Giana:We are just friends. I think it’s okay.
Wyatt:Okay. When and where?
Giana:Rebels? One for lunch today?
Wyatt:Perfect. I’ll reserve a booth, just tell the hostess you’re there to meet me.
My palms sweat bullets as I sit at the booth in Rebels that Wyatt reserved for us. I think Roman questioned why I’m sitting here and not some random girl, but maybe that’s just my paranoia speaking.
“Hey, girl!”
I spin around in the booth to see Emma walking toward me with her daughter Olivia.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” I try to ask her calmly, but inside I’m dying. She needs to go away.
“Just stopped by to see Daddy for lunch.” She tickles under Olivia’s chin, and the little girl giggles.
“Unt Wy!” Olivia points at the door.
“That is Uncle Wy!” She joins, waving at him, and I feel like my stomach is going to fall out of my butt.
“Hey, pretty girls! What are you doing here?” He kisses Emma’s cheek and takes Olivia into his arms.
If I wasn’t so nervous about my whole world imploding right now, I’d be swooning at the sight. Especially because he’s in uniform. That uniform always gets me.
“Hey, Soph. What are you—” He stops, and realization dawns on him. “I knew it.”
“Uh. I don’t know what we’re missing, but I get the feeling that Livvy and I should go back and see Rome. We’ll see you later!” She takes her daughter back and hightails it to the kitchen.
“Wyatt, I’m—”
He cuts me off. “I knew it was you. I had this crazy intuition because you seemed to know about Jack. You didn’t ask enough questions. And the background with the ex, it was too similar.”
“I’m so sorry, Wyatt. I don’t even have an excuse. I just… I don’t know. I needed you as a friend, and this was the way it happened.” He still hasn’t taken his seat. “I’ll go. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
He holds his hand out to stop me as I slide out of the booth. “Don’t think you’re getting off this easy, Goddess.”
Slipping into the booth next to me, he waves the waitress over and places an order for two cheeseburgers with fries. “Now, tell me how we got here. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? You obviously knew who I was.”
“I was afraid. I joined the dating app when we had girls night. Well, technically Emma joined. And sent you a star by accident when she tried to snoop on you. After that, we had margaritas, and it seemed like a good idea to respond. You didn’t want me, so I thought maybe you’d want Giana.” I hang my head in shame.
“This is fucking awesome.” His grin spreads across his face. Even the side that doesn’t quite fully reach his eyes is a little higher than usual.
“I don’t understand.”
He reaches across the table, taking my hands in his. “I was so worried that I was leading Giana on that I had to come clean about you.” Then his face falls and his mouth snaps shut. “Shit.”
“What?”
“Well. I told Giana that I was falling for you.” Now he looks down at the table.
“If you recall, Giana told you to go for it. She must have known that the girl you fell for was falling for you too.” I squeeze his hand, and his head snaps up.
“You are?”
Chuckling, I turn my head from embarrassment. “Is that so hard to believe? You’re a catch, Officer. You’re funny, kind, you give shit as well as you take it, and you give a mean orgasm.”
“Okay, that’s something I didn’t need to hear.” Roman places our food on the table. “I’m not going to tell anyone because you were the first one to congratulate me with Emma. But… Cooper is going to murder you. Just forewarning. He was already in here last night, raising hell with Liam about how you don’t fucking listen.”
