by Tia Fielding
“Yeah,” Wyatt sighed.
“I really need your phone number,” Izzy said, smiling slightly.
Wyatt let out a small guffaw. “I can’t believe we didn’t exchange numbers before.”
“Me neither.”
“I’ll make sure not to be obvious about texting you. I pay my own phone bills and lock my phone so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
It hadn’t even crossed Izzy’s mind that Justin might look at Wyatt’s phone like that, but he guessed it made sense. Not that they really could do anything, because Wyatt was an adult, but…
“I won’t let him take your job away from you,” Wyatt said suddenly.
Izzy frowned. “What?”
“I won’t cause problems. If he finds out we’re in contact, he might fire you and I can’t be the reason—”
Izzy quickly cut him off. “Hey, hey, Wyatt, breathe.” Wyatt tried his best to do as told and luckily the panic didn’t escalate. “There you are.” He smiled and kissed Wyatt gently.
“I love you too, by the way,” Wyatt whispered.
“Good. I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just…” Izzy sighed.
Wyatt smiled, looking at him knowingly. “Couldn’t not say it, either?”
“Something like that.”
“For what it’s worth, I believe that this is real. I don’t care what anyone else says. They can’t see inside our heads or our hearts,” Wyatt spoke passionately, with a blaze in his eyes.
Izzy pecked his lips. “It’s worth everything, Wyatt. Everything.”
* * * *
They didn’t risk meeting for days after that. Instead, they texted during the late evenings when they were both in their respective bedrooms, alone and safe.
In some ways, Izzy thought, they got to know each other much better. There was no shyness, and they could both think what they really wanted to say in text form, much better than out loud.
Justin hadn’t calmed down at all, it seemed. Things at work, whenever Izzy crossed paths with Justin, were tense and the glares were…well, they weren’t good.
One day Patty saw Justin’s behavior up close and huffed.
“He’ll come to his senses,” she told Izzy when Justin let the break room door bang closed behind himself.
“I’m not counting on that.”
“Something will happen. Then you and Wyatt can be together again.”
Izzy didn’t ask how she knew. Everyone did, by now. Nobody seemed to think negatively about the possibility of Izzy and Wyatt being together, but they weren’t openly talking about it either. Probably mostly because it meant that they would be either with or against their boss. Izzy could respect that way of thinking.
The next day, Izzy was in one of the decidedly bee-less greenhouses, collecting cucumbers from the vines. He felt eyes on himself, but that wasn’t new. Sometimes the people collecting deliveries stared or something like that. It was fine, he didn’t care.
When the feeling didn’t go away, Izzy glanced behind himself. There was a pretty dark-skinned girl with a yellow sundress walking up toward him.
She was giving him very obvious elevator eyes as she let her hips sway just enough for it to be obvious and sexy as hell.
“Hi,” she said when she got to him. “You must be Izzy.”
“That’d be me,” he replied, grinning. “What gave me away?”
“Well, I heard there was a gorgeous guy with ink to die for working here now. Had to come see for myself,” she said, giving him another appreciative look.
“Seems like I fit the description,” he said casually, because it wasn’t new to hear, either. He knew he was good looking, and most people either thought he was just that or that and a thug, and Izzy didn’t care about either, personally. It made all attention feel cheap or judgmental, or both.
“I got to say, your ink is interesting,” she murmured, leaning closer and running her fingers along his tattoo sleeve.
She was being obvious without being obvious. Izzy liked her style, but still took a step back.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.”
“Aww, are you sure?” She batted her lashes.
“I’m spoken for.”
“Is that so?” She stepped closer, giving him the best “come hither” look he’d ever seen in his life.
In another situation, sure. She was gorgeous in a way that was hard to pinpoint, and she certainly had some moves.
“I’m absolutely sure. I’m real flattered, because you’re beautiful and probably smart to boot. I just…I don’t stray.” He hoped he wasn’t offending her in any way.
Her expression did something weird, then she let out a burst of laughter. “Well, thank fuck for that!”
