Evolve Series Box Set (108 page)

“Valiant effort.”

“I won’t chase you.”

“I told you over and over you wouldn’t want me.”

“But I do want her. I love her so damn much. I only wanted some time, some space, to figure things out. I’m the man, goddammit! I need to make money and own a house, all the things she and Alex deserve!”

“I didn’t ask you about her.” She glares at me now, both hands on her hips. “If you wanna go nursemaid to some short, fat, pregnant chick, go ahead, but I’m sick of hearing about it! My God, it isn’t even your baby!”

Oh darn, she stormed off.

I haven’t drank this much in years, let alone smoked. My forehead is pounding, right in the center, the spot aneurysms start, I’m guessing. What am I doing? This isn’t me. There’s not enough weed and whiskey in the world to make me not love Emmett. And I do. God I do.

I take out my phone and scroll blearily through my contacts, waving goodbye to CJ and walking outside.

“Hello?” Evan answers on the third ring. 

“Ev, bro, did I wake you up?”

“Yup. What’s up?”

“I’m fucked up, I fucked up. Can you come get me and my bike?” I grab a seat on the cold concrete step closest to my bike. “I’m not leaving it here to get stolen.”

He grumbles as I hear him rouse, sheets rustling in the background. “Where the hell are you?”

“Briarwood, they’re apartments. Don’t forget about my bike.”

“Stay put. Do NOT drive.”

“’Preciate it, man.”

Okay, back on track. I’ll just go home and tell Emmett I’m sorry and we’ll start all over. I admit, I have no concept of time right now, so it may be five minutes or five hours before my ass is numb. I lie back, flat on my back on the hard, cold ground and look up at the stars. Damn, there’s a lot of them! Or maybe I’m just seeing two of every actual one; I have no idea.

“Emmy, babe,” I talk to the black sky, me, filled with twinkling, bright lights, her, and practice what I’ll say. “You had it all wrong. I’ve always wanted you. Always. I was afraid I couldn’t be enough for you. You’re so strong and fearless, forgiving and loving—everything I’m not. I don’t forgive that man, the men, who’ve hurt you. It eats at me every damn day that I can’t fix that for you. And what if I’m a shit dad? Lord knows I didn’t get any formal lessons how to be a good one, let alone an excellent one. I work in a bar, for Christ’s sake! You need a house, a yard, that dog you mentioned.” I’m screaming at the moon now and sit up, swiping quickly below my eyes before I actually cry and feel like an even bigger puss.

“You need a ride?”

Lurking in the shadows? Who does that? Can you imagine the lengths she’d go to if I’d actually fucked her? “No, I’m good, thanks. I got a ride on his way.”

“Sawyer, you’ve been out here for almost an hour. I don’t think they’re coming. Let me give you a ride.” She walks to stand in front of me, sticking out her hand. “Come on.”

I grasp on and struggle to my feet, stumbling into her. “What about my bike?”

“Get it in the morning.” She pulls me toward…hell, I don’t know. “I’m over here, let’s go.”

I really don’t want to leave my bike at the mercy of this neighborhood, watching over my shoulder as it gets further and further away, but I need a bed. I’m a mess. I have to sober up so I can talk to Emmett, so regretfully, I cave and follow her.

“I live—”

“I know where you live,” she interrupts me haughtily.

Of course she knows where I live, not at all creepy. Told ya I need to buy a house.

“Sawyer!” Bright lights blind me, a voice calling my name. I cover my eyes with one hand, straining to see who’s beckoning me.

Oh thank baby Jesus in a manger! Evan’s jogging up to me, Zach on his tail.

“Where you think you’re going?” Evan asks me, eyeing my chauffeur skeptically.

“I didn’t think you were coming. Marcy here was gonna take me home,” I slur out.

“It’s Mariah, you asshole! My God, you came in my mouth and you can’t remember my name? You’re pathetic!” she yells, stomping her foot, and shoves on both my shoulders.

Thank you so much, Marcy, for that public service announcement. “Easy on the name callin’ there, sassy. You let me come in your mouth without first making sure I’d want to remember your name.”

“You what? Sawyer, dude, what the hell were you thinking?” Evan’s head drops, shaking from side to side.

“Not just now! A long time ago. Emmett knows.” I chuckle, not sure why. “Hell, Emmett saw.”

