“Mum,” I groan, rolling my eyes at Evie. She forces a smile and I reach out, gripping her thigh gently.
“Where do you want this, Mum?” Theo asks, as he and Colton come in with a fifty-five-inch television.
“What the fuck?” I mumble.
“Change it up with that one,” she orders, pointing to the perfectly good television on the wall.
“Mum, what on earth are you doing? She has a television,” Paisley scolds.
“Only the best for my girl,” Mum argues back, putting a few picture frames on the dresser.
“Where do you want this, Liza?” Landon asks, carrying a brand-new coffee machine.
Paisley sucks in a breath. “Oh my God. I have a coffee station downstairs.”
“This way she doesn’t need to traipse all the way downstairs to get a drink,” Mum smarts, before turning to Landon. “Put it on the desk over there.”
“You really didn’t need to do this,” Evie whispers.
I chuckle. “She cares.”
“She does,” she says, her voice low as she watches Mum put her things away.
“You sound surprised,” I comment.
Her head tilts, her eyes boring into mine. “I am. You’re all being incredibly kind, and I’ve done nothing to deserve this.”
I shake my head at her words. She has no idea. “Just being you is what makes you deserve this. You are easy to love.”
Her pupils dilate and her lips part. “Thank you for everything. I’m just sorry it happened.”
“He’s an arsehole. I even heard Eli, Theo and Luke talking about doing something so the landlord can’t rent it for a while. Either that or they’ll find out where he lives,” I tell her, letting a chuckle slip free.
“They wouldn’t?”
“Trust me, they would.”
“Woah, that’s nearly as big as my television,” Rebecca murmurs as she steps into the room, followed by Eli and Luke.
“I’m sorry for leaving you to sort that out,” Evie tells her, her voice clogged with emotion.
Rebecca gets on the bed with a bounce, her arm going around my girl. “It’s no trouble at all. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“How cool would the new Lion King look on that screen,” she blurts out.
Mum spins around, her face lighting up. “Oh, we have that on DVD. Colton, go get it for me. It’s in the front room, on the table.”
“I’m not sure Evie wants us—” Eli starts, but Mum blows him away.
“You can order pizza. Yes. Pizza,” she orders, before spinning to face Paisley. “Go get everyone set up with drinks and put it on my tab.”
“You don’t have a tab,” Paisley groans, rolling her eyes.
“Well, get me one.”
Evie stiffens beside me. “Wait, my bag is in my car.”
“It’s in that cabinet,” Paisley points out. “Did you want it?”
Evie nods, gently moving the tray as she sits up more. “Yes. I need to pay for the room.”
The room turns silent and Evie pauses, slowly lifting her head, her gaze darting to everyone who has stopped what they’re doing to watch her. More than likely to see if she’s being serious.
She is, and it’s my turn to stiffen.
“You won’t be getting a bill,” Paisley explains softly.
“But it’s a bed and breakfast,” she replies, quickly glancing at me.
“And you’re my girlfriend.”
“I can’t let you pay.”
“He’s not paying either,” Paisley explains, stepping to the end of the bed. “You can stay here as long as you like free of charge. I’ll always help out a friend, but more importantly, someone my brother cares about.”
“But I… I—”
“Shush, let us do this for you,” I order, running my hand down her back.
She grips her T-shirt, pulling it away from her chest. “No. No. I can’t… I can’t breathe,” she rushes out, her face paling.
“Stop!” Rebecca orders, grabbing the tray off Evie’s lap.
Mum steps forward, taking it before turning to the others. “Let’s give them five minutes. Then we can come back with everything to watch a movie.”
“This… I don’t deserve this. I’m a… I’m a… I can’t breathe,” she heaves out, breathing heavily.
Rebecca pulls her off the bed, gripping her hands tightly. “You can. Breathe, Evie. Let them do this for you.”
“Becca,” Evie whimpers, and the sound tears from her throat. I make my way around the bed, gently taking her hands from Rebecca.
“You’ve got a lot going on in your life right now. I bet the stuff that’s been happening in the office hasn’t helped,” I begin, my heart clenching when she whimpers. “But you’ve got us now. You don’t need to take everything on yourself.”
Her fingers grip my hand tightly. “I’ve lost my home.”
“And you’ll build a new one, whether that’s here or at Becca’s.”
“I’ve lost my mum.”
“We can go see her,” I answer, hating that her heart is breaking right now.
She shakes her head, trying to pull free, but I don’t let her.
“She doesn’t even know who I am anymore.”
“Evie, it’s going to be okay,” Rebecca soothes.
I pull her into my arms when she begins to cry. Rebecca stands back, watching on with concern.
“It will be okay,” Evie repeats.
I hold her tighter, feeling her cling to the back of my shirt. “It will. You’ve got all of us.”
She forces out a laugh, pulling back a little. “I’m such a mess.”
I give her a grin before leaning down, capturing her lips in a kiss. “That’s okay too. We’ve all been there.”
“Thank you for being here for me.”
My skin heats when I meet her gaze. “I promised you, didn’t I?”
“Y-yeah,” she begins, before clearing her throat. “Yeah, you did.”
