sure allowed my mind to race off with in-depth thoughts of the things I would love to do to him.

“Sorry to scare ya,” he said with a smirk. He transferred to Livingston Police department when a position opened. He was the grandson of Mrs. Willard, the crazy old lady who reported my car along the road when I first found my way to town.

Over the last couple years she had grown ill, and Chase being the only remaining family she had—he came here to be close to her.

You’d never guess this perfect, sculpted, yummy as hot fudge on a sundae, topped with all the cherries and whipped cream a girl could handle, man came from the same blood line as Mrs. Willard, but he had. She was his mother’s mom. Now I didn’t know the complete details of his family, but I had been told it was a little messy. And if anyone knew what messy was like, it was me.

“You okay?” His question snapped me out of my fantasy yet again.

God; he must think I am some kind of freak.

“Um, yeah.” I said clearing my throat and attempting to regain some form of control. “Was there something I could help you with?”

I watched as his eyes shifted toward the item I was currently twisting around in my hands.

The moment I shifted my gaze downward my mouth instantly went dry.

It had to be a thong.

And not just any thong, but a bright red, lacy, see-through thong.

I felt my cheek heat as he traced his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, slowly bringing his eyes upward to once again meet mine.

“I was just putting the new line of lingerie out,” I said, trying to take the uncomfortable feeling away. I should have stopped there. But no, I had to keep spewing shit out like each word would somehow fix the situation I found myself in.

Note to self—talk less, breath more.

“We have these in eight different colors with matching bras and garters. Plus these new nighties that the women in town seem to love.” He just continued to watch me, without saying a word, which only made my mouth keep moving and my heart race even faster.

“They sell much better than the last brand we had. They were a bit itchy, and the material snagged, eventually leaving holes in the product.”

In that moment I wanted to just turn around and walk away. I was without a doubt a rambling fool. And the way he was just looking at me with that damn grin of his told me he, too, found this situation to be one laced with humor.

Only I wasn’t laughing; I was mortified I allowed myself to run my mouth off the way I had.

He reached out and pulled the panties from my hand. “I didn’t come here to shop for…lacey thongs. But just so you know, I’m not opposed to having you model them for me.” He smirked and I felt my stomach drop. I swear it hit the floor at my feet.

Was he seriously flirting with me?

“I came in to ask you if you’d be interested in going out to dinner, with me?” He still held the thong in his hand as he moved his thumb over the silk material.

And my mind wandered off once more to the idea of him continuing that very movement over and over, only this time when the panties were tightly hugging my body. I felt my core clench as I imagined the way it would feel as his hands ran over my hips and along my thighs.

“Should I take your silence as a no?” he asked and I panicked suddenly.

“No,” I said a little too loud and he chuckled. “I mean yes. Or wait a minute. No, my silence doesn’t mean no, and yes, I’d love to have dinner with you.”

Oh my god, I was such a dork.

“Okay,” he smiled wide and placed the silky material back in my hands, only this time he didn’t pull his hand away. The movement from earlier, the one I had allowed myself to fantasize about was being repeated. Only this time it was my palm he was rubbing.

I tried not to pant, but it was seriously one of the hardest things to accomplish. I had the urge to climb this man like an oak tree or rub up on him like a cat. He was so damn good looking and he smelled amazing too.

“Tomorrow night?” he asked and like the idiot I am I only nodded. “Six thirty?” and yep I nodded again. He once again chuckled. “I’ll pick you up just across the way; I know where you live.”

Apparently Mr. Douglas had been paying attention. That thought sent chills over me as he turned around and walked out of
Sassy Ladies.

Never had a pair of slacks made a man’s ass look as good as they did Chase. I bit my lip to keep from moaning and when I noticed that sweet ass was no longer moving I looked up to meet the knowing smirk of the most handsome cop I knew.

Yep, I’d been caught admiring his ass.

Another mark on the embarrassing movements tally board.

Chase Douglas was dangerous to my libido and my sanity. He had my mind racing and my body heating and we hadn’t even gone on a date yet.