Southern Seduction (127 page)

“Cheyenne, it’s so nice to meet you. You’re even more beautiful than your mother let on,” he says, and part of me wavers because he sounds so genuine.

“Thomas, where’s your son? I thought he was meeting us here,” my mother asks, apparently over our introduction.

“He phoned me to let me know he was running late. Ah, speak of the devil. Here he is,” he says, motioning behind us.

I turn around, ready to meet my new stepbrother, and my heart stops. Without thinking, my hands cover my mouth and I take a few steps back. This can’t be right. There has to be a mistake. I try to find some sort of excuse in my brain for how this is all wrong, but when his eyes widen when he spots me, I know it’s no misunderstanding. He stops in his tracks, and all we can do is stare at each other.

I don’t understand how this can be. He told me his dad was some mid-level guy, not the CEO of a Fortune 500 company like my mother told me Thomas was. Shaking my head, I close my eyes, praying they’re playing tricks on me. When I reopen them, my heart sinks. Because there, standing before me, is my new rich-as-sin stepbrother. Sawyer Callahan.

Sawyer

What. The. Hell?

That’s the only thought running through my head right now as I take in the scene before me. My eyes dart from my dad to the dolled-up woman next to him, but then they fall on the girl turning around and I’m immediately taken aback. Again, what the hell?

When Dad called earlier, I was ready to hang up on him. We hadn’t spoken all summer, and to be honest, I wasn’t about to cancel my plans with Cheyenne just because he finally decided he wanted to play the father-figure role. Wyatt insisted though, so when Dad decided to share the good news that he’d gotten married, it was too late to hang up. He informed me that he was in town and wanted me to meet my new ‘stepmother,’ as he called her, but I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until he threatened to tell Wyatt that I was done on the farm and going back to Alpharetta that I finally relented. So I told Cheyenne something had come up, got dressed in the only suit I brought to Shiloh Grove, and followed the directions to the swanky country club where Dad made reservations.

And now I wish I hadn’t. Cheyenne’s eyes widen in horror and a gasp escapes her lips before she starts to back away from me. I take a step towards her, but she shakes her head. I can see tears forming in her eyes as she looks me up and down. I can only imagine what she’s thinking, seeing me dressed up like this, with my hair perfectly styled the way Dad likes it. I have no idea what all her mom’s told her about my dad. All I know is that I haven’t exactly been truthful about him or where I come from.

I’m frozen in my spot, unable to tear my eyes away from hers. Mine are pleading with her, begging her to let me explain, but it’s no use. She rushes past me, mumbling something about needing to use the bathroom. I’m about to go after her when her mom grabs ahold of my arm.

“You must be Sawyer,” she croons, and as much as I want to brush her off, I don’t want to be rude in front of my father.

Swallowing hard, I tear my eyes away from where Cheyenne just ran off to and glance down at her. “Yes, ma’am. Nice to meet you,” I tell her. “Was that… Was that your daughter?”

She waves her hand, shaking her head. “Yeah, that’s Cheyenne. Don’t mind her. She’s a little overdramatic at times.”

My blood boils, and I don’t know how she can stand there when her daughter just ran off visibly upset. I remember all the things Cheyenne’s told me about her, and while she’s never sounded like the world’s best mom, I didn’t expect to witness firsthand how little she truly cares.

“I’ll go see if she’s okay while you two get drinks if you want,” I say, starting to turn, but her mom cuts me off.

“She’ll be fine, Sawyer. Let’s sit and you can tell me all about Auburn. I hear it’s a beautiful campus.” She motions for us to sit down, and we do, Dad pulling out her seat.

She starts chattering on about Auburn, but I’m too busy staring at the door, waiting for Cheyenne to come back. It feels like an eternity before she reenters the dining room. I can’t keep my eyes off of her, and even though I can see the red rims around her eyes from crying, she looks absolutely beautiful.

Standing up, I pull out the chair next to me so she can sit. She gives me a small smile, and my heart soars, hopeful that the initial shock has worn off and everything between us is okay. I know I have some explaining to do, and suddenly I wish I’d just been honest about everything from the beginning. I take my seat again, but not before I miss the exasperated look Cheyenne’s mother gives her.

Underneath the table, I find her hands in her lap. I go to grab one, and she lets me hold hers for a moment before she pulls away. My hand feels empty without hers, and I try to grab it again to reassure her, but she brings it to the table where she clutches her water glass. She won’t look at me, even though I’m staring at her as if by sheer force I can will her to do what I want. I’m sure I look like an idiot to anyone watching, but right now, I don’t care.

The sound of Dad’s throat clearing is what finally tears my attention away from her. He and Sylvia, as Cheyenne’s mom introduced herself, are smiling at each other and then at us. Cheyenne’s looking down at her plate, and I brace myself for whatever they’re about to say.

“Kids, you both know this, but we’d like to formally announce our marriage. When I met Sylvia earlier this summer, I knew she was special. As I got to know her, I fell in love quickly and couldn’t spend another day without her as my wife. I know it probably sounds crazy. We’re both happy to combine our families to become one big happy one.”

Cheyenne’s head snaps up. “You’re right. It sounds crazy, because it is crazy. You can’t fall in love in one summer and suddenly know you want to spend the rest of your life with that person. That’s insane,” she says. I can’t help the sharp intake of breath at her words. Is that really what she thinks? Or is she just talking in anger?

“Cheyenne! That is enough. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but we’re married now, and that’s final. Now you have a father and a new brother.”

