Bayou Rouges: Dirty Part 23

"Er...thanks, but I didn't get you anything," Sawyer said to Mrs. David as she handed him a large package wrapped in s.h.i.+ny silver paper and intricately tied with a clever red-velvet ribbon.

"Oh yes, you did. You and the girls are here and that's the best gift you could have given me." Courtney squeezed his upper arm tightly as she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek.

He watched as Mrs. David bestowed many gifts on the girls. In fact, there was a mountain of gifts at his feet.

In the living room of the large stately home couples were squared off and, with the exception of her youngest sibling, everybody had a significant other. A baby fussed in Bailey's arms, while Julian's son sucked on a bottle in his.

"Mr. Murphy, do you have any tattoos?"

A preadolescent boy with big blue eyes and dark hair stood before him. "No, I don't."

He sighed, "I don't either. My mother won't let me get any."

Courtney had introduced him as Ryder. He was the son of Fiona-Everett's intended. Courtney had mentioned that her brother and Fiona had finally settled on a wedding date sometime during the upcoming summer. Next to him, Ryder continued to stare. "Riley tells me you hunt alligators."

"I do, on occasion."

He smiled and seemed extremely hopeful. "Is Christmas one of those occasions?"

Sawyer frowned. "No. Actually, I hunt whenever I get a phone call from someone because there's a gator where there shouldn't be."

"Can I go with you?"

"Where?"

"To hunt."

Sawyer shook his head. "I don't really think it's a good idea."

"Oh, but you must take me. I know everything about hunting gators. I've just never actually been able to do it."

Courtney took up the s.p.a.ce next to him on the hearth and he was relieved. She smiled and all of his stress evaporated. "What's going on?"

"Ryder's begging me to take him gator hunting."

She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You should consider it. He's actually quite precocious and is very much into gators. He knows all about them and he listens well. Be a good partner I'd think."

Sawyer noticed one of the large wrapped gifts was from Ryder and his mother and father. "Tell you what kid...if it's okay with your parents, I'll take you. It'll be my Christmas gift to your family. You tell them that, okay?" Ryder nodded excitedly and ran across the room, gathering his mom and dad.

Sawyer turned to Courtney and whispered, "I'm a little uncomfortable. I was unaware there would be a gift exchange and I don't actually have anything for your family." His palms rubbed his jeans as he waited for her response. He really didn't want to unwrap the gifts he'd been given since he had nothing to give in return.

"But we have all of this to give out." Courtney slid four large bags of wrapped gifts across the floor and between them. "Why don't you play Santa Claus and hand them out?" She pulled one from a bag. "This is to Everett, from us." She placed the gift on his lap and pulled another from the bag. "Oh, and this is a beautiful journal I found at the gift shop across from my office. It's for Fiona." She kept pulling packages from bags. All of them had a label indicating they were from Courtney and Sawyer, and the girls. She'd drawn two hearts after his name on each of the labels.

"I had no idea you'd purchased and wrapped all of this."

"I'm a big giver, but I suck at planning ahead. I had the girls on an a.s.sembly line yesterday while you were at work. We wrapped and taped, and Jess was on bow duty. Is that cool?"

Relieved, he leaned back against the brick. "Yes, it's very cool." He closed his eyes and smiled, knowing she'd have his back for the years to come. He was going to love sharing his life with her.

"Hey"-she pulled a small square box from her sweater pocket. "This one is from me to you."

He unwrapped the box to reveal a s.h.i.+ny black lacquer case with a lid. Cracking the top, five square sapphires spread evenly in a silver ring winked at him. Even with the jewels the ring had a rugged, brushed masculinity. His eyes swept to Courtney's-the blue of hers matching the blue jewels on the ring. "A ring."

"Well yes, a ring. I saw it and thought it the perfect counterpart to mine." She lovingly admired his grandmother's ring that graced her slim, dainty finger. "Now we have our rings and are one step closer to selecting a wedding date."

"I love it. Can I wear it?"

