KATE

1.

I caught myself sitting at the kitchen table, sketching on a napkin. It was a caricature of someone that looked like Tate. A huge body and super tiny legs, holding a phone in his massive hand, with a quote bubble telling me he needed to tell me something important.

Because that’s what happened.

I got a quick call and he swore to me it was really important and that I had to stay put at home. Just in case.

Now, those three words could make anyone worry, but for me, those three words could invoke terror. Simply because… what if…

I stood up and walked to the fridge. On the side was my lawyer’s business card. I had his number programmed in my phone but I kept the card there as a reminder. He promised if I ever needed anything, just call. He understood the position I was in when it came to Jason. So much about life that Jason didn’t know. About his own life. Things he lived through that he didn’t even remember.

I swallowed hard and shook my head.

“No,” I whispered.

If anything was happening with that past crap, the lawyer would have called. There was no way Tate would have information before the lawyer.

Even still, my stomach wouldn’t settle.

It was right around ten when Tate knocked on the door.

Jason was fast asleep again, lost in a world of dinosaurs and action figures. Tonight’s drawing was of a massive alligator poking its head out of a deadly, gas filled swamp as a superhero stood on the shore with a magic sword, ready for the fight of a lifetime. I made Jason a deal. As long as his stories and my drawings didn’t give him any bad dreams, I would keep drawing.

I opened the door to find Tate standing there with a pizza and a six pack of beer.

I gritted my teeth as anger hit me. “Is this a joke?”

“What?”

“You have me scared to death… all for pizza and beer?”

“What? Why are you…”

I shook my head.

“Oh,” Tate said. “Shit. You thought maybe…”

“Maybe,” I said.

“Fuck. Kate. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not here trying to get a cheap date out of you. I swear. Something happened today.”

“And you figured why not grab a pizza and some beer?”

“I hate coming over here empty handed,” Tate said. “Can I come in now?”

“Yeah, sure. Why not? Let me take a few breaths to calm down.”

Tate put the pizza on the table and grabbed two beers. He twisted the caps off and they clanked to the table. He forced one into my hand.

“What is this?”

“You calm?”

“Maybe.”

“Get ready to not be calm.”

“Why?”

Tate took a drink of beer. His lip curled. “Sawyer is back in town.”

2.

“What did you just say?”

I was frozen like a block of ice. So much so, I couldn’t even drink the beer Tate had given me. 

“You heard what I said. I wanted to give you a head’s up.”

“I don’t understand. How do you know?”

“How do I know?” Tate asked. “If it wasn’t Sawyer, then who did I punch outside St. Skin?”

“You punched him?” I asked. 

My heart skipped a couple beats and I could tell how excited I seemed to be.

I hate you, Sawyer… I hate that you make me feel this way… instantly.

“Yeah, I punched him,” Tate said. 

“So… he just showed up?”

Tate cleared his throat and backed up to the counter and nodded. “I was in my office and River came in to give me the news. I thought he was fucking joking, Kate. Sawyer? When was the last time we saw him?”

I didn’t answer. Neither did Tate. We both knew the last time we saw Sawyer. The night at the bar when he punched Tate. When everything boiled over. Years of little things turning into a big thing. When I decided to check on Tate instead of checking on Sawyer. 

“He walked right into St. Skin like he owned the place,” Tate said.

“Well, he does,” I said. “Right?”

“Half of it, Kate. And to be fair, I could have sued his ass years ago. I could have done a lot to get him away from the company. But I didn’t. He’s gotten a check right on time every month. And now he just shows up.”

“What did he do then?”

“He took a client.”

“What?”

“He took someone into the back and gave them a tattoo.”

“You’re kidding,” I said. 

I had to fight the urge to smile. Not because I liked Sawyer. No way. I hated him. With a passion that was hard to explain. I wanted to smile because I could see Sawyer doing it. Just walking into St. Skin like he had been out on the world’s longest lunch break. Picking up where he left off and getting right back to work. He was the only guy I knew with the guts to do that and to pull it off because he was good at what he did.

“He just shows up and tattoos someone,” I whispered.

“Yeah. And it was a really good tattoo too. Her first one. She’s going to be back for more. Only if Sawyer does it.”

Jealousy touched a raw nerve as I thought about Sawyer touching another woman. But he was a professional when it came to his art. Whether it was a woman’s wrist or her bare chest, he took tattooing seriously. It was my heart and mind that forced the dumb jealousy and dumber thoughts. 

“I didn’t know what to do,” Tate said. “I took him out back and punched him in the face.”

“Tate…”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Tell me he didn’t deserve it.”

“Oh, he deserved it. And plenty more, I’m sure.”

“He took the punch and walked back in to finish the tattoo.”

“Was he hurt?”

“Bleeding.”

“What did the woman say?”

“He told her it was a business meeting,” Tate said. “Played it off nice and smooth.”

Typical Sawyer.

“I can’t believe this,” I said. The memories and regrettable excitement quickly faded as I looked over my shoulder and bit my lip. That’s when a sense of panic settled in. “Tate… what about Jason?”

“I know,” Tate said. “That’s why I came over. You tell me what to do here and I’ll do it.”

“Did he say anything about me?”

“Of course he did,” Tate said. “He said he’s coming for you.”

I shook my head. “How do I explain Jason? If he starts asking questions… he’ll know by Jason’s age… and what I promised…”

Tate moved at me. He put his beer bottle down and touched my shoulders. “Hey, hey, hey. Take a breath, Kate. Take a deep breath.”

I listened to Tate. I stared up at him. 

“Listen to me,” he whispered. “It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or knows or doesn’t know. You’re doing the right thing for the kid. Okay? I know this isn’t the life you wanted. But you’re doing amazing at it. I’m sorry that Sawyer is back. I’m going to talk to him. Try to keep us from beating the hell out of each other. Hopefully he’s just swinging through like he did before. Right?”

“Like he did before? He lived here. And then he just vanished.”

“Maybe he’ll vanish again. Whatever he thinks he has here, he’s wrong, Kate.”

I nodded. “There was a lot left behind, Tate. Between all of us.”

“I know,” Tate said. “I didn’t want to ruin your night, Kate. But I didn’t want him to show up and… you know, the kid.”

“The kid. You always call him the kid. His name is Jason.”

“Why don’t we get something to eat and try to breathe for a second, okay?”

I nodded. “I’m in shock.”

“Join the club,” Tate said. “When I swung to hit him, I thought I was going to hit air because it had to have been his ghost. But it wasn’t.”

“He just walked through the front door and went to work?”

A grin tried to creep along Tate’s face. “Would you expect anything less from him?”

My heart was starting to race even faster as all the memories - good and bad - came rushing back to me. 

Sawyer had always been wild, a little bit dangerous, and everything I should have avoided. 

Yet I couldn’t get away from him. He had to leave me to get me away. 

“Kate?” Tate asked. “You okay?”

I looked at him, blinking fast. “No, I’m not okay at all.”