Page 9 of The Wayward Son

“Gym bag? You go to the gym?”

“No. I just have a gym bag. I don’t like running in my neighborhood. So I need to drive to the park to use the trails there.”

“And you can do five miles?”

She was getting annoyed with all of his questions. “Yes, Sawyer. I won’t slow you down.”

He grinned. “There’s the Skittles I used to know. We leave in fifteen.”

Two blocks from Sawyer’s apartment building was a trailhead on the Clark Fork River. They ran the two blocks, then turned at the trailhead and followed a dirt trail running next to the river. This early in the morning, the trail was empty, and they ran side-by-side.

Sawyer was impressed. So far, Jade was keeping up with him. They weren’t at a full-out run, but they were moving at a pretty fast pace.

He glanced at her. “You really do run.”

She moved next to him and bumped him with her shoulder. “Did you think I was lying?”

“I thought you were exaggerating.”

They continued on in silence for another two miles, then stopped at a designated rest area with benches and a drinking fountain. Sawyer drank some water, then smiled at her.

“Do you need to rest before we head back?” She took a drink, then started running back the way they’d come. He caught up to her. “Very impressive.”

She glanced at him. “How about a short sprint to the next bend?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Are you afraid I might beat you?”

“Not at all. I’m just not going to risk pulling a muscle doing something stupid.”

“Okay. Sounds like an excuse to me.”

As much as he wanted to put her in her place, he truly didn’t want to risk getting hurt. “After the fight.”

“Okay. I can wait.”

They arrived back at the trailhead, then slowed down to a walk for the two blocks back to Sawyer’s apartment. They were both winded. Jade more than Sawyer, which he figured pissed her off. But he was in top shape. As much as she wanted to prove to him she could go toe to toe, she’d never be able to.

As they approached the apartment building, she glanced at him. “Okay. You’re not just a lot of muscles. You have stamina and you’re fast.”

“Years of training.”

“No wonder you’re undefeated. Does the family come to watch your fights?”

“No. My dad and J.T. came to a few fights. Dad dropped out pretty quick. J.T. lasted for a few more. But they couldn’t watch it.”

“And Sage?”

“She hates it. After every fight, I have to call her to let her know I’m okay.”

“You guys always were close.” They arrived at his apartment and went inside. “I always felt like she resented me a little. Because of how close we were.”

Sawyer nodded. “Yeah. I think she was envious. Which is weird, because she didn’t want to spend time with me. She just didn’t want anyone else to.”

“Regardless of that, she was always nice to me. And she shared her room with me whenever I needed it.”

They went to the kitchen and Sawyer took out the blender, then grabbed various things from the refrigerator. “Would you like a Sawyer special protein shake?”

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