He wipes his fingers on a napkin. “Yeah, that was really shitty of me, Scottie. I’m sorry. You deserve better than to be questioned like that. I fucked up and should not have said that.”

Wow.

Just…wow.

I don’t think I’ve ever in my entire life had someone apologize to me like that, taking full ownership and not even coming up with an excuse. Just a straight-up apology. It nearly throws me off.

“Th-thank you,” I say, stunned.

“Did you have any other feelings?”

“I think those were the main ones.”

“Okay, well, I’m sorry that I embarrassed you. That was not my intention. I was frustrated with how they were treating you, how they were treating us, and I lost control. I don’t like it when people are picked on. I’ve had to deal with that nearly my whole life⁠—”

“You were picked on?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, Mika was.”

“Oh,” I say softly, completely understanding.

“He was always different, and the people around us made sure he knew.” He stares off toward the forest, probably thinking about the past. “There have been many times in my life when I’ve stood up to kids bigger than me because Mika wouldn’t stand up for himself. I’ve taken fist after fist to the face for Mika, but I regret nothing.”

My heart aches as I think about Wilder taking hits for his brother. He’s such a good guy. Guilt consumes me about how we’ve been fighting, how we’ve been ignoring each other. Sure, what he did was embarrassing, but in the long run, he was trying to stick up for me in the best way that he could, and maybe that’s something I need to start recognizing. That maybe, in this situation, I’m not entirely alone. Maybe I need to start trusting people again.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, but Mika is really lucky to have you as a brother.”

“Thank you,” he says softly.

“And I’m sorry that I got angry with you. I should have seen that you were just trying to protect me. I guess I’m just not used to such selfless behavior, so I didn’t know how to react.”

He slowly nods. “Well, let this be the standard,” he says. “You should accept nothing less from here on out from the people you surround yourself with.”

“You’re right.” I stand from the chair. “Can I give you a hug?”

He nods and sets his food down too. He closes the space between us and wraps his arms around me in a tight, comforting hug.

“I’m sorry,” I say to him as I press my face to his chest.

“I’m sorry too, Pips.” His cheek leans on the top of my head as he holds me tight. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“I know,” I answer.