“PDA alert! PDA alert!” someone called out, and laughter erupted behind them. Wyatt broke the kiss and stepped back without breaking eye contact with Kayla. He ignored the slightly inebriated group passing by them. “I asked you out on a date, because I wanted to spend time with you. Period.”
“I can’t date you, Wyatt.” She averted her gaze, her voice strained.
“OK. Then we’ll just hang out a lot.” He ran his palms up and down her arms. “I get it. You have school and Brady. They’re your priorities right now. I can support that.”
“We need to talk,” she said to the sidewalk beneath her sandals. “Do you want to sit on a bench in the park for a while?” Her eyes met his for a second before she scanned the park. “Is it safe?”
“I think we’ll be all right.” His gut churned. He’d much rather kiss. Kissing communicated plenty as far as he was concerned, and he hadn’t had nearly enough practice with that kind of communication. Besides, he had no personal experience himself, but even he knew when a woman said she wanted to talk, things did not turn out well for the poor schmuck on the receiving end. “Sure, let’s talk.”
He and Kayla crossed the street and found a spot on one of the long concrete benches running along the perimeter of the small amphitheater. Wyatt searched their surroundings for any suspicious characters. They weren’t the only couple in the park tonight. How many of those other conversations had begun with “we need to talk”? His heart had crawled up his throat, and he swallowed a few times in an effort to force it back to where it belonged.
“I guess by now you’ve figured out that I had to get married.” Kayla huffed out a mirthless laugh.
“I hadn’t given it any thought.” He shrugged. “I mean . . . you’re really young to be a mom and a widow, but—”
“Brad and I were a couple of stupid kids who fooled around and got caught.” She twisted her hands together in her lap. “We started dating the middle of our senior year. Neither of us had ever had a serious relationship before. We were . . . careless. Stupid.” She bit her lip for a few seconds before continuing. “The night of our senior prom, we both lost our virginity—and I got pregnant.”
What did this have to do with them? Wyatt propped his elbows on his thighs. He had a feeling he was about to find out, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like where this conversation was heading. “Oh.”
“More like a BAM than an oh.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “Once our parents found out, they put an enormous amount of pressure on the two of us to get married. Brad’s father is a minister at a church in town, and he was pretty hot under the collar about the whole thing. Brad and I were only eighteen, and under all that pressure, we caved. We got married right after graduation, and . . .” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat a couple of times. “And right after our wedding, my husband joined the army. He was that desperate to get away from me.”
He couldn’t imagine anyone being desperate to get away from Kayla. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She let out a shaky laugh. “I was the only one who behaved like a married person. On the rare occasions my husband did come home, I’d find texts and e-mails from other women on his phone, and I even found lewd pictures on his laptop. The last letter I got from him, Brad wrote to tell me that as soon as his current tour was up, he planned to divorce me. He said he’d found someone else, and they were in love. A week later, I got word that he’d died.”
Her shoulders slumped forward. “I don’t miss him, and it makes me feel horrible to admit it.” A heavy sigh escaped. “Brad was stateside when our son was born. He could’ve come home, but he didn’t.” Bitterness tinged her words. “He wouldn’t allow me to live on base, either. That’s the worst of it. All Brady ever got from his dad was resentment and neglect.”
“Aw, Kayla, I’m so sorry you went through all that, but it’s in the past. Your life is heading in a really good direction now. Right? I’m glad you told me, but—”
“But it doesn’t have anything to do with the present?” She straightened, her expression pained. “See, most kids graduate from high school and go on to college or some kind of postsecondary training. They date, travel, have fun, start jobs and spend a few years growing up and finding out who they are. Then they fall in love, get married and start families. I went from high school straight into motherhood, married to a boy who resented me for getting pregnant and wrecking his life,” she said, her voice quavering.
