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I peeled his hand away. "I can't. I treated you badly. I didn't mean to, but I did, and I feel like shit."
"It's okay."
"No, it's not, and you telling me it is only makes it worse because I know you're just saying that to avoid a fight."
He sighed, and waved me back into a corner of the garage as two guys in suits passed.
"Okay, you want to hash this out? Speed-fight, then. Five minutes. If it goes into overtime, we postpone it. Okay?"
I nodded. "I want to say--"
"Uh-uh. First shot's mine. It's not that you took me for granted, Savannah, it's that you treated me like your flunky--"
"I--"
"Still my turn. I'm not a leader. Never wanted to be one. I'm happy to let Lucas or Paige make the big decisions. But if I get my choice of partner, I pick you. Because on that level--out in the field, working a case--I want a partner, not a boss. Most times, if it's you and me, it works. But sometimes there's a problem. You're strongwilled and I'm stubborn."
"I--"
"Almost done. If you insist on taking the lead, I dig in my heels. Usually you see it and you give a little and I give a little, and we're good. But if you're stressed, then you're pushing hard. And if I think you're making a bad move, then I'm pushing back hard. Eventually something's gotta give."
"I know."
"So I figure the blame is fifty-fifty. You were fighting for the lead, which is always a mistake with me. But you were stressed, so I shouldn't have gotten as angry as I did. I was just as stressed though, so it kind of . . ." He shrugged. "Blew up. I just needed a couple of days off."
"Away from me."
He met my gaze. "Yeah. I know you don't want to hear that but, yeah, I needed to step back, and I think you needed it, too. Take a break before we both really lost our tempers and said stuff we don't mean."
"Okay."
"Your turn then."
I shook my head. "I don't need it. That works for me. Step back until we cool down. I just . . ."
"You thought I was stepping back for good?"
My cheeks heated. "Yes, I have abandonment issues, as you've pointed out."
When I tried to look away, he caught my hand and pulled me back to face him. "I'm not going anywhere, Savannah. Not now. Not ever."
He moved closer as he spoke and for a second I thought, He's going to kiss me. Oh, God, he's going to kiss me. But he only looked into my eyes and said, "You're stuck with me, okay?" and I nodded, my throat closing. I tore my gaze away before he saw the flash of disappointment.
He hesitated a moment, and I was about to look at him again, but then he stepped back.
"Breakfast?" he said.
I nodded and followed him out of the garage.
We shared breakfast. No, I didn't say, "Oh, I'm not hungry," then eat off his plate. Not my style. We got a big breakfast and shared.
I told him about Anita Barrington first. Then I told him about Bryce.
"I want to talk to Sean about it, but I want to do it in person," I said. "It's just so . . . awkward. I know that sounds like a lame word, but that's how it feels. Bryce and Sean and me, we might share the same father, but it's not a triangle relationship. It's a straight line, with Sean in the middle, and me and Bryce at opposite ends, staying so far apart that Sean never needs to deal with both of us at once."
"You feel that you let Bryce go because you didn't want to give him another reason to hate you."
I let my head hit the table and moaned. "Oh, God, I'm pathetic. I'm worried about my guardians forgetting me. My best friend dumping me. One brother hating me. The other getting mad at me. How old am I? Twelve?"
