Page 57 of Beauty and the Bayou

She nodded.“The more stuff I had, the farther my mom would let me go and the longer I could stay out.I thought ofeverysingle What-If I possibly could.”

Understanding flickered in his eyes, along with a smile.“No wonder you’re a pro at that game.You’ve been playing it for a lot of years.”

“Exactly.”

“But it made your mom feel better about it all,” he said.

“But,” she said, “my brothers got really frustrated.Waiting for me to pack up, make sure I had everything, and get dressed with all my gear took forever.Plus, I think they worried.They didn’t really want to be out on a bike trail with me if something happened.”

Sawyer frowned.“They told you they were frustrated?”

“A couple of times.Then they stopped telling me about the bike rides all together,” she said.The little pang of hurt in her chest surprised her.It had been a long time.But that first time they’d left without her was still vivid in her mind.

“Wow,” Sawyer said sympathetically.He paused, then said, “They didn’t invite you to go skiing, did they?”

He really was paying attention.They’d talked about skiing that first day in regard to Chase and Ryan and Rhett, and Sawyer was putting it all together.

“No.Not skiing, or scuba diving, or hiking, or even on their trip to Italy.”

“Assholes,” Sawyer muttered.

Juliet smiled.But she shook her head.“And now you know thatI’mkind of an asshole, too.”

He frowned.“How so?”

“I don’t want Chase going off with them and doing things they didn’t let me do with them.”

“Chase didn’t go on bike rides and stuff with them?”

“He was quite a bit younger.He ended up stuck with me a lot, especially after the stroke and everything.”

“That’s how you got so close.”

She nodded.“Like you and Josh and Owen.We did almost everything together.”She sighed.“But I should let him go.He’s way beyond needing to keep up with me and I shouldn’t make it hard on him to go with them.”

“But they’re assholes.He’s better off hanging out with the great guys down here.”He gave her a wink.

She couldn’t deny that she really liked Mitch, and that Owen and Josh and Kennedy and Maddie—for a little extra female influence—had been great to Chase.He was having a good time, smiling a lot and yes, working hard.And eating a lot.Eatinga lot.

“Well, maybe they’re not completely assholes.Maybe I just felt left out.”

“Because they left you out,” Sawyer said with a frown.“That’s an asshole thing to do to someone.Especially their little sister.”His frown deepened.“They basically made you pick between keeping your mom happy and being safe and having fun with them.”

They had.That was true.“But should they have to give stuff up because their little sister had a stroke?”

“Yes,” he said, without hesitation.

Yeah, she wanted him.For sure.“Of course, I’m talking to a guy who knows how to French braid becausehislittle sister was into pageants and couldn’t do that herself.”

He winked.“Fake eyelashes, too.For the record.”

“Your family is so great,” she said, with a happy sigh.

His smile died but he nodded.“They really fucking are.”

Something in his tone grabbed her by the heart.

“I really want them to know I’m okay,” he said after a moment.

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