by Cara Roman
Chapter 29
Wyatt was quiet on the ride home from school, and as the miles passed Caitlyn grew more nervous about her elder son's silence. Mason's excitement was palpable, but she couldn't get a read on Wyatt. As soon as they came to a stop inside of the garage Mason was shooting out of the car and sprinting into the house. Wyatt shook his head, reached into the backseat, grabbed Mason's forgotten backpack, and ambled unhurriedly into the house. Caitlyn took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and followed along inside. Nolan was standing in her kitchen, near the island with Mason. His face was lit up in a smile, listening intently to what Mason was saying. Wyatt stood leaning against the wall halfway into the room, watching but hesitant to join in the fray.
From where she was standing she saw the deep breath Wyatt took before walking over, hand outstretched and introduced himself to Nolan. "I'm Wyatt, its, ah, nice to meet you." Caitlyn realized his silence the whole way home must have been nerves, he wasn't mad to be meeting her new boyfriend, he was feeling a little anxious about it. He wanted this to go well just as much as she did. Thinking that was incredibly sweet, she smiled.
Nolan shook her son's hand, giving him a manly tip of his chin. "Ye as well, although yer Mum talks about ye so much I already feel like I've known ye lads for ages."
Caitlyn could see Wyatt's body visibly relax, and the three of them started talking about soccer. Standing there seeing something she never thought she would Caitlyn had to blink her eyes rapidly to fight back the tears shimmering there, threatening to fall. Nolan looked up, catching her eyes, and completely understanding what she was feeling he sent her a wink. As Caitlyn walked further into the house Nolan reached out and snagged her wrist before she could pass. He held it only a fraction of a heart beat, giving her hand the barest squeeze before releasing it. Her eyes met his, and the relief written in them was plain for her to see.
Caitlyn spent an hour in her office attempting to write, while they got to know each other. She could hear their voices floating down to her, the easy camaraderie among them already clear. Instead she found herself leaning back in her chair smiling out the window, her head resting on her palm, with a dopey smile plastered on her face. The sky was a sunless light gray outside, but filled to overflowing with happiness Caitlyn thought it was just beautiful.
"Mom! We're gonna go outside and kick the ball around." Mason shouted down the stairs, loud enough that the neighbors probably heard. That child was just not built with volume control.
"Yeah, gonna kick Nolan's butt." Wyatt said laughing.
"We'll see about that boyo, this arse mightn't not be so easy to kick as yer thinking." Nolan said, and she could all but see his face lit up as he joked with her sons.
Caitlyn heard the door shut as her guys headed outside. Standing up on impulse she grabbed her camera off the top of her desk, and ran up the stairs to the mudroom. Shoving her feet into boots, and pulling on her coat she rushed across the living room and out on the balcony. From her spot she could see the three of them kicking a soccer ball around in the yard below. She took picture after picture in the watery late afternoon light. Some shots of all three of them, some of each individually.
Leaves were crunching underneath their thundering feet as they moved, and she could hear their grunts of effort as they pivoted and kicked. They were all trash talking each other, but laughing the whole time they did it. Shoving her camera in her pocket she rested her hands on the railing and just absorbed the wonder of the scene below her. The man she had fallen helplessly in love with while seated on a stool in a little pub three thousand miles away, was kicking a ball around the yard before dinner with her teen sons. This was going to be okay, she thought, it really was going to work. It was everything she was too afraid to allow herself to hope for, and here it was happening anyway. Wiping away the happy tears slipping down her cheeks she walked back inside to fix her guys dinner.
Caitlyn was just setting everything out on the table when they walked in. All of their faces were pink from the cold, but she could see a bond was forming, linking them together now. Without thinking she walked over grabbed Wyatt's face in her hands she gave him a loud smacking kiss. She saw the happy confusion on his face as she turned to Mason repeating the same kiss. Mason laughed out right and gave her a hug. Then laying a hand on Nolan's cheek she gave him a quiet soft kiss, the barest pressure of her lips against his. He held her face, fingers tunneled into her hair, and rested his forehead against hers a moment.