“When Brad died, I swore I’d give myself back the years I’d missed. I need time to grow up and find out who I am and what I want. Besides, my heart is way too beat up to risk dating right now. I’m not going to pretend I’m not attracted to you, because I am. You’re hot, funny, creative, intelligent and . . . damn near irresistible, but I’m not ready to get involved.” Her expressions tightened. “I went through five years of hell, and those years pretty much reduced me to worthless. Now I’m . . . gun-shy.”
The food in his stomach had turned into a lumpy mass in his gut, and the back of his throat burned. “I’m sorry you went through five years of hell. You deserve to be happy, and—”
“You deserve to be happy too, and I’m sorry I misled you. I probably made things worse when we kissed, but you’re like chocolate, which happens to be my kryptonite.” She faced him, her expression stricken. “Do you think we can be friends after this? I’d really like to be friends, Wyatt.”
“Of course. Whatever you need, Kayla.” He stood up. “But . . . just for the record, about how long do you think it’ll take before you’re ready to give dating a try?” He held out his hand to help her up.
She took it and rose from the bench. “I don’t know, and I don’t want you to wait. I couldn’t bear it if I caused you any kind of heartache.” With a sad half smile, she reached up and tugged at the front of his hoodie. “I don’t want to be the one to prevent you from finding someone amazing, because you’re amazing.”
Wyatt’s insides were a mess of conflicting emotions. He was her kryptonite? She saw him as hot, funny, all those good things, but she wouldn’t date him? His heart was already aching, and he wanted to kick something, do a little demolition somewhere. Instead, he faked a smile and opened his arms. “Friends hug, don’t they? I can’t even imagine what it was like for you. You deserve a hug, and I could use one myself about now.” Who needed a night at the theater? He was giving her the performance of a lifetime right now.
Kayla sniffed, walked into his arms and circled his waist. “It was awful,” she whispered. “Nobody knows about the letter Brad sent, telling me he was divorcing me.” She leaned back to peer up at him. “You’ll keep that to yourself, right?”
Her eyes were bright with the sheen of tears, and a surge of protectiveness hit him square in the solar plexus. “I won’t tell a soul.” He cradled the back of her head and brought her close again. She relaxed against him, her cheek resting on his shoulder. She was exactly the right height, with exactly the right curves. He ran his jaw against her silky hair, and a lump formed in his throat again.
He wanted like hell to tell her he’d be there for her, that he’d be the best damned friend she’d ever had, but he couldn’t. “We can be friends,” he managed to rasp out.
“Can we?” She backed out of his arms. “I mean, it’s obvious there’s a physical attraction between us, and I—”
“I can handle it. Just have to switch gears is all.” He shrugged deeper into his hood.
She studied him for a second, and then she sighed. “We should get going.”
“Right.” He and Kayla crossed the park and walked to his pickup in silence. He’d gone from the pinnacle—planning future dates with her, picturing them as a couple—to a major letdown in the span of thirty minutes. He’d worked extra hard today so he’d get done in time to go out, and it all caught him with him. He was wiped, emotionally and physically.
Wyatt opened the passenger side of his truck for Kayla before taking care of the meter. He climbed into the driver side
and started the engine. “What do you think of Sam, Haley and Jo?”
“They’re really great.” She leaned her head back against the headrest. “The food was good too. I’m stuffed.”
“Yeah. It always is at The Bulldog.” That was the extent of their conversation for the rest of the ride home. Wyatt parked the truck in his spot. “I’m sure Brady is sound asleep. If you get the doors, I’ll carry him to your apartment for you.”
Her brow rose. “Really? Thanks, that would be great. I hate to wake him, but it’s not easy trying to carry him and deal with unlocking and opening doors.”
“No problem.” He climbed out. His chest heavy, he followed Kayla up the stairs to Mariah’s apartment and knocked softly.
Mariah opened the door a crack. “Brady’s asleep on the couch,” she whispered.
“I got this.” Wyatt nodded and crept to the couch. He scooped Brady up. The kid opened his eyes, saw who had him and smiled before curling himself over Wyatt’s shoulder and wrapping his skinny arms around Wyatt’s neck. Wyatt hugged him tight, his heart turned over, and the back of his eyes stung. Kayla’s husband had to have been a moron not to have recognized what an amazing gift he’d been given with Brady and Kayla. “Thanks for watching him,” he murmured, his tone low.
