Chapter Three

 

Sawyer had returned the room key to the motel office and let them know Winnie was checking out; he’d also made sure her car started before he ran his little errand. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she didn’t have money for food, and while a roof over her head was a great thing, it wasn’t enough. He went to the big box store across town and loaded the shopping cart with the basics like milk, juice, cheese, fruit, and yogurt. He made sure to purchase a large package of chicken breasts, one of pork chops, and another of steaks, thinking she could separate them and freeze what she didn’t need right away. He tossed in some side items he thought a little boy might like, some spices and marinades for the meat, and tried to think of what else the little family would need.

A call to Matt had assured him that the kitchen was fully stocked with pots, dishes, silverware, and anything else she would need for mealtimes. Just not the food. By the time he was finished, he hoped he’d picked up enough stuff to get her through a week, maybe two. He didn’t have any idea what kind of cereal kids liked, so he picked one with a cartoon drawing on the box and tossed it in, along with a large box of Pop-Tarts. Then he tossed in a few cans of Chef Boyardee, remembering that Cassie mentioned her kids loved it. As an afterthought, he grabbed a card and a vase of fresh flowers as a home-warming present. At the checkout, he picked up a gift card, thinking they might need other things besides food.

By the time he paid for his purchases and got back to The Towers, it was nearly lunchtime. He grabbed as much stuff as he could and hauled it up to her apartment, then knocked on the door. Winnie looked surprised to see him, as if she’d thought he’d abandoned them now that they had a place to stay. Her eyes widened when she saw all the sacks he carried.

“There’s more in the truck. If I can just set these down in the kitchen, I’ll run down and get them.”

“Sawyer, what did you do?”

“It’s just some groceries. Having a roof over your head might be nice, but what’s the point if you can’t feed your son?” he asked softly enough that Benjamin wouldn’t hear from where he played across the room.

Her eyes teared and she thanked him as she followed him into the kitchen. He put the bags on the counter and left her to put everything away while he got the last load from the truck. When he got back to the apartment, she was nearly finished with the first load. He set the vase of flowers and card on the counter then helped put the rest away.

“Flowers?” she asked.

“I thought they might brighten the place up a little.” He pulled the gift card from his wallet. “And I got you this in case there’s anything you need that I didn’t think of. Like laundry detergent. There’s a laundry facility in the lower level of the building, and Matt assured me the machines don’t require quarters.”

“Thank you doesn’t seem like enough for everything you’ve done for us.”

“How about you let me take the two of you out to lunch? Now that you don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen later today, or even tomorrow, maybe you can breathe a little easier and enjoy yourself.”

Benjamin came over and tugged on Winnie’s arm. “Mama, now that we have a home, can we get a TV?”

“Honey, that’s something we’ll have to look at later. But maybe we can go to the library and check out some books.”

Sawyer bit his lip. “I have a TV you could use. It’s not new, but it works, and it has a built-in DVD player. It’s one of those older boxy ones. I even have a stand you could use for it. And before you say no, it’s just been sitting in my garage collecting dust.”

“Can we, Mama?” Benjamin asked, tugging on her again.

“All right,” Winnie said. “But it’s just a loan. As soon as I can buy one, we’ll give it back.”

Sawyer nodded, having expected nothing less from the independent woman. While they were putting their shoes back on and getting ready to go, he slipped forty dollars into the silverware drawer where she’d find it later. The gift card would help her a lot, and so would the groceries he had bought, but she might need cash for something, and he doubted she had any. It wouldn’t last a long time, but it would give her a little cushion while she looked for a job.

“We’re ready,” Winnie said, waiting by the front door.

Sawyer led them down to his truck and drove to his favorite pizza place. All kids loved pizza, right? They had other things too, like pasta and salads if Winnie didn’t want something greasy for lunch. Mario’s was packed, but they found a booth, by a window, that had recently been vacated. A bus boy was wiping it down as they walked over.

Sawyer slid in on one side while Winnie and Benjamin claimed the other. Sawyer ordered a pitcher of soda for them and three glasses, then handed Winnie the menu. She worried her lower lip as she looked over it, and he knew she was trying to save his wallet again.

“Winnie, pick whatever you want. We can order two larges and split them, or Benjamin and you can order individual meals, if that’s what you want.”

“Can we get cheese pizza?” Benjamin asked.

