Page 94 of Total Shutdown

I guess that’s what happens when you can’t get enough of each other.

How the hell we gathered ourselves and I made it into Sawyer’s bedroom before Ezra walked in the door, I have no idea.

Pulling on my leather pants and a bra, I close my eyes and wince. “Fuck.” In my haste to get out of the way, I totally forgot Sawyer’s T-shirt.

Dressed in the clothes Sawyer picked me up in after work, I stand at the top of the stairs, which lead directly into his living room. I can hear voices, and one of them is definitely Ezra’s.

“Dad, why is your shirt on the floor?” Ezra asks.

I cringe, biting down on my fist in an attempt to rid the embarrassment as it tears through me.

Sawyer clears his throat, obviously just as embarrassed. “I was doing push-ups and overheated. Anyway, how was Nate?”

I assume Nate is the friend he saw tonight.

“He’s good.” Ezra’s reply is brief.

“And what did you talk about?” Sawyer pushes.

Jesus,it’s like pulling teeth.

“Mostly the Knicks. He thinks they’re the best team right now. They aren’t,” he adds with confidence.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.

Sawyer

Come downstairs when you’re ready, Baby Girl. I’m making us something to eat.

Nerves swirlin my stomach as I take the first step and head down the stairs.

When I round the corner, Ezra is side-on to me, sitting on the couch, facing the TV above the fireplace, head buried in his phone.The Breakfast Clubis still on pause where we left it.

A floorboard creaks beneath my foot, and Sawyer pokes his head around the archway leading to the kitchen. He’s wearing the T-shirt, a smile, and … glasses?

Ezra’s head darts in my direction, his jaw wide open as he tries to process what he’s seeing.

I lift my hand in a tentative wave, like some kind of goddamn weirdo. “Hi.”

Ezra drops his phone beside him and leaps off the couch, still looking just as confused. “W-what are you doing here?” He looks at me and then at Sawyer, who throws a towel over his shoulder and walks toward me, never taking his eyes from mine.

“Well, I actually invited Collins over for dinner tonight since you were seeing Nate.” Sawyer stops just in front of me and turns to Ezra. “We also had something to tell you.” He reaches out and takes my hand in his.

Ezra’s attention drops from his dad to our joined hands in between us. “Wait, are you two, like, a thing now?” He takes a couple of paces toward us, lips tipping up in the corner. “I knew you were lying when you said you didn’t like each other. Friends, my ass.”

Sawyer turns toward Ezra, an unimpressed brow raised at his son.

I smirk, rolling my lips together.

“You’re right though, Ez,” I say, clueless about why I gave him a nickname, but loving how it sounds. “Sawyer and I are more than friends, and I came over tonight because we wanted you to be the first to find out.”

The room falls silent, and for a split second, panic shoots through me when I see the glassiness in his eyes.

Shit. Is this not what he wanted after all? I really fucking hope he doesn’t think I’m here to replace his mom because I’ll never be her. I don’twantto be her.

My concern is only fleeting though when Ezra makes a beeline for me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and I rest my chin on top of his head when he dips it down, our similar height even more noticeable.

He smells like Sawyer—fresh, clean, and comforting.