Page 61 of Sawyer

It was his stubbornness. I wasn’t trying to fix him; I just wanted to be there for him.

Part of me understood it, though. His injury was a sore spot, something that made him feel vulnerable.

But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was pushing me away because of it, because letting me in would mean admitting weakness.

As we neared my apartment, I exhaled slowly, the silence between us still thick.

I was worried where this was heading, of how each moment seemed to draw us further apart.

Sawyer pulled up in front of my building, the truck idling as we sat in stillness, neither of us making a move to speak.

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Sawyer…”

He didn’t look at me, his eyes fixed straight ahead, but I noticed the way his grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said softly.

It wasn’t an apology—far from it—but it was something, a small crack in the wall between us.

I nodded, reaching for the handle. “Okay.”

As I stepped out of the car, the weight of all the unsaid words hung in the air between us.

Yet there was also something that gave me hope: the fact that I wasn’t scared or even thinking of running after what happened earlier.

All I wanted was for him to let me in, and I wasn’t sure if he ever would.

Chapter 16

Sawyer

The tires crunched over the gravel as I pulled into the parking lot outside the pack house, my chest tight with guilt.

I hadn’t meant to snap at Casey during the hike, but I had, and now it weighed on me like a stone.

As I killed the engine, the memory of that exact moment replayed in my mind—the mention of the three-legged race at the fair, how my mood had shifted from content to sour in an instant.

I couldn’t blame anyone. They were just reminiscing, and I should’ve been doing the same, enjoying it.

Instead, I’d let my own insecurity fester, letting the day end on a bitter note. And Casey… Casey didn’t deserve that.

He was supposed to feel more at ease with the pack, and I ruined that by acting like a brat.

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face as I stared out at the familiar sight of the pack house. Normally, this place felt like home, a refuge.

Today, it just reminded me of my failures. I didn’t want to be here, not right now.

What I wanted was to grab a beer, retreat to my house, and figure out a way to apologize to Casey without screwing it up again.

Even Benny, sitting obediently in the passenger seat, seemed to pick up on my mood.

The little dog was unusually well-behaved, not bouncing around with excitement like he normally would.

He nudged my shoe when I got out of the car, as if silently asking if I was okay. I forced a smile, ruffling his ears.

"Come on, buddy," I muttered. "Let’s get you to Miles before I head out."

I dropped Benny off, making sure to give him an extra scratch behind the ears before heading to my section of the woods.