“Are you okay with Mum and the others watching a movie in here with us?”
She wipes under her eyes, nodding. “Of course. It’s the least I can do.”
“I can always get rid of them.”
“No, no. It’s fine. I need to wipe my face though. I bet my makeup is a mess.”
Rebecca snorts. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but yeah, you look like a hot mess.”
Chuckling, I then say, “Why don’t you go get in your pyjamas, freshen up, and then I’ll go get the others.”
She nods. “Thank you.”
Pulling her into my arms again, I lean down and kiss her, sliding my tongue over hers. “No need to thank me.”
“Alright, you two,” Rebecca grouches. “You go and tell your family it’s all clear in about five minutes and I’ll help Evie get herself together.”
I meet Evie’s gaze, silently asking her if that’s what she wants. Her body sags, and her fingers tighten around mine. “Go. I’ll be okay.”
“Be back in five,” I tell her, kissing her one last time.
She shares a look with Rebecca as I leave, but I shake it off, knowing she probably wants to speak to someone who has been in her life longer.
Once the door clicks shut behind me, I head downstairs, making a promise to myself: Even if what we have doesn’t last, I’m going spend our time together making sure she knows what it’s like to be loved, to have family. Because seeing her tonight, it’s clear she hasn’t had that in her life.
No one should feel like they don’t deserve kindness, and that is what she was getting at. It wasn’t about the room, the move, or her belongings, it was the act itself, the kindness it showed her.
It’s another thing I need to unpuzzle when it comes to her.
I smirk when I see Mum still on the stairs. “Is she okay?”
Bending down, I kiss her cheek. “Thank you for doing all of that for her.”
Mum swats me away. “It was nothing.”
“You’ve never done anything like
this with previous girlfriends.”
“That’s because they weren’t really girlfriends. But even if you weren’t with Evie, I’d still be doing this for her. She’s a lovely young girl, but she has an old soul. I see a lot of Jaxon in her.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, straightening.
She shrugs, looking away. “I know I let you all down after your father died. I was suffocating in my own grief.”
“Mum,” I choke out, placing my hand on her arm.
“No, it’s fine. It’s true. But Jaxon, he stepped up. You all did. But Jaxon, he had to grow up far too quickly. He took on roles he wasn’t prepared for and I see that same strain in Evie. She’s not had it easy. It shines like a beacon from her.”
“She hasn’t had it easy. But she has us.”
Mum beams, patting my cheek. “She sure does. Now, I’ll go on up and get the DVD player out. I saw it in the cabinet.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You just want to check on her.”
Her shoulders sag. “I do.”
“Go. I’ll be up in a minute with the others.”
I let her go on up and take in a deep breath, preparing for the mayhem that will happen with all of us in the room, even if it is the largest Paisley has.
Hopefully they won’t be there all night and will take the hint that I want to be alone with my girl.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EVIE
Rain splatters against the glass as I lay cuddled into Wyatt’s chest, staring out of the window. His fingers slide up and down my naked back, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
My arm is over his stomach, my head against his shoulder, and my leg is cocked over his thigh. I’m blissfully happy, and after everything that happened a few days ago, I didn’t think that would be possible.
For five days, Wyatt and his family have gone above and beyond to make sure I was settled in and relaxed here. They are always calling in, much to Wyatt’s dismay. He wants me to himself, but I know he secretly likes how loving his family are towards me. He wants them to like me, to accept me.
His mum has visited me the most, and often. I ended up at the main house to spend time with her or help her with the few animals she has on the farm. Our time together will be treasured; always. She is an amazing woman with a big heart.
Rebecca didn’t want to be outdone and had booked painters to come and decorate the spare bedroom for me at her house. The bed and breakfast is magnificent and homey, but it isn’t ideal long term, and I agreed with Rebecca. She wants me to have a home, and to make sure that happens, she had her spare bedroom cleared out. It doesn’t matter to me how the room looks. I’m just grateful for her kindness. But she is determined for me to feel at home and not feel like I’m just sleeping over. She wants it to be our place.
It’s overwhelming, to the say the least. I have so many people looking out for me, who care about me and love me.
There’s even been a change between me and Wyatt. It isn’t anything he has done as such, just something I can sense. It’s a good change, and yet bad at the same time. I never believed Wyatt was looking for a relationship, not at the start. From rumours and whispers, he never did more than a one-night stand, and if a girl was lucky enough to get more than that, it was only because it was great sex. Nothing more. I had assumed I was the latter. I was wrong.
It’s no longer just sex between us. He doesn’t have an invisible expiry date on our relationship, an end date in mind. He’s all in. There is no halfway. Someone who doesn’t plan on sticking around wouldn’t stay every night. They wouldn’t spend all their free time with you, and they wouldn’t make future plans. Wyatt is doing all of that and more. He isn’t avoiding the future, he is building one. He makes sure to let me know with not only actions but with words that I am his and he is committed. If I wasn’t already lost in him, I definitely would be now.
