Right now all I can do is drink her in. Her body molds to mine, and I think about how many other ways we fit.
I slowly back away from the trunk of the tree, and our lips disconnect. When her legs loosen from my waist, I debate stopping. I like having her clinging to me. I’ll like it even better when she’s naked again.
“I’m sorry I jumped you.” She looks away.
“Don’t ever be sorry for that.”
Her blue eyes brighten as her smile forms. “So much for our rules.”
I chuckle. “I’m hopin’ you’re throwing all your rules out.”
“I think we should renegotiate.” It’s an offer, but I see the white flag she’s waving. “Not all of them need to go.”
I plan to take full advantage of this opening. She’s stubborn as all hell and for her to concede anything at all is a miracle.
My hand reaches out and pushes the hair back from her face. “Angie,” I call her attention. “You thought somethin’ happened back there, but it didn’t. I won’t betray you. I know what it means for you to come here.” I pause, making sure she’s listening. “But there’s a bunch of shit you said that I think we need to clear up.”
She nods.
“I’m not in love with Presley. I haven’t been for a long time. She’s got nothing to do with us.” I want her to hear that and hear it good. It’s the second time she’s brought that up. “I never dated her. I’ve never done anything with her. She’s always been my brother’s girl. Not that I didn’t love her, because I did, but I loved her enough to let her go. And when I let her go, I let go of anything more than friendship.”
“Wyatt.” She places her hand on my chest. “I saw it, and I freaked. I’m dealing with a crazy amount of doubts and fears. Presley told me a while ago that you and Char—”
“Damn it,” I snap, knowing exactly what she’s scared of and what Presley may have said about me. I thought we had already covered this her first night here, but apparently she’s still worried about it. “You need to hear what I’m saying and really understand it.”
“Okay.” She sighs.
I don’t care if she doesn’t want to listen to it. Not because I want to hurt her, but because she has to know without a shadow of a doubt the truth. The only person who can give her that—is me. Lord only knows what the hell Presley told her or what she’s twisted in her own mind. It’s better to set the record straight now so this can get put behind us.
No need to rehash the same shit.
“I’m an honest man. I live a simple life, and I’ve done it without givin’ a shit about what anyone thinks. I have never led a girl to think there was more than whatever I was offering. I’ve never brought them to my house. I’ve never taken them on dates.” I raise my brow to make my point. “I sure as shit have never moved one in. Take that for what you want, but you’re different. I think you feel it, too.”
She doesn’t say anything as she stands with her small hand pressed against the bare skin of my chest, probably feeling my heart rate going out of control. I refuse to tear my eyes from hers. I want her to see the truth behind my words. I’m not hiding anything. It’s all out there, and all I can do is hope she feels a little of the same.
“I—” I watch as the storms roll through her gaze. I can see how it scares her. Then I see resolution. “I like you so much more than I should. It’s different for me, too. I’ve been happy being alone. I’ve had my job, my friends, my brother, and I’m a pretty kick-ass aunt. There’s never been this desire to be a mother or a wife. While my friends were getting married and starting families, I was living the life I wanted. They didn’t agree or understand me, but I like dating. I like freedom. I like to take care of myself.”
There’s nothing that she said that I don’t understand. But it’s in my nature, my damn DNA, to want to take care of her. And that’s going to be a fight. One that I’m willing to go toe to toe against her over, just not today. A woman should be respected and cared for. A man should ensure that it’s done. I’ve watched my father do everything for his family, and I’ll do nothing less than that for mine.
I’ll give her everything.
Angie continues, “I’m now finding out how to be someone else. Someone who suddenly likes curling up on the couch and watching Big Brother with you. That’s not me. I don’t like cuddling and lunch dates. I like space. But then I like you, and you don’t like space. It’s confusing, but I know that I want to be near you.”
I don’t let her say another word. I dip my lips to hers for a brief kiss. If it’s any longer I’ll rip her clothes off in the middle of a dirt path.