“Any time,” she whispered back. “How’d it go?”
Wyatt’s gaze shot to Kayla.
She smiled, but it was the kind of smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We had fun.” She backed into the hall. “I’ll get my door.”
Brady’s solid warmth snug against him, Wyatt followed her through her apartment door and down the hall to Brady’s bedroom. She pulled the covers back on the twin bed and stepped aside. As soon as Wyatt placed him on the mattress, Brady sighed, turned over and was sound asleep again. Kayla tucked her son in and kissed his forehead.
Wyatt’s chest once again swelled with protectiveness. Not just for Kayla, but for Brady too. Kayla tiptoed out of the room, and he followed her to the front door. Pressure banded his chest. “I get how you might think you’ve missed out on a few things, but you’re doing a fantastic job of . . . well, everything, and don’t for a minute think otherwise.” He fisted his hands to keep from dragging her into his arms again.
“Grandma Maggie says children are like litmus tests when it comes to their environment, and who they are says a lot about how they’re being raised. Brady is polite, respectful and he’s empathetic. He’s a great kid.”
“You know all that from the few times you’ve been with him?” This time her smile was genuine.
“Yes. I’ve spent some time playing with him and reading to him. I also watched how he played with the kids at the park the other day. He made sure everyone got their turn on the slide, and he’s great with Rosie. He minds you well, and he’s thoughtful.”
She bit her lower lip. “Hearing you say that means the world to me.” Her eyes met his for a second before darting away. “I did have a great time tonight, Wyatt. Thank you.”
“Friends hang out.” He should say more, much more. He wanted to reassure her, make her see things from his perspective, but the words wouldn’t come.
She nodded. “See you soon.”
Wyatt itched to tuck her hair behind an ear, just to feel the softness against his skin. He yearned for another kiss. Hell, he wanted so much more than friendship, but she was gun-shy, and shyness was something he knew a lot about. “See you,” he whispered, turning toward the stairs to his apartment below. “Don’t wait for me,” she’d said. Like he had a choice.
Wyatt yawned, and blinked his bleary eyes as he crossed the Haney & Sons’ kitchen to fill his thermal mug with strong black coffee. He hadn’t slept much last night. Too much on his mind, and all of it had centered on Kayla.
“It’s almost h-hump day,” his cousin Jerry announced as he walked through the door, trailed by Uncle Dan. “H-happy Tuesday.”
“If you say so,” Wyatt grumbled, taking a seat at the table. Jerry was always bright and cheerful, no matter what the hour. And though he had Down syndrome, he was a productive and valuable member of their team. He sent his cousin a mock scowl. “Mornings aren’t my thing, Jer.”
Uncle Dan chuckled. “Mornings never have been your thing, have they? I remember when you were a baby. Even then you were a grump in the mornings.”
“I guess.” All this chatter made him yawn again, and he took a swallow of coffee. “I heard you have a new plumbing apprentice starting this morning, Uncle Dan. Is he meeting you here?”
“Yep. Should be here any minute.” Dan filled a mug with coffee, and the door opened again.
Sam and Josey strolled in. “Hey, how’d the rest of your evening go last night?” Josey asked.
His face flaming, he pulled his hoodie lower and slumped down in his chair. “Do we have to talk about that right now?”
“Want to go somewhere for lunch today?” Sam asked. “It doesn’t make sense to come all the way back to town, and I didn’t pack anything.”
“Sure.” He, Sam and Jo were working on the same new housing development in Woodbury, a suburb west of Saint Paul. “You want to try that pizza place we’ve heard the crew talk about? It’s not too far. I’ll drive.”
“Which place is that?” Sam asked.
Jo grinned. “Punch Pizza on City Centre Drive?”
“That’s the one.” Wyatt nodded.
“OK,” Sam said. “Sounds good.”