She s.n.a.t.c.hed the box, pulling the ring from the container. "Of course. Give me your hand." She slid the cold steel onto his finger and he wanted more than anything to marry her, but they had to wait until he saved up a little bit more. He was determined to pay for their wedding. "With this ring, I thee wed." Dreamily she stared down at the ring on his hand. "I love you, Sawyer." She kissed his cheek.

He wanted to tell her back how much he cared for her, adored and cherished her, but knew if he did he'd cry, so he squeezed her into his side, her silent gaze letting him know she understood his gesture. With all of the Christmas hoopla going on around them he wondered at their ability to freeze within the moment. He knew as long as they could find one another, they would be able to find their stability amidst the chaos of the world.

"I uh...I sort of made your gift. It's in the back of my truck. Do you want me to bring it in?"

She smiled, her eyes lit with excitement. "Yes, please."

He enlisted the aid of Ryder and Everett and they followed him out to the truck.

"So Ryder tells me you've agreed to take him gator hunting." Everett was impeccably dressed in a suit. Sawyer wondered if he wore suits during all holiday gatherings or just Christmas. He had to admit Everett looked nice, and Sawyer thought he'd wear his suit the next time he was able to take Courtney out for dinner. "Yeah, I told him to run it by you guys first."

"We are totally fine with it. I think it's great you're willing to take him."

"Have you ever been to Later Gator's?" Ryder asked.

"No, can't say I have."

Ryder's eyes grew large as he looked between Everett and Sawyer. "You should come with us when we go and bring Riley and Jess. You get to feed the gators. It's awesome!"

"Sounds interesting."

"The food's complete rubbish, but the kids love it," Everett added.

Sawyer hopped in the back of his truck. "Everett, I know you're in a suit so if you can't manage it I'll just have Court come out here to get a look at it."

"I'll give it a shot. What have you got?"

They carried the vanity and chair, setting it up in the kitchen. Sawyer had made the pieces of furniture in secret, keeping it from Courtney so that she'd be surprised. He hadn't known what to get someone who had everything money could buy, but the idea had come to him when he realized she needed a place to keep her makeup at his house...their house.

"I'll be getting hot chocolates all around." Courtney's voice carried into the kitchen, arriving before she did. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and then she immediately eyed the vanity. He hadn't been ready for her to view it. He'd hoped to stage it with the chair and the mirror that currently leaned against his leg.

They were now alone in the kitchen when she gasped, her hand grasping her chest. "Is that a vanity?"

"It is...well it's uh...this mirror goes with it." He opened the tri-fold mirror and walked over to the piece of furniture that sat in the middle of the kitchen breakfast area. Attaching it he said, "I made this for you. I know there isn't much room at our home, but I thought this would be nice to accommodate your perfume and makeup. I'm going to get us into a larger house one day"- "Stop it!" Her index fingers pressed hard against his lips.

"Do you mind? I'm going to drop the mirror."

"Will you stop talking about moving?"

Frustrated, he lowered the mirror, leaning it against his legs. "I don't know why you insist on staying in my tiny house. Your clothes will not begin to fit in my closet."

"I already told you...I don't need all of that. I'm downsizing." She nodded once and pushed her chest out in a proud gesture. "G.o.d Sawyer, I love that house. The thought of leaving it makes me very sad." She was sincere, but he couldn't figure out why. She'd spent her life surrounded by the grandest things...the biggest southern mansions. Her eyes took in the square footage in the kitchen. "I love my childhood home. I have many memories here. Good and sweet memories, but not like the memories you've given me."

He frowned, not liking where this conversation was headed. "What kind of memories does my place give you?"

"The best kind." She walked up to him and spoke softly. "You make me a woman. Not a socialite, not Britton David's daughter, not a seafood heiress, but a desired woman. I can forget about all the bulls.h.i.+t and just exist with you and Jess and Riley in our home. Please don't take that away from me."

Her big, pleading pools killed him. He'd never be able to deny her anything she wanted. Hopefully she wouldn't learn to use those beauties against him. "I won't take that away from you. We will-the four of us and one dog-live in just under eleven hundred square feet of s.p.a.ce."