When he released her face she turned to her sons, saw Wyatt with smiling eyes, and Mason blushing to the tips of his ears. "Go on now, and get your hands washed for dinner guys." She said. They headed off down the hall to the bathroom, and Nolan walked over to the kitchen sink.
"Its goin' well, I'm thinkin they like me." Nolan said as he rubbed his soapy hands together under the water rushing from the faucet.
Walking up behind him, Caitlyn wrapped her hands around his waist, and laid her head between his shoulder blades. "What's not to like?" She whispered against the soft material of his shirt.
"Hmm?" Nolan asked, unable to hear her soft spoken words over the water.
"I think its safe to say you're a hit Nol." Caitlyn answered while Nolan dried his hands off. He turned around in her embrace and hugged her back.
"Good. I'll not be losing ye then." He said into her hair.
Caitlyn had thrown together stir fry, and served it over rice. Her sons devoured it with the intent focus teen boys typically had towards food. Conversation flowed easily between the four of them, bouncing around from subject to subject. Mason took some time as the meal wound down filling Nolan in on what he considered the pertinent details about the guests coming over for Thanksgiving.
Wyatt picked up his glass shoring up his nerves, looking at Caitlyn while he drank, then asked, "Hey, Mom, I was wondering if I could go over to Alex's house for desert? Her parents invited me, and well, I mean, if you don't mind, I'd kind of like to."
The table had gone quiet, everyone looking at Caitlyn, waiting for her answer. She could see this meant a lot to Wyatt, from the way he fidgeted uneasily in his seat, and the careful way he watched her face. "Yeah, Wy, you can go." She said, knowing she was watching another small piece of the little boy he had been fall away.
Wyatt grinned a blindingly happy smile before he ducked his head, and said "thanks Mom, mind if I go call and tell her? She is gonna be so happy." He asked standing up to clear his empty plate.
"Go ahead, just make sure you get your homework done too please, honey." She said. Wyatt walked into the kitchen rinsing his plate, and stopped by to kiss her on the cheek before he headed down the hallway to his bedroom.
"More pie for us." Mason said happily still shoveling food into his mouth.
Nolan was standing up to clear his plate, and chuckled. "I can see if'n I want any I'll have to get to it before ye do." He patted Mason on the shoulder before walking into the kitchen.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure ya get at least one piece." Mason tossed back easily at him while laughing.
Caitlyn stood up and cleared the rest of the table, aside from Mason's plate. As usual, there wasn't any left overs to pack up and put in the refrigerator for another day. Nolan was helping Caitlyn load the dishwasher, like they spent every evening side by side in the kitchen. Mason's plate was the last to go in. Then he too headed off to his room to get his homework finished.
"Want to drink, and cuddle on the couch with me in celebration for how well today went?" Caitlyn asked holding up a bottle of wine and waving it invitingly.
"Love, yer couches are white. That's red wine yer holding up there." Nolan said dubiously, crossing his arms.
"I'll trust you not to spill. Besides, those are slipcovers. I pull them off and wash them every so often. And if you really make a mess of it, I can always buy another cover from the store, they were smart enough to sell replacements." She said over her shoulder as she reached up into the cabinet and pulled out two wine glasses.
&n
bsp; "Then, I'd love nothing more than to sit on yer couch and drink wine with my arm around ye. That's smart, that, slip covers. Bet me Mum would've liked those while I was coming up." Nolan laughed shaking his head.
Caitlyn pictured a young Nolan sitting on the couch snacking on something when he knew he shouldn't be "What'd ya spill?"
"Which time?" He answered laughing.
Caitlyn poured wine and handing him his glass they walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Nolan sat in the corner, against the arm, and Caitlyn settled into his side. They talked for hours, and her sons had each come out and said goodnight already. All that was left of the bottle of red was in their glasses, sitting all but forgotten on the table. Caitlyn was laying stretched out on top of Nolan, as they made out. At first the knocking didn't filter through the haze of lust blanketing them. But Nolan sat up, taking Caitlyn with him, saying "love, I think someone's at the door."
She blinked at him, confused when the banging came again. Standing up looking over at the clock on the wall she walked to the door, leaving Nolan still seated on the couch. Looking out the window aside the door she swung it open, finding Bryan standing underneath the porch light.
