Page 80 of Wild Bliss

So if she was going to stay with them for a while, sheneeded some stuff. Would Marie laugh her ass off if he asked her what kind ofshampoo Sabrina might like?

Of course now he had two women to talk to since Lucy wasn’talone.

“Sawyer Hathaway at a school board meeting?” River Leesmiled up at him. “I can’t believe it. Do you think the place will burn downwhen he enters? Is it like a church and he’s a demon?”

Lucy frowned and slapped her best friend on the arm. It wasa familiar gesture, one he’d seen many times during their shared childhood.“Don’t tease him.”

He didn’t see a problem. “Nah, she’s right. It’ll probablycause a minor earthquake, though I seem to have survived going into thesheriff’s department.”

Cameron Briggs had been the one to take his statement, andhe’d been professional and easy to deal with. All in all, not how he’d thoughtthe interview would go. He’d envisioned getting grilled under harsh lights orsomething and the law enforcement officer would try to trip him up and get himto admit some terrible crime because he was Sawyer Hathaway and they wouldn’tbelieve he could do anything that wasn’t criminal.

Huh. It did sound a little dramatic.

Lucy’s eyes went wide. “I heard. Ty said he had to go downto the sheriff’s office and check on some bikers last night who’d gotten prettybeat on. Are you okay?”

He should have known they would come looking for him. Theywere always nosing around…

They cared about him. He needed to stop fucking around andsay things that were real. Lucy and River and Ty cared about him, and they hadfor years. He was the problem. He was the one who hated change and shovedpeople away when things didn’t stay exactly the same as they had before. It wasgood River had gotten married to a man who adored her and Lucy and Tyler hadgotten their shit together, even if they’d needed a six-and-a-half-foot, at onepoint could have been mistaken for a Sasquatch lawman to do it.

He stopped and gave Lucy what he hoped was a reassuringsmile. “I’m fine. Wyatt’s fine. Sabrina’s fine.”

River studied him, her head tilting slightly as though shewasn’t sure what she was seeing. “Why are your lips doing that? Should we callTy? Or take him to Doc’s. He’s having a stroke.”

Such a brat. A guy smiles once… “I am not having a stroke.And last night was a blip. Wyatt’s brother needed some information, and he sentthe wrong people to get it. They’re all out on bail this morning, and now thelawyers can work through it.” He thought of something. “Oh, hey, if anyonecomes around asking if I’m sleeping with the teacher, I need you to tell themI’m in a committed relationship with Wyatt and would never cheat on my man.”

Lucy’s jaw dropped open. “Holy shit. Heishaving astroke.”

“I’m not having a stroke. It’s to protect Sabrina,” Sawyerexplained. “Wyatt’s brother’s guys got a good look at her and he’s worriedthey’ll use her as leverage, so when he met with Wayne last night he mentionedit wasn’t Sabrina he was in love with. It’s me, and Sabrina’s a friend whohelps us cover the relationship so the town doesn’t know we’re lovers. But Ineed the town to know we’re lovers. Well, fake lovers.”

No one in Bliss would blink an eye if he’d walked down MainStreet holding Wyatt’s hand. Love was love was love in Bliss, but they werealso excellent at going along with a plot. Especially if said plot meantprotecting someone they all cared about.

They would do it for Sabrina. Not him. Maybe for Wyatt.

“But you’re sleeping with her, right? Not with Wyatt? TheWyatt part is the fake part?” River asked, and then her head shook and sheflushed. “I mean it’s fine if you are. It’s lovely. I just… You were into womenwhen we were growing up. Like in them all the time. I’m pretty sure you sleptwith all of the cheerleaders at our high school.”

And a whole lot of the pep club members, and both Frenchhorn players. They’d been startlingly good at oral. “I’m not sleeping withWyatt.” It wasn’t entirely true. “I am, but we’re sleeping sleeping, not notsleeping sleeping. I’m not doing him is what I’m trying to say.”

“But you are doing Sabrina Leal?” River seemed to requireclarity.

Well, it wasn’t like he could keep it a secret. Wayne mightbuy the whole Sabrina as a distraction thing, but no one in Bliss would. It’snot like Sabrina would keep it a secret. “Yeah. Apparently she’s my…” It washard to say. It was just a word. He’d used it before. He was sure he had. He’deven said it yesterday, but these were his closest friends. He mumbled his waythrough. “Girlfriend.”

Lucy leaned in. “What? I didn’t catch that. You’rewhispering, Sawyer.”

He glanced around to see if anyone was listening.“Girlfriend. She’s my girlfriend. And she’s Wyatt’s girlfriend. We’re sharingher.”

River’s face lit up. “This is the best news I ever heard.”

Lucy nodded her way. “It is. Sawyer is dating theschoolteacher. I always thought you would go for a… I don’t know. I didn’t seeyou with a schoolteacher. Don’t get me wrong. Ms. Leal is gorgeous and smartand charming, but I guess I didn’t see you involved with someone who wears somany cardigans.”

“She wasn’t wearing one when I did her on the pool tablelast night,” he said. It was kind of nice talking to his friends.

Lucy stopped for a minute. “Like on the pool table or likeusing the pool table as leverage? I’m trying to work the physics out in myhead.”

He thought about it. “Both.”

River shook her head. “Nope. There’s math and there’s girlmath and then there’s sex math, and we should just accept it. Also, we shouldsteam clean the pool table. Now how are we going to get you ready for theschool board meeting? What kind of popcorn do you like? Also, do we thinkWyatt’s brother will be attacking the town hall? I want to know so I know howmuch popcorn to bring. I’ve never done a school board meeting. Also, should Ibring pepper spray? If there’s going to be blood I’ll leave Buster at homebecause he’s sensitive, but Jax will be excited. Sometimes he misses the whole‘we’re on the run and the world is out to kill him’ thing.”

Maybe there was a reason he’d never been to a meeting inBliss. “Uh, if I thought we were in real danger, I would tell the mayor to calloff the meeting.”

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