Izzy must’ve looked as confused as he felt, because she smirked and held out her hand. “Harper Abbot, nice to meet you.”
Izzy groaned. Then laughed out loud. And shook her hand. “Oh God…Either you have a wicked sense of humor or you’re very protective. I can appreciate both those things.”
“And you’re loyal and I can tell you genuinely love him.” She sighed, hands on her hips as she looked at the plants surrounding them. “Justin is…I love him, I really do. He’s just…he went through enough shit that he’s overprotective now.”
“Yeah, I…I don’t fault him for that, you know?” Izzy admitted. “I would never do anything to hurt Wyatt on purpose. I love him. I don’t…I mean, I know he’d be all for running away or something like that, but I’d never, ever let him do that. I’d rather break his heart and leave him than let him leave his family. I can deal, you know. I’ve been alone most of my life. Never had a family to speak of. He loves me, but he belongs with you guys.”
Harper’s eyes welled with tears she blinked away quickly. “Okay. I can work with that.” She smoothed down the front of her dress. “I’ll see what I can do. About Justin, I mean. And right now I’m going to go change into my jeans and T-shirt in the break room, and then go say hi to the family.”
“You drove here first?”
“Couldn’t warn you beforehand, could I?” Her smirk was wicked, and he had a feeling they would get along just fine.
“Thank you, Harper. Really.” Not just for offering to talk to Justin, but having her brother’s back. He didn’t say it all out loud though, because it was clear that she understood him just fine.
“Don’t thank me yet,” she said flippantly, obviously trying to make light of it as she turned around and walked out of the greenhouse.
Chapter 19
“Tell me everything,” Harper said when she swept into the house like a tornado.
“There’s not much to tell,” Wyatt said, but she eked it out of him anyway over the course of the afternoon, holed up in his bedroom with a container of chocolate mint ice-cream and a pack of Oreos. Harper liked to crumble them up and mix them through her melted ice-cream and then drink the whole thing from her bowl, which was gross as hell. Wyatt ate his ice-cream and Oreos separately, like nature and God intended.
He told her about Paris, and about figuring out he was genderfluid—and maybe not figuring it out as much as actually admitting to himself what he’d known for a while—and about Izzy.
“Did you sleep with him?” Harper asked.
Wyatt flushed. “That’s private!”
“That’s a yes, then,” Harper said wryly. She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Wy, I’m not asking to be a nosy Nellie. I just figured it was a big thing for you, right? Getting naked in front of someone if you’ve been dealing with dysphoria.”
Wyatt chewed his bottom lip. “It was a huge thing. And…and we haven’t done everything, you know, but the stuff we have done, it doesn’t matter to him if I’m a boy or a girl or somewhere in between.” He thought of how Izzy had called him a pretty girl, but also how he’d blown him. Wyatt’s dick was less of an issue for Izzy that it was for Wyatt, it seemed. “He just accepts it. He hadn’t been with a guy before me, but he just sort of rolled with it. And, like, we have
n’t talked about it much, but I think that maybe he’s demi?”
“Oh.” Harper raised her eyebrows. “So much for my femme fatale act then.”
“For your what?”
Harper grinned and sucked melted ice-cream off her spoon. “Don’t worry about it.”
Don’t worry about it? Did she even know him?
She caught his look and her grin softened and faded. “I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t tell me about all this stuff.”
Wyatt shrugged. “You’re so busy, and—”
“I’m never too busy for you,” Harper said fiercely. “We’re a team, remember? We always have been, and we always will be.”
Wyatt nodded, his chest aching in gratitude because his big sister was here for him, and, like always, she was on his side. “Yeah, always.”
* * * *
Wyatt couldn’t remember a family dinner more awkward than this one. Dad had cooked, so the food was fantastic. He also told Harper all about his new show, and asked about her internship, and he and Harper were so effusive that their conversation filled up every corner of the dining room—except the part that was taken up by the massive elephant, Wyatt guessed. Because while Dad and Harper were talking, Wyatt wasn’t. Justin wasn’t. And Lettie, who was usually the last person in the room to notice any weird tension, was staring around at everyone with a furrowed brow.
