Chapter 17: Time to Tell the Families that Sawyer is Madly in Love With Me 

       "How come I have to be the one to tell them?" I asked. "You have more family here. You have your two parents and your three siblings. That's five. I just have my mom and my sister. That's two. Five is more than two."

       Sawyer sighed. "Yeah but... My family has been a bit overprotective of me since my break up with Kitty."

       "Which is exactly why they should hear it from you that you're dating someone else," I said. "Besides, no one's going to believe me if I'm the one who says it since I flirted with you all the time and kept saying we were going on dates."

       "They'll believe me if I back it up and say it's true," Sawyer said.

       "But if you're going to back me up anyway, you might as well be the one to tell them," I said.

       Sawyer and I had been dating for a week now and our families were complete unaware to it but that was only because I spent most of my time in the bedroom if I wasn't in the field with Paint. Even during meals, it was brought up here to the bedroom so I didn't have to constantly make my way downstairs.

       That being said, I was a bit surprised nobody has caught onto it yet. Were Sawyer and I hiding it that well?

       "I really hate your logic," Sawyer said. "Fine. I'll be the one to tell them. But you do have to come with me."

       "But it takes so much effort for me to go downstairs," I said in a whiny voice, mainly just to irritate Sawyer because it was a very fun thing to do. 

       "I can always ask them to come up here," Sawyer said. "Either way, you're going to be with me when I tell them."

       I did want to get something to eat anyway so I carefully got off the bed, reaching for the crutches. "Then let's go," I said. "The sooner we get it out of the way, the sooner I could hit on you a lot more without caring who's around to hear."

       "Of course that's the only thing you care about," Sawyer said.

       "Well, I mean... You can't blame me," I said. 

       "Whatever," Sawyer said before leading me to the stairs.

       He took the crutches from my hand since they only made it more difficult for me to get down the stairs. It was a lot easier for me when I was holding onto Sawyer's arm to balance.

       We got down the stairs and Sawyer handed my crutches back to me so we could make our way to the kitchen where we knew most of our families would be. Mom, Trey, Beth, and Dorothy were the ones in there and they were all we needed to break the news. Sawyer's siblings could find out another way.

       Hopefully by me being really affectionate with Sawyer because once our parents knew, I was going to be really affectionate. Nothing was going to hold me back.

       Except maybe Sawyer not letting me be affectionate with him which would probably happen because I annoy him a lot.

       Mom noticed me and Sawyer standing at the entry of the kitchen though she mainly looked at me. "Hey, what are you doing down here?" Mom asked.

       "Uh, existing," I said. "Living. Not being holed up in my bedroom. I'm allowed to come down here, you know."

       Mom sighed heavily at my attitude, something she did a lot because I was just that annoying. "Jamie, you're always whining about how much work it takes to come down the stairs so you would rather stay up in your bedroom unless you're seeing Paint or going to school."

       "Speaking of, can I just not go to school until I find it easier to walk down the stairs?" I asked. 

       "I've seen you tests, Jamie," Mom said. "You're definitely not missing any school days unless you're sick."

       I leaned towards Sawyer. "Hey, want to help me fake a sickness?"

       "Jamie..." Mom said in a warning tone.

       "I'm kidding," I said. Kind of. "Anyway, Sawyer has something to tell all three of you."

       "What about me?" Dorothy asked.

       "Yeah, sure, you could listen too," I said. "Sawyer?"

       "Right, so..." Sawyer said slowly. "What am I about to say happened about a week ago and I don't want any of you to freak out because I know how you, Mom and Dad, have been a bit... protective since what happened a few months ago."

       Trey furrowed his eyebrows. "Did you enter a showjumping competition?"

       "Uh, no, not that," Sawyer said. "And you haven't really been protective about me showjumping. You've been trying to get me back into it after all."

       Beth looked a bit worried once she realized what Sawyer was about to tell them had to do with Trey and Beth being protective. "Are you... Did you get back together with Kitty?"

