Page 51 of Sawyer

Sawyer ran a hand through his hair, clearly worn out. Finally, as if he sensed my eyes on him, he turned and met my gaze.

His expression was tired, but the moment our eyes locked, something changed. His features softened, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He glanced at the empty seat beside me, lips quirking into a faint pout, and I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

Sawyer—who just commanded a room full of people—was now impatiently waiting to sit next to me.

I glanced at Aaron, who was already up at the podium, thanked everyone for coming. Just a few more minutes and Sawyer would get his wish.

Lisa, catching our silent exchange, rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ugh, you two are gonna give me diabetes.”

I shot her a mock glare. "What? Don’t act like you and Chris didn’t put me through this kind of torture back in college."

Her eyes widened in exaggerated shock. “Excuse me?”

Before she could fire back, people began getting up and heading toward the food tables at the far end of the gym. I stood quickly, dodging whatever comeback Lisa had in mind.

Sawyer was already waiting for me at the front. The tension in his shoulders was finally gone now that the formalities were over, and when I made my way over, he gave me a soft, tired smile.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Sure," I grinned, falling in step beside him.

As we walked toward the drinks table, I couldn’t resist brushing my hand lightly against his, just for a second.

He glanced at me, that small smile reappearing, and for a moment, it felt like everything else in the room faded away.

"Thanks for doing this," I said softly. "I know I kind of threw you into the deep end."

Sawyer shrugged. "I did it for you."

Before I could reply, a voice from behind us cut through the moment. “Sawyer Brooks!”

We both turned to see an older man approaching. He looked familiar, though I couldn’t quite place him.

Sawyer paused for a moment, then recognition flickered across his face. "Mr. Graham!" he greeted warmly.

“Nice to see you still remember your old sixth-grade teacher,” Mr. Graham chuckled, shaking Sawyer’s hand.

Sawyer quickly gestured toward the drinks table. “Would you like some coffee, sir?”

"Thank you," Mr. Graham said as he accepted the cup of coffee. He took a sip, then smiled warmly. "You know, at the firstmeeting, I stood up for Cooper. How’s he doing these days? Do you think he still remembers me?"

Sawyer hesitated, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I’m, uh, not too sure, honestly. But I’ll ask him. I’m sure he does."

Mr. Graham waved it off . "Oh, no need. I’m sure he’s busy, what with being the lead alpha and all. Besides, Cooper was never exactly known for his memory."

Then Mr. Graham turned to me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "This one time—Cooper and Sawyer here stole all the frogs from the science lab. We kept asking them where they hid the frogs, but every time, they claimed they forgot. It took two weeks for Sawyer to finally ‘remember’ where they hid them. Cooper, on the other hand, didn’t remember for a whole month!"

Sawyer, mid-sip, choked on his coffee, coughing into the cup. I had to stifle a laugh.

I wasn’t sure what was funnier—this sweet old man casually throwing shade at the current alpha of Pecan Pines or the fact that Sawyer was the one who caved first.

I patted Sawyer on the back, handing him a napkin, barely holding back a grin. He shot me a sheepish look while Mr. Graham waved and wandered off to chat with someone else.

"Don’t worry," I said, smirking. "I didn’t hear anything, and I definitely won’t be telling Cooper."

Sawyer nodded, still wiping his mouth, clearly relieved.