“Let’s go home.”
That’s what I want her to think of this as. I dread the argument about her going home in two months. Then again, I don’t plan for that to be an issue. She’s going to want to stay here after I show her all the reasons we’re right for each other.
Angie
THE ONE THING I ENJOY most about dating is the pre-date. There’s that nervous energy that fills me every time. I’ve scrubbed, buffed, moisturized, shaved, and plucked every inch of my body. I want this night to be amazing.
Wyatt should be home in an hour, and I want to be ready for whatever he has planned, which he has refused to even give me hints about. I know he’ll need to shower, but I won’t have to do it side by side. It seems more date like this way.
I scour through my clothes, unable to find anything that I’m looking for. It seems I didn’t put my stuff away as well as I thought.
Or maybe I didn’t bring my “date” outfits because I didn’t plan on dating anyone.
I grab my phone to see what time he thinks he’ll be home and see I have a message.
Wyatt: Go to Presley’s house. I’ll pick you up there at seven.
Umm, that’s weird. Why the hell would I go there? Are we going on a double date?
Me: Why?
Wyatt: Because I said so, woman.
I let that slide for now. But later, after I find out what he has up his sleeve, I’m going to make sure he hears all about him bossing me around. That shit won’t fly here.
Me: I’m already dressed. It makes no sense.
Wyatt: Since you must know . . . I want to pick you up. I want to drive to a house, knock on the door, have you take your sweet ass time answering, and take you out. So get your butt to Presley’s and wait.
My God.
There’s only one response that I can say to him.
My fingers type across the screen.
Me: You trying to get laid tonight?
Wyatt: You’ve made me wait long enough.
I laugh. He’s been patient, but this has been hell on me. I swear, pregnancy messes with every part of you.
Me: Maybe tonight you’ll get lucky in more than one way.
I toss my phone in my purse, deciding I don’t want to see if he responds. It’s so much more fun this way. I grab my sweater and look myself over in the mirror. Instead of wearing a dress, I opted for jeans, since they still fit, and a really cute olive green top. I curled my hair so it hangs down my back in soft waves. I dress it up with a pair of heels and one of my favorite chunky necklaces. Without knowing where we’re going, this is the best outfit I could muster.
On the ride over to Presley’s, I call Erin and go over the details of the building she found. She emailed me yesterday, but I didn’t know what to say. The longer I’m here . . . the less confident I am about my being able to actually leave. Therefore, I’ve put off making any decisions regarding the expansion.
“Angie, we need to move fast. We can’t drag our feet.” Erin releases an exasperated sigh. “I have to make an offer.”
“I’m not sold.” It’s not a lie, but I also know it’s a pretty phenomenal space. It’s almost double what we have now in Media and has an area we could use for some tables, which our store doesn’t have now.
Erin doesn’t say anything. I wait her out, knowing that she’s one who has to think things through. It’s one of the reasons I brough
t her on. She’s extremely business savvy and always leads with her mind, never her heart, other than with the men she dates. I can tend to be a little more impulsive.
She clears her throat. “I understand you’re going through a life changing event. I’m trying to be really understanding.”
“You have been—”
“Right,” she interrupts me. “You’re my partner, though. I invested a lot of money into this company. We’ve had some huge opportunities, and I think we have to capitalize on them. Now, I see it can go two ways.” This isn’t going to be good. “You can give me the control of this project and allow me to do what I feel is right, or we table this whole thing.”
Now, I have to be the owner. Yes, we’re partners, but I’m the owner and founder. I put the car in park as I arrive at Presley and Zach’s. “I’m well aware of the position we’re in. However, I told you I needed three months. We agreed, Erin. I’ll keep doing what I can from here, but I’m not going to sign off on a location that I’ve never seen. It’s unfair to do this to me when I’ve been gone just under a month.”
“I’m not trying to be unfair,” she quickly interjects. “I don’t want to blow this chance.”
