Page 100 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
“Okay ready, let’s go.”
Looking over at Sawyer I see him already dressed as well. He’s wearing his black Nike athletic pants that hang in all the right places, and his red Puma T-shirt that molds perfectly to his hard, defined body.
How the man can make sweats look so damn hot is beyond me.
“Keep looking at me like that, Cupcake, and you can forget about seeing your Christmas gift until I’ve had my way with you.
I roll my eyes but feel my cheeks turn the same color as my outfit, which only makes him chuckle. “All right, let’s get going. We’re on a bit of a time crunch.”
“Okay, just a sec.” I kneel down where Chuckie’s still chomping away on his smoked bone. “We’ll be right back, boy. Then we’ll go for a walk later, I promise.” I give him a kiss and a hug before standing back up.
“You kiss that dog way too fucking much,” Sawyer grumbles. “You jealous of my dog, Sexy Sawyer?”
“I’m jealous of anything you kiss if it’s not me.”
With a smile I walk past him and snag his shirt, dragging him behind me. “Play your cards right, Evans, and you may just get lucky.”
“Oh don’t worry, baby, I fucking intend to.”
Oh boy, I can’t wait to see this present he has for me…
A few minutes later I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Sawyer’s truck, driving to god knows where. Anticipation and excitement rush through me, but it quickly fades when I realize we are headed towards the center of town. My stomach sinks knowing we will be driving past the diner. Turning, I stare out my side of the window, which is the opposite side that the diner was on. I know it seems silly but since the fire I have avoided seeing it at all costs. That place meant an awful lot to me and it would devastate me further to see Mac’s life demolished. Sawyer knows this part of town, he must have no choice but to drive through it. I am even more curious now as to where he is taking me.
“How much longer?” I ask impatiently, while I continue to stare out my window. “Not long,” is the only reply I get.
“Give me a hint.”
“No.” I blow out a frustrated breath, which makes him chuckle. Sexy Bugger.
Where could we be goin’ that he has to drive through town to get to… Oh, the airport? Maybe we’re going to see his family. No, he would have had me pack a bag… unless he packed me one already. That would be so amazin’ if we were, I’ve missed them like crazy…
I get pulled from my thoughts when the truck comes to a stop in the center of town. My heart rate spikes with anxiety and I keep my eyes glued to the pharmacy doors that are right across the street from where the diner used to be.
“Sawyer? Why are you stoppin’?”
He grabs my hand but I refuse to turn and look at him, not wanting to see what I know is on his side. “Grace, baby, look at me.”
Feeling like I’ve suddenly swallowed razor blades, I shake my head.
I hear him blow out a heavy breath before he gets out of the truck and walks over to my side. Opening my door, he reaches his hand up for me to take- I don’t.
“Why are you doin’ this?” I whisper shakily.
He looks at me sadly, “Don’t you trust me, Cupcake?”
I do, I trust him with my whole heart. Taking a deep breath, I tentatively put my hand in his and let him help me down from the truck. I keep my head down as he starts walking us across the street. My heart beats wildly in my chest as devastation begins to consume me… and I haven’t even seen the destruction yet.
He stops right in front of where the diner used to be. Staring at my shoes, I shake my head, really not wanting to look.
I follow Sawyer’s feet as he walks to stand in front of me. He frames my face and tilts my head up until my gaze connects with his. Leaning down, he presses his lips to the corner of my eye, catching a tear that escapes with a kiss. “Merry Christmas, Cupcake.”
My eyes narrow in confusion, wonderin’ what kind of sane person thinks this is a Christmas gift, until he moves out of the way.
I blink a few times, thinkin’ my eyes are playin’ tricks on me, as I stare at something that makes no sense, yet feels like I’ve seen it a thousand times before. Very quickly I realize I have… in my dreams.
Standing before me is a beautiful, soft pink Victorian style building, with white trim and white fleur-de-lis that outline the roof. Across the large windows in beautiful white script reads:
A Slice of Hope With A Sprinkle of Grace
Emotion erupts through me like a volcano as I stare at my and Mama’s dream. “Oh my god, Sawyer, what have you done?” I choke out quietly.
The pink building begins to blur as tears start flowing like a river down my face. Instead of answering me he grabs my hand. “Come on, baby.” He leads me to the door and pulls out a set of keys to unlock it.
When he pulls me in behind him, I gasp and my hands fly to my mouth as I take in what is an exact replica of my drawing. Everything is the same: from the layout, to the soft yellow walls, right down to the pink tables and chairs.
After a few silent minutes I wipe my eyes and finally get my feet to move. I walk up to one of the tables and run my hand along the top. I laugh when I see a cupcake painted in the center of it.
I look over at Sawyer, who shrugs. “I know this is your thing, but I had to add a little something to it that would be from me,” he explains with a grin.
