The two partnering up would be a brand-new direction for the Elec Tric saga, and it would keep the series going for several more episodes. He’d have to come up with a few new demons and plots of mayhem and destruction. Glancing at the time, he decided to quit for now. He left his things where they were, stood up and stretched. Wyatt walked into his living room just as Kayla knocked on his door, sending his pulse racing.
His hand on the doorknob, Wyatt went into Brady’s routine. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me.”
“Me who?” A few moments of silence went by.
“Is this a knock-knock joke, Wyatt?” Kayla asked, her tone laced with exasperation. “Or are you expecting someone else?”
He opened the door. “I’m not expecting anyone else. I miss Brady. He likes to play with me,” he teased, going in for a kiss before she could protest. Kayla sighed and melted against him. How could he not deepen the kiss? For that matter, how could he resist caressing her shapely bottom and pressing her against his growing erection?
Ending the kiss, he gazed into her eyes. “We could stay in, order takeout and watch a movie on cable.”
“We could, but we have a reservation, and I’d really like to try that new Heirloom Kitchen & Bar down the street. I don’t get many opportunities to do grown-up stuff.” She played with the collar of his shirt. “As much as I miss my son, I want to take advantage of this time with just the two of us.” She kissed his chin. “We made a date, and I’m holding you to it. We can order takeout and hang out anytime.”
“All right.” Reluctantly, he let her go. “But we have to run up to the third floor before we leave. Did you see the e-mail I sent, bringing everyone up to date on our offer?” They walked out of his apartment, and he locked the door.
“I haven’t checked my e-mail today. What’s going on?”
As they climbed the stairs, he shared what Steve had told him. “Dennis doesn’t have an e-mail address or a cell phone, and I didn’t think to get his land-line number.” He reached for Kayla’s hand and crossed the hall to knock on Hippie Guy’s door.
Dennis came to the door right away. “Hey, you two, come on in.”
“Thanks, Dennis, but we’re on our way out. I just stopped by to let you know I heard back from Steve.”
“Yeah? What’d he have to say, man? Did the owners accept our offer?”
“Not exactly.” He explained the situation. “I’m urging everyone to get their mortgage applications completed quickly. As soon as we can lock down the financing, Steve will present a new noncontingent offer on our behalf.”
Dennis scratched his beard. He looked worried. “We could lose this place because of that contingent thing, man. Not good. Not good at all.”
“It’s a possibility.” Wyatt nodded.
“OK. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Where are you with arranging for your mortgage, Dennis?” Kayla asked.
“I’m set. All taken care of.”
“Good.” Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. Out of all of the residents involved, he’d been the most concerned about this guy’s follow-through when it came to the financing. He didn’t even know if Dennis had a job. “Once I hear back from everyone else, we’ll move forward.”
“Great. We can have our next meeting in my place if you want.” Dennis squared his shoulders. “I’m on the HOA bylaws committee. The Meyers and your sister . . . they’re good people.”
“You’re good people too, Dennis,” Kayla told him. “I like having you for a neighbor.”
Dennis’s eyes widened. He blinked a few times and shuffled his feet. “Well, I’d better get back to . . . uh . . . you two have a good evening. Got stuff to do.” He gave them a little wave and disappeared behind his closing door.
Wyatt put his arm around Kayla’s shoulders and turned her toward the stairs. “I think we embarrassed him.”
“He’s sweet.” Kayla shrugged. “Odd, but definitely a good guy.”
“Do I need to be jealous, man?”
“Maybe,” she teased.
“Kayla . . . mine,” he grunted.
“Ohhhh, I love it when you turn caveman on me.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay in tonight?” He slanted her his very best puppy-dog eyes.
“I’m sure.”
Twining his fingers with hers, he savored the moment. They were a couple and already teasing each other. “All right. Wining and dining coming right up.”
She sighed, an expression of happiness lighting her features. “I’ve never had this before, Wyatt. Being with you, it’s . . . so different. I don’t have any doubts anymore. I know you love me, and I know I love you.”
