Page 37 of Embracing the Beat
WEST
“Wait.” Mikey’s whine comes from several feet below us, and I glance at my best friend in time to see him roll his eyes. “Sawyer, Mom said you had to.”
He scoffs and jerks his head in the direction of a large branch overhanging the roof.
“I thought we were heading for the treehouse.” I release one hand and point up another four branches.
“Dude. Not anymore. I don’t wanna talk about what I did with Kelsie last week with little ears who will just go tattle to Mommy. C’mon.”
Sawyer starts across the large branch, and I follow, trying to ignore the plaintive whines from the seven-year-old with the platinum blond pigtails.
“Sawyer.” She huffs and puffs, stretching for the next branch up, not letting her short stature stop her when she has to reach up on tiptoes to scratch her fingers around the branch too wide for her grip.
“If your mom sees her, your ass is going to be grounded,” I warn him.
He shrugs. “Mom went to the store, and Dad’s at work for another thirty minutes.”
I glance down again, meeting blue eyes that are both determined and frightened. My heart squeezes in my chest, and I consider ignoring him and waiting for Mikey. He can tell me about his date with Kelsie later.
“Don’t be such a pussy. Mike’s climbed plenty of trees. She’ll be fine.”
I flip him the bird but make my way across the branch. Sawyer’s already on the roof, motioning at me to hurry up.
“Dude, slow your roll. Not all of us bench two twenty-five,” I say.
“You could if you’d work out with me in the morning.”
“Get up at five to lift weights?” I fake a shudder. “Hard pass.”
My feet scrape the roof, and I let go of the branch and walk to where he’s waiting by his bedroom window.
“Sawyer.”
Why does Mikey’s voice sound so close? I turn, half expecting to see her leaning over the railing of the old tree house. Instead, she’s hanging on the part of the branch between the tree and house.
“Dude!” I rush back to the edge of the roof, Sawyer hot on my heels.
“Michaela Grace, what the hell are you doing? Mom’s going to kill both of us if she catches you on that branch,” he growls, and I watch the little face with the almost-too-big eyes pale.
“Shut up, dickhead. You’re going to make her fall.”
“It would serve her right,” he mumbles, and I spin enough to punch him in the stomach.
“W-W-West.” Her lip quivers, her eyes filling with tears.
“It’s okay, Mikey. I’m going to come get you, okay?” I wait for her nod before easing my hands back up. I don’t want to shake the branch and cause her to fall. “Can you start heading back the way you came?”
“I’m scared.”
“Okay, okay. You just hang tight. I’m coming.” Hand over hand, I shimmy out to where she’s clinging to the branch, her little legs dangling way too fucking high for my liking. “Can you climb on my shoulders? Like a piggyback ride.”
“Uh-huh.” She wraps one arm around my neck, followed by another. I want to breathe a sigh of relief, but my oxygen is a little low given the grip she has on me.
“Mikey, can’t breathe,” I wheeze, and her grip loosens fractionally. “Thanks, kiddo.”
Every shift of the branch has my heart racing, worried I’m going to drop her. When we’re close enough to the tree, I help her find her footing again.
“Back down now, okay, Mike?”
