Page 3 of Wyatt

Brooks and Lacey are snuggled up on a log, his hand resting protectively over her baby bump, just like his brother Mav’s is on his wife Violet’s. Envy fills my heart. I long for what they have so badly. The Landrys have given me a sense of family, but now they’re all starting their own little units, and I find myself wanting that for myself more and more.

As I think about what I want for my future, my eyes automatically wander over to Wyatt where he sits on his own chunk of wood, drinking a beer and laughing with his brothers. As if he can feel my eyes on him, he looks over to me and smiles when his brown eyes meet my hazel ones.

“Happy birthday,” Scarlett shouts next to me, causing me to jump darn near out of my skin. My best friend plops down next to me on our log and pulls me into a side hug. “I love you, Georgie, but can we go out and leave my family at home sometime soon ?” She asks, annoyance in her tone. “My brothers are stomping on my last goddamn nerve.”

Scarlett is the youngest and possibly loudest of the Landrys, and she’s always looking for new ways to piss off her brothers. They’re overprotective, and as much as she says she hates it, I know she’s glad that they’re there for her, she just wants a tiny bit of independence too.

“You love them and you know it,” I tell her as I bump my shoulder with hers. “But sure, we can go out next week.”

“Good. Let’s make it somewhere near Juniper Hollow,” she commands, talking about the area at the base of the tall mountains to the south. “I hear there’s a pretty nice club there.”

The “club” she’s talking about it a seedy bar frequented by dangerous men, and I know for a fact that her brothers wouldn’t want her there. I don’t bother telling her that though. That’s a problem for next week. “The men in this town are worthless,” Scarlett explains.

I smile and glance across the fire to see Wyatt staring at me. When I raise a brow at him, he ducks his head and turns his attention back to his brothers and their wives. “Oh, I don’t know. I think there are a few men worth sticking around for.”

When I turn to my friend, I see her smiling sadly at me. “Still?” She asks, not needing to elaborate. Scarlett’s been well aware of my crush on her brother since its inception at the age of twelve, though I stopped talking about it years ago.

“Yea. Still,” I say sadly, the pain of wanting something you know you’ll never have causing a heavy feeling in my chest. Scarlett simply nods, tightening her hold on me because she knows how hard it is for me to be in love with her brother. She probably knows how hopeless it is too, but she never says anything.

Looking around the campfire, I notice we’re running out of chocolate for our s’mores. Smacking my hands on my jean clad thighs, I stand up and smile at everyone. “I’m going to head inside and grab some more chocolate.”

Lacey starts to get up, but I hold my hand up. “But it’s your birthday,” she tells me as if I don’t know it myself. “You shouldn’t have to do any of that stuff today.”

I smile at her and back away towards the homestead. “It is my birthday, so what I say goes and I say I’m getting more chocolate.” With that, I turn and head towards the big yellow house. It's a house that will soon be too small for the amount of babies that will be around in a few months.

Maybe I should offer to move out. I can drive over every morning and drive back every night, and Scarlett has been bugging me about wanting to get an apartment together so she can get some space from her brothers. It’s not my favorite idea, and I know I would miss living here like crazy, but I would do it if it was what was best for everyone.

After grabbing another package of chocolate bars from the counter, I turn and run smack into what feels like a brick wall, staring straight ahead until I look up, way up, and see just what, or who I ran into.

“Whoa there, Georgie girl.” The timber of Wyatt’s low voice reaches me and I’m instantly comforted and turned on in equal measure. Every inch of him is pure muscle with his arms, chest, and legs straining against his clothing. Wyatt’s eyes light up as he looks at me, and I wonder if I have a big smear of chocolate or something on my face to garner all this attention.

“I’m glad I got a moment alone with you,” he says, and my first response is to look around for some hidden cameras or something because there is no way Wyatt Landry is happy to be alone with me.

“You are?” I ask, my voice a pitch higher than normal. “Why?”

Wyatt chuckles lightly and ducks his head, looking a little shy for the first time ever in life. “I, uh,” he stammers as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a purple envelope. “I wanted to give you your birthday present.”

“Oh,” I say, smiling up at him. In addition to the spa day from Scarlett, I got a couple of books and a gift card to a boutique downtown. I just assumed Wyatt chipped in for one of those, so knowing he thought of me on his own has a warm, gooey feeling settling in my stomach. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

Wyatt looks downright offended at that and scoffs at me. “I may not be able to do much, but I can get you a birthday present,” he says gruffly. “Least I can do.”

I shrug a shoulder because when you grow up with nothing, you learn to expect nothing. “No, the least you can do is nothing at all, so this is something special,” I tell him as I rip open the envelope and peek inside.

My fingers reach in and pull out a leather bracelet. It’s made of a half a dozen thin strings of leather that have been woven and braided together, and a small charm sits in the middle. “This is beautiful.” I slip it over my wrist and smile down at the loveliest present I’ve ever gotten. “Is it a bee?”

Wyatt nods and grabs my wrist, turning the bracelet over. Each touch of his skin to mine sends another spark of desire through my body. When I look up into Wyatt’s eyes, they are a darker brown that normal. Does he feel this too? Probably not, but a girl can dream.

“It’s a honey bee. You’re always buzzing around, taking care of everyone, and you’re the sweetest person I’ve ever known, so it seemed like a good choice.”

The smile I beam up at him could light up a whole city. “I love it,” I tell him, sincerely. I love you, too, is there on the tip of my tongue as well, but I don’t want to ruin a beautiful moment with an ill-timed confession. “Thank you, Wyatt.”

“You’re welcome,” he says, his hand reaching up to tuck some hair behind my ear. “I’m glad you like it. I was worried you would think it was stupid or something.”

My brow furrows and I give Wyatt a stern look. “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit most of the time. You’re smart, you work hard,” I tell him, holding up the bracelet that rests on my wrist. “And you’re incredibly thoughtful. You’re a great guy, Wyatt.”

The tips of Wyatt’s ears turn pink and he rubs the back of his neck. “Thanks,” he says, shooting a smile in my direction. “You know, you look really nice today, Georgie.”

My cheeks heat and I shake my head, both in denial of what he said and to clear a bit of the shock from my mind. Did Wyatt Landry say I look nice? My face is normally free of make-up and my light brown hair is usually tied in two braids, but after our day at the spa, I look ready for a night out with smoky eyeshadow and my hair in loose waves. That must be what he’s noticing.