“I get what you mean, and I feel the same.” He opened the front door for her and placed a hand at the small of her back as they walked down the front steps to the sidewalk. September was one of his favorite months. Already the air had a crispness to it, and the nights were cooler. “Nice evening. I’m glad we decided to walk to the restaurant.”
“Me too.” Kayla once again twined her fingers with his.
“Grandma Maggie called. She and Grandpa Joe really want to meet you and Brady. Would you mind going to their house for dinner next Saturday?”
“I’d love to meet them, and you’ll get to meet my folks this Saturday. I told them we’re dating, and they want you to join us for dinner. Are you OK with that?”
“Sure.” Gulp. So she’d told her parents about them already. Heat rose to his face just thinking about facing her father. Her dad would take one look at him, and he’d instantly know what he’d been up to with his little girl. Meeting the parents had to be done, but he didn’t want to think about it anymore tonight, or he’d work himself into a mess of nerves.
“You look really pretty tonight, Kayla.” He drew her close to his side for a quick hug. She wore a long, gauzy skirt with geometric designs, a silky blouse that set off the blue of her eyes, and a denim jacket.
“Thank you. You look really nice too. I like you in button-down shirts.” She ran her hand down his arm. “You’re such a good-looking man.”
He squeezed her hand. “How do you feel about Wonder Woman costumes?” More and more he believed he might have the wedding he’d dreamed of after all.
“That was random.” Kayla laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. “I’ll wear one for you, if you’ll put on a superhero costume for me. We haven’t tried role-playing yet. Could be fun.”
Content, he smiled but didn’t comment. Let her believe his question referred to role-playing in the bedroom. Once he proposed and put that ring on her finger, then he’d share his ideas for their wedding. Now that he was over the hoodies, they could go with silk-screened superhero T-shirts under sport coats for the men, and a Wonder Woman costume for the bride. Surely she’d see his vision for their special day as pure genius.
Kayla’s security buzzer went off, and she hurried down the front stairs to open the door for Brady and her parents. “Come in.”
“It’s good to see you, Kayla.” Her mother gave her a hug, and her dad carried in their overnight bag and Brady’s suitcase.
She hugged her mom back as her dad continued on up the stairs. “I’m on the second floor and across the hall to your right, Dad.”
“Mommy!” Brady cried, launching himself at her.
She picked him up and hugged him tight. “Boy, am I ever glad to see you.” It wouldn’t be long before he was too big to pick up anymore, and he wouldn’t let her then anyway. “I think you’ve grown, kiddo.” She followed her parents up the stairs.
“Yep, and d’you know what? Pops let me ride the pony, and I got to feed him and brush him too.”
“He’s a natural,” her dad said, glancing back at her over his shoulder. “He did really well, and he was quite the helper all week.”
Kayla patted her son on the back. “Sounds like you had a good time with Gammy and Pops.”
“I did,” Brady said wrapping his arms around her neck.
Her heart melting, she
continued up the stairs and set Brady on his feet on her landing. “Come on in. Lunch is ready.” She opened her door wide. “You can put those bags here by the door for now, Dad. We’ll get you settled after lunch.”
Kayla busied herself with putting the chicken salad and the croissants on the already-set table while her mom filled the coffee mugs and poured milk for Brady. Chips and a bowl of fruit were set out, and she’d made cookies for dessert.
Her dad took a seat. “Everything looks delicious, Kayla. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“I wanted to.” Her parents had called on Friday, letting her know what time they planned to arrive, and she’d told them to expect lunch so they didn’t have to stop somewhere to eat. Then she’d made a quick trip to the grocery store. Wyatt had helped her by putting fresh sheets on her bed and straightening up while she was busy making the chicken salad and baking chocolate-chip walnut cookies.
Just thinking about Wyatt and the way he was so willing to help made her heart flutter. He’d also downed half a dozen cookies, stealing them when he thought she wasn’t looking, or pretending to want a hug, then reaching around her to snatch another. He made her laugh, and she loved that about him. She’d never felt as close to anyone as she did to Wyatt, or as cherished.
