CHAPTER 21
Garrison
I’ve never been a good sleeper, it’s kind of hard to be when I’m living on a metal ship where people work round the clock. When I’m not at sea, I’m sharing a paper thin wall with my fellow pilots. Growing up, I slept on the most expensive mattresses, sheets with the highest thread counts, and the softest pillows I’ve ever felt, but even that didn’t help me catch any zzzs. I’ve learned over the years that your entire body, mind, and soul has to be at peace to fully fall into a deep slumber and wake up rejuvenated. It’s why the last two nights I’ve slept better than any other time in my entire life.
The sun peeks in through the curtains, shining directly in my eyes. I squeeze my eyelids shut to keep the light out and reach for Sawyer but my hand turns up empty. Rolling to the left to get out of the direct line of the sun, I open one eyelid and see the other half of the mattress is empty. Sitting up, I frantically look around the room, searching for Sawyer or hoping to hear any of her music but she’s nowhere in sight and the house is eerily silent… wait, no, I hear something. I get out of bed and follow the sound of the her fingers typing on the keyboard.
The sound leads me downstairs where Sawyer is sitting on the couch, looking sexy as fuck in my t-shirt. Her legs are crossed with her laptop perched on them as she pecks at the keys. The curtains are still closed so her face is illuminated by the light of the computer screen. I watch her for a few seconds before I make my presence known. Her lips twitch, wanting to grin, but she tries to keep them at a gentle smile. Her eyes move quickly from left to right as she reads the words in front of her. I’ve seen this excitement on her face before, it’s the same look she has when she’s dancing.
Clearing my throat, I walk toward her and take a seat on the couch beside her. “What’re you looking at?”
Sawyer leans her head toward mine, but doesn’t look away from the screen. She takes less than a second to quickly turn her head and give me a peck on the lips before she’s got her attention back on the computer.
“It’s him, Garrison, it’s my father,” she says all matter-of-factly and points to the screen.
I follow her finger and see a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair smiling back at us. His smile shows his teeth, truly showing off his happiness despite being in a business suit. His arms are crossed in a welcoming way, but in such a way that also establishes his dominance. I have to admit, the man looks pretty damn sharp and I’d probably hire him if I ever needed a lawyer.
“Yeah, that’s Dean Sawyer,” I comment back, not acknowledging the fact that she’s already calling him her father.
She nods excitedly. “Yes, my father, Dean Sawyer.”
I sigh as I move my arm around her shoulders and squeeze gently. I kiss her temple, debating whether or not to even start this conversation. I don’t want to fight with her but I also want her to have realistic expectations. Knowing what I need to do, I reach out and close the laptop. Sawyer looks at me and even though there’s now no light in the room, I can still see the grin on her face.
I run my finger down her cheek and kiss her softly before I start. “Sawyer, I know out of the three men, Dean seems like the closest, and best choice, but you don’t know for sure that he’s your father. Let’s just see how the meeting goes tomorrow, okay?”
Sawyer reaches across me and turns on the lamp on the end table. “No, Garrison, I know he’s the one. I’ve been researching him for the last hour. He’s not married,” she states proudly.
I scoff. “My preference would’ve been you in bed with me, but how is him not being married a guarantee that he’s your father?”
“Don’t you get it? My mother was his lost love. He’s been waiting his whole life for her to return. He never married, like she never did, in hopes that their paths would cross and their fairy tale would be complete.” She pauses to sigh dreamily. “It’s the kind of love story they make into a movie.”
I narrow my eyes, taking her chin in my hand. “Sawyer, you just said it yourself. What you’re saying is a fairy tale, a movie. This is real life.”
She pulls her head away from my hand, her lips dipping into a frown. “You don’t know that, it could be the truth.”
“It could but, Sawyer, I just don’t want you to get hurt. Will you please wait until we talk to him before you officially start calling him your father?”