       Sawyer gave his mom a flat look. "Yes, Mom. I got back together with Kitty after she dumped me right before my showjumping competition just because I'm bisexual. No, of course not. I'm over her. One hundred percent over her."

       "Okay, if it doesn't have to do with showjumping or Kitty, then what is it?" Beth asked.

       "And why would it have to be something that you have to tell me as well?" Mom asked.

       I didn't think they were ever going to catch on to it until Sawyer actually told them but it was going to take a while for Sawyer to say it. He was getting into too much detail. All he had to say was, "Hey, I'm madly in love with Jamie and we're dating now because I can't imagine my life without him."

       Was that so hard?

       "Well, it's actually about Jamie as well," Sawyer said.

       He was never going to cut to the chase.

       I was starting to think he was only stalling so I would be the one to say it because he didn't want to.

       He was an evil mastermind.

       ...I liked it.

       "Sawyer, we can't read your mind," Beth said. "You're just going to have to tell us whatever it is."

       "Right," Sawyer said. "So... Jamie and I... We're dating."

       The kitchen immediately went quiet as Trey, Beth, and Mom tried processing what Sawyer told them. I really wanted to say, "In your face, Mom," because she was constantly telling me not to check Sawyer out but that wouldn't be the best thing to say right now.

       Apparently, they went the only ones who heard what Sawyer said. All of Sawyers siblings ended up walking into the house at the same time, right before Sawyer said we were dating. So now, everyone knew.

       Erica was the first to say something. "I knew it!" she said happily. "I knew you two were going to eventually get together! Dang, I should have bet some people on this."

       "Who exactly could you bet against?" Monica asked. "I'm pretty sure everyone knew it was going to happen eventually."

       "Yeah, I'm surprised it took so long," Vincent said. "I was actually tempted to interfere but Monica wouldn't let me."

       "I told you, it was best for them to figure things out themselves," Monica said. 

       "Well..." Trey spoke up. "Sawyer, you're right that your mother and I have been a bit protective of you since Kitty broke up with you but... I don't think we have anything to worry about with Jamie. At least, I hope you don't." Trey immediately narrowed his eyes at me. "If you hurt Sawyer, you won't be able to see Paint again."

       Would it be a good idea to sass Trey when he was letting my family live here?

       Probably not.

       I was going to anyway.

       "That's fine," I said. "I'm pretty sure Paint wouldn't like someone trying to stop me from seeing him so good luck trying to handle him without me."

       "Jamie, seriously?" Sawyer asked. "Can you be polite just once?"

       "I mean, I technically can but I just choose not to," I said.

       Mom sighed heavily for the second time today because of my attitude. "I am so sorry about Jamie's sass. I keep telling him to stop but he won't listen." She then looked at me and Sawyer. "I'm really happy for the two of you."

       "Yeah, me too," Beth said. "And I know Trey is too. He just gets protective over his children when they're in relationships."

       "It's true," Erica said. "He once wouldn't let Posie into the house just because we got into a small argument. And she came over to try and make things up to me."

       "Posie?" I asked.

       "Uh, my girlfriend," Erica said. "What, you haven't met her yet?"

       "No, I haven't so I'm kind of insulted," I said. "Why haven't I met her? You've met my boyfriend."

       "Oh, very funny," Erica said.

       "Thanks, I try."

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i love sawyer's whole family lol. i feel like most of my fictional families has at least one problematic family member but not the birch family woo

i was going to say the princes don't have a problematic family but gary exists. :(

oh wait, there's the eatons. well... never mind. lawrence and tara were problematic. ooh, wait. the simms. wait never mind. there's cora. ashers, maybe. ollie's mom wasn't too bad. 

i'm trying to think of spruceworth because there's a lot of families there lol. but i can't think of any that is just as peaceful as the birch family. i guess the goldsworth now but dan's parents were annoying af in his book.

okay i should stop rambling and go to sleep because i got school in the morning and it's 3 am.