Page 29 of Make Me Yours
The word struck deeper than I expected. Loyal. Like it was a strength. Like it was something admirable. Not the anchor I’d always feared it was. Heat spread through my chest, a guilty warmth I couldn’t shake. Because yes, I was loyal.
Yet I was also hiding.
I forced a small smile, brushing a crumb off the blanket. “Someone has to look out for them.”
He gave a slow nod, like that answer was enough. Like maybe I was enough.
For the moment, I let myself believe it.
We just sat there for a while, the silence stretching between us in a way that felt less like distance and more like… space.
Safe space.
Sawyer reached across the blanket, his callused fingers brushing mine before he caught my hand outright.
“You’re loyal,” he said again, softer this time, like he was testing the word. Then he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
The warmth of it spread straight through me, stealing my breath. My gaze dropped, and that’s when I noticed it—ink peeking out from beneath the cuff of his jacket—a star inside a star, bold against his skin.
I tilted my head, curiosity outweighing hesitation. “What’s that?”
He followed my eyes, then slowly pushed his sleeve up to reveal a different design. “Tattoo. Everyone on my SEAL team had one. A bond, you could say. We got them after Mosul.”
The name of the city landed between us like a stone, heavy and foreign. I didn’t know the details, but I didn’t have to. His voice told me enough—that whatever happened there was burned into him as deeply as the ink.
I ran my thumb gently over the tattoo just close enough to trace the shape in the air. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure I meant the lines as much as the meaning behind them.
He didn’t explain further, and I didn’t push. Instead, I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder. Together we watched a flock of ducks rise off the lake, their wings catching the late-afternoon light.
He carried shadows. I could feel them even now, but they didn’t scare me. If anything, they only made me want to stay.
Sawyer’s shoulder was warm beneath my cheek, his arm steady around me, and for a moment I let myself imagine we could stay like this forever—just the two of us, the lake, and the sound of Sunny splashing in the shallows. But forever never stayed that simple.
He shifted slightly, glancing down at me. “You said you’d call the doctor on Monday?”
I straightened, caught by the seriousness in his tone. “Yeah. It might take a couple of weeks before I can get in, but… I’ll do it.”
He nodded once, jaw tight like he was holding something back. Then he leaned in, brushing a kiss against my cheek—so tender it made my heart stutter. “I want you,” he admitted, voice low. “But we’ll wait. Until it’s right.”
His honesty sent a shiver through me—desire, yes, but also restraint. A man like Sawyer holding himself back for me felt bigger than a promise.
I gave a small laugh, trying to lighten the moment. “Maybe we should still keep this quiet, at least, for now. I’m not sure I’m ready for the whole town to start buzzing.”
He huffed a breath, half amusement, half warning. “You know Callie and Tessa, they aren’t blind. Won’t be long before they catch on—probably at the twins’ birthday party next week.”
I grinned, dropping my face into my hands. “Of course. Callie is the one who set us up in the first place.”
“She sure did. I didn’t really realize it until you were walking down the gangplank of the cruise ship,” he said, and something in his tone made me glance up at him again. A faint smile morphed over his features. “Took me long enough to quit resisting, didn’t it?”
But instead of chasing it, I just nodded, tucking the moment away. For now, it was enough to know he wanted more than just the physical. He wanted something lasting.
And so did I.
Chapter Twelve
Seeking Clarity
Lilly
