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All the way over to Sawyer’s I worried about what I would say to him. I’d never really felt that way around him. Maybe we weren’t the great communicators he thought we were. By the time I arrived, I’d decided not to mention last night unless he did. I still felt like he should go, but it wasn’t my place to push him.
Every time I pulled into Sawyer’s apartment complex with the peeling green painted buildings, I couldn’t believe he lived in such a dive. But not as much as his mother, who was constantly telling him he needed to live in a place worthy of his profession, so she could come visit him. I wondered if his neighbors knew he was a doctor.
I had to drive extra slow through the parking lot, as it dealt with more crack than a drug lord. At least his beat-up truck fit in. There he was, looking fantastic and ready for an adventure in his khaki shorts, tight T-shirt that showed how toned he was, and of course he had sunglasses on. He was always reminding me how important it was to protect my eyes from the sun’s rays.
Sawyer was surrounded by coolers, his tent, and a large duffle bag. He had said he wanted to handle all the food for the trip. When I parked behind his truck, he looked up from his phone and flashed me a tentative smile. Was he still upset with me?
I put my Jeep in park and hopped out to see what the verdict was. I met him around the trailer. He was already hefting his duffle bag into it.
“I would have met you at your place to help you hitch the trailer.”
“I know, but . . .”
I wanted to say I did it by myself because I was too afraid to become dependent on anyone of the male variety. They never stuck around all that long unless they married one of my friends. I wasn’t even sure Brad could hitch a trailer, come to think of it.
Sawyer turned and met my gaze. “But what?”
I shook my head, clearing out my thoughts. “Nothing. It was easy enough for me to do.” So I had sworn a few times and bruised my thumb.
Sawyer met me by the coolers with a look of contrition. He rubbed his neck. “I feel bad about how we left things last night.” So we were going to talk about it.
I leaned against his truck, knowing I was current on my tetanus shot. “I get it.”
He gave me a half smile. “I know you were only trying to help.”
I stared down at my hiking boots. “Not sure how helpful I was.”
“Em,” he took his shades off, and rested them on his head, “I acted like a jerk last night.”
My head popped up and met his sincere eyes.
“My dad and Bridget,” he could hardly get out her name, “showing up came out of left field for me.”
“I wouldn’t say jerk. Maybe whiny and immature.”
He raised his brows. “Whiny and immature? For that, this cooler,” he nudged one with his foot, “isn’t coming.”
I knelt down. “What’s in the cooler?” I tried to lift the lid, but Sawyer bent over and slapped his hand on it. “I think you owe me an apology first.” A playful smile danced on his face, which was now inches from my own.
“I stand by my assessment.” I dared him, with my own smile, to contradict me.
He took a deep breath and let it out. “Perhaps I was a tad irritable.”
“Okay, I’ll let you have that.”
“For your concession, I will let you have this.” He threw open the cooler lid.
I could have kissed him. Like really, really kissed him. Lots of tongue. Instead, I did something more embarrassing in the glow of an entire cooler full of Dr. Pepper made with real sugar. The kind you have to special order in the green cans. The king of all drinks.
“I love you!” Yes, that’s what I said. Biggest freaking Freudian slip of all time. We are talking I fell on my butt I was so taken aback by what I’d said. With my butt on the pavement, I began to stutter, “I mean, you know what I mean, like a friend, a sis . . .” No, not like a sister. There were laws against the way I felt for him if we were truly related.
Sawyer reached over the cooler and took my hands, trying to hoist me up. “Are you okay?”
Uh, that was a negative. I just told the man I love that I loved him. My stepbrother.
In one big pull, Sawyer had me on my feet, all while laughing at me. “Wow. I should have bought you ‘real’ Dr. Pepper a long time ago.” He gave my hands a good squeeze before letting them go.
