Page 11 of His Middle

Sawyer frowned. “Are you taking any vitamins? What about healthy foods? Are you eating fresh food, or just junk?”

The questions had flown out of his mouth before he could stop them.What the hell? Vitamins, food choices and demanding Noah eat breakfast was treading into Daddy territory. He had to stop that shitright now.

Noah stared at him, his jaw slack. His reaction seemed odd, like Noah had never been around a Daddy before, but then again, Sawyer wasn’t his Daddy.Couldn’tbe his Daddy.

“Oh, uh…” Noah shifted from foot to foot, rolling the coffee cup between his palms. “Sometimes?”

Sawyer arched his eyebrows. “Sometimes what?”

Noah scraped his teeth along his bottom lip and Sawyer had to tear his gaze away, take a drink of his coffee sohewouldn’t be the one who was staring.

“Well…sometimes I take a multi-vitamin. There’s still a bottle in the kitchen that Dad used, so if I happen to see it, I’ll have one. And sometimes I eat salads.”

“As a meal? Do they have grilled chicken or some type of protein in them?”

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, McDonald’s has these side salads…”

Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t stand it. Okay, he couldn’t be Noah’s Daddy, but for the length of time he was there to fix the club, he was going to do his best to help him out in other ways, too. Maybe it wasn’t his place to interfere with Noah’s Daddy, was definitely not his business, but what sort of Daddy didn’t make sure their boy—their middle—was eating right and staying healthy? What the fuck?

“Are you disappointed in me?”

Noah gazed at him through wide eyes and it broke Sawyer’s heart. He feared it was too late, that he’d already crossed into dangerous territory.

“No. God, no.” Sawyer dragged his fingers through his hair. “Come on. Let’s get out of this hallway and sit down in the office. We’ll order food, have our breakfast, and get caught up. We need to find our center before we deep dive into the machinations of this club.”

Noah nodded. “Find our center. I like that.” He let out a big exhale. “Man. Ever since you got here, I’ve been feeling more and more at ease, calmer. I’ve been a giant ball of stress these past few months.”

Sawyer narrowed his eyes as he trailed after Noah. That was the opening he’d been looking for, the invitation from Noah to pry into his so-called Daddy/boy relationship.

Once they took a seat in the office, with Noah in the desk chair and Sawyer on a rickety, padded folding chair, Noah brought out the to-go menu from the place he’d mentioned. After a brief argument over who was going to pick up the tab, Sawyer was able to take control by pointing out that Noah had bought the coffee. With the ordering out of the way, Sawyer sat back, finally able to bring up the subject of the mystery Daddy.

“I’m sorry to hear you’ve been suffering so much, been under a lot of stress.” Sawyer drained the last of his now-cold coffee then tossed the cup into the small waste bin next to the desk. “I sincerely wish I could’ve been here for you sooner.”

Noah shrugged with a sigh, peeling the sticker that contained his name and order on the side of his own disposable cup, then scratching at the remnants with his thumbnail.

“It’s just how things turned out, but I appreciate it.” He lifted his head and gave Sawyer a smile. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

Sawyer smiled back. “Me too.” He shifted in his chair. “I guess having a Daddy during this challenging time has been a big help.”

God, he was being such an ass. On the other hand, he wouldn’t tolerate Noah being disregarded or ignored by some buffoon pretending to be a Daddy.

Red filled Noah’s cheeks and Sawyer wondered what that was all about.

“Yeah… Garth has been…” Noah scrunched his eyebrows together and scratched his head. “Well, he’s been awfully busy. And uh, obviouslyI’vebeen super busy, so…” He ripped the cardboard sleeve off his cup, his eyes rounding as if he was surprised by the action. He glanced up. “Can I confess something to you?”

Sawyer wondered if he could guess what Noah was about to share. “Of course. I’m here for you a hundred percent.”

Noah let out a long exhale as if he’d been holding in a huge burden. “I seriously don’t want to be with Garth anymore.” He let out another big sigh. “Phew. That was so awesome to say out loud.”

Sawyer folded his hands in his lap to keep from fist-pumping the air. He’d assumed that Noah was about to reveal his Daddy was lacking in just about everything, but he hadn’t expected such a definitive declaration.

“Then why are you still with him?”

Noah cringed. “Because I’m a big chicken. I can’t stand confronting people, so I sort of let them take over and make all the decisions. I seriously can’t stand up for myself. It drove Dad crazy.”

“Hmm.” Sawyer drew his eyebrows together. “I can see why. It would drive me crazy too. I’m sure you’re aware that being submissive leaves you open to being taken advantage of, and I know your dad must’ve drummed that into your head over and over. Why do you suppose you’re surrendering your power to someone you no longer want to be with?”

Noah chewed on his lip and went back to annihilating his cup. “I know, I know. It’s my total kryptonite. I despise anything that resembles people being upset with, disappointed in or angry with me.” He snorted. “Breaking up with someone would be a whole lot of the aforementioned.”

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