Page 114 of Good Directions

EPILOGUE

ANTON

One Year Later

“I’m not allowed one clue?”

I can’t help but laugh at Sawyer’s accusation—not question, accusation—as I ease my truck over the berm at the front of the grove. Her apprehension isn’t unexpected; she is blindfolded and belted into the passenger seat of my truck, only working off the knowledge that I want to show her something, but that it’s a surprise.

And Sawyer isn’t exactly a fan of surprises.

“What? Don’t you trust me?” I tease.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…”

“It’s just that you don’t trust me…”

She swats at me, missing by more than a few inches, even without me ducking out of the way. I laugh again, unable to help myself, my entire soul feeling as light as air.

“You know that I trust you,” she replies, her voice barely above a whisper. “Wholeheartedly.”

I smile, my heart squeezing. Because I know she does. She doesn’t have to say it. Everything about her tells me every single day.

“We’re almost there. Promise.”

“It’s killing me.”

“Perishing is not allowed. Not today.”

Putting the truck in park, I kill the engine, then look over at my girl. The nerves radiating off her are palpable, like little cartoon bubbles I want to pop one by one until they are all gone. That won’t solve anything though.

The next part of my plan will, however.

I hop out of the truck, circling around the front and rushing over to the passenger side door, trying to get there before she tries to open it herself. Succeeding, I catch my beautiful girl off guard, holding out a hand to help her out.

“Hi,” I greet, taking her hands.

“Hiii…” She does her best to keep the suspicion out of her voice, but it’s still there. “Anton, do I need to be worried?”

“Sawyer, no.”

Holding on to her hips, I squeeze gently, letting her know I’m here, and I’ve got her. I feel her relax into my grip as she sighs, her expression softening.

“Would you feel better if I took the blindfold off?”

“Is it going to ruin your plan?”

“I can adjust.”

“Then yes.”

I shake my head. I should have known that the blindfold would be too much for her. Reaching up, I tug it off, her hair getting tousled with it for a second. And I’m a goner.

Catching my eyes with hers, Sawyer looks up at me, those deep brown irises holding on to me, hypnotizing me the same way they did the first time she pulled up to my fruit stand. If I’d had any idea then the incredible woman they belonged to, I wouldn’t have wasted a single second trying to push her buttons and get under her skin.

Okay, that’s a lie too. I absolutely would have still done that. Because getting Sawyer Brown all riled up is still one of my favorite things to do. The list of ways to accomplish it is simply longer now.

“Better?”