Page 20 of The Quiet After The Fall

She shoved past me. I gave her thirty seconds, then walked out.

Owen was in the hallway. Of course he was.

I saw them before he registered me walking out. Watched him with her, his expression shifting to one of concern as he took in her messed up hair, and her wrinkled dress, and her red-rimmed eyes. My fists clenched as he touched her and it took everything in me not to shove him aside and sling Sawyer over my shoulder to finish what we started upstairs.

I couldn’t do that, so I kept my gaze trained on the floor and walked away. Ignoring Owen and Sawyer talking behind me.

That night, I got no sleep and I didn’t even care. I deserved it.

There was a family brunch the next morning. As much as I didn’t want to go, I needed food and coffee and it was the quickest and easiest way available.

I showed up twenty minutes late deliberately, and found them already seated around a large round table—my parents, Owen, Hailey and Chris, a few others. I nodded my chin when Chris greeted me and sat down.

Sawyer wasn’t there. She’d gone home last night. I knew that before I even walked in but knowing that and seeing her absence were two different things.

A server filled my empty mug with coffee and I wrapped my hands around it.

Owen was talking when I arrived, going on about some coworker of Chris’s acting like an ass last night. He had all eyes on him, each of them hanging on his every word. Except me. I couldn’t care less about some drunk asshole, not unless he tried to hurt a woman.

I ordered the pancakes and bacon and chimed in when someone spoke to me directly. Otherwise, I was happy to sit back and drink my coffee unbothered. I was tired and my mind wouldn’t stop reeling from my hookup with Sawyer.

Our meals came and the only sounds for a short time were forks clanging and toast being crunched into.

A natural lull opened up and Owen set his fork down and sat back in his chair. His expression was like a little kid waiting to tell their parents that they got an A in school.

“I have some news.” He said it to the table, but his eyes found mine. “Sawyer and I are making it official.”

The table went quiet for a beat.

My mother’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. She set it down carefully, focusing hard on her plate before looking up, newly composed. “Sawyer Thorne,” she said.

“Yeah.” Owen’s expression didn’t waver. I was sure he expected mixed reactions.

My father made a rumble sound low in his throat, not words but we all knew what he meant. He reached for his orange juice. “This is Hailey’s brunch. How could you bring up that girl at your sister’s brunch, Owen?”

“Dad.” Hailey’s voice was calm but had an undertone of warning. She looked at Owen from across the table and smiled. “I think that’s great, little bro.”

Owen shot her a grateful look.

My father set his glass down. “You’re playing with fire, son. She’s his daughter.”

“I know whose daughter she is, Dad.”

“Then you know⁠—”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Owen’s words had a finality to them. He looked at my father for a long moment, then picked up his fork and resumed eating.

There was silence again. Only Owen could get my father to shut his mouth about something that pissed him off. I despised that about him.

Was this all my fault? I pushed Sawyer away last night and now Owen makes this announcement today. She moaned my name mere hours ago and now, what? She’s his girlfriend?

I stared into my coffee, watching the way the morning light hit the surface of it, and when I glanced up, Owen was looking right at me again.

Jesus Christ. I knew what he wanted and I had to dig deep to find something to say that wouldn’t start a screaming match at my sister’s brunch.

“She’s good for you,” I said. It killed me, but there. I commented.

Something in his face settled. “Yeah. She is.”