No, he wasn’t good enough for her. Never would be. But for some reason, that didn’t matter to her. For all his faults, she still claimed to love him. And want him.
Something happened when he was around her. She always managed to find his cracks, slip inside him and worm her way into his heart. She’d inserted herself so deep that he had no desire for her to ever find her way out again.
Despite the fact that he had to share her with two other men, men who loved her, she still managed to make him feel like he was the only man in the world.
Discomfort settled into his chest when he thought of Hutch. He turned away, knowing that what had happened would have to be settled. It wasn’t a confrontation he relished, but for Reggie, he’d do anything.
Reluctantly he left her sleeping. He took a quick shower and headed downstairs. Hutch was in the kitchen as he’d expected.
When he walked in, Hutch looked up, and Sawyer could see the guarded look in his eyes. The silence made Sawyer uncomfortable, and he slid onto a bar stool and tried to act casual.
For a while, only the bang of pots and pans echoed through the kitchen. Hutch set out the ingredients for pancakes without looking back at Sawyer.
“Look man, let’s just forget it happened,” Sawyer finally said.
Hutch stopped stirring the batter but didn’t look up right away. He slowly let the spoon fall against the bowl, and when he finally did look at Sawyer, there was a lot of regret in his expression.
“I was wrong,” Hutch said simply. “I was an asshole, and neither you nor Reggie deserved it.”
“Okay, we’re good then,” Sawyer said, eager to get on to other things.
Hutch sighed and frowned. “No, this needs to be said. What happened had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. You pushed some buttons, but it has to do with issues I had with my old man. I freaked out on you, and the thing is, I know you’d never hurt Reggie. I know that. And I need for you to know that. I owe you an apology, but more than that, I owe you more respect than I gave you.”
Sawyer shifted uncomfortably on the stool. “I got you. We’re cool.”
Hutch relaxed and resumed stirring the batter. “You iron everything out with Reggie, or did I fuck things up between you?”
“She set me straight,” Sawyer muttered. “We’re fine.”
Hutch grinned. “Yeah, she decked me.”
Sawyer jerked his head up. “For real?”
Hutch rubbed his gut with his free hand. “Yeah. The heifer packs a mean punch.”
Sawyer laughed, and he was astonished at the lightness he felt. Relief. Hope.
Hutch caught his gaze and stared him in the eye. “I’m sorry.”
Sawyer shook his head. “We’re good.”
Cam walked in carrying a handful of electronic equipment, a frown smeared across his face. He dumped the stuff on the bar with a clatter.
“Been out shopping?” Sawyer asked with an arched eyebrow.
The frown didn’t ease from Cam’s face.
“Either of you two know what the hell this stuff is?” he asked.
Hutch leaned over and perused the collection. “Looks like surveillance equipment.”
“Yeah, my thoughts too,” Cam replied.
“Where’d you get it?” Sawyer asked.
“Good morning,” Reggie said as she entered the kitchen. She offered the three of them a smile, and only Cam didn’t return it.
She slid up next to Hutch first, snuggling against his side. Then she looked down at the stuff on the counter and froze. A peculiar expression crossed her face, followed quickly by a spark of guilt.