“What’s going on?” she asked, stabbing at a piece of penne with her fork. “Is Justin still mad at Wyatt?”
Wyatt glanced at his brother in time to see him flinch.
“I’m not mad at Wyatt,” Justin said.
Harper raised her eyebrows. “Maybe try unclenching your teeth a little before you say that,” she suggested. “And then your sphincter.”
Lettie guffawed.
“Can we not do this?” Dad interjected. “Harper, it’s your first night back. It’d be nice if we could enjoy it.”
“Who’s enjoying it, Dad?” Harper asked. She didn’t have an indirect bone in her body. “Me and you? Lettie? Because Justin’s not, and neither is Wyatt. Why should we ignore it and let it fester another night when we can talk about it now?”
Dad’s brow creased and he sighed. He pushed his plate away, and gave Harper a ‘go ahead’ gesture. “What?” he asked, catching Justin’s look. “She’s got a point, babe.”
“I met Izzy,” Harper announced, and Wyatt jolted. “You know what he said about Wyatt? He said Wyatt loves him, but he belongs with his family, and that he’d never do anything to get in the way of that.”
Wyatt heard the sound of a door slamming in his mind, and his eyes stung.
Harper leaned forward in her seat. “Justin, you know what it’s like to have people judge you because of what you look like, or what sort of background you have. You know what it’s like to have people look at you and make assumptions.”
“I gave Izzy a chance,” Justin said. “He got the same chance that everyone else I employ gets, and even if the police say that the break in wasn’t his fault, he still brought drugs onto my property.”
“I’m not saying he’s the poster boy for perfect boyfriends or anything,” Harper said, “but they’re not asking you to come to the wedding, Justin. They just want to date.” She shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the whole thing will fall apart in a few weeks anyway, but all you’re doing right now is hurting Wyatt.”
Justin looked away, his mouth pressed into a thin line.
“You’re being as ass, Justin,” Harper said bluntly. “And I know that a lot of this is coming from Dad planning on leaving for three months, and you can’t handle that as well as you say you can.” She didn’t give him a chance to object. “But you’re an idiot, because there is nothing stopping you from taking a vacation and going with him!”
“I couldn’t—”
“You could!” Harper exclaimed.
“You could,” Dad agreed.
“Not with work,” Justin said, shaking his head. “Not with…not with everything going on here.”
“Why not? You think you can’t leave Wyatt alone?” Harper asked. “Do you trust him? Do you?”
Wyatt met Justin’s gaze, his heart clenching, and saw the truth in his brother’s eyes: No. No, Justin didn’t trust him.
“I do,” Justin said, his eyes widening. “Wy, I do! But I’m worried about you. You don’t…you’re not like the girls. If things go wrong you don’t just brush them off the way they do. You get hurt more easily.”
Justin was wearing a pleading expression, like he was begging for Wyatt’s understanding, but all Wyatt heard was that Justin thought he was weak. And maybe it was the truth, and maybe everyone thought it, but they’d never seen Wyatt with Izzy. They’d never seen how brave he could be. And Justin’s words stung. Wyatt knew the pain of hearing them was written all over his face as Justin looked at him.
“I’m saying it wrong,” Justin said, his voice cracking. “Del, help me here.”
Dad reached out and took Justin’s hand. “Justin, I love you and I know exactly where you’re coming from here, but this is Wyatt’s life, and all you’re doing right now is pushing him away.”
“I don’t want to lose you, Wy,” Justin said. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want this to pull our family apart.”
Wyatt wasn’t sure he could speak, but he forced the words out. “But Izzy’s not the one making me choose, Justin.”
Justin flinched, and Wyatt thought that maybe, for once, he’d actually heard the words. That he’d actually understood. Justin bowed his head for a moment, and when he looked up again his eyes were shining with tears. “I’m sorry, Wy,” he said. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?”
