Chapter Twelve
Sawyer
“Already done.” Chad and AJ both look surprised, but this time, it’s in a good way. “As soon as the petition for custody hit my desk, I sent him a copy. I knew you’d want him to be in the loop.”
Chad closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath. “Thanks, Sawyer. I appreciate knowing you have my back.” He glances at AJ, and a guilty expression passes over his face. “I mean, thanks for having our backs.”
AJ gives Chad a soft smile, and for a second, I almost wonder if he’s going to reach out and kiss him. Of course, that’s probably just me projecting my own sick fantasies on these guys that are clearly in a desperate and stressful situation. But having both of them so close to me is doing weird things to my body. My pulse hasn’t slowed down since Chad placed his big hand on my thigh, and now AJ is directing that adoring look at me. I know my face is heating under his stare, but I can’t look away either. And my cock is growing by the second. It’s like Pinocchio is living in my pants, and the fucker can’t stop lying.
“Um, yeah, that’s my job, right?” I force a chuckle and notice AJ’s expression change. Without even looking at Chad, I can tell he’s also pulled back from the huddle we were in just seconds ago. They both suddenly seem mad…or hurt. I don’t know what I said but I need to fix this. “Besides, it’s obvious you guys are both amazing men who will be amazing fathers. Regardless of what the judge says, I know either one of you will be excellent parents.”
AJ’s lips pull up in a tight grin quickly, but he doesn’t look back at me. And as I should have expected by now, I’ve just ruined the closest thing I’ve ever had to an intimate moment in my life.
We all sit in awkward silence for a good five minutes before Harper wanders into the room. “Is it princess time yet?”
Chad jumps off the table he’s perched on and rushes to her side. “Hey, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
She nods and points to the TV. “Is it time yet?”
Chad makes a show of checking his watch before reaching for the remote. “You woke up just in time. It’s about to start. Why don’t you go potty while I turn it on?”
She nods again and turns back down the hallway. While she’s gone, Chad cues up a cartoon from his DVR and has the remote pointed at the screen. As soon as Harper reappears, he hits the button and a princess giraffe starts dancing across the TV.
I know I’m gawking, but I can’t stop it. After an inappropriate amount of time has passed, AJ’s soft laugh breaks me from my spell, and I give him a questioning look. He just shakes his head. “It’s nothing. You’re just really…cute.” He winks at me before smiling up at Chad.
That makes two winks in the past half hour. Did they plan that? Have they noticed my infatuation and are teasing me about it? I hope not, but that sounds like something guys do to other guys. I don’t have a lot of real-life guy friends, so I don’t know for sure.
Most of the people I’d call friends are either the women at the office or the few guys I game with online. I’ve never met any of those guys in person, but the trash talk does seem like it would include teasing about having a crush on someone way out of their league. And maybe double if the crush is on two guys.
AJ stands up and stretches, his shirt pulling up in front to reveal a perfectly smooth abdomen of golden muscles. I close my mouth to keep from drooling and turn away before I get caught gawking. Unfortunately, Chad is looking right at me with a wide grin on his face. Fuck! I really need to get better at this.
“I’ll get out of your hair now. You’ve got a lot to think about, and I want to call the attorney that manages my trust fund to ask about Britney’s. I’ll die before I let my parents get one penny that belongs to these kids.”
My jaw drops open again when Chad closes the distance between them and pulls AJ into a firm embrace. AJ is a little stiff at first, but he quickly wraps his arms around Chad and heaves out a heavy sigh. It’s clear he’s been carrying this burden on his shoulders for a while and is grateful to have someone to share it with.
Chad whispers something in his ear, and AJ nods, pulling back far enough to look Chad in the eye. I know I should look away and not intrude on their private moment, but it’s just so beautiful. These are two of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen in real life, and watching them hold each other so tightly just makes me swoon a little.
Before I can excuse myself and give them the privacy they deserve, they both turn to me with matching smirks.
“Get over here.” Chad’s commanding voice triggers a response from deep in my belly that has me rushing to his side.
I don’t know what he wants, and I don’t care. All I want is to obey his demand and never let him down. When he was hovering over me in anger earlier, I wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. I felt smaller than an ant as he stared down at me, demanding answers I couldn’t give him. But all that is gone with the heated stare he’s focusing at me.
