“Hey.”
Sawyer glanced over to see Braydon and Jessie strolling their way, shaking the water off of them.
“Hey,” Sawyer said, leaning over and giving Jessie a hug. “Glad y’all could make it.”
For the last few months, it seemed that there was a little tension between Braydon and Jessie. Although the pair were engaged, Braydon wasn’t living with Jessie at this point. Not that living together was a requirement, but Sawyer happened to know that Braydon wished he was living with her and Jessie felt the same. Unfortunately, Braydon’s loyalty to Brendon had kept him in place, still living with his twin although he stayed with Jessie a lot of the time. Sawyer wouldn’t deny that his staying wasn’t a bad idea, at least until Brendon figured his shit out, but he hated that Braydon was putting his life on hold because Brendon was in a funk.
“I’m gonna head back with Kylie,” Jessie announced.
“Okay, babe. You want somethin’ to drink?” Braydon asked.
“The usual,” she replied.
“I’ll bring it to you in a minute.”
Jessie nodded and Braydon kissed her on the forehead before she sauntered toward the back.
Sawyer happened to know that Jessie’s usual was Belvedere and Sprite, so he turned and nodded to Mack, hollering the order when the bartender looked his way.
While he leaned against the bar, surrounded by Travis, Gage, and Braydon, they chatted for a minute before they were joined by Ethan and Beau. Not long after that Greyson arrived, and Kaleb and Zane made their way over. The only one missing was Brendon, and his absence was noticeable as they talked.
“Where’s Kennedy?” Zane questioned, glancing around the bar before pinning his stare on Sawyer once more.
Sawyer had been wondering the same thing and was just about to text her when the door opened and she walked in. As with every time he saw her, his mouth went dry. Once again, she was rocking a pair of jeans and boots, a red-and-black-plaid button-down shirt open over a black tank top that showcased her magnificent cleavage. She made her way over to him and he held out his hands, taking hers when she was within reach.
“Hey.” Sawyer kissed her softly on the lips. “I ordered you a drink,” he told her, nodding to the glass Mack had delivered a few minutes earlier.
“Thanks.”
“Somethin’ wrong?” Sawyer looked around, searching the room in case he had missed something. Once he managed to peer around his brothers, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but then again, he couldn’t see everyone who’d arrived.
“I just talked to my father,” Kennedy explained, her eyes sliding over in Mack’s direction. “I tried to convince him to come down here tonight, but he refused.”
“They’ll figure it out, darlin’,” Sawyer told her, pressing his mouth to her cheek and keeping his voice low. “I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes you just have to let things work themselves out. And they will work it out.”
“You think?”
“Yeah,” Sawyer said truthfully, glancing over at Mack. “He’ll come around.”
“Who’ll come around?” Zane inquired, ever the one to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Not that Sawyer minded all that much. They’d all learned to tolerate Zane’s nosiness, mainly because they still vividly remembered all those years ago and the shit that had gone down with Zane. After nearly losing his brother once, Sawyer had made a point not to take him for granted. Then again, he thought as he glanced at Ethan, that should’ve never been an issue in the first place. Sawyer had already lived through it once with Ethan and he should’ve learned his lesson at that point.
“No one,” Kennedy offered Zane with a grin. “Where’s your wife?”
Zane nodded toward the back and the rest of the women, who were sitting at a tall table, chatting away.
Kennedy nodded, but then moved closer to Sawyer once more. “I wish I could talk to Mack’s son,” Kennedy said. “I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. This has gone on far too long now.”
Sawyer pulled back and looked her in the eye, grinning. That was just one of the many things he loved about her. She was fiercely loyal and just as protective, much like he was. In the last few months, Sawyer had heard quite a few stories about Kennedy. Things he’d never heard before and Jeff had been more than happy to share the details with him. Considering that Sawyer had gone to Jeff to ask for Kennedy’s hand in marriage before he had proposed, the two of them had engaged in a lengthy conversation at that time, coming to terms with the fact that they both loved her and they both wanted what was best for her. To his relief, Jeff had given his blessing and now Kennedy was his fiancée.