"We will and it'll be great!" She skipped to the vanity. "So put the mirror on already."

"Well I was trying, but somebody interrupted me."

"It's beautiful, Sawyer. I can't believe you made this." Her hands were flat against the blue velvet cus.h.i.+on he'd used to cover the delicate wooden chair.

He walked over to her. "So you like it then?"

She stood and laced her hands around his neck. "I'll cherish it forever." Her kiss on his lips grounded him...he wondered at his ability to carry on as long as he had without her. Now that he'd found her, he'd never be able to live without her energy. He knew his body would forever pull toward hers.

Looking into his eyes she said, "I want to ask you for another gift."

He giggled, amused at her scheming. "Okay."

"I want to get married here...in the backyard. It's beautiful and large enough to accommodate our family and a few friends. I want it to be simple." She spoke fast, barely coming up for air. "The last wedding I had planned was a huge affair and...well, you know how that ended. We actually have tables, chairs, tents, lights, and decorations in the barn. I'll wear a simple but beautiful dress and you'll wear your suit. David Seafood can cater and we'll spend the evening with people we love, celebrating our union." She fussed with the few b.u.t.tons on his s.h.i.+rt collar, before looking deeply into his eyes. "That's it. That's what I want."

"It sounds perfect."

Bouncing where she stood, she gripped the material of his s.h.i.+rt in her hands and brought his forehead down to hers. "You've made me so happy, but there is one more thing..."

At her enthusiasm, he chuckled once again. "Yes?" he said through smiling lips.

"I want to do it all next month."

He froze. Next month was a crazy timeline. What was the rush? "Next month?"

"Yes." With his forehead still on hers she pressed into him, shaking her head. "I know it's crazy, but I just feel a deep pulling need to be yours...completely. I don't want to wait."

When she put it that way he quite agreed. He didn't want to wait either. In fact, call him old fas.h.i.+oned, but he didn't like the thought of her living with him without first being married. However, now that he'd found her, he was unwilling to fall asleep without her beside him every night.

"It's crazy, but it's what needs to happen. This is cliche, but you complete me and I want the world to know I can't exist without you beside me."

She pulled away and he saw a large dazzling smile on her face. "Shall we tell my family and the girls?"

"We shall." Side-by-side, they slowly ambled with hands connected, wanting to be joined wherever possible. "You know the way these things work is first comes marriage, and then babies aren't far behind."

Next to him she stiffened, halting their approach. "What are you saying?" Her eyes were as large as daisies.

"We've never discussed kids. Do you want to have them?"

"I'd love to have your babies." She lovingly smiled and purred while she brushed her hand down his chest.

He grasped her fingers, bringing them to his mouth and kissed each one. "I'd love that too. Maybe we can put the crib on the roof."

She giggled, playfully swatting at his shoulder. "We have plenty of time to make provisions." With a confident brow raise she said, "My immediate plans consist of loving you...thoroughly."

"I won't argue with that."

"I like living in a small home because it means you're never far away from me."

She'd exploded into his hectic world like a battering ram, turning life as he knew it on its side. She'd left bits and pieces of herself as breadcrumbs that he'd gobbled up and they'd cannonballed straight to his heart. He'd been shot with Cupid's arrow and suddenly nothing mattered except that he spend the rest of his time on earth next to her. As long as he could do that he knew all the other aspects of his life would fall in line. After all, that was the Courtney David way...fall in line or get the h.e.l.l out of her way. He smiled and pulled her tightly to him.

"I'll never be more than a few paces from your side, but that really doesn't matter because you reside deep inside my heart."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:.

Gina Watson is author of contemporary series romances. She lives in Texas where she leads a double life: university instructor by day, romance writer by night. She loves to be contacted by readers to discuss all things romance.

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Other books by Gina Watson:.

St. Martin Family Saga..

Whiskey Cove.

(Novellas).

SCORE.

SHAMELESS.

SHATTER.

SUITED.

SMOLDER.