Page 17 of The Wayward Son

“No, I’d say you were crazy. We never slept together. We never even thought about it.”

“Hmm. Speak for yourself.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What? Are you saying—”

Jade started laughing. “I’m kidding. I had you going for a minute there, though. You were my best friend. I never would’ve wanted to jeopardize our friendship over something stupid like sex.”

“You think sex is stupid?”

She smiled. “Not now. But then I did. I didn’t have the best example at home. The only thing I remember about my mom and dad together before she died was them fighting. And after she died, the only time he mentioned her was to curse her for dying and leaving him to raise an ungrateful child. Besides, I was barely sixteen when I left. We were kids.”

Sawyer stood and went to the couch, then sat next to Jade. He put his arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry you had to grow up like that.”

She put a hand on his thigh. “Thanks to you, I survived. And then I paid you back, by disappearing.”

“That did kind of hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. You’re here now. And you’re not going to disappear again. Right?”

“Right.” She couldn’t tell him she’d had a massive crush on him from age fourteen on. He was a popular guy. An athlete. A lot of girls wanted him. But he chose to hang out with her, the outcast with no other friends but him. He taught her how to ride, which she loved. Especially since it took them away from people, where it was just the two of them.

At the time, she knew she could never tell him how she felt. It would’ve scared him away. She’s sure of it. So she spent as much time as she could with him. And on the nights he and his father had to come pick her up to get her away from her father, he’d sit with her and they’d talk until she was finally tired enough to fall asleep. She loved Sawyer O’Connell. He was her savior. And now he was back in her life. But she was still in the same situation. She didn’t want to screw things up by letting her feelings get in the way.

She sat up and moved away from him. “So, what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”

“I’ve got a fight the day after tomorrow. I need to hit the gym.”

“After the laundry is done, right?”

He got to his feet. “No. Now. You’ll have to brave the laundry room by yourself.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“What?” He shook his head. “I showed you where it was.” He dug into his pockets for some more quarters. “I’ll even pay for the dryer.” He set the quarters on the table.

She smiled as she stood. “Fine. You’re not an asshole. But if I’m not here when you get home. You’ll know what happened.”

“You just told me you weren’t going to disappear again.”

“Not intentionally. But if someone disappears me, it’s not my fault.”

He went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “If someone disappears you, I’ll find you.”

She looked at him for a moment. “I believe you would.”

He stepped away from her and picked up his gym bag. “Don’t wait dinner for me. I’ll probably be late.”

“Okay, dear. Have a good day at the office.”

Sawyer pointed at her. “Later, Skittles.”

He left, and Jade returned to the couch and sighed. “What am I going to do with myself all day?” She looked around the messy apartment and smiled. “It’s time this place got a thorough cleaning.”

Chapter six

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