"It's after midnight Bryan, what are you doing here?" Caitlyn said annoyed, crossing her arms in front of herself.
"Called Mason on the phone earlier, he was out playing soccer with your boy-toy, said he couldn't talk." Bryan said clearly agitated as he took a step into the house. "Got to thinking, he's still here isn't he?" Bryan tried to look around her, but from this angle he couldn't see into the living room.
"He flew in from out of town, of course he's still here. The closest hotel is like twenty minutes away, you know that. And keep your voice down, the boys are sleeping for chrissakes!" Caitlyn said.
"He's UN-fucking-escapable Cait, that song of his is all over the god-damn place laughing at me. I can't believe you're giving it to some young Irish punk like that now. How old is he, twenty? Not too worried about the noise though when you're fucking him, with my sons in the house." Bryan swore loudly.
Nolan walked over next to Caitlyn, and put a supportive hand on the small of her back."His age isn't the problem, and I can have whoever I want in my home, for whatever reason I want to. I bought it my damn self." Caitlyn watched as Bryan's face mottled red with anger at Nolan beside her. "I think it's time for you to leave Bryan."
"C'mon mate, the lady asked ye to leave." Nolan said calmly.
Bryan didn't spare Nolan a look, just raised an eyebrow at Caitlyn and said, "Seriously Caitlyn. Exactly how long did you know him before you let him crawl all the fuck over you like some desperate groupie?"
"I don't think that's any of yer business, and ye shouldn't be talking about her that way. Caitlyn is the woman I love, she's no groupie." Nolan replied.
Bryan finally turned his head to the younger man. "Love! You fucking love her? She's my wife, I'd say that makes it my business."
"Was yer wife, and ye broke something deep inside of her when she was, instead of treating her like the fucking treasure she is. But Caitlyn's not been yers for awhile, long before I found her in Ireland. Now I'm the lucky one who got to light a fire inside her soul, mate, and I made her forget ye ever existed." Nolan told him.
Bryan's arm swung out, his fist clenched, aiming for Nolan's face. Seeming to have been expecting it Nolan ducked down, simultaneously shoving Caitlyn out of the way. Bryan missed, his fist connecting with nothing but air. While he stood there his chest heaving with the effort of his breathing Nolan pushed him, sending him back a foot even though Bryan had a few inches on him.
"I'll give ye the one try, I'd be right cross if I lost a woman like her too. But ye swing at me face again, I'm gonna swing back at yers. And I've been in my share of fights, I'm an Irishman after all." Nolan said rolling his shoulders gamely one at a time.
"I can't believe you did that Bryan. I'm calling the police!" Caitlyn said, her phone in her hand.
"Dad?" Wyatt said from where he was standing in his flannel pajama pants in the opening to the hallway. His blond hair standing up everywhere like he regularly combed it with a weed whacker.
Caitlyn stared at her son, her heart shattering into a million fragments at the disappointed look on his face. Nolan ran his hand through his hair, glancing over at Wyatt, but keeping his focus on Bryan in case another fist came for his face. Bryan froze, all of the anger leeching out of his face, leaving him looking lost. "Wy. Shit Wy, I didn't mean to wake you up." He said.
"Really Dad? What did you think storming over in the middle of the night to yell at Mom, and punch her boyfriend in the face would accomplish?" Wyatt said, sounding much older than his fifteen years.
"I didn't actually punch him in the face." Bryan said sounding embarrassed at being called on it by his son.
"Only because he moved faster than you did." Wyatt shook his head. "You didn't want Mom, Dad. That night she asked you for a divorce, I heard. You said so, when are you moving out." Wyatt held his hands up, making air quotes with his fingers. " You didn't ask her to stay, tell her you loved her, nothing." Wyatt shook his head. "If Mom having Nolan here bothers you so bad then why do you have women over after you think we're asleep at night? Nolan is cool, Dad. Mason and I like him, he actually makes Mom happy too. He isn't the problem here, you are." Wyatt walked forward standing next to Caitlyn, she put her arm around him, and felt his body trembling slightly betraying his emotions even though his voice held steady.
"Wyatt," Bryan started.
