Page 43 of Forever After Never

"Nothing. Good morning, beautiful." Sawyer gets up from his seat and wraps his arms around my waist. Planting a kiss to my forehead.

"Hmm. Doesn't look like nothing to me." I raise my eyebrow.

"Oh, honestly, It's nothing. Sawyer was offering to give me a lift into town today. The rain is still shit, and he needs to go to his parent's house anyway. It's on the way, so he's going to drop me on the way."

"Is there more of where that came from?" I ask, gesturing to the coffee.

"There’s loads in the pot. I'm going to get my stuff so we can hit the road."

"Will you be back tonight?" I ask Sawyer once Alice has left the kitchen.

"Oh, I, umm, I don't know. My parents need some stuff done at the house, so I might be up there for a couple of days."

"Can I come with you? I really wanted to talk to you. Maybe we can talk on the way?"

"Sorry, Sugar. Can we talk when I get back? I won't be long. Two days, tops. None of the girls are at the house. You will be bored. Stay here this weekend. I need to go, I'm sorry. I'll call youfrom my parent's house tonight." He says as he, too, slinks out of the kitchen like he is trying to escape a bad smell.

What in the hell is going on with these two? I thought we'd have a nice weekend together, maybe hire a boat, take Jed out of the lakes, but instead my boyfriend and my best friend are being cagey as hell.

"Bye, Autumn! Alice shouts out, and the front door slams.

"Goodbye to you too," I say out loud to nobody in particular.

"Was it something I said, boy?" I question Jed, expecting him to respond, but I end up having a conversation with myself instead.

"I didn't think so either, Jed. Yes, they are being weird, aren't they?" He tilts his head to the side, looking at me as if he can understand every word I say.

"What was that? You wanted to go for a walk? Come on then, boy, let’s go."

Chapter 35

Alice

Well, we didn't exactly lie. Sawyerisgiving me a ride, but he is giving me a ride to I can talk to him about him wanting to marry my best friend.

"Sawyer, what the fuck?" I laugh. "I only joked to Autumn last night about you ending up getting married quickly."

"Well, I didn't think I wanted to get married again. I didn't think I wanted a girlfriend again at all. Then I met her." He smiles so genuinely when he talks about Autumn that it warms my heart.

"Alice, this is probably going to sound a bit odd, but you're the closest that Autumn has to family. So, like I was going to ask before we were interrupted this morning, do I have your permission to ask Autumn to marry me?"

I choke back a sob. He's right; it is odd, but it is also so fitting. Autumn and Iarefamily, after all.

"Of course. Of course, you have my permission." I can't get the words out fast enough.

"Good." He grins. "I don't really know what I'd have done if you'd said no. Do you honestly have to go anywhere? Because if not, I could really use your help. I've got a rough plan, but it involves my family, so if you could come with me to the house, I could really do with your input."

"Jesus Christ, Sawyer. Why so urgent? When are you planning to ask her?"

"Tomorrow," he smirks at me, and my jaw drops open.

"Well, I guess we're doing this thing, then! What's the plan, buddy?"

"I said it's a rough plan. Not a full plan." Then, we are interrupted by a text from Autumn

Autumn: WTF, Alice. You were both being super cagey this morning. Where did you go?

Me: Sorry. It was early, I was still half asleep. I really did have to go. Nothing cagey. I promise. Sawyer dropped me off then left for his parent's house. He's a good guy. You really should ask him to move in, you know.

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