“Nice place, Kayla. I love all the woodwork,” her mom said, helping Brady get settled at the table.
“Thanks. We like it. Don’t we, Brady?” Her son gave a happy nod. “I believe we’re going to rewrite our offer on the building on Monday. Everyone has been prequalified for their loans.”
It had surprised her that she’d qualified with so little credit history, but she had, mostly because of her military widow status and the insurance money she had in the bank. Since hearing back from the mortgage broker, her excitement had grown. “Hopefully our second offer will be accepted. Keep your fingers crossed.”
“We certainly will,” her mom said, taking her seat.
“When are we going to meet Wyatt?” her dad asked.
“Probably not until we go out for dinner tonight. He likes to work on his comic books on Saturdays since he works the day job the rest of the week.” Kayla sat down and passed the chicken salad to her mom. “So, tell me about your week.”
For the next half hour, she heard all about what Brady had done with Gammy and Pops, and all about his trip to the county fair with Grandma and Grandpa Malone. Her mom helped her clean up, and they moved to the living room to visit for a while longer.
“You two have my room tonight,” she told her parents. “I’ll take Brady’s bed, and he can either share with me or camp out on the couch.”
“Camp out.” Brady nodded happily, like sleeping on their old couch would be a grand adventure.
“All right. That’s settled,” Kayla laughed. “Brady, why don’t you show Gammy and Pops to my room while I get the cookies I made for dessert. We can have them out here. Dad, Mom, do either of you want more coffee?”
“With cookies? Of course,” her dad rose from his place. “Come on, buddy. Lead the way.”
“I’d love to see your room too, Brady,” her mom said, rising from her place. “Will you show me?”
“Sure, Gammy. I have lots of toys. You wanna see them?”
“I do.”
Smiling, Kayla moved to the kitchen to fill a plate with cookies. She grabbed a handful of napkins and brought everything to the living room when someone knocked on her door. She set the cookies and napkins on the coffee table and hurried to see who it might be. Probably Mariah, since they still hadn’t had much time to get caught up. Kayla had been spending all her time with Wyatt. She opened her door, and Wyatt charged into her apartment, grabbed her up in a fierce hug and spun her around. “Ahhhh!” she squealed.
“You’ll never guess what just happened.” His eyes bored into hers, and he wore that crooked smile she adored.
“Our offer was accepted?”
“No.” He set her down and kissed her.
She broke the kiss and sucked in a breath. “What is going on, Wyatt?”
Laughing, he lifted and spun her around again, putting her down abruptly at the sound of her dad clearing his throat. Wyatt’s face turned rosy.
“Wyatt, I’d like you to meet my dad and mom.” She took his hand. “Tom and Sharon Wagner.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Wagner,” Wyatt mumbled, the red in his face deepening. He crossed the room and held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Call me Tom,” her dad said shaking his hand.
“And call me Sharon.”
“Wyatt!” Brady bounced in place. “Did you miss me?”
“Did I ever.” Wyatt scooped Brady up in his arms and growled like a bear while he hugged him. Brady giggled, and Wyatt kept him in his arms as he turned to Kayla. “I just got off the phone with Angela Bronson. She loves the Elec Tric series, and she wants me to send her everything else I have.” His eyes were sparkling with excitement. “She’s sending me a contract. Thanks to you, I now have an agent.”
“That’s great news, but having seen your work during Kayla’s visit home, I’m not surprised,” Kayla’s dad said. “We’ll celebrate at dinner tonight.”
“Thank you.” Wyatt put Brady down.
Her dad took Brady’s hand and led him to the couch. “Did my daughter tell you her grandfather and I are collectors? We’ve been collecting comic books since I was a youngster. We have quite an impressive variety stretching back to right before World War II.”
“She did mention it. I hope I get to see your collection sometime,” Wyatt followed, grabbed a cookie and took a seat. “So, what’re your favorites?” he asked. Brady climbed onto his lap, and Wyatt reached for another napkin and a cookie, handing them to her son.
“Help me with the coffee, Mom?”