There is nothing holding me back now I have cut Andrew out of my life. However, Wyatt not only deserves to know the truth, but he has a right to know. Keeping it from him this long was wrong, but also cruel. I just wanted something more to give him before I told him everything. He needs to know I’m not the bad person, and I have to show him proof of that. And from what I know of the Hayes family, they respect loyalty, and my loyalty is with them.
Rebecca and I are going to go through the rest of what we have put together later today, and hopefully, together, we will find something useful.
We have to.
I told her the other day that I couldn’t keep this secret from Wyatt much longer, not when my feelings for him continue to grow and consume me.
“You seem in deep thought,” Wyatt muses.
I smile, kissing the wolf tattoo over his pec. It’s one of many of my favourites that he has.
“Just wondering if we have time to lie here for another five minutes before you have to go to work.”
“I’ve got more than five minutes for you,” he groans, rolling me onto my back and situating himself between my thighs.
I run my fingers through his unkept hair. His cock twitches between my thighs and it brings a smile to my lips. He woke me up with his mouth between my legs this morning, which led to great morning sex. Him wanting more so soon only makes me giddy.
Sadly, he has to work, and I have the day off.
I groan into his mouth. “You’ll be late. Jaxon was pissed at you yesterday.”
“He was only mad because Lily had morning sickness and he thought I’d be there to give the boys their assignments for the day. We were both in the wrong for not coming in. He was angrier at himself because he hates seeing her sick.”
I poke him in the ribs, causing him to grunt. “You’ll only regret it afterwards,” I tell him, knowing he will. After seeing the dark circles under Jaxon’s eyes and how much it seems he has aged, Wyatt spent the day on eggshells, constantly keeping an eye on him. It was unsettling, and each of the Hayes members could feel the tension in the air and knew something was up.
As far as I know, no one but Reid and Wyatt know, but I’m sure Wyatt asked Jaxon the other the other day if they had told her parents and their mum, and he said yes. Though I could be wrong. But the siblings can feel something is going on and each of them is wary about leaving Jaxon. Eli was called out to help with a job, but he looked reluctant to leave, his gaze wandering to Jaxon. It was the same with Wyatt, which is why I’m not going to let him be late again.
I don’t like seeing him so worried.
“You’re right. I think once Lily gets past the morning sickness stage, he’ll relax a bit more. But with everything that is going on right now, he’s not going to relax.”
“I’ve got to go to Rebecca’s to help her with something later, but I’ll be back before dinner time.”
“We still going over to Mum’s?”
Chuckling, I nod. “Yes. You’ve got an amazing mum.”
A relieved look washes over his face as his lips pull up into a lazy smile. “I’m glad you think that. She thinks you’re pretty amazing too.”
“All your family are close. They’ve taken me in like one of their own; how can I not like them.”
Leaning down, he captures my lips, and I moan into his mouth as his tongue slides against mine.
When he pulls back, warmth invades his expression. “I’ll get ready now and take your laundry up to Mum before going into work. I know Paisley said she’d let you use the washers here, but Mum will take offence to it. She loves doing stuff like this.”
There they are again, doing something sweet. I melt against him, pulling his head down to kiss him again. I’ve never felt lucky, not until I met Wyatt. Who knew he could be sweet and romantic.
All my emotions, all my love, it rushes to the surface. Every skin cell tingles, every neuron fires, and my mind turns to mush when we break apart.
He’s staring at me with such intensity it gives me sharp palpitations.
“I love you,” I blurt out. I close my eyes, grimacing. I really did not mean to say that,
and it’s not because I don’t feel love for him, but because it’s too soon. I don’t want to scare him away.
“Look at me,” he demands, his voice not giving anything away.
I slowly blink them open, and he’s staring down at me, his dark liquid pupils memorizing every part of me.
He reaches up, bracketing either side of my head with his forearms as he brings his face an inch from mine, his pupils swirling with heat.
“Say that again,” he orders.
“W-what?”
His lips twist, a fierce expression upon his face. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
His features soften and a lazy smile spreads across his face. “I love you too.”
Time stops as my heart hammers against my ribcage.
He loves me.
I can’t form words. I can’t process it. This crazy yet sweet and kind alpha male loves me.
“Y-you love me?”
“I do,” he whispers, growling before slamming his lips against mine. The palm of his hand runs over my naked stomach, through the curls between my legs. I moan, arching at his touch.
I gasp for air when I pull back. “What about being late?”
“Fuck it,” he groans, inserting a finger inside me.
His fingers curl inside of me and I cry out, my back bowing off the bed.
Yeah, being late will definitely be worth it because my guy just told me he loves me.
*** *** ***
It wasn’t until Wyatt left that I managed to come down from my cloud. When everything hit me. I never expected him to fall in love with me. Never. I never expected him to build an attachment, which is why I never imagined it being this hard to tell him the truth about Andrew, about me and what he had asked me to do.
“I’m a cruel, cruel person,” I announce, still pacing the length of Rebecca’s mustard rug in her front room.
In the few hours I have been here, I have done nothing but constantly rant and stress about it all. It would be easier if Wyatt didn’t love me because then the only heartbreak to bear would be mine. He would only feel betrayed.
Eye for an Eye (Take a Chance Book 2) Page 21
