SAWYER

(2 MONTHS LATER)

“I told her she had to leave. That our time was up.”

“Right after sleeping with her,” Maddox said. “You’re a really good guy, Prick.”

“No, literally, time was up. The timer was beeping.”

“What?” Axel asked. “You set a timer?”

“Yeah,” Prick said. “Look, my rules are strict. You know exactly what you’re getting and for how long. So there’s no confusion. No cuddling that leads to falling asleep that leads to a weird morning with a forced breakfast or whatever.”

“You really are a prick,” I said. “I mean, it’s amazing.”

“Do you have like an egg timer or do you use your phone?” Zayne asked.

“My phone,” Prick said.

“The real question,” Cass said, “is this… what happens after the thirty seconds when you blow your load?”

“Why even set a timer?” Axel asked. “Two pump hump and you’re gone.”

“Fuck off,” Prick said. “I know what works for me.”

“Or is the timer set to know when to stop inflating her so she doesn’t pop?” Maddox asked.

We all laughed.

The front door to St. Skin opened and in came Tate and Jason.

Jason finally understood that Tate was his father. He didn’t quite understand how it worked with the fact that he called Kate Mommy and that I lived with them. But it was about taking baby steps. Which we all were.

“Hey, it’s the kid,” Prick said. “What’s happening, J-man?”

“Hey, P,” Jason said.

“How’s the old man doing?” Zayne asked.

“Huh?” Jason asked.

“Nothing, kid, nothing,” Zayne said.

“How about everyone goes back to work?” Tate asked.

“Meeting over,” I said.

“What was this meeting about?” Tate asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Pri… uh… P… was showing us how to use a timer on his phone,” Maddox said.

“He only knows how to program it for thirty seconds though,” Axel said.

“I’d say something,” Prick said, “but there’s a kid here.”

“Good call,” Tate said. “Talk to you all later.”

Everyone split up except for me.

I crouched and offered a fist bump to Jason. “Good day?”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “Daddy ran a red light.”

“He did what?” I asked.

“It was yellow,” Tate said. “Turned red as I went through.”

“He’s a bad driver, huh?” I asked Jason.

“Almost as bad as Mom,” Jason said.

I laughed.

Damn, the kid made me laugh all the time.

It wasn’t easy hearing him call Tate Daddy the first time. But the pride on Tate’s face made me happy. I felt like a big mush. The way I loved Kate. Reading bedtime stories to Jason. Being happy for Tate.

“Hey, Jason,” Tate said. “Go into my office and relax for a minute.”

“Okay. Bye, Sawyer.”

“Bye, kid,” I said.

“I got some stuff to show you about the new building,” Tate said. “And we need to go over our list of people to call to bring in.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said. “We can sit down and talk. I have a sketch I’m working on now. You should go enjoy time with Jason.”

“I am. Hey. Thank you.”

“Thank you? To me?”

“For being here. Back here. It’s not the same without you. And thank you for taking care of Kate. And Jason.”

“Look, I don’t want to do the best friends thing again.”

“Would you rather me punch you in the mouth?”

“Yeah, I would,” I said.

“Okay. After the shop closes. We’ll go throw a few.”

I laughed. “Deal.”

Tate walked to his office and I went to my room to finish that sketch.

Only I just sat there. Thinking about life. Thinking way too much about life.

But I had good reason.

It came a few minutes later when Kate showed up.

The look on her face made me jump up.

“What?” I asked.

I knew that look.

“You should sit down,” she said.

“No. What’s wrong?”

She reached behind herself and took something out of her pocket. She handed me an envelope.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Just open it, Sawyer. Or should I say… Daddy?”

I opened the envelope and saw an ultrasound picture. Fuzzy white stuff with a black center and a little white thing that almost looked like a bean.

I looked at Kate and raised an eyebrow. “What…”

“Well, when two people love each other, Sawyer, and they decide-”

“Don’t mess with me right now,” I growled.

“I’m not messing with you. This is happening.”

“I’m going to be a father. For real?”

“For really real,” Kate said.

I looked at the picture again.

“Holy shit.”

“Holy shit,” she whispered.

When I looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

I hugged her, holding the ultrasound picture out behind her back, unable to look away or even blink.

I came back to this town with nothing and now I had everything.

THE END