And just for a second Wyatt wavered. He wondered how great it would feel to tell Justin coldly that he had to earn Wyatt’s forgiveness, and then make him work for it. He wondered how it would feel to be angry, and to hold onto that anger. He wavered, but only for a second, because Wyatt couldn’t hold a grudge. Not like that. Not against Justin.
Wyatt pushed his chair back and rose, and Justin did the same. He met Justin halfway around the table, and fell into his embrace like it had been years, and both of them held each other tightly as Wyatt cried tears of relief in his brother’s arms.
* * * *
Wyatt watched the moonlit driveway anxiously for half an hour after Izzy replied to his text, and eventually saw a figure walking up it. Izzy’s shoulders were hunched together, and his hands were jammed into the pockets of his jeans. There was no swagger in the way he moved tonight. He looked as wary as a stray dog, ready to run the second someone yelled at him.
Wyatt hurried downstairs and opened the front door. He flicked the porch light and stepped outside, feeling like he was on a stage or something, caught under a spotlight. He blinked out into the darkness as Izzy approached.
“Hey,” Izzy said, stopping at the edge of the light. “This is really okay?”
He looked hopeful and doubtful at the same time as he stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, it’s okay.”
“Really?” Izzy screwed his face up.
Wyatt nodded again. “Really.”
Izzy tugged his hands out of his pockets, straightening up as he stepped into the light. The expression on his face transformed, and it was like watching the sun come out after a storm. His smile lit him up, and he suddenly looked younger than he ever had in Wyatt’s eyes, like he was so full of joy in that moment that none of the mistakes from his past, none of the invisible scars he carried around, had any power over him.
They stumbled into one another, their kiss sweet and hungry and tasting like tears. Wyatt pulled back to wipe his face and apologize, but then he realized that he wasn’t the only one crying. There were tears on Izzy’s cheeks too.
“Hey,” Wyatt whispered. He tugged the cuff of his thin sweatshirt down over his hand and gently wiped Izzy’s face. “It’s okay. I missed you so much, but you’re here now.”
; “I’m sorry,” Izzy said. “I’m really sorry.”
“For what?”
“For messing everything up. For being stupid. For—”
“You’re not stupid,” Wyatt told him firmly. “And you didn’t mess anything up.”
Izzy raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I did.”
“No.” Wyatt cupped his cheek. “No, because if you had, we wouldn’t both be standing here right now. And that’s what counts, okay?”
The smile Izzy showed him was almost shy. “Okay.”
Wyatt took his hand and drew him inside. The lights were still on, but there was nobody downstairs. One of the dogs wandered toward them, its tail wagging. Ever since the break in, Dad and Justin were happy to let the dogs roam free in the middle of the night. The door to the garage was left open all the time now, and Wyatt knew he wasn’t the only one who slept better because of it.
“They really do know I’m coming over, right?” Izzy asked, leaning down to pet the dog.
“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “Justin and I talked it out. Well, Harper talked it out and we both listened, I guess. Justin’s even thinking of going with Dad when he goes to film his new show.”
“Your sister,” Izzy said, and shook his head. “Jesus, she’s a force of nature, isn’t she?”
Wyatt pulls up short, sudden anxiety biting at him. “Do you like her?”
“Yeah,” Izzy said, and then he shook his head quickly. “But not like I like you! She’s got a wicked sense of humor and she looked smoking hot in that dress she was wearing earlier, but I guess I’m a harder sell than that or something.”
“Do you know what demisexual is?” Wyatt asked him.
Izzy shook his head.
“It means you have to have an emotional connection with someone before you feel sexual attraction for them,” Wyatt said.
“Huh.” Izzy shrugged. “Maybe. I never did get what the big deal was about one-night stands.” He huffed out a breath. “My cellmate, he used to have these Sports Illustrated pinups on the wall, and he’d always talk about how hot they were, and how he wanted to fuck them, and they just never got my engine running the same way, you know?”
