Page 50 of The Inevitable Us

Isabella looks up for a nod of permission to unzip the carrier. “You can bring them into the middle bathroom,” Sarah tells the girls. “Mia, set up their water bowls.”

I follow behind them, set up their litter pans, and leave the three oldest girls with the kittens. When I return, Angelique and a good-looking man with sandy hair are standing in the kitchen with plates of food.

After introducing myself to Mike, Angelique’s husband, I bend down to talk to the baby, who’s in her mother’s lap. “Good morning, Ava. Do you have your sunhat on today?” I ask the baby. All of the girls are dressed to be in the sun. Ava looks like she’s sitting on her own now in her mom’s lap, watching the adults talk.

“Are they behaving in there?” Angelique asks, gesturing to the bathroom where the girls are squealing while playing with the kittens.

“Yes, they’re having a blast. The kittens slept the whole way here, so they’re ready to play now. I made sure they’re gentle.”

We hear the sound of multiple cars pulling up and parking just as we’re all finishing up our plates of food.

“I’d better go help with carrying stuff,” Sawyer huffs, getting up from his chair. His dad follows behind.

“Don’t forget the big metal wash tubs to wash the tomatoes in,” Benny nags.

Sawyer stops and rubs his eyes as if this is an old discussion from long ago coming back again. “I won’t, geez, Dad.”

When we walk outside to greet the others, a crowd of about twenty people are already gathering and working, toting various equipment around.

Billy, Sawyer’s cousin, who’d been with him the night of the frat party, walks by carrying a large wash bin and a knowing grin. “Hello again, Rosalie,” he says before receiving an elbow to the chest from Sawyer.

“Mama, Mia’s hogging the kittens. Can we play outside?” Isabella asks her mother.

“Come help wash the tomatoes,” Angelique tells the girls. “Tell your sister to come outside too.”

I chatted with Sawyer’s mom, sister, and cousins as we chopped tomatoes and put them on to cook in a large propane heated tank. By lunchtime and four hours of chopping, I realize that, unlike my time at the institute doing the same tasks, I love every second of it. I’ve quickly grown comfortable with the extended Benson family, enjoying their company. Maybe one day, they’ll be mine.

Chapter twenty-five

Sawyer

WespentalldaySaturday and half of Sunday canning tomatoes. Most of my family had already left for the day, leaving only my parents, Brody, his girlfriend Mrs. Henry, and us at my parents’ house.

When I hear the sound of the tires on the dirt road, I look over to see who is approaching.

There’s an angry slam of a car door and the crunch of tennis shoes when I turn to face the newcomer.

Everyone else is in the house, storing the freshly finished cans of tomatoes in my parents’ pantry, leaving me outside to greet him alone.

I watch as Ethan marches toward me. When a large fist strikes, I don’t try to stop it as it hits my jaw. “Where the fuck is Rosalie?” Ethan bites out.

Well, guess we don’t have to worry about how to tell Rosalie’s parents now, do we…

“She’s inside with my mother. How did you know to come here?”

His nostrils flare, and his face morphs into one of pure rage. “You know it’s interesting that she’s safe with your mother. Becausehermother is in Knoxville filing a missing person report.”

My eyes darted to him.Fuck.The best defense is a good offense. Which is why I wanted Rosalie to tell her parents about us already. Had her siblings at least known, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

“We went to the loft Friday to surprise her. When she never came home, we realized our key didn’t work anymore. When we broke in, Creekman said that the camera was broken deliberately,” he accuses.

“Then the doorman informed usMr. and Mrs. Bensontended to spend most of their time at their other home. We double-checked the address you gave us for tax forms when you left and found you that way.”

“We didn’t know you were back yet,” I inform him matter-of-factly. “Had I known you were back..”

He points an angry finger at me and his nostrils flare. “We? We? No. There is nowein this situation.”

I move a step towards him, my hands on my hips, tongue in cheek, mentally counting to ten to keep my cool. “Oh, there is a we. A very solid we.”

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