Page 97 of One Kind Goal

She kissed the tip of his nose, but he turned that brief contact into something deep and soul-stealing by trapping her body between his and the wall by the bedroom door. He kissed her so thoroughly he hoped she would forget all about him leaving her behind in Vermont to follow Nia.

“I’ll never leave you anywhere again, baby.” He nipped her bottom lip. “Never.”

“You’ll have to leave me sometimes.” She flattened her palms against his chest then slid one hand along his arm to rest at his cast. “This will be better soon and you’ll have games to play. You’ll have to travel. And that’s okay, Sawyer.” She cupped his cheek. “It’s okay as long as you always remember to come back to me.”

“I will. And you and Nia will come see me play sometimes too, right? I would love to know you two are in the stands cheering for me.”

“No matter where we are, we’ll be cheering for you, but yes, I want to go to as many games as possible. I want to take Nia to games. I want every perk that comes from being with you.”

“Perks, huh?”

“Yup.” She reached around and pinched his bare ass. “Perk #1: I get to touch this whenever I want.”

“It’s all yours.”

“Perk #2: Shower fun.” She tugged him into the hallway in search of the bathroom.

He took command, navigating her in the right direction. After a shower he wouldn’t soon be forgetting, they ordered a pizza from Sawyer’s favorite local joint.

“This used to taste a whole lot better,” he said, licking sauce from his fingertip, “before I had Mountain View Pizza in Maplehaven.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing. New York has amazing pizza, but I think I can be happy in Maplehaven with Kyle’s pizza-making wizardry.” She wiped her hands on a napkin. “Speaking of Maplehaven, my stuff and the Pegasus are still at the cottages.”

“I want to check in with Carina and Nia tomorrow morning,” Sawyer said, “but we can head back to Vermont after that.” He shook his head. “I didn’t ask you how it went with Trixie.”

“You had some other things on your mind, Sawyer. Like your daughter being dragged away from you.” She took a sip of her beer. “Austin’s lawyer is a machine. He had everything in order so it all went smoothly. I’ll have time to work at the shop with Trixie for a few weeks before she leaves for New Mexico so the transition should be easy.”

“Wonderful. This situation is a win-win. Trixie gets to hand over her shop to someone who will take good care of it. Someone who will take it to the next level.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.”

They finished their pizza, snuggled on Sawyer’s couch—a couch they decided was coming with them when they moved to Vermont—and went to bed. The next morning, Sawyer was delighted to find Morgan still next to him.

His phone vibrated on the bedside table and he grabbed it to see a text from Teddy.

Teddy: I see your SUV in the driveway. How did it go with Carina?

Sawyer slipped out of bed and padded out to the kitchen. He hit Teddy’s contact, but a soft knock on his front door had him hanging up before his friend answered. He opened the door to find Teddy on the steps.

“Dude, fill me in.”

Sawyer stepped aside to let Teddy in. “The short version is Carina chilled out. She won’t be pursuing full custody. We’ll work something out that’s fair instead. Something where I get to see Nia regularly.”

“Aw, man, that’s awesome.” Teddy clapped him on the back. “Are you pumped?”

Before he could reply, Morgan shuffled out to the kitchen. She was fully dressed back in her leggings and sweater, but even those simple clothes looked centerfold ready on her. Her dark hair was swept into a low ponytail, and Sawyer wanted to feast on the exposed curve of her neck.

Teddy split a glance between them then smiled. “Forget that question. I now know you’re extra pumped.”

“Morning, Teddy.” Morgan wrapped her arms around Sawyer from behind him.

Sawyer put his hand over hers, but she slipped free and headed toward the empty coffee pot.

“Hey, Morgan,” Teddy said. “Nice to see you again.” He high-fived Sawyer as Morgan’s back was to them.

“Nice to see you too.” She opened and closed cupboards until Sawyer opened the correct one and pulled out the coffee grounds and filters.

“You should call Samira,” Teddy said. “She’s worried about you.”

Morgan spun around. “I haven’t checked my phone since I left Vermont with Charlie.”

“That’s part of why I’m over here,” Teddy said. “She made me investigate your whereabouts.”

“I’ll finish making the coffee,” Sawyer said. “Go put your friend’s mind at ease.”

“I probably have a few messages or a billion from my sisters too.” Morgan disappeared down the hall.

While she was gone, Sawyer caught up his friend on recent events. When he was finished, Teddy whistled.

“Who thought a broken arm would lead to all this?” He gestured to Sawyer’s cast.

“Not me, but I’m damn glad things have turned out the way they have.” Sawyer glanced over his shoulder, but Morgan wasn’t heading back yet. “I’m thinking about the next steps now, and I need your help.”

“What are friends for?” Teddy rubbed his palms together. “Count me in for the Next Steps Plan.”

Sawyer fist-bumped his buddy, knowing that what came next had to be perfect.