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Sawyer stood and picked up a forty-pound dumbbell. “I’m fine.”
“So you said. I’ll see you at dinner.”
He left the room and walked through the barn, then headed for the house. His father was on the front porch, along with all five of the dogs.
“Hey Dad.”
“Son.”
J.T. sat in a chair. “Do you know what’s bugging Sawyer?”
“Um…why?”
“He’s in the gym giving the heavy bag holyhell.”
“Ahh. I ah…I don’t know.”
J.T. cocked his head. “Fine. Nobody wants me to know what’s going on? That’s fine by me.” He stood and went into the house.
When the door closed behind J.T., Jake stood and left the porch. Three of the dogs followed him to the barn, then to the gym. Sawyer was lying on the weight bench, pressing a weight that was too heavy for him.
Jake went over to him and helped him lift the weight onto the metal rests. He then held a hand out to Sawyer. After looking at it for a moment, Sawyer took Jake’s hand and let him pull him to a sitting position.
Jake took a few steps back. “I’m guessing you aren’t actually okay with what you learned today.”
Sawyer removed the rubber band holding his hair back, then tousled his hair, before brushing it back off of his face. “I’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t need to figure it out on your own. And beating yourself up in here probably isn’t going to give you any answers. Just talk to me, son.” Jake sat in a chair and perched on the edge of it.
Sawyer was quiet for a few moments as he seemed to decide how to say what he wanted to say. “I guess I never thought about you…thatway.”
“As a man?”
“Yeah. I guess that’s what I mean.”
Jake nodded. “It works the opposite way too, you know. It’s hard for me to picture, if you will, my children as grown adults in grown adult relationships. Being intimate. I get it. Especially Sage. It scares the hell out of me. And I don’t know what her status is in that department. But if some guy ever hurts her. I’ll rip his damn head off.”
Sawyer smiled. “Sage is tough, Dad. No guy would dare try to take advantage of her.”
“So, what else? Let’s talk it all out.”
“She’s ah…barely older than J.T.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah. She’s young. And believe me, I was very aware of that for a long time. But it turns out it doesn’t matter. Age is irrelevant. I guess there are some instances when it would be relevant. But not in this case. She loves me. I love her. It doesn’t matter that I’m seventeen years older than her.” He took a breath. “When I say it out loud, it… Anyway. It’s not an issue. Not for us. It may be to other people. But screw them. Because it’s nobody’s business.”
Sawyer nodded. “Okay.”
Jake studied him for a moment. “That can’t be all of your reservations.”
Sawyer looked at Jake. “Mom.”
“Yeah. I loved your mom. I’ll always love her. And her memory will always be a part of ourlives. Ember isn’t looking to replace her in any way.” He stood and took a turn around the room. “I never thought I’d fall in love again. I didn’t set out to fall in love with Ember. But she was my whole world for five months. She kept me from losing hope. She was my guardian angel. And some might argue my feelings weren’t real because of all of that. Because I had no frame of reference. But, when it came back to me today. My feelings for her. My love for her wasn’t at all diminished by reality.
“Hmm. I guess that explains the kicked in door.”
Jake rubbed his chin, then smiled. “Yeah. I guess it does. I don’t feel seventeen years older than her when I’m with her.”
Sawyer waved a hand. “No details, Dad.”