Grandpa Joe swept into the kitchen, just as the new plumbing apprentice entered. After a brief round of welcomes and introductions, Gramps asked for progress reports, and then he turned to Wyatt. “The holding company that owns your building awarded us the bid for the repairs, and I’ve already faxed the signed contract back to them. They’re wiring the materials deposit to us this morning. I’m pulling you and Jonathan for the job starting tomorrow. I’ve put in an order with Viking Electrical. The supplies should be ready to pick up by this afternoon. I’ll call you when I know for sure.”
The news brought him fully awake, or maybe it had something to do with the coffee he’d been sucking down. “Great,” he said. “I’ll stop by on my way home and pick up the materials.”
“You need help?” Josey asked.
“I could use an extra set of hands. You offering?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.” Friends hang out, he’d told Kayla. Could he handle being around her, knowing all she’d ever want from him was friendship? He could work things out so he didn’t have to be in her apartment when she was home. He and Jon, the electrician working with him, had plenty to do with the rest of the building while she was home. The entire place would be rewired, including circuit breakers in the basement, and the city would put in new meters for each of the apartments. Finally. “Anything else, Grandpa Joe?”
Gramps nodded. “Jack will take care of permits. Sam, while Wyatt starts the third floor, I want you and a crew to take care of the compromised floor joists and the door in the damaged apartment. I’ll have a contract carpenter take your place in Woodbury Thursday morning.” He handed him a sheet of paper from his clipboard. “Here are the measurements. I’ll leave it to you to get what you need on the way to the job.”
“Will do.” Sam patted Wyatt on the back. “Way to go. You got us the job.”
“Thanks.” Wyatt rose, stretched, and picked up his thermal coffee mug. “Let’s get going.” Hopefully, working would take his mind off the prospect of friendship with the woman who haunted his dreams and filled his thoughts all day long.
Wyatt slid into the booth next to Josey. “Do you want to split a salad and get a couple of different kinds of pizza?” he asked, picking up a menu.
“Sure. We could do that.” Sam took the opposite side. “By the way, we saw you kissing Kayla under the street light last night. Kind of a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers moment there, bro. Didn’t think you had it in you.” He chuckled. “We expected the two of you to bust out the dance moves any second.”
“Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers?” Wyatt looked from Sam to Jo. “Are they from Dancing with the Stars?”
Josey barked out a laugh. “You’ve never seen a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie? They’re silver-screen icons from the 1930s and 1940s.”
Wyatt tssked. “What else has Haley got you watching these days, Sam?”
“Never mind.” Sam waved the question away. “Tell us how things are progressing with you and the Mysterious Ms. M?”
Groaning, Wyatt propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his palms for a second. “After the kiss, she told me she can’t date me.”
“What?” Josey blinked. “That didn’t look like an ‘I’m not into you’ kind of kiss at all. What happened?”
“She’s not ready,” he muttered, unsure how much to share before he’d cross a line in Kayla’s eyes. “She wants to take a few years before getting involved again. She became a wife and mother at such a young age.” He straightened and pretended to read the menu. “That’s what she said after telling me I’m nearly irresistible and like chocolate, which is her kryptonite.”
“Hmm.” Jo’s brow creased. “She finds you irresistible, but she doesn’t want to get involved. Sounds to me like she’s scared.”
“I know how that works.” Sam grunted. “Must’ve been devastating to lose her husband just when their lives were beginning. How long ago did he die?”
His older brother would know about being afraid to risk his heart. He’d almost blown it with Haley because of his fear of loss. “I don’t know,” Wyatt said. “I didn’t ask, but I’m sure you’re right. Bad timing, I guess.”
Their server delivered their beverages, and they placed an order for a large antipasto salad to share, and a couple of different pizzas.
“So, what are you going to do?” Jo asked once the server left.
“What is there to do?” He tore the paper wrapper from his straw into bits. “She says she wants to be friends.”
Whatever You Need (The Haneys Book 2) Page 10