"Mom asked you to leave, Nolan did too. You shouldn't be here." Wyatt interrupted. "I don't wanna hear anything you have to say tonight." He said staring at his father. Whatever Bryan saw in his son's face had him walking back to his truck in the driveway.
"I'm so sorry Wyatt." Caitlyn said as Nolan closed the door turning the lock.
Wyatt wrapped his arms around her in a hug, whispering "not your fault Mom." He pulled away then looked over to Nolan, "would you have punched him if he tried it again?" Nolan stared at Wyatt a second then nodded his head yes. Wyatt turned back to Caitlyn saying, "I'm going back to bed." He made it as far as the hallway when he paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "I would have too Nolan." Then Wyatt walked into his bedroom closing the door behind him.
Chapter 30
The drama with Bryan had cemented Wyatt's bond with Nolan. The two of them were linked now through a mutual respect. Nobody had told Mason about what happened, mainly because they didn't want him to feel responsible since Bryan had used the phone call with Mason as an excuse to come looking for a fight. Caitlyn's younger son wore his heart on his sleeve, and it was easily crushed. She had lain awake the rest of the night, alone in her room staring at the dark ceiling, thinking. Wyatt had never mentioned before that he'd heard that conversation she had years ago, and it ripped her open. He shouldn't have had to know how little his father had cared for his mother in the end, shouldn't have that weight resting on his soul. Here she had always thought her boys handled their parents split so well, patted herself on the back even for working so hard at being civil for them. Feeling like a damn fool she tossed and turned.
It was painfully clear to her now that Bryan saw her as a possession, one he had no problem packing away in storage, but that didn't mean he thought she wasn't still his. That was why Bryan hadn't fought the divorce, he got free reign to go out and sleep with whoever he wanted guilt free, and to his thinking he kept Caitlyn tucked safely in his back pocket. It was easy for him to say he was minding his own business when there was nothing going on to worry him. His selfishness was suffocating to Caitlyn, like tripping into quicksand, the more she fought against it the more power it had to drag her down. That is not love, no matter what Bryan told himself to justify his actions.
After barely sleeping for the second night in a row Caitlyn was up at the crack of dawn on Thursday getting the turkey prepared to cook. She was in the kitchen in her robe, her hair giving its best impression of an auburn Medusa. Wrestling with the mas
sive bird, when Nolan walked up the stairs barely awake. All of his burnished brown hair was disheveled, eyelids still heavy, there was even a crease from the pillow case on his cheek. Chest bare, sweat pants slung low on his hips, he looked magnificent. Caitlyn watched fascinated as he walked over to her coffee maker, turning it on, putting a single serve pod in, and pulling her favorite mug down from the cabinet. While the mug filled he grabbed the jug of french vanilla creamer out of the refrigerator. Nolan added the perfect amount of sugar and creamer, swirling it with a spoon before walking over to Caitlyn.
"He might cooperate better with ye once yer caffeinated my love." Nolan kissed her nose as he set the mug of coffee down next to her. He walked back over to the coffee maker, and got a second mug down for himself.
"What did I do to deserve you?" Caitlyn asked bringing the mug up to her mouth and taking that first sip of the beautiful life giving elixir.
"Loads of things." Nolan turned and sent her a cheeky wink. "Right now yer barely awake, fighting with that there bird so we can all eat him later today. As ye may know, I have great appreciation for eating. By the by, I love seeing ye all grumpy in the mornings." Nolan walked over with his coffee to sit on one of the stools at the island.
"You love seeing me grumpy?" Caitlyn asked in disbelief.
"So much. Because that means I'm still with ye in the morning." Nolan said taking a sip of his coffee.
"I bought breakfast tea for you if you would rather." Caitlyn said knowing he preferred it over coffee.
"Didn't feel like messing with the kettle in all fairness." He admitted with a shrug. "So, coffee it is. Do ye need any help?"
"Not right at the minute, no. But thank you, I'll put you to use later on today. I shouldn't have tried to mess with getting this thing in the oven without coffee first." Caitlyn said as she smeared the herb and butter mixture all over the bird. "Do you celebrate Thanksgiving living in LA?"