“I don’t…” Evan mutters, looking to Zach with a plea of help in his eyes. “Any idea what to do with that?”

Zach steps up and grabs my arm. “Storytime’s over. M girl, go home. Sawyer, where’s your bike? We’re gonna get it loaded and you home.”

I point to my bike, I’m almost positive, and let Zach drag me that way.

“You better be so glad we got here in time, you dumb shit,” he growls in a low voice, squeezing the hell out of my arm. “If you’d have gotten in the car with some chick Emmett knows blew you before, she’d have never forgiven you.”

Zach would know all about the pains of cheating—what’s her twin had done a number on him.

“I know, I know. Thanks for saving my ass. Why’d Evan call you?”

“To help load your precious bike. You’re no help,” he shrinks me with a glare of condemnation, “obviously. We’re both breaking curfew right now for this bullshit, by the way. We get caught or benched and you’re a dead man.”

CHAPTER 29

Road to Redemption

***Sawyer***

When I wake, I’m in my own bed, face down in the pillow. It takes a minute to get my bearings and collect my thoughts, considering my head feels like I used it as a battering ram, but it starts coming back and it’s not pretty. Parts of last night are fuzzy, but you’d think I’d remember someone shitting in my mouth, which is exactly what it tastes like. Pushing myself up with great care, at the speed of smell, I turn over and scrub my hands over my face. I feel like busted ass…and what is under my ass? Digging in the back pocket of my jeans, I pull out my phone. Nothing from Emmett.

Evan: Bike under port, key on the kitchen counter. Good luck!

I delete the twelve from Dane without reading them. I can only imagine the all caps, scathing rants he’d sent. No, thank you.

Now time to bite the bullet.

Sawyer: You home? Busy?

While I wait for her to answer me, I muster up the will to climb out of bed and head for the shower. I start to feel half alive again under the scalding hot water, but the minute I step out, the pounding in my head returns with a vengeance. Wiping a clear spot in the fog on the mirror, I get my first glimpse of all that is Sawyer after a night of self-destruction. I definitely won’t have to tell people I’m hungover—one look will answer any curiosity.

I check my phone, still no answer from Emmett. Hungover and haggard or not, this shit ends now. We are gonna talk, she is gonna listen, and it’s happening now. After I get dressed and scrub the enamel off my teeth and fuzz off my tongue, I head outside to her house.

Car’s in the driveway. She’s either asleep or ignoring me.

Gentlemanly is probably the safest route to take right now, so I ring the doorbell rather than busting straight up in. My hand’s tapping on the door frame, a lump of unease forming in my throat, when her sweet voice comes from the other side of the door.

“Who is it?”

“Em, it’s Sawyer.”

“What do you want, Sawyer?”

“I want to talk to you. Please, Em.” I’m not above groveling. My whole life’s on the other side of that door, so close I could knock this damn barrier down and grasp it, hold onto it, and never ever be foolish enough to let it go again, but still devastatingly out of reach. “Please.”

The sound of the deadbolt unlocking gives me a surge of hope, new life springing in my regretful heart. She cracks open the door and her precious face peeks out. “Talk.”

“Can I come in?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sawyer. You can say whatever you need to from right there.” Her eyes won’t meet mine, head dipped, raven hair shrouding part of her face.

“I’m sorry, Emmy, so sorry, babe.” I bend, both hands now spread on the frame, and dip my head to look up at her. “I never meant to hurt you or push you away. Please let me come in. I need to explain things, make us good again.”

“Did you sleep with her?” Green eyes now lift to mine, brimming over with pain, pain caused by my carelessness.

“What? Sleep with who?” I’m a horrible person. I begged for her heart, and when she finally, wholly gave it, I didn’t take care of it.

“You know who,” she sneers. “Mariah. Last night, did you sleep with her?”

“No, God no! Why would you even ask that?” And how’d you even know I saw her?

She shuts the door in my face, the lock clicking back in place. I dig out my keys, fumbling for the right one, when it suddenly opens again. She slips two things to me through the crack in the door, first, the empty ring box I put my davra in when I’m not wearing it, and second, her phone, a screen already pulled up for me.

I look at the phone first. It came through at 1:18 am last night.

Mariah: Hate to bother you so late but Sawyer’s kinda drunk and wants us to go back to his. Can you text me the address?

