Wyatt lives here. All alone. The idea is sad, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s always looked this way, or if Wyatt added a few touches after his dad’s passing.
It didn’t take long for reality to seep back in when we got to Buddie’s ranch. Vivienne had to rush off to deal with a dog suffering from smoke inhalation, but promised she’d be back as soon as possible. Wyatt started a shower for me shortly after and grabbed Brinley a snack while I busied myself with a very hot and very long shower. I’m now clad head-to-toe in Wyatt’s clothes. The grey sweatpants are three sizes too big. I had to roll them a couple of times to get them to stay. The sweatshirt envelopes me just as completely. The sleeves hang past my fingertips and the hem brushes my thighs.
I was a little too relieved when I didn’t see any feminine products in the bathroom, buthisscent now lingers on the clothes I wear and on my skin from the shower. Any other time, it may have been… welcoming. But now? Now, Wyatt and I havebeen having the same argument for the past twenty minutes, and I would do just about anything to get as far as humanly possible from this man.
His tousled chestnut curls are a shade darker than I remember, and slightly shorter too, just barely brushing the collar of his blue shirt. Ridiculously perfect lips. A tattoo peeks up from his wrist where his sleeve is tugged up. A neatly trimmed beard frames his chiseled jawline. But it’s his eyes that make Wyatt the kind of man who turns heads without trying. A blue so piercing they’re blinding. Impossible to look away from, and far too easy to get lost in.
He’s huge. His arms, his shoulders, his thighs, his hands. Without trying, Wyatt Conway sucks up the air in any space he’s in, so much so that it makes it hard to breathe. He exudes confidence and quiet intensity, and I’m not sure he even realizes it. I don’t realize I’m outright drooling until an awkward, rough cough cuts through the space between us. I pinch the bridge of my nose, being the first to break our silent staring contest. “I–wecan’t stay with you.”
“You can. And you will. There’s plenty of space at the ranch.”
I shake my head. “I can stay with my sister.”
“She doesn’t have the space,” Wyatt argues. “I do.”
“I have no way to pay you.” I force myself to look at him. So that he can see the plea in my eyes. So that he can understandwhythis isn’t possible. “Not right now.”
Aside from the fact that I have nothing to offer him in return for letting us stay,wehad… something. Before the fire. Before Brinley. That complicates things, whether he wants to admit it or not. I cut ties with him quickly after finding out I was pregnant. Maybe if I had told him from the start, if we had continued down the path we were headed, he would have followed me. But I couldn’t bring myself to put him through something so life-changing. Especially not when I had zero clue how to navigatesuch new territory, let alone a new relationship at the same time. Plus, he’s older than me. If he wanted to settle down or have kids, I’m sure he already would have.
I let him go for all of our sakes. It was the smart thing to do.
Just like now, I know taking him up on this offer is the most logical thing to do. When the firefighters said everything was gone, they truly meanteverything was gone. All of our personal items. Brinley’s clothes and toys. The shop’s furniture and equipment.Nothingsurvived. I still don’t have any answers on what caused the fire. It’s an “ongoing” investigation. Whatever that means.
Blake would take us in a heartbeat, but she already has her hands full with Elain and the therapeutic center. Vivienne’s apartment could work for maybe a day or two, but it would quickly become uncomfortable with all three of us there. I can’t ask my parents for help. So, where does that leave us? In a hotel I can’t afford? On the side of the road?
I bite my lip, mulling over all my thoughts. “I don’t want a handout, Conway.” I don’t miss the way he tracks the movement before shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling.
“It’s not,” he attempts to assure me.
“Sounds a lot like a handout.” Can we even handle being so close? Living under the same roof? CanIhandle it? He doesn’t seem bothered, and a part of my ego, deep, deep down, stings at the revelation.
“Fine.” He wipes a hand over his mouth like he’s trying to conceal a sigh. “Work for me. I have a horse or two that needs some training, and in turn, you can stay with me and make a little extra cash. Just until you guys get back on your feet.”
I eye him skeptically. “That doesn’t sound like a fair trade. We don’t evenlikeeach other half the time.”
It’s true. Our relationship is complicated. We’re either fighting or pretending like the other doesn’t exist. It’s a whirlwind of confusion I’ve never learned to navigate.
“Take it or leave it, Winnie.”
I cringe, shooting a glare his way. “Donotcall me that.”
“Why?” He shrugs, cocking his head at me. “It’s fitting. You’re about as cuddly as the bear.”
An insufferable smirk coats his features, and a steady quiet blankets us. I take a few moments, studying him. Then my eyes shift to Brinley, and I soften. As much as I hate this situation, and as much as I hate relying on anyone for any sort of help, I have to do this for her. It’s the only way we survive. Maybe he and I won’t see that much of each other with work in the way. Maybe, justmaybe, this can work. “I’d have to find someone to watch Brinley.”
“My mom would be more than happy to take her during the week.” He shrugs like it’s a given, and I have to refrain from rolling my eyes.
“You just have a solution for everything, don’t you?”
His feral grin tells me everything I need to know. The two of us under one roof…
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Four
WYATT
When Whitney said yes to staying with me, relief hit harder than it should have—not just because she needed a place, but because the thought of her somewhere else made me restless in a way I can't explain. It's selfish, I know. But right now with the two of them under my roof, I find that I don't care.