I get that. I don’t either, but I’m making concessions left and right in my personal life and her making me choose right now is going to push me over the edge. I’m just getting my footing with Wyatt, things aren’t secure and until they are, I need my business to stay the same. “I’m not saying no, Erin. I’m saying that I need the time we agreed upon. I need to be there when we choose a location.”
I also need to figure out how deep I am with this man.
“So you want to table the expansion?” Erin’s voice raises slightly. “Because if we pass on this space, we’re clearly not moving forward.”
Is that what I want? Am I really willing to give this up for him? Right now, yes. I am. Even if it doesn’t work out, this is the most I’ve ever felt for someone. My heart races when he touches me, and everything settles when I’m in his arms. The fact that I’m even questioning it says something. I’m not the girl who goes all mushy at some boy. I’m the girl who stands strong behind my independence. I don’t need a man. But I want Wyatt.
Damn it.
“Two months. I’m asking for two more months.”
Erin sighs. “I don’t agree with your decision, Ang. I think in a few weeks you’ll think differently. Did you get the quarterly P&L report I sent?”
We talk a little more about the profits and loss, and in the end, I think she understands. Erin has made back her investment, so I don’t have to worry about that. If I have to, I have the capital to buy her out. I like having her, though, and I hope she’ll stay on even though she’s mad about delaying things.
I walk into Presley’s house and greet everyone.
“The boys are getting ready to go for a horseback ride with Zach. He promised them he’d teach them new tricks so they can finally beat me. They’ve gotten really good at riding, but haven’t had a lot of time to practice between school and sports.” Presley explains after I barely get a hello from either of them as they run by. “Zach is upstairs, but the boys are going to saddle up.”
“Have they gotten close to beating you?”
“Nope.” She grins. “One day they’ll learn, and I’ll have to up my game.”
“Not likely.”
Presley grabs her wedding book and flops in the chair. “My brother is teaching them how to rope cattle.”
“Zach doesn’t do that?” I ask.
“No, we were the rodeo kids. The Hennington’s were too busy playing sports.” Presley shakes her head. “Cooper and I were really into rodeo stuff. Even though my mother was only okay with my brother performing.” She rolls her eyes.
“How is Coop? I haven’t seen him.”
Her brother is great. He’s quiet, tall, and almost always busting his ass somewhere out on the ranch. I’ve asked why he’s not taken, but Presley won’t say. However, I’d have to be blind to miss how he looks at Grace and not put two and two together. Grace is one of her best friends, Trent is her soon to be brother-in-law, and Cooper is her brother. Talk about an awkward Christmas.
“He’s great. He and Zach are doing a lot more business together, which is good. It allows me to see Zach during the day. Although, I pretty much see him whenever I want anyway.”
We both laugh. “Because you two don’t spend enough time together, right?” I feel like every time I see her, he’s right there too. Not that I mind, but isn’t she worried she’ll get sick of him?
“I kinda like him. You’ll see,” she looks up. “When you realize how great a guy is, you want to be around him more. You’ll crave his company because it makes you light up. Zach gives me that.”
“Not all of us are hopeless romantics. Some girls are happy on their own. We don’t dream of getting married and playing house. We dream of taking over the world.”
She rolls her eyes and goes back to her book.
The boys rush in the house. “Mom,” Logan huffs. “Where’s Zach? I can’t find him.”
“Must be at the barn,” she says even though she said he was upstairs.
“Bye, Auntie!” they call to me in unison.
“Bye, turdlets!” I call back.
“Zach!” she calls. “Boys are waitin’ on you. You got about ten minutes!”
“What is he doing?”
“He had a call about one of the horses. Felicia, the awful bitch she was, oversold a few of them. Remember how Zach thought it was best to keep her on for a bit?” she asks.
“Yes, and we both said it was dumb.”
She laughs. “I know. He thought maybe she wouldn’t be vindictive.”