“Of course!” Sawyer said. “What kind of pizza does your mama eat?”

“I like supreme,” she said softly.

“Perfect.” Sawyer smiled. “It’s my favorite too. We’ll order one of each and get some breadsticks too.”

After they had placed their order, Sawyer wasn’t quite sure what to talk about. He didn’t want to ask about her past for fear of upsetting her. But he had to admit he wondered how they’d fallen so far, and where Benjamin’s dad was. Not once had he mentioned his father, and it made Sawyer think the guy hadn’t been in the picture for a while.

“You mentioned your boss might know of a place for us. Do you work for my landlord?” she asked.

“No. I work construction for Connor Tierney. Matt is just a friend, but it was Connor’s idea to call him. Connor is one of my alphas.”

“One of?” Winnie frowned. “I thought there was only ever one alpha in a pack.”

“Connor is the cousin of the original Alpha, Gabriel Andrews. When the cousins moved to Ashton Grove, Connor actually moved outside of Ashton Grove so he could start his own pack. Somewhere along the way, the two decided to join forces, and now everyone lives here in town.”

“Interesting. And does the pack do stuff together, like run under the full moon?” Winnie asked.

Sawyer laughed. “We don’t do full moon runs. It’s just a myth that we can only change under a full moon. We’re stronger at that time though. There are pack gatherings from time to time, usually barbecues or outings to the park.”

“So, it’s like having a family?” she asked.

“Just like having a family. Well, maybe not completely like having a family, or finding your mate within the pack would just be weird.”

Winnie laughed.

“Do you have one?” Benjamin asked.

“No, I don’t.”

Benjamin smiled. “You could marry my mama!”

Winnie blushed. “Benjamin, hush. I’m sure Mr. Braxton has a girlfriend already. Besides, he’s just being nice to us.”

Sawyer took a sip of his drink. “I don’t have a girlfriend, for the record.”

Winnie’s blush deepened.

Their pizza and breadsticks arrived. Benjamin’s eyes went wide as he looked at all the food. Sawyer wondered when the last time was he’d had pizza. The boy looked so excited as he ate his first piece and hesitantly reached for a second.

“Eat as much as you want,” Sawyer told him.

“Will I go to the same school?” Benjamin asked.

“There’s only one elementary, middle, and high school in Ashton Grove, so I would imagine your school would remain the same. Were you worried about not seeing your friends?” he asked.

Benjamin nodded.

“School just let out,” Winnie said. “You have the entire summer to enjoy.”

“What do you like to do when you aren’t in school?” Sawyer asked the boy.

“Last summer we had a small apartment, and it had a pool. Mama wouldn’t let me swim too often though because she said it wasn’t safe.”

Sawyer’s gaze sharpened on Winnie. “Not safe?”

She licked her lips. “We were staying at the Sherwood Pines Apartments.”

That was in the worst part of town, and Sawyer knew it was a miracle she’d made it out of there alive. Ashton Grove didn’t have a lot of crime, but it didn’t mean there weren’t lowlifes. Some parts of town were questionable at best, even though a motorcycle club had moved in a few months ago and were trying to clean things up.

“You don’t have to go back there,” Sawyer said.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Winnie said.

But he wanted to make those promises, even if it meant watching over them for the rest of his life. Every time he was near Winnie, his wolf nudged along his skin, wanting to get closer to her. As he’d lain in bed last night, he’d wondered, if maybe, she was his mate.

They finished their meal and Sawyer drove them by his house to pick up the TV and stand. Winnie studied his house as she got out of the truck, and he wondered what she thought of it. It was a three bedroom, two bath home, but the bedrooms were on the small side. It was quite a bit bigger than her apartment, but he wouldn’t call it a spacious home.

“You live here?” Benjamin asked, his eyes wide. “Do you have a pool?”

Sawyer smiled. “No, I don’t. But maybe I should get one of those above ground pools for the summer. Then your mama and you could come over and go swimming.”

“You want to spend more time with us?” Benjamin asked.

“Definitely.” He winked at the boy and didn’t miss the assessing gaze Winnie cast his way. She was learning to trust him, but he knew she still didn’t expect him to stick around for long. He’d just have to show her that he wasn’t like all the other guys she’d ever known.

“No one’s stuck around since my daddy died,” Benjamin said.

