It was messy, and secretly I’d been thankful I wasn’t like her.
I didn’t know everything back then but I knew enough to realize I didn’t want to follow in my sister’s footsteps.
“Can we circle back to the part where you’re tracking your sister’s pregnancy?” I ask, resting my chin in my hand as I wait for his answer.
He looks away for a minute, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips. It’s not a sexy reaction but it is telling.
Raw.
He’s nervous, clearly trying to determine whether he wants to share, and I hate that I’ve put him on the spot.
I’m just about to change the subject when I hear him speak, low and almost pained. “I found out by accident.”
Blinking, I try to make sense of what he just said. “You found outwhatby accident?”
“That my sister is pregnant. She hooked up with a guy at a wedding and needed some time adjusting,” he says slowly. “It was tough to hear like that. Indie had already told Jensen, so he was less surprised about her inviting us to her wedding.”
“I’m sorry, that must have really hurt.”
Nodding slowly, he exhales. “I made a promise that I’d try harder for them. Jensen has a daughter too, and I want their kids to know me, and that means I need to do better with my brother and sister first.” He motions toward the phone. “That means learning what fruit Indie’s baby is measuring at each month.”
“You’re something else, Sawyer Kade.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me? I’ve been traveling the country—loving all the different places and people—doing my best to make a difference in their lives. But I needed the reset,” I admit. “When the job opened up here, I jumped at the chance to come home.”
“Is it everything you dreamed it would be?”
“Yeah, but my roommate forces me to eat homemade waffles and calls my frozen ones an abomination.”
“Yeah, he sounds awful.”
“I don’t know,” I muse, sliding my empty plate toward him. “Throw another waffle on there and we’ll call it even.”
“Deal.”
7
SAWYER
After the meal she considered breakfast, Hallie went to see her parents. It gave me some much-needed time to decompress because every little thing she does sends my body into overdrive. It’s maddening.
And exhausting.
Especially the part where I’ve realized I love cooking for someone else and I’m not sure if it’s just another person or if it’sher.
Regardless, I’d spent more time than usual going through recipes to prep for this week.
SAWYER: I made dinner—and little honey-lemon tarts for dessert
SAWYER: should I wait?
I stareat the screen for only a second before hitting send and chastising myself for making it into something it’s not.
HALLIE: Almost home!
HALLIE: Can I eat the tart first?
