Page 46 of The Inevitable Us

I park beside her, behind Sawyer, and turn off my car.

I watch from the driver’s seat as another little girl, slightly older, runs around the side of the van and hugs Sawyer’s leg.

Opening the car door, I watch Sawyer with Angelique. She has dark hair pulled up in a messy bun and is wearing a sunshine yellow sundress with sandals. I start to make my way toward the two of them, trying not to interfere with what sounds like bickering.

“You know I work nonstop, Angelique,” I overhear him saying as he leans over to pick up the other little girl in his free hand. His look of ire turns to one of adoration as he looks toward the child in his hands. “Hi, Izzy Wizzy,” Sawyer says to the child in his left arm.

He balances the two little dark-haired children with ease, making faces at them as he slowly walks the few feet towards my car.

“My sister’s here,” he says flatly.

“Wouldn’t have to come if you came to visit,” Angelique sings out as she lifts an infant from the van. A school-aged little girl jumps out of the van onto the paved road with a video game in her hand.

“We have to see you, Uncle Sawyer!” the oldest child interrupts.

Walking up to me, he takes a large puff of air. “Angelique, this is Rosalie. Rosalie, this is my sister and the girls — Mia, Isabella, Sofia, and Ava.” He points to each girl one by one as he introduces them.

“I’m Uncle’s favorite,” Isabella, one of the middle children, the one Sawyer calls Izzy Wizzy, sasses.

“I wanna see the bwilly goats,” Sofia whines from Sawyer’s right arm.

“Rosalie. Rosalie…Coleman?” Angelique’s head swivels from me and back towards her brother, her mouth wide as she blinks at him. “You said you had a girlfriend, Sawyer, but I think you left alittlesomething out.”

My face warms with pleasure at Angelique’s words.He told his family about me.

“Mind your own business, Angelique,” Sawyer warns as he walks up the path towards the billy goats carrying the two middle girls still.

“Uncle, we want to see Ranger again,” Mia pouts perfectly. “He likes it when I play ball with him.”

“Well, there’s plenty of space here. You can take Ranger out into the field to throw a ball with him if you want to.”

“We just came for a quick visit,” Angelique confesses, seemingly a little uncomfortable now. “We are on our way back home from a day trip to the zoo. The school’s closed today for professional development already! I need to keep them busy before they tear down the walls.”

“Why don’t you come back soon then, and I can cook for everybody?” I ask nervously, looking at Sawyer. He seems to love spending time with his nieces. Surely he won’t mind me offering to cook a meal for them.

“We’re coming to meet Mom and Dad,” Sawyer announces. “Soon. So I’ll see you in a bit anyway.”

“You’d bwing Wanger?” Sofia asks softly from her uncle’s arms.

“I’ll bring Ranger, and I’ll bring our new kitties. They’re named Charlie and Wednesday.”

“We really did just come for quick hugs,” Angelique says again. “Mia has cheer tonight, and I still have to cook. I just realized the address from the birthday gift you sent was on our way home. Sofia happened to have the package in the car with us to keep her occupied on the drive. All ten thousand, eight hundred and forty-seven teeny tiny pieces,thank you very much, Sawyer.”

I’d told Sawyer not to buy the large lego set for such a small child last weekend, but he’d insisted it was her favorite brand. I’m sure her mother buys the much smaller, less complicated sets.

“Girls, go get into the van!” Angelique announces, and three little faces drop. “Give Uncle a hug first.”

It takes another twenty minutes and the promise of a visit for Angelique to corral the girls and pull out down the driveway. As she’s getting ready to leave, Angelique whispers something into Sawyer’s ear that makes his face harden. He answers with just a nod, and, “I’ll see you soon.”

As they drive off, Sawyer watches, returning the gesture when she gives him a little wave.

“You might want to hurry and change, or the shooting range is going to be closed,” Sawyer says, suddenly sounding tired.

Myaimisslightlybetter, or so Sawyer says, during this trip to the shooting range. We stop to pick up Chipotle on our way back to the ranch and sit together on the couch eating.

“Have you ever seen Gabriel Iglesias?” Sawyer asks as he cues up a comedy special by the comedian.

“No? Is he funny?” I ask, taking a bite of my food.

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