She sighs and starts to roll her eyes but stops as she lets her eyes travel down my body. Her grin quickly comes back and she sets the laptop on the floor. She pushes up on her knees as she turns to face me. Her hands move to my shoulders and she pushes me back on the couch. Her right hand runs slowly down my chest, her thumb rubbing my nipple lightly as she does. My body heats up, and by the time her hand finds its way to my naked penis, I’m already rocking a semi. I may not be able to protect her but I can definitely bring her pleasure.
Sawyer
“Why am I blindfolded?” I ask anxiously, squeezing Garrison’s hand. The air is warm but a chill runs down my spine from the mystery of the situation. With a smirk, I comment, “Bring this back to my place tonight.”
A familiar chuckle, not laugh, fills the air and burns my ears as I realize I just said that in front of Cuzzo. Garrison joins his grandfather, laughing, and I squeeze his hand as hard as I can.
“I hate you,” I mutter.
Garrison laughs one more time then stops. His lips find mine, and they seem even softer in the darkness. I want to reach out, hold his head in place, but I know Cuzzo is around so I’ll keep my hands to myself, unlike last time we were in Cuzzo’s garage.
“No, you don’t” is all Garrison says.
“Whatever,” I mumble. “What are you doing?”
Garrison lets go of my hand and moves behind me. His fingers fidget with the knot in the blindfold and slowly, the material drops away from my eyes. I blink a few times to get used to the light and when I finally open them all the way, I see the motorcycle in the middle of Cuzzo’s garage. Unlike the last time I was here, it’s standing up on the kickstand, and shining as though the machine was just built. I look over at Garrison who’s grinning like a kid in a candy shop.
“Wanna take a ride?” he asks, his eyebrow quirked.
I bite my lip to refrain from answering inappropriately in front of his grandfather. Garrison shakes his head with a laugh and kisses me fast before walking over to the bike and taking a seat. He pushes one foot down on the throttle and it roars to life. Even though I’ve only ever rode a motorcycle one other time, just a few days ago with Garrison at that, my stomach flips at the idea of riding another one and even more because the bike I killed is back to life!
“Sounds like a beauty,” Cuzzo yells, nodding toward the bike.
Garrison holds his hand out and I run over to him. He scoots up on the seat, making room for me behind him. Cuzzo walks over, handing us both helmets. The old man helps me buckle my strap, reminding me of my own grandfather. I take his hand before he walks away and write ‘thank you’ in his palm, not just for the helmet but for everything he’s done for me. Cuzzo smiles and nods, and tears fill my eyes. I knew this trip would be emotional but I never expected this.
Garrison looks over his shoulder and shouts, “Ready?”
I wrap my arms around his torso and nod. Garrison revs the engine, and in seconds, we’re at the end of the driveway and onto the main road. Garrison drives fast but cautious, and I trust him, not just because he does this kind of thing for a living, but I genuinely feel that Garrison Cocuzzo would never hurt me. The man has my best interest in mind, just like he did this morning when I was intent on demanding that Dean Sawyer is my father.
I understand that he doesn’t want me to get hurt but in my heart, I know the love story I made up for my mother and Dean is fact or at least close to it. The two must’ve met at the VFW after Christmas. My mother, always a lady, couldn’t deny the attraction between her and Dean Sawyer. Knowing their time was limited, much like Garrison and myself, she decided to trade in her v-card to Dean that night, knowing she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have the most passionate night of her life. Besides, she knew that one day, she and Dean would find each other again and complete their love story.
Okay, I know that story might be a little far-fetched but in less than twenty-four hours, I’ll know the truth. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be sitting face to face with Dean Sawyer, my father, who will tell me the real love story between him and my mother. Then… then, I have to tell him the truth, that my mother is gone and that he’ll never get his happily ever after. I have to let him know that he missed out on a lifetime of happiness with my mother, and I’m the consolation prize.
Will I be enough? What if it’s too painful for him to look at me? What could possibly be the best day of his life, will also be the worse day of it, too. Will a daughter be enough to replace the loss of the love of his life?