Next to Me (Triplets book 3)

Chapter 11

When Elyse had gotten home that afternoon, she had fallen into bed and a deep sleep. The rescue to save Sawyer's parents had been one of the hardest she had ever accomplished, and part of her wondered if she could have accomplished it if it had been anyone other than Sawyer's parents.  She hadn't wanted to let him down, which had given her more fortitude than she generally took into a rescue mission. Her crew had told her that it wouldn't be her fault if they couldn't accomplish it, but in the end, they had.

Elyse looked over at the clock and noted that it was late, almost midnight, and she might have continued sleeping if it hadn't been for her stomach yelling at her that she hadn't eaten since lunch. She reached over and checked her phone, which she had put on do not disturb, and noticed several missed calls from an unknown number. It had to be Sawyer.

Elyse rolled out of bed and wandered downstairs to her little kitchen to make a sandwich. It was time to examine all those feelings she had ignored before talking to Sawyer. Elyse finished making a sandwich, wandered onto her screen porch facing the ocean, and ate as she listened to the gentle waves washing up on shore. 

She loved her little cottage.  It had been her grandmother's, then her mother's, and lastly, her sister's before she married and started having kids. Her grandmother had wanted all the women to have a place to start and had placed it in a family trust. The rule was that the single women could live in the house rent-free until they married, then they had to pass it on to the next single woman in the family, but the entire family could use it for a day at the beach whenever they wanted.

It had become Elyse's bolthole. The cottage was down a little dirt road, and the land around it also belonged to the family.  It was quiet and peaceful and hers.

She finished her sandwich, leaned her head back on the chair where she was sitting, and picked up her phone. There was only one message, and it was from Sawyer. He hadn't left his name. He had simply told her to call him as soon as she got the message, no matter what time it was.

Elyse had missed him.

When she had landed with his mother, Sawyer, and his family had met the helicopter as they unloaded her. The love he felt for his mother was evident as he was immediately by her side, his face drawn and pale as he looked at the unconscious woman. As the paramedics had raced away with her, Sawyer had turned to look at Elyse, and their eyes had met through the window. Then he had mouthed the words, thank you and be careful, as she had moved to take off again to help the rest of those stranded on the boat.

The second rescue had been much easier because everyone was conscious. Once they were loaded, she flew back to the base and allowed herself to take her first deep breath since the rescue had begun.  As the helicopter came to a stop and the silence surrounded them, Elyse bowed her head and thanked God for letting her accomplish what she had.

The team was worn out, and there wasn't much talking as they headed into the hangar to clean and store their gear, then write their reports.  Elyse slowly exited the helicopter, her muscles sore from tension and trying to control the machine, and began her check. She wanted to make sure that no damage had occurred.

When she completed that task and walked into the hangar, the crew was finally talking about the rescue. The fact that they had just saved Hollywood royalty was finally hitting them, and they were a little giddy about it.

Elyse did her paperwork, talked with the mechanics, and then went home for the day, knowing that Sawyer would call her but unsure how she would handle it.

She had dreamed about him, but in her dreams, he was Gene, not Sawyer Richards.

How could she have fallen for a man she didn't even know?  Had it all been an act? How much had been the real him?

Her mind jumped back to the last time they had been together on their way to dinner. She remembered how she had been pushed aside and left without a word. She wanted Gene back but couldn't turn Sawyer back into Gene; that genie had been let out of the bottle, so what would she do?

Elyse knew in her heart that the only thing she could do was talk to him and have it out.  The regret in his look at the ship terminal told her he was sorry, but what was he sorry for? Was it only a vacation romance for him? Had he gotten what he wanted from her, and he was done? He had told her he had fallen for her. Had that been a lie? It hadn't felt like a lie.  There night together hadn't felt like a lie.

And then her brain did what it always did when she was overwhelmed. It went to something inane, and she wondered whose beach house they had visited.

Forcing her mind back to the matter at hand, Elyse had begun to wonder about the pretty girl whose hand he had been holding, and as jealousy filled her, she looked at the phone in her hand and asked herself if she honestly wanted to know the answers to all her questions.  As if on cue, it buzzed, and she jumped. It was him. Taking a deep breath, she answered.

"Hello?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hello, Elyse." Sawyer's voice said in her ear. "Can I see you?"

"It's late," she pointed out.

"I can't sleep. I could come to you now," he suggested.

Elyse silently considered it, knowing that if she did see him, it would change everything forever.

"Fine, I'll text you my address. It's a little off the beaten track, so don't worry if you feel like you're lost. Don't bring your girlfriend. I don't think I could handle that."

"I don't have a girlfriend. I'll find you, Mary," he said in a gruff voice, and Elyse hung up before he could say anything else, then texted him the address with a shaky hand.

She continued to sit on the porch and absorbed the silence surrounding her as he waited.  Only half an hour later, she heard his car and saw his headlights. Standing, Elyse moved toward the screen door and opened it.  He stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at her, letting his eyes wander up her body encased in an old sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Elyse let her eyes take in Sawyer's appearance as well.  He wore old jeans and a t-shirt, which he filled out with a lot of new muscle.  He had gained some weight in the last three months.

When their eyes finally met, he gave her a crooked grin, and her heart melted.

"So, not a kindergarten teacher?" he asked.

"So, not a mad scientist?" Elyse responded.

"I played one on once."

"I'm sure you did. At least you're not a skinny weakling anymore," she pointed out as she stood aside to let him enter.

When he reached her, he stopped and crowded into her space, looking down at her. It was an intense moment, and Elyse was lost for words. She wanted to reach out to him, hold him, and never let him go.

"I thought I would never see you again." Sawyer shook his head as he reached up and traced her face.

Elyse closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"How's your mother?" she asked, stepping away from him, needing distance.

Sawyer shook his head, and she could see tears swimming in his eyes. "Thank you for what you did!"

Elyse couldn't stand to see him in pain, and she automatically went to him and wrapped her arms around him. He grabbed her tight, and his shoulders started to shake as the tears came.

"When was the last time you slept?

He shook his head, unable to answer, and she wrapped her arm around his waist, led him into the house, up the stairs, and lay with him on the bed, holding him close.

"Sleep. We'll talk when you wake up," Elyse instructed.

Sawyer pulled her close, buried his head in her shoulder, and released a shaky sigh. It only took him moments to fall into a deep sleep, but his arms never slackened, and he continued to hold her tight.

Not knowing what would happen when he awakened, she was determined to stay awake and enjoy being in his arms again. It felt right as if no time had passed between them. Her determination to stay awake was for naught as she slowly fell asleep in his arms, trying to forget that he was the famous Sawyer Richards and not her Gene.