Page 94 of Making the Save

“Uh, control freak much?”

“Am not,” I said stubbornly, even though I knew it was a lie.

She sniffed. “Oh please. You’re already trying to have control over my future life when you’re not even going to be in it. If I asked Liam what you were like growing up as an older brother, what would he say?”

One of us had to be in control in the family.

“Maybe it’s a good thing your half-brother didn’t grow up with you,” she continued. “He would have been just one more person for you to tell what to do.”

Immediately, Syd covered her mouth with her hands like she could push the hurtful words back inside.

Sydney

“I’m sorry,”I said quickly, to his stricken face.

“Don’t apologize,” he said and then leaned down to pick up the blanket that had fallen to his feet when he stood. “You’re not wrong. I do try to control things.”

“I shouldn’t have said that. About Nick,” I whispered. “I was just upset because you made me think I’ll always need saving. But you’re right. I haven’t taken care of myself. I need to do a better job of it. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“I’m sorr-” I swallowed the rest of the words and just sat there, curled in on myself, feeling miserable.

The air between us was stiff and cold. I felt like I’d lost him and I didn’t know how to get him back.

“This is crazy,” he said, still not looking at me. “Look at us, fighting like a married couple. It’s almost like I’d forgotten…”

“About what?”

His eyes met mine and I felt like I was breaking in two.

“That we’re not real,” he said.

I tried to blink away the sudden tears.

We were suddenly blasted with beams of light slicing through the cabin windows.

“The fuck?” Wyatt said, shielding his eyes. “No one knows we’re up here except Liam. And the only person he would have told…oh no.”

“What? Who? Is it bad?”

It felt bad. I got up from the couch and edged a little behind Wyatt. Then I remembered he wasn’t going to be around to take care of me forever. I needed to figure out how to do this on my own.

“Prepare yourself,” Wyatt said with a deep sigh and stepped away from me, like he needed to establish distance between us for whoever was walking in the door.

The rumble of a large engine came to a stop and the headlights turned off, making the cabin darker than it had been. I could hear the heavy thumps of someone climbing the front porch. And then…bang bang bang. Even though I anticipated it, I still jumped and barely swallowed my scream.

“Should I be scared?” I asked Wyatt.

“Sort of,” Wyatt mumbled as he made his way to the cabin door and threw it open.

A mountain of a man with a fuzzy beard, wearing jeans and a red flannel shirt, stepped inside. His wild beard and hair were fully white against the backdrop of a ruddy sun and wind burned face.

Maybe it was nerves, but I laughed.

“Santa Claus?” I whispered.

“Dad, what the fuck are you doing here?” Wyatt asked.