Well, that explained the lack of a father in boy’s life, and probably accounted for their current circumstances. Had the guy not left them with any life insurance money? If he’d had a wife and kid, he’d certainly have made sure they were taken care of, in case anything ever happened to him.

“I’m sorry to hear about your daddy,” he said as he hunkered down in front of Benjamin. “Why don’t you go check out the backyard for a minute while I load the TV into the truck?”

The boy took off, and as Winnie went to leave with him, Sawyer reached out and took her arm gently.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged. “We don’t really know you. I wasn’t married to Paul, but we’d been together since high school. He said he didn’t believe in marriage. He was estranged from his parents, but when he died, they got all of the life insurance money. I tried to hire a lawyer to fight for Benjamin to get a share to put away for college, but I couldn’t afford anyone decent, and we lost.”

“And that’s how you ended up on the streets?” he asked.

“No. Paul died a little over a year ago, and we had to move to the cheaper apartments in town, but we were getting by. Two months ago, I lost my job, and about three weeks ago, we lost our apartment. I’d gone through my savings.”

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, but I want you to know that you can count on me. I want to help, if you’ll let me.”

“Why?” she asked. “What’s so special about us?”

“Because you feel like you’re mine. Both of you. From the moment my wolf caught your scent, he’s been more than a little interested. I’m not going to push for more until you’re ready, but I don’t intend to go anywhere, Winnie. I want to be a part of your life, if you’ll let me.”

Her brow furrowed. “Wolves mate for life, don’t they?”

“Yes. Does that frighten you?”

“No,” she said softly. “It would be nice to have someone to share the load; someone to come home to other than Benjamin. But we just met, and for his sake, I’m not going to just jump right into a relationship. If you want to spend time with us, I’m okay with that.”

“We can take things as slowly as you want, Winnie. I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”

She smiled a little. “You’re almost too good to be true, Sawyer Braxton. You make me want things I thought I’d never have. Maybe believing in fairy tales isn’t so bad. And perhaps, this time, the fairy tale will come true.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “Permission to kiss the princess?

Winnie laughed. “I’m far from a princess, but yes, Sir Wolf, you may kiss me.”

His lips descended on hers in the gentlest of kisses. The wolf inside rose up, wanting more, but he held himself back. Winnie’s hands fisted his shirt as she kissed him harder, and then parted her lips. His tongue slipped inside, and he growled a little as she melted against him. Reluctantly, he pulled away before things went any further. His wolf was demanding that they mark her, claim her. She wanted time, and he was going to give it to her.

“I’ll get the TV,” he said, his voice husky with desire. “You should check on Benjamin.”

Winnie nodded, looking a little dazed, and hurried around the side of the house. By the time she returned with Benjamin in tow, Sawyer had loaded the TV and stand into the back of his truck. The little cart had wheels so he tossed some cords into the back as well so he could strap the TV to the stand to get it up to her apartment. Rolling it onto the elevator shouldn’t be a problem.

When they got back to The Towers, Winnie held the door for him as he pushed the TV and cart through the door and onto the elevator. At her apartment, he hooked it up for her, only to realize she didn’t have any DVDs to play on it, nor did she have cable. On the way back to his truck, Sawyer made a call to one of the younger wolves in the pack, Lucas, and asked him to make a special delivery, promising to pay him back.

“Just pick a handful of things a little boy might like and something the mom would watch too. I don’t care about the cost,” Sawyer said.

“I’ll take Aria with me. She can pick some stuff for the mom. We’ll dig through the discount bins and then hit the newer titles. Maybe we can find some of those three-in-one DVDs, give them lots to watch,” Lucas said. “You just want me to leave them at the front desk?”

“Take them up to her apartment. I’d do it myself, but I think she’s seen enough of me today. If she asks where they came from, just tell her they are a gift from the pack.”

“You got it. So, does this mean you’re taking a mate?” Lucas asked.

“If all goes well, I just might be.” Sawyer smiled, remembering the kiss. “Let me know when it’s done. I bet they’re going to go stir crazy in that apartment with nothing to do.”

“We’re out running errands right now, so we’ll head straight over.”

“Thanks, Lucas.”

Sawyer disconnected the call and drove back to his house. Even though he had the day off from work, there was still a lot of repairs to do on his home. And now that he a potential mate, he wanted to make sure it was ready for his possible family, if he could convince them to take a chance on a lonely wolf.