I watch as her eyes flash with anger. “He will never be my father,” she seethes through clenched teeth. Then she turns and gestures to me. Tears fill her eyes as they soften, and suddenly, I’m terrified that all of this is going to be too overwhelming for her. “And he will never be my brother.”

Sylvia gasps before leaning across the table, but Cheyenne doesn’t take her eyes off me. I can feel her hand on my thigh, and I feel relief at her touch. Placing my hand over hers, I squeeze reassuringly.

“Please don’t be insulting. You don’t even know Sawyer. He could be the nicest boy, and here you are, being rude. I didn’t raise you to be this way.”

I lose her gaze when she turns towards Sylvia. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mother. I do know Sawyer. I’ve spent every single day of this summer with him while you left me here alone.” I watch as Sylvia’s face pales and she shakes her head.

“Oh, no. Tell me you’re not serious,” she says, causing my dad to furrow his eyebrows.

“What the hell am I missing?”

Sylvia looks at Cheyenne and me and then at my dad. “Thomas, it appears that our children have been spending this summer sleeping together, and my daughter has the foolish notion in her head that they’re in love. Well, you two, it’s a good thing you’re going to college on opposite sides of the country. You can stop this now. We have the Callahan reputation to uphold.”

Dad looks like he’s still trying to process what’s going on. “You two know each other? How?”

Cheyenne’s once again looking at her plate, so I step up. “We met at Wyatt’s at the beginning of the summer, and like Cheyenne said, we’ve spent every day together.” I pause as I bring our clasped hands up on the table. “I do love her. In fact, I wasn’t going to bring this up in front of everyone, but what the hell? Dad, I know it’s too late for this semester, but I want to transfer to Berkeley.”

Cheyenne gasps, and I know I should’ve discussed this with her before bringing it up. I hear Sylvia’s “Oh, good Lord,” and I brace myself for my dad’s answer.

“Sawyer, Auburn is a family legacy. You’ve spent two years there already, and you’re lucky enough that I was able to get you on academic probation instead of kicked out of the school. There is no way in hell I’m paying for you to go to Berkeley, only for you to fail out. You haven’t proven to me that you can handle responsibility. I’ll be damned if I’m going to send you across the country just to follow after some girl.”

A stifled feeling takes hold. I have to loosen my tie so I can breathe more easily. Narrowing my eyes, I lock gazes with my dad. “I wasn’t asking. I’ve grown up and learned a lot about responsibility this summer. If I have to go to Berkeley without your blessing, I’ll find my own way. But regardless of what you say, I’m doing it and you can’t stop me.”

I can hear Cheyenne suck in a deep breath, but I’m locked in a stare down with Dad and don’t dare look away. He runs his hands through his hair, sighing deeply. “Sawyer, if you leave Auburn, you will be effectively cut off. Not only from my will, but your mother’s estate as well.”

His words wash over me, and I slump back in my chair. That was my trump card. I’ve had access to the account since I turned eighteen, but only because Dad gave me permission. I don’t have full control over it until I turn twenty-five, and he can revoke my access any time he wants until then.

“Do you see what you’re doing, Cheyenne? He has his future mapped out for him. He’s going to school so that he can one day take Thomas’s place as CEO at Callahan Enterprises. Are you really going to let him throw his future away just because of a silly summer romance that won’t last until Christmas? Not to mention the scandal it could cause the Callahans. You know how those society types are. They love gossip, and once they hear that big-shot Sawyer Callahan’s been sleeping with his sister, he’ll be shunned,” Sylvia hisses dramatically before looking around to ensure that no one hears her.

I roll my eyes, finding her argument ridiculous. No one in their right mind would care that we were together, even if our parents are married. Sylvia’s clearly living in the wrong decade. Before I can say anything, Cheyenne lets go of my hand, scoots back from the table, and stands up quickly. Without looking at me, she simply nods at her mother.

“You’re right. What kind of girl would I be if I let Sawyer give up on his dreams to be stuck with a piece of trash like me? I’m sorry for ruining dinner,” she chokes out before hurrying out the door.

“Do you see what I mean, Sawyer? All the theatrics. Trust me, she’s a sweet girl, but you’re better off. You’ll find a worthy woman back at Auburn,” Sylvia says, patting my hand.

I snatch my hand away and shake my head at her. “You have no idea what type of girl your daughter is, and from what I can tell, it’s fortunate that you were such an absent mother.” Sylvia gasps, but I don’t care.

“Sawyer, that is enough. I won’t sit here and listen to you speak to my new wife this way.”

Throwing my napkin on the table, I stand up, not wanting to spend another second in their presence. “And I won’t sit here and listen to her speak to my girlfriend like she’s somehow beneath me. Congratulations on your new marriage. I sincerely hope you’re very happy together. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find Cheyenne.”

As I walk away I can hear Sylvia making a fuss over my departure. I don’t turn around, knowing I won’t be able to stomach seeing Dad comfort her. When I get to the parking lot. Cheyenne’s gone, and I can only be thankful that she didn’t get a big head start on me. Getting into the truck, I race back to Shiloh Grove, hoping I’m not too late to salvage this night or this summer. My heart aches at the thought, unable to get the hurt look in Cheyenne’s eyes out of my mind. I step on the gas, desperate to erase the pain that I know I inadvertently caused.

Sawyer

I don’t even bother going by Cheyenne’s house. I know where she would’ve gone after everything went down. At least, I hope that’s where she went. She knows I’d find her at the lake, so if she’s not there, then that probably means she’s trying to avoid me. Relief floods my heart when I see her car parked near the dock.