“Did he ever actually speak to Felicia in the entire time he dated her?”
“I can’t even—” Presley huffs. “A fucking year he let her stay on! A year!”
I seriously don’t understand that. I can only imagine how Presley dealt with it. Having to see that girl every time she turned around. Then again, I can understand business wise how he could think it was a good idea. The whole enemies close theory, but that’s a little too close for me.
“That’s crazy.”
“No shit. Anyway, Zach has been cleaning up that woman’s messes nonstop. I know a woman scorned is bad news, but dear God. Now she’s threatening a lawsuit.”
That girl is a piece of work. It’s a good thing she left town, because I’m pretty sure Presley would’ve beat her ass by now if she hadn’t. She stole money, destroyed accounts, and shredded parts of the Hennington reputation.
“He’s really great with the boys,” I muse, steering the conversation away from Felicia and the mess she left in her wake. “They really love him.”
Zach comes around the corner. “I’m easy to like.”
“I beg to differ,” I say offhandedly.
His hand slaps against his chest. “You wound me.”
I shrug. “You’ll live.”
He leans in and kisses my temple. “You love me.”
“Wrong Hennington,” I retort. “I like the better version of you.”
“Hey now!” We both laugh, and Presley stands there with a grin.
She walks over, wraps her arms around his torso, and looks up with the gooey expression I’ve gotten used to seeing on her face. “I got the best Hennington.”
“And soon you’ll be Mrs. Hennington.”
The way they stare at each other is so intense I have to look away. I want a love like that. She may think Todd looked at her a certain way, but I’ve never seen anything like what they share. It’s so beautiful, I could cry.
“Not soon enough.” Presley’s voice is wistful.
Their wedding is in four and a half months. I’m going to be sporting a really big baby bump by then. “Can you move the wedding up?” I ask, breaking their staring contest.
“Why?” she asks.
“I’m going to be eight months pregnant!”
“And you’ll be brea
thtaking,” Wyatt’s voice rings out from behind.
My breath hitches as I turn around. He leans against the wall with his arms crossed. He has on a dark pair of jeans, a tight white t-shirt with a teal button up over it. I see every muscle in his abdomen when he shifts to walk toward me. The muscles in my body tense as he moves with purpose.
He stops right in front of me, and I tip my head back. “Aren’t you supposed to ring the doorbell and wait for Zach to let you in?”
“I have a key.” He grins.
I purse my lips. “That’s cheating.
He laughs. “Do you want me to go out and do it again? I can ask my brother to clean his gun to scare me off from getting frisky with you.”
Now, it’s my turn to burst out laughing. “You’re a mess.”
“And you’re beautiful.”
“So are you.”
He chuckles. “Well, that’s good.”
I nod.
Geez, I’m a mess. One word and I forget my big strong bravado.
“You guys are so cute!” Presley claps and breaks me from my stupor.
I turn and glare at her as she laughs.
My eyes return to Wyatt to see he couldn’t care less. He only sees me. He doesn’t even glance away. Instead, he takes my face in his hands with care, bends down, and gently presses his lips against mine. “Ready, baby?”
“I’m ready.”
Right now, I know that I chose right. He’s worth giving up the expansion for.
He’s worth all the possible heartache.
He’s worth it all.
“WHERE THE HECK ARE WE going?” I ask as we enter our second hour of driving.
“On our date.”
Wyatt has been tight lipped the entire drive about what exactly we’re doing. I’m going out of my mind, but it seems like he’s enjoying my irritation more than anything.
Pain in the ass.
“I know that. But it seems like you’re driving me back to Pennsylvania.”
He takes my hand in his and doesn’t respond.
Okay, then.
I lay my head back against the seat and watch the scenery change. There are rolling hills in Bell Buckle, but this is more mountains. The trees are dense and the air feels lighter. It’s absolutely breathtaking as the sun starts to set, and the pink and orange hues paint the sky, making everything feel warm.
Say You Want Me Page 13
