Page 25 of Unravel Me

“I’m going to need you to repeat that for me, Reid. What’s Ivy?”

“Sawyer . . . She’s here. I met her. Today.”

Reid continues to pace, his voice shaky, while I stand stock fucking still. I feel like I just took the hardest punch of my life tomy chest, all the air forced from my lungs, and I forget how to breathe.

“Gonna need you to give me more information than that, man.” I absentmindedly rub my knuckles into my chest over the spot where my heart used to be, and wait.

“I went over to her parents’ place to make sure everything was good, like I do every month, and she walked right into the house.”

My shock is starting to wear off and a multitude of emotions start to take over.

“The fuck do you mean she walked into the house, Reid?”

“She just walked right in. I left the door unlocked and did a quick walk-through of the main floor like usual, she walked in, and I scared the shit out of her. She’s feisty as fuck, Sawyer . . . and just . . .” his voice trails off as he drops his head back and groans.

“And then what happened?” Not liking his reaction to meeting her one bit, a multitude of scenarios start running through my head and none of them are good.

“Uh, I explained why I was there and who I was and asked the same of her and it took a bit of me pressing before she’d even tell me her name. It was so unexpected, and from what you told me, I thought . . . I don’t know what I thought. I just didn’t expect it to beher.” Reid keeps pacing and running his hands nervously through his hair. He’s clearly not telling me everything.

“That all?”

He stops pacing and looks at me dejectedly.

“Sawyer. I don’t know what the fuck happened. She is gorgeous, man. Like knock you flat on your ass pretty. And witty. And sassy. And fuck if she isn’t just . . . Look, she caught me off guard.” He groans again before he says words that have me seeing red. “I may or may not have come on to her. I think. I don’t even fucking know, man. My head was totallylost. My brain stopped working around her. I’m sorry. Nothing happened, I swear.”

My hands curl into fists but I stay rooted to the floor. We have years of history but fuck if I don’t want to drive my fist through his face right now.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?”

Reid puts his hands up defensively. He’s got a solid five inches on me in height, and I know he’s got me in weight, but right now I want to revel in the feeling of his bones crunching under my fists.

“How the fuck did you come on to her? You said you just met her!”

“I told you! I don’t fucking know! She was on the phone with some chick, talking about how her vibrator is better than a man. Next thing I knew I was prowling her up against a wall and asking if I could prove her wrong. Christ. That sounds so messed up. What the fuck is wrong with me? Sawyer, you know me. I don’t do that. But that’s where it ended.”

“Reid . . .” Yeah, crushing the bones in his face against my fist sounds really good right about now.

“The moment she said her name I backed the fuck off, Sawyer. But as I was leaving she begged me not to tell anyone she was here. She was really worried about it, or I would have called you right after I left. I was really fucking torn man, you’ve gotta understand that. If you saw the way she looked at me when she asked me to not tell anyone, you’d understand my position. I went home and changed for a run to clear my head.”

I’ve never seen Reid so flustered before and it’s his saving grace, the only reason his nose isn’t broken yet. He’s usually so calm and collected. He may be a giant, but he’s usually a big softy. Whatever transpired between them clearly worked him up. But I’m freaking the fuck out and need him to hurry up with his story so I can go find my girl.

“Continue, Reid. ’Cause that had to have been hours ago. I’m losing my patience here.”

“I left for a run and she was heading out her door at the same time.”

“So you went for a run. Instead of immediately fucking calling me!”

“She uh, she went for one too. She said she’s been running her entire life. It was another coincidence,” he rushes out. “Listen, none of that even matters. She’s in rough shape, Sawyer. I knew I needed to tell you she was in AR and that’s why I’m here. But you need to listen to me. She’s inroughshape. Whatever she’s been going through, she’s back here and it doesn’t seem like she had much of a choice in the matter. I think you should wait before you see her.”

“I should wait,” I repeat, eerily calm, but my fists clench and unclench at my sides.

“She ran straight to the beach. We were talking and she seemed fine. Then she went completely quiet as she turned off the main road and onto the trail. I fell back and gave her plenty of space, but once she got to the beach she let out an angry scream and then just sat down and bawled her eyes out.”

“She wascrying?” The pain laced in my voice as I yell causes him to wince.

“Yeah. She was crying . . . I told you, she’s in rough shape.”

Body on autopilot, I rush to the front door, I’ve already wasted precious time letting Reid explain. I bend to pull on my shoes as Reid reaches for my arm, stopping me.

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