“Of course.” Her mom slid her arm around Kayla’s waist as they walked into Kayla’s tiny kitchen. “I like him, honey. What happened to cause the burn scars?”
“A barbecue accident when he was kid.” She sighed. “I’m crazy about him.”
Her mom chuckled and patted her arm. “That’s obvious, and your dad and I couldn’t be happier for you. Wyatt seems to be good with Brady.”
“The best. You should see them fish together, and Wyatt reads to him all the time. Brady adores him.”
“I think the adoration is mutual.”
Kayla nodded. “All the way around.” Being with Wyatt gave her a sense of family, like the three of them belonged together. The sadness, guilt, anger and regret she’d carried around for so long didn’t weigh her down anymore. She looked forward to the future, and she owed it all to the shy Hoodie Guy now holding her son on his lap, like that was the most natural thing in the world. Kayla set mugs on a tray and her mom filled them. “If we want a cookie, we’d better get to that plate soon, because Wyatt has a sweet tooth.”
Chapter Seventeen
Wyatt sat next to Kayla in the oversized, circular booth at the Longfellow Grill, and Brady flanked his other side. Kayla’s parents were across from him. He pushed his empty plate away and moved his beer closer as Tom slipped cash into the bill holder.
“Thank you for dinner, Tom,” Wyatt said. “Can I get the tip?”
“Nope. Got it.” Mr. Wagner smiled at him. “We’re celebrating your good news, remember? Sharon and I are excited about seeing your work in print. Kayla tells us you’re an electrician by trade, with a family-owned company. Is that right?”
“Yes.” Wyatt nodded. “Haney & Sons Construction and Handyman Service was started in the nineties by my dad, two uncles and my grandfather. I’m a partner now. My sister and brother also work there.”
Pride filled him. He was solid, well able to support a wife and children. Should Kayla decide to be a stay-at-home mom for a while, they’d be fine. He doubted she would, though, not after she’d worked so hard to pull her life together, get an education and start a career. Damn, he was proud of her.
“Kayla told me you run a nonprofit that resc
ues unusual animals,” Wyatt said. “That must be interesting.”
Sharon laughed. “Interesting is a good word for what we do.”
“Wyatt, d’you know what? Gammy and Pops have a llama, and he’s mean.”
“Oh, no,” Wyatt mock scowled. “How mean?”
“He spit in my face.” Brady frowned. “It was gross.”
“Lawrence the llama is an old curmudgeon, all right.” Tom chuckled.
Wyatt’s phone vibrated, and he pulled it from his back pocket. “It’s Steve.” He glanced at Kayla as he hit accept. “Hey, Steve, can you hold on a minute? I’m at a noisy restaurant, and I want to take this call somewhere where I can hear you.” Potential buyers had been passing through their building all week, and he almost didn’t want to hear what the realtor had to say.
“Sure. I’ll hold.”
Kayla slid out of the booth so he could get out. He strode to the front door and walked outside. “OK, I can hear you now. What’s up?”
“A cash offer came in Friday morning, and the owners just got back to me. They’ve accepted the bid. I’m sorry, Wyatt.”
“Yeah, me too.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Well, we gave it a try. I’ll let the rest of the tenants know.”
“Hey, if and when you decide to buy, give me a call. I’d love to work with you again.”
“Thanks. I will.” They said their good-byes and Wyatt ended the call. A cash offer? That could only mean a corporation had bought the building. Not many individuals had a million and a half lying around. Disappointment lodged itself in his gut. It would be a crying shame if the new owners razed that elegant old building, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. They’d lost their homes. He slid his phone back in his pocket and returned to the restaurant.
Kayla slid over so he could sit on the outside. “Bad news,” he said. “Our building has been sold.”
“Oh,” Sharon said. “That’s a shame.”
“It is, but Wyatt, now that you have an agent, things could move pretty fast with your comic book career,” Kayla said, leaning against him. “You won’t have a lot of extra time to renovate. Maybe it’s for the best.”
Whatever You Need (The Haneys Book 2) Page 24
