"I have to work. The cafe is at full capacity. And with so many people around, I'll be fine," Sam said.
Wyatt didn't want to leave him, but he saw his point. He should be safe at the café. "OK, but after that I'll come to pick you up," Wyatt decided. Sam had already agreed to come over for dinner with Raquel.
Sam wouldn't let him do that either. "No, I'll come on my own. I'm fine now."
"Sam..." Wyatt said, ready to insist.
But Sam locked eyes with him as he said, "Let me do this. I don't want to feel helpless."
When he put it like that, Wyatt couldn't push him. Plus it would still be light out when he got off work. "OK, but I'll be texting you every two minutes to make sure you're OK."
"Wyatt, I'll be working. I'll text you when my hands are free," Sam said sternly, but Wyatt still planned to text him constantly. He knew he wouldn't be able to help himself.
"You're definitely staying over at the house tonight."
"I'm not even sure I saw..." Sam started to object, but when it came to this, Wyatt wasn't backing down.
"Doesn't matter. We should be cautious. And I might have ulterior motives."
"If you put it like that," Sam said with a grin and leaned in to kiss Wyatt.
Though he hated to leave Sam, he ended up collecting the kids and their lunch and going home. The whole way home, he couldn't stop seeing Sam huddled on the ground, unable to breathe, shaking and so pale. He recovered pretty fast, but what if they hadn't been there? Wyatt never wanted him to feel alone. He wanted to be there to put his arms around Sam any time he might need him.
Chapter 28
It was early afternoon when Raquel arrived, and Wyatt found some relief from worrying about Sam and texting him nonstop. Raquel hugged him while telling him that the place was cute and he looked good. "A million times better than the last time I saw you," she said.
As she then turned her attention to DJ and Riley, Wyatt introduced them. "This is Raquel, my best friend. This young man is DJ and this is Riley, and they are the best nephews in the world."
"And so cute," Raquel said. "Can I hug you guys?"
"Yes," Riley said right away and opened his arms. DJ wasn't as eager, but he let her hug him and gave her a small smile. "Now you hug Barney and Brownie," Riley instructed her.
Raquel was game. "I know you, sweet boy. And look at you, sweet Brownie."
"Now you hugged everybody," Riley told her.
Raquel had come bearing gifts, and now that the kids had opened them, there were bits of colorful wrapping paper everywhere.
"Look at this place. We have a guest and Sam is coming over. We better clean up," Wyatt told the boys.
DJ sprang into action and started picking up the wrapping paper, but Riley was too busy playing with their new toys and showing them to Barney and Brownie. He didn't have time to help out. DJ wasn't happy to see that.
"Riley, help us clean. If we're messy, Sam won't like us and he won't want to come here any more," DJ said to his little brother.
"Oh, no!" Riley said in alarm and jumped up to help.
Wyatt had to step in and tell them, "Sam would still like us even if we were messy."
Riley took that the wrong way though. "I don't have to clean," he concluded and got ready to get back to playing.
"You still have to help us clean," Wyatt informed him and watched him pout while he picked up.
Raquel was laughing at them. "I'm going to go get my stuff from the car."
"I'll help," Wyatt told her and went with her to her car. "That Ry is just like me. When I was a kid, there was no chore I wouldn't try to talk my way out of doing."
"I think I can see it," Raquel said as she handed Wyatt a garment bag and got the rest herself. "So is DJ a lot like your brother?"