I read it again, a sickening, wrenching ache flaring in my gut. I’m not surprised to see it; it seems the definitive move for a scorned, trashy, jealous bitch to make, but I’m shocked Emmett even opened the door to me at all.

Now who can’t meet whose eyes?

The crack in the door gets a smidge wider and she sticks out her impatient hand. I have barely enough wits about me to hand her back the phone.

“Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?” Oddly enough, the lower and steadier a woman’s voice gets, the deadlier its effect.

“I said no. I didn’t sleep with her.”

“Why’s the box for your junk jewelry empty?”

“I told you, Em, if I don’t wear it every so often, the hole will close up. It hurt like hell, I’m not doing it twice.”

“And I’ve told you, Sawyer, I’m not interested in any magic tricks. I don’t ever want anything but you. So you care if the hole closes up why?”

“I didn’t know you meant never ever. Fine by me, babe, consider it gone.”

She huffs loudly, the door open just enough for me to see she’s rolling her eyes at me and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Wait, you think…” I can’t help but bark out a facetious laugh. “You think I had it in for that skank last night?

“If the penis pearl fits…” she mumbles.

“I. Didn’t. Touch. Her.” Oh shit, another piece of the puzzle that is last night flashes through my lagging mind; the shotgun. True to form, I’m confessing the whole truth before I can talk myself out of it. “She did, uh, she grabbed my face and forced herself, well, her uh, mouth on mine. But I pushed her away immediately.”

“You poor thing!” She covers her heart in mock horror. “She just attacked all six feet, two hundred pounds of you? My God, were you hurt?”

One brow quirks and I battle a grin. “You know what I mean. I don’t want to lie to you, but I didn’t touch her. “Just,” I hold up a finger and get my phone out. “Give me one minute.” I scroll frantically and dial, then speaker.

“I swear to God, Sawyer, if you’re calling her—”

“I don’t know her fucking number, Shorty. I’m—”

“Afternoon, Sunshine, how ya feeling?” Evan goads with a laugh.

“Fabulous. Hey,” I catch Emmett’s glare and hold it, “what happened last night, man?”

“Which part?”

“Any of it. How’d I get home? Where’d you find me?”

“Dude, that’s just sad. You called me to pick you up at some apartment. Zach and I came and got you and your bike. Any of that ringing a bell? I sent your sorry ass a text. We threw you in bed, unloaded your bike and put the key on your kitchen counter.”

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks so much, bro. But hey, was Whitley with ya’ll? I thought I remembered a girl?”

Emmett’s body shifts, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at this part. She’s preparing to hear I screwed up major, which I know without a doubt, fucked up or not, I didn’t.

“I’m gonna pretend you did not just confuse Whitley for that…whatever the hell she was last night.”

“Who was it? Was I with her?”

“Sawyer, seriously bro, don’t get that bad again and I mean it. Having to call me to remember a whole night of your life? Too far, brother, too far.”

I speak to Evan, but make the promise to Emmett with somber, promising eyes. “It won’t happen again. You have my word. But I need to know…about the girl.”

“You were standing in the parking lot when we got there, worried about your bike. Some random chick was trying to pull you to her car, but we saved you. It was pretty funny,” he laughs, “when you called her the wrong name. She shoved your ass and stormed off. Good stuff.”

“That it?”

Emmett and I have been having an entire conversation of our own, with our eyes, this whole time. And hers just softened and said, ‘fine, I believe you.’

“That’s it, thank God,” Evan’s reply interrupts us. “You think you need more?”

“No man, I’m good. Thanks again.”

“Beckett?”

“Yeah?”

“Fix things with Emmett, okay? That heartbroken rambling of yours the whole ride home? Not your best look.”

“Working on it.”

***Emmett***

So he didn’t sleep with Mariah, which reduces my anger marginally. He did, however, of all the places in Georgia, happen upon the same one as her. And let’s not forget her vicious attack, holding his lips hostage.

Puh-lease.

“Fine, I believe you didn’t sleep with her. I’m even willing to buy the ‘she kissed you’ bullshit. And maybe the whole ‘Emmett doesn’t care about the dick metal but I’m worried about the hole closing anyway’ case holds some very coincidental water. But you know what really stings, Sawyer? The one person who you know I wouldn’t want you anywhere near, that’s exactly who you found your way to. You set out to intentionally hurt me and you aimed for the jugular. Direct hit. Congratulations.”