I can’t look away, and I don’t want to. My body responds on instinct, eager to please him and desperate to see more of that toothy grin. Without warning, two different arms slide behind my back and pull me into their embrace.
As if it was rehearsed, both men place gentle kisses on the top of my head, leaving their mouths on me for what feels like hours.
“Thank you, Sawyer.” Chad’s voice is low and husky, like it’s clogged with some kind of emotion I’ve never really heard before.
“Yeah, Sawyer. Our only hope of getting through this is with you in our corner. Thanks for being there for us.”
My eyes close, and I never want to open them, afraid that’ll mean this moment is all just a dream. But when they pull away and I look into their eyes, I know they’re both being sincere. They aren’t just teasing me anymore. And even if they are, I don’t care. I just want them to hold me like this forever.
~**~
As soon as I get back to my office, there’s a note for me to see Sally. I know I haven’t done anything wrong, but it still makes me nervous being called into the boss’s office. I’ve been a people pleaser my whole life. First with my parents and sister, and then with teachers and authority figures. I just hate disappointing anyone. Which probably means I chose the wrong profession.
As hard as I try in this job, the decisions aren’t up to me. And if the judge decides to rule in favor of someone I don’t think is the best choice, well, I just have to deal with that.
And that’s what makes this situation with Chad and AJ so tough. I know they’d both be great with the children, and I want them both to win. Obviously, that’s not possible, but it’s what I’d honestly recommend. And after spending so much time with Harper and Austin, I’m more invested in their futures than I have been with any previous client. Which means we all stand to get hurt in the end, not just Chad or AJ, but me too.
Poking my head around the doorjamb to Sally’s office, I knock quietly to get her attention. “Is this a good time?”
“Sawyer, yes.” She closes a folder on her desk and ushers me in. “Have a seat.”
Perched on the edge of her guest chair, I hold my pen against my notebook, poised to take down any information she shares with me. “What’s up?”
“I have some good news.” She smiles broadly, allowing the tense muscles in my back to relax a little.
“Thank god! I could use some of that.”
Sally chuckles and slides a document across her desk. “The hearing has been set for April 19th. Maybe then you can stop babysitting those guys and get back to your regular work.”
I force a smile as I read through the court document. That’s just three weeks away. This will all be over in three weeks. And after that, I might not ever see any of them again. “Yeah, that is good news. I’m sure AJ and Chad will be relieved to know this isn’t going to drag on much longer.”
Her eyebrow rises at my casual reference to my clients, but she doesn’t seem concerned. We often refer to clients on a first-name basis. But if she knew how close I’d become to both men, I’d probably be packing up my desk right now.
“Oh, and there’s a third party involved in this case.” I realize she probably hasn’t heard about the grandparents yet, so I fill her in on the details. She isn’t any more comfortable with the idea of them getting custody than any of us are, but it’s not for us to decide.
“Well, schedule an interview with them so you can make a fair recommendation. And keep doing what you’ve been doing. In a few weeks, it’ll all be settled one way or another. But make sure you’re completing your daily reports in case there are any questions later. We’ve had those rats from Postner and Postner in here before. They’ll search for any loophole or wrongdoing to get what they want. And with what they charge, they don’t accept defeat easily.”
“Sure thing, boss.” I tuck my pen into the spiral binding of my notebook and prepare to leave. “Is there anything else?”
Sally cocks her head and her eyes soften. “Is everything okay with you, Sawyer? You’ve looked happier lately, but today you seem to be a little off.”
I’ve looked happier? I have been happier for the past several days, but I didn’t realize anyone else would notice. “I’m good. Just been in a good mood lately, I guess. And today has been a long day. I just need to get some rest.”
She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t fully believe me. “Well, you be sure to take care of yourself first. You can’t help anyone else if you run yourself ragged.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I slip out of her office and head back to my desk. After faxing a copy of the hearing date to Jonathan, I call the Collins’ attorney and request a meeting with them. I’m not looking forward to it but I have to do this. My final recommendation has to be fair, which means meeting with all potential guardians.
Even if choosing one over another might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.