Page 119 of Icebound Hearts
“I honestly don’t remember at this point, and I’m not sure it matters anyway. The point is that it happened. It’s happening,” I say, putting a fine point on the present tense. Reese winces but catches himself.
“It’s just older brother stuff. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I know, and I appreciate that, but I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
Reese smiles at me. “I know you can. You’re already doing it, so I’m not going to sit here and try to tell you how to live your life or what you can’t do.”
“Thank you.” He pulls me in for a hug, and I’m happy to give him one.
We’ve always gotten along, but in a weird way this revelation about what’s going on between Sawyer and me has somehow brought us closer. I totally expected him to go nuclear over it—not that he would’ve necessarily been in the wrong—but I guess Callie really has influenced him. Or maybe his relationship with her has just made him more sensitive.
“I’m really gonna miss you when you leave, you know,” he says when he lets me go. “It’s been nice having you living in the same city as me.”
A lump forms in my throat and I nod.
“I’ll miss you too,” I whisper, my voice strained—because the truth is, I’m going to miss so much more than just him when I go. I can’t help but hug him again, squeezing him tight as if it’s going to somehow freeze time and stop my rapidly approaching departure date from crashing into me like a runaway train.
But of course, it won’t.
“I love you, sis,” Reese says and kisses the top of my head.
“Love you too.”
We don’t say anything more on our way back into the house—there’s nothing else that needs to be said—and I hug Callie goodbye too before I climb back into my car and start the engine. But I can’t bring myself to leave yet, so I dig in my purse for my phone for a reason even I don’t know and see that I’ve missed a couple of calls while I was talking with Reese.
I connect my phone to the Bluetooth in my car and tap to play the first voice message as I back out of the driveway. Sawyer’s voice fills the car, bringing a bittersweet smile to my face.
“Hey, heartbreaker. Just wanted to tell you I’ve got a meeting with Desiree downtown today, so I won’t be here when you get back. We’re going over details about the commercial. Honestly, I’m kind of a nervous wreck about it. I’ve never filmed a commercial in my life, so I have no idea what to expect, but I’msure it’ll be fine. Anyway, I guess I’ll see you later. Have a good day.”
I touch the dash of my car like Sawyer can feel it. “You’ll be more than fine.”
My phone automatically starts playing the next voice message, and my stomach twists as soon as I hear the voice coming from the speakers.
“Hey, hot shot. It’s Elijah.”
My body instinctively shudders at his name, and I shrink in on myself. I should stop the message and immediately delete it, but some morbidly curious part of me won’t let me.
“I know we haven’t talked in a while,” his voice continues through the car’s speakers. “But I’m in Denver for a marketing shoot that’s coming up. The Aces are your brother’s team, right? Small world, we’ll be working with another player from the team for this shoot. Anyway, I know you’re out in Denver now, so I was wondering if maybe you’d want to get together for drinks or something to catch up while I’m here? Let me know.”
My throat seals so tight it’s hard to breathe, and my hands are trembling so much that I’m scared I’m going to crash the car. But a swell of desperation takes over me, and before I even realize what I’m doing, I abruptly spin the car around and speed toward the office where I’m guessing Sawyer is going to be having his meeting with Desiree.
I vaguely remember seeing the agency’s name on one of Desiree’s business cards Sawyer left sitting on the kitchen table, so I fumble with my phone to punch in what I remember of it into the Maps app, and thankfully the phone fills in the rest.
The drive there passes in a flash like I simply teleported from one place to the other. I don’t remember even driving here, but I’m parking the car and tearing out of it, watching the whole thing like I’m somehow outside my body. Tunnel vision carriesme to the door, which is all my eyes can see, and I crash through it where a surprised secretary looks up from her desk.
“Can I help you?”
“Sawyer Townsend. Where is he?”
“And you are?”
“His nanny.”
That seems to get the secretary’s attention because she jumps out of her chair and motions for me to follow her. She takes me to the double doors of a conference room and knocks lightly before she opens it.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Blanc, but?—”
“Sawyer,” I choke out as I step around her, and Sawyer jumps up from the conference table where he was sitting and talking with Desiree and a few other people in business attire whom I assume are her colleagues. Desiree flashes Sawyer a concerned look, but he ignores her.