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I’ve been up for hours. Cleaned my condo from top to bottom, worked out, showered, and still made the trip to Happy Cow and to Marlow’s with ten minutes to spare. I watch the clock impatiently, ready to just go bang on the door already.
I look at myself in the rearview mirror.
Who are you and what did you do with the chill version of yourself, man?
I run the little duster Grinny gave me for my car over the dashboard and the controls and a minute doesn’t even pass.
“Wyatt!”
I turn and Dakota is standing in the door, waving. Busted.
I get out of the car and walk toward her, smiling when I see her space buns.
“Nice hair,” I tell her.
“Mama did it. She said since we don’t know where we’re going, I should be prepared for anything.”
“She’s right.”
“Did you bring us treats?” she asks, her eyes on the box.
“Oops, I didn’t hide that surprise very well, did I?”
Her mouth drops and she claps her hands together.
“Is that the surprise?” she says excitedly. “I can’t wait.”
She is too cute for words.
“That’s just one of the surprises.”
“There’smore?”
This girl is going to make my heart double in size, I swear. She takes my hand and leads me inside.
“Yes, there’s more.”
“This is the best day ever,” she cries.
Marlow is standing in the living room when we walk in, looking unbelievable in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt that both fit her just right. This might’ve been a bad idea. My thoughts are anything but honorable right now.
She looks at me shyly and I grin, trying to cover my nervousness. She’s looked at me this way since I laid it out in front of Theo’s, how into her I am. I wasn’t planning on doing that, but I didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t working to avoid her or to keep it bottled up—all that was accomplishing was making me seem like the biggest prick in Landmark Mountain.
“Wyatt brought treats!” Dakota says.
“Treats for Sweets…and her mom,” I say.
Dakota claps and Marlow’s cheeks flush. “That was nice of you. Thank you,” Marlow says. “We’re getting the royal treatment, Kota.”
She points to the coffee pot and I nod, moving to take a mug from her. Our fingers brush against each other and my whole body is aware of it. We take our coffee to the table and sit on either side of Dakota, forming a triangle around the donut box.
“And this is not the only surprise,” Dakota says, carefully opening the box and then squealing when she sees the donut with sprinkles.
“Is that for me?” she whispers.
“I thought you might like that one.” I nod.
She does a little dance and picks it up, taking a big bite and sending sprinkles flying on the table.
