“Hey, Ben,” Wyatt says.
“Hi.”
“Wyatt's pretty good with cars, so I asked him to come with me,” I explain.
“Apparently, that’s not the only reason she asked me,” Wyatt chimes in.
“Shush,” I say to Wyatt, swatting his shoulder lightly.
Ben laughs. “Laney’s going to freak when you show up.”
“Ash is hoping I’ll earn her some popularity points,” Wyatt says with a chuckle.
“Having a famous brother has to have its perks, right?” I tease.
Ben laughs again. “Call me when you're heading home, okay?”
“Will do.”
“Thanks, baby. You too, Wyatt.”
“No problem,” Wyatt replies.
“Love you, Ash,” Ben says.
Wyatt’s head whips toward me, his eyes wide.
I grin. “Love you too. Bye.”
I hang up, and Wyatt is still staring at me.
“Love?” he asks. “Isn’t it a bit soon for that?”
I shrug. “When you know, you know,” I tell him.
We drive in silence for a few miles, and I glance over at Wyatt, who’s staring out the window.
“How’s your love life?” I ask him.
He lets out a dry laugh. “What love life?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re kidding, right? Aren’t there always women throwing themselves at you?”
Wyatt turns to look at me. “Yeah, but no one that means anything,” he says, his voice tinged with sadness. “They’re just groupies looking for a night with Wyatt Brookes, the NFL player. They don’t care about me.”
I frown. “They can't all be like that, can they?”
He shrugs. “Maybe not, but how am I supposed to tell who actually wantsmeand who just wants the football player?”
I furrow my brows and reach across the car, squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I didn’t know you felt like that.”
He sighs. “I didn’t always feel this way. And don’t get me wrong, having women who only want a one-night thing has its perks, but after a while, it gets old, you know?”
I’m at a loss for words. Wyatt’s always had women vying for his attention, just like the rest of my brothers. He’s always acted like he was fine with keeping things casual, but living in Hope Creek, we don’t see how intense things can get with his fans. I can understand why he feels the way he does.
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess with everyone settling down, it just makes it more obvious that I’m alone and nowhere close to changing that.”
My heart aches for him. I’ve been in his shoes, and I know how hollow that feeling can be. I could tell him all the usual clichés,it’ll happen when you least expect it, orthe right girl is out there,but I know that’s not what he needs to hear right now, even if there’s truth in it.
