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His fault

"Mr Magic Eight was right on once again," she rasped over the rumble of her nebulizer

"What?"

She let out a loheezy laugh "The Magic Eight app The love advisor, reet laid, and that I would Of course, I didn’t get laid laid, but close enough I et to…"

"Christ, Chloe"

"And now you can confirht?"

"You stopped breathing"

"Only for a minute"

Head spinning, he dropped it into his hands "Only for a minute," he repeated dully

"Yeah" She paused "Too soon?"

He’d beenaround He shoved his fingers through his hair and resisted pulling out the strands by the roots

"Yeah," she murently pushed the nebulizer en, and she was co hi was on ood grace to look sheepish "Okay, so I didn’t exactly realize as going to happen, or that I’d need it I told you, I’d been on a sex moratoriurimaced "Well, I started to I told you I couldn’t"

Okay, she had told him that And he’d mistakenly--and cockily--believed she’d asm with a man

Which mean that he was an ass A coas the mouthpiece "Obviously It’s just that the experts reco a portable nebulizer handy"

"Okay So why didn’t we do that?"

"Well, for one thing," she said, "that doesn’t exactly scream spontaneity and excite sx in your shower, it just happened Which proves point nuain, Chloe," he said flatly "I don’t want you to ever again be without that inhaler Do you hear ave him a smart aleck salute that made him narrow his eyes and open his mouth, but before he could say a word, the front door opened and Tara and Maddie ca jeans and a USC sweatshirt that Sawyer recognized as Jax’s She sat at Chloe’s side and hugged her "You avoided the ER this tirimly

Tara, cool and calet closer to Chloe, patting hi that he’d rescued Chloe If she’d known the truth, he knew he’d have been on the receiving end of a blistering verbal and well-deserved attack No one did pissed-off-Southern-belle slash protective-mama-bear better than Tara

But for now, Tara leaned over Chloe and kissed her cheek "I should have sat on you earlier when you left all half-cocked,even then"

Chloe left the nebulizer mouthpiece in but rolled her eyes as her two sisters continued to mother and baby her, while Saondered if they had any idea just how strong she really was

"Can you tell us what happened?" Tara asked Chloe "What were you doing, and why in God’s naed Chloe’s cheeks, and her eyes locked on Sawyer Slowly she pulled the nebulizer mouthpiece out to speak, but before she could, Tara pushed it back into place

"No, don’t" She fussed at the blanket over Chloe’s legs "It can wait, especially if you’re going to tellor--"

"She ith me," Sawyer said

Three sets of eyes landed on him Maddie’s and Tara’s were both curious and coht now, the weight of that trust sat like an elephant on his chest He worked so damn hard to earn the respect and trust of the people of his town, and this was a perfect example of why it was all a sha Chloe, and he’d done it anyway

Coburn had warned hihteen and scared spitless, that all it took was one step out of line One extra drink before he got behind the wheel One reckless word, and his whole world could implode He knew that, and yet when it came to this, he lost it

Chloe’s eyes were narrowed, clearly trying to tell him to keep his trap shut, but he refused to let this be her fault "I was giving her a ride hos," Tara said with a frown "Those are way out there How did she get to your house? When you calledher here froar What did you do this ti!" It wasn’t quite a yell, but only because she was clearly still hampered by her inability to breathe freely

Tara shoved the gling to breathe"

Chloe slapped a hand on the nebulizer power button, and the roo I rode to the hhen I couldn’t get the Vespa to start I tried to hitch a ride, but Sawyer ca," Maddie ht on the asth answers, Tara whirled on Sawyer "Tell me what happened"

"Hey," Chloe said before Sawyer could open his mouth "Talk to me"

Tara reached back and hit the power button of the nebulizer again "I was asking him," she said, eyes on Sawyer "You picked Chloe up froht her back to your place, and…"

"And I forgot my inhaler," Chloe said "I left it on the seat of his truck"

"Chloe" Tara’s voice was full of censure and dismay

Maddie looked equally upset with her

Sawyer aze Obviously she’d rather them think she was completely irresponsible than blame him

But she wasn’t Reckless, maybe, yeah I to protect him? The notion was unexpected, as was the way it made him feel, but he didn’t need her protection "She’s okay," he said to a suspicious Tara, knowing that a good a fear for her sister, the fear that soet to her in ti an asthma attack