Page 20 of Reconcile

Goddamn him.

“I want better for her, Asher. I want to make up for not being there for six years.”

Viv comes back out and takes a seat next to me. She must have heard my last sentence. “Is this really about your daughter?”

I don’t miss a beat. “Yes.”

She studies me intensely and then sighs, “I thought you didn’t want to be a dad?”

“That was before I knew I already was one.”

She gnaws on her bottom lip, like she’s conflicted. “I hate what you did, but I think it came from a good place.”

Asher scoffs and then laughs, “Piper is going to cut off your balls, man.”

I flip him off and settle back into my chair. “No, she’s not. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll let me help. It seems like she’s been doing it alone for a long time. She should welcome it.”

“From the guy who broke her heart?” Viv asks, still extremely annoyed with me.

I shake my head, living in denial. “We were kids. We had no idea what the hell we were doing. It was a hookup.”

“Yeah.” Ash stands and places a hand on my shoulder. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“We were kids. I can’t help that she felt more than I did.”

Vivienne looks sick as she stands up to join her husband, placing a hand over her tiny baby bump. “You’re better than this, Sawyer.”

Her words sting. She knows how to hit me where it hurts. But truthfully, the time I spent with her opened my eyes to a lot about myself.

No, it didn’t make me a saint. I’m still an asshole. But I knew I didn’t want to be like my family. And maybe having feelings wasn’t all that bad.

I fell for Baz and truly wanted to want that kind of life. The kind Viv now has with my best friend. Piper was more than likely right about the eighteen-year-old me.

If she’d have told me about being pregnant, I’m sure I’d have done something appalling, but she still should have told me.

“I want to be a good dad.”

Viv looks at me full of pity. “I know. Maybe you should start by not threatening her mother.”

I want to be pissed, but it’s impossible to be mad at Viv. And I think back to the past, to a time when eighteen-year-old Piper was falling for me.

When I wouldn’t let myself believe it. When I thought I knew what was best.

When I was a total and complete liar. To her, but mostly to myself.

14

SAWYER

EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD…

I’m in a shitty mood. Not surprising since I’m stuck at dinner with my brothers and my father. My least favorite thing to be doing in the world. They go on and on about some property they’re hoping to acquire as I think about Piper.

My sweet Piper.

Her soft red lips as they brush over my neck. Her words.

I love you.

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