Page 141 of Sinful as They Come
She shifted so she could look up at me. There was a little twinkle in her eyes. “Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Columbia earlier. I only found out a couple of days ago. My dad’s had that apartment for a long time. A few of my cousins lived there while they studied at Columbia. I want you there with me.”
My brain was flooded with thoughts of me coming home to Holly in that apartment. Just me and her. Cooking in the kitchen. Waking up together. Holly studying while I painted. Me taking her every day, making her mine over and over again…
“Do you wanna come with me to New York?” she asked quietly.
“You’re kidding, right?” I chuckled. “I’d love that. And I’m so happy that you got in. I knew you could do it. Congrats, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to tell you that last night. My smart girl…”
She smiled at me, batting her eyes. “You can paint all you want. There’s so many awesome opportunities for artists in New York. Even if we don’t get that apartment, I still want you there with me. We can find somewhere else to stay. All I want is you, Sawyer. Just you. All of you.”
I pulled her that little bit closer. “Sounds perfect. I’ve been waiting to get out of here my whole life.”
Holly’s smile faded a little. “Do you know what’s happening with your dad? If he’s coming back?”
I let out a long breath. “He’s in Wichita with Brodie’s dad. I don’t think he’s coming back anytime soon. I don’t care. He can stay there.”
“Sawyer,” Holly sighed. “I’m sorry. He doesn’t get how good you are.How special you are. You’re the sweetest guy, Sawyer. I wish he could see that.”
I gave her a sad smile. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be upset about that. I’ve been dealing with that my whole life.”
“But youshouldn’tbe dealing with it.”
“I know, doll, I know. But you know what?” I looked right at her. “I’ve got you. And you make me want to be the best person. You make me wanna be a better man. The kind of man that takes care of you, the kind of man that makes you happy. I don’t need anyone else but you. Just you. Having you here with me is better than anything else. I promise.”
“I love you. I want everyone to see how good you are. What a good person you are.” Her nose nuzzled into my neck, like she wanted to get closer to me.
She was all I wanted. I just wanted Holly every day. To be there when she woke up and be there when she went to sleep. And that was gonna happen. That wasourfuture. No one was going to get in the way.
But I didn’t want to have to rely on Holly’s dad for a place to live. As if he’d ever let me stay in that apartment in the first place. Last night he didn’t seem too happy about me stepping a foot through the door. He wasn’t going to budge on that. I didn’t need him to take care of Holly. I could be the man that could look after her, that could provide for her. I’d make sure she always had a roof over her head.
“We don’t need that apartment, though,” I told her.
She looked up at me with a frown. “You don’t wanna move in there?”
“I can look after you all by myself,” I murmured. “I don’t need anybody’s help. You’re my girl. And I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I can do this. I told you last night that I’m gonna prove that I can be the man that you need. The man who’s always gonna look out for you. That’s not changing. Ever. I don’t need that apartment. I’ll find us a place. I’ll save up between now and then. I’m a hard worker, Holly. Maybe not when it comes to school, but when it comes to looking after you? I’ll do everything I can to make sure I’m giving you the best life I can.”
“Sawyer.” Holly’s eyes filled up with tears again, her soft lips against mycheek. “I know you’re going to do everything you can. But you’ve been looking out for yourself your whole life. Can’t I look after you?”
“You’re so sweet, baby. But I’m not scared of this. I’m not scared at all. I know things are gonna be okay. I’ve got you. As long as I’ve got you, I’ve got all the motivation I need to be the best man I can be,” I whispered. “I just need you with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Never, ever. This is all I could ever want. No matter what my dad says. No matter what he does. I just want to be yours forever, Sawyer.”
My eyes shut at that last thing she said. God, that felt good to hear. “I won’t ever leave you like that again. Like I did last night. I guess I freaked out a little when you told me about Columbia yesterday,” I admitted. “I mean your dad was saying all that other shit too. It got to me… I should have stayed. That was my fault.”
“No, it wasn’t. Trust me. It wasn’t.”
“I know what the guys are gonna be like there,” I continued. “Spoiled, little rich pricks. And yesterday I felt like maybe it would all end badly. Maybe they’d get in the way. But I love you, Holly. And I’m not letting anyone take you away from me. You’re my girl. You’re fucking mine, baby.”
Holly pressed a kiss to my chest – right where my heart was. “Always.”
Chapter 50
HOLLY
“Are you scared?” I asked Sawyer as we pulled up in front of my house. No more parking halfway down the road. No more Sawyer sneaking into my bedroom – even though that was always fun. No more secrets. I was done hiding. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I’m not. I wanna do this. I just want to be with you without all the stupid secrets.”
Sawyer reached over, his big hands giving my thigh a squeeze. “I’m not scared either, princess. I’m ready to fight for you.”
I smiled at him, leaning forward to give him a slow, sweet kiss. It would have been nice to just sit there in the truck all day, doing nothing but kiss Sawyer. But we both had a point to make. Especially Sawyer. His suit and tie from last night were long gone. In front of me was the boy I had fallen in love with: hair slightly tussled, green eyes dark, leather jacket looking all worn out.
