"Maybe it just wasn't meant to be," he said to Rico in a hopeless, miserable voice. "I don't know what I have to offer anyway."
"Wow, the self-pity party is on. What do you need to offer? You're hot. He's hot," Rico said then he started to reconsider. "But isn't it weird dating someone who is saddled with two kids?"
Sam was surprised at the question, but it did make him realize that for someone their age, it was kind of unusual. Judging by his expression, Rico didn't seem like he would be thrilled to find himself dating a guy who had children.
"Would you date a guy who had kids?" Sam asked him straight out.
"Hmm." Rico had to think about it hard. "He would have to have a lot going for him," he finally decided.
"Wyatt does have a lot going for him," Sam said though he didn't know why he was sticking up for him.
"I'm talking about piles and piles of money," Rico listed. "But I hear your guy has some cute, little dogs, and that's almost as good." Rico rolled his eyes, so it was a safe bet that dogs didn't tip the scales for him.
"You're mocking me when I'm depressed," Sam pointed out.
"It's good for you," Rico said and backhanded his arm lightly.
"Like lifting furniture? Your grandmother told me it would cure my depression," Sam told him.
"That is so her. Did it work?"
"A little bit," Sam admitted, but he knew that nothing would cure the painful feeling that gripped his heart. He felt a constant pressure in his chest, a tearing pain that wouldn't go away. Wyatt was the cause of it, but without him it would only get worse.
Why did it have to hurt so much to be away from him? Why the hell did he want to see him so bad?
Chapter 20
It had been too long since their first official date and that night spent in Sam's room. Wyatt wanted to smile every time he thought of it, but then he remembered how he had barely seen Sam since that day at the café when he got mad at him.
Sam didn't want to meet up, and Wyatt got too busy to go and see him and have it out. The whole time he was apart from him, Wyatt pictured him hanging out with Rico. Sure Sam got mad when he accused him of wanting to spend time with Rico instead of him, but what if he was right?
That thought just wouldn't leave him alone. He had to straighten this out or he would lose his mind.
Today bright and early Wyatt was taking the kids into town so he could do some volunteer work for the Peach Blossom Festival. Sam was going to be there a little later, and Wyatt couldn't wait to see him so they could talk.
The kids were supposed to be getting ready to go, but Wyatt could hear their hushed voices out in the hallway. A quick search and Wyatt found them huddled together by the open door of the coat closet.
"We can't keep it. We have to give it to Uncle Wyatt," DJ was saying.
Then Wyatt heard Riley pleading, "Just for a little bit."
Going over to see what had caused all this urgent whispering, Wyatt asked them, "What's going on, guys?"
In answer, DJ held out a fairly nondescript, gray jacket. Was that what they were talking about just now? DJ explained. "It's Mom's gardening jacket. It was in there," he said pointing at the hall closet.
Wyatt realized that it must have been overlooked when all the other stuff got cleared out.
"It was Dad's jacket first," Riley said.
"It got ripped right here," DJ said and pointed to a patched spot on the shoulder. "Mom fixed it then she said, 'I'm keeping it for gardening. And Dad said, 'It looks cuter on you anyway.'" DJ said it like he had carefully memorized every word that his parents said to each other.
"It smells like Mom's lotion, but DJ said we can't keep it," Riley said and both boys looked incredibly sad as tears filled their eyes.
Now that Wyatt understood how precious it was to them, there was no way he was going to make them give it up.
"You can keep it. Where do you want to put it?" he asked them and they sniffled with both profound sadness and relief.
The boys thought about it for a minute then DJ said, "Can we keep it in our room?"
