The conversation continued around them while Sawyer stared through the glass at the little girl, who would be the next to steal everyone’s heart, his included. Ever since Mason was born, things had changed for them all. Well, actually, that wasn’t exactly true. Things had begun changing before then, back when Kaleb and Zoey gave in to the love they had for one another. Zane wasn’t far behind him, convincing Vanessa to give him a chance, eventually even talking her into marrying him. Travis soon followed, giving in to his true self, and giving himself over to Gage and Kylie equally. Then it had been Ethan’s turn, and truth was, Sawyer was probably the most relieved that Ethan had found Beau. They were perfect for one another. Of course, there were Braydon and Jessie, who were continuing to go forward, one day at a time. They seemed happy, but Sawyer still wondered how Brendon was going to affect them. If anyone needed someone to keep an eye on him, it was Brendon.
Not that Sawyer minded. He’d been keeping an eye on most of them his whole life. It was as though that was his path and he didn’t mind it one bit. The only problem he found was that he had somehow forsaken himself along the way. Not that he hadn’t had a great life. He had. However, he hadn’t experienced anything close to what his brothers were finding and the hell of it was, he wanted it more than anything.
Which was where Kennedy came in.
She was the woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about.
Speaking of . . . Sawyer glanced down to see Kennedy looking up at him, her smile radiant, her eyes shining brightly.
“She’s certainly beautiful,” Kennedy said.
“That she is. The three of them did good.”
“I need to head out,” Zane hollered. “I’ve gotta go check on the resort.”
“I’ve gotta run, too,” Ethan said, turning to look at Beau. “You comin’?”
Beau shot Ethan a mischievous smirk, and surprisingly enough, Ethan blushed, making Sawyer laugh. Now, that was some funny shit.
“I need to get Mason home,” Zoey said, looking up at where the little boy still sat on Ethan’s shoulders. “I’ll come back after Kylie’s had some time to rest.”
“I think I’m gonna hang out here. I wanna see my sister before I go,” Jessie said.
“Me too,” Braydon added, taking Jessie’s hand.
“We’re gonna stick around for a little while,” Curtis announced. “Jared’s on his way up here now.”
Sawyer watched as everyone went their separate ways after saying a round of good-byes.
“I need to get to back to work. I had to bump an appointment just to stop by here,” Kennedy said.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Sawyer told her. “Give me just a sec.”
Kennedy nodded, and that was the moment Sawyer wondered whether or not he really was dreaming.
THE IDEA OF coming to the hospital to check on the baby—or football, as the twins had referred to the newest member of the Walker family—had been a spur-of-the-moment thing. Kennedy had been walking out her front door after stopping by her house for lunch, making her way to her car as she did every single day, when she decided what the hell.
Truth was, she had been hoping Sawyer would still be at the hospital.
Last night, finally succumbing to sleep after tossing and turning, still feeling the softness of Sawyer’s lips on her own, Kennedy had dreamed about him. And her subconscious had taken her back to high school, playing things out in an entirely different way.
Needless to say, when Kennedy woke up, she’d been flustered. Both pissed at her teenage self for giving in to the boy that Sawyer had once been and relieved that it had only been a dream. But even she noticed in the dream that she hadn’t worked too hard to stay away from him. So, maybe there was something there, some sort of underlying attraction that she’d had for him even back then.
Surely not. Not after the hell she’d been put through in high school.
So, being the glutton for punishment that she was, Kennedy had opted to make a quick detour rather than heading right back to the office after lunch—one that was about forty-five minutes out of her way—to come to the hospital and check on the new Walker baby. And yes, she was happy to see that Sawyer had still been there, even though she knew she shouldn’t have been.
However, she had not anticipated being alone with him, yet here she was, waiting for him to say good-bye to his family so he could walk her to her car.
A tap on her shoulder had Kennedy glancing behind her to see Brendon standing there.
“Hey,” she greeted him, noticing that he looked as though he hadn’t slept in a week. “How’re you feelin’?”