Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“She didn’t do it.” Thoreau cleared his throat, joining them on the other side and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, though he was still thrown. “She was coming back before the fire, Wyatt. She told me that. She didn’t go through with it.”
Wyatt nodded, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck. “You came back,” he said, his voice muffled. “That’s all that matters.”
“Wyatt. I came back because—”
He lifted his head, eyes fierce. “No, listen to me first. I get that you didn’t have a family you could rely on, and I understand how important it is to you to make your own way. I’ll work harder to listen before I make snap judgments, but you need to try and be more honest with me. With us.” He swallowed hard. “And if you still want to do something like that, do it here, where we can take care of you.”
Fiona glanced over at Thoreau, a stunned expression on her face before she turned back to Wyatt. “You would be okay with that?”
He wiped her tears away and stared into her eyes. “It’s not my first choice, but if it’s what you needed to do to feel safe… Owen and Jeremy have been looking into that, you know. Can you imagine my cousin the quarterback as a parent?”
She laughed, traces of disbelief still lingering and Wyatt leaned in to kiss her again when his phone rang from the other room. “Shit, that’s Tanaka’s ring. He never calls me unless it’s important. I’ll be right back.”
Thoreau brought her to her feet and into his arms, hugging her close. He was the understanding one, he reminded himself firmly. He’d been her friend before they were lovers. He even understood the logic behind her decision. Or he was trying to.
But the lying was hard for him to stomach.
She pressed her cheek against his chest. “You’re being so quiet. Did Wyatt surprise you?” She took a breath and chuckled. “He surprised me.”
Thoreau leaned back and cupped her cheek. “He shouldn’t have. He’s been pretty up-front about how he feels, Fi, and so far he’s run through every gauntlet. Passed every test you’ve given him.”
Her brows furrowed and she looked up at him with hurt in her eyes. “You think I’ve been testing him? Testing you?”
His phone chose that moment to ring, and he silenced it without looking.
“Sorry about that.” Thoreau sighed. “I don’t think you’ve been doing it on purpose. You’d never hurt anyone if you could help it. But you need to start realizing that there’s a point when good, healthy skepticism can be replaced by cynical, self-fulfilling sabotage.”
He honestly couldn’t remember them having a serious fight before, but he saw a spark in her eyes that told him they might be headed in that direction. “First testing, now sabotage? I sound like a catch.”
She gave a frustrated little growl. “Okay, I’m sorry I lied, Thoreau. I knew you’d try to talk me out of it and he’d find a way to ground the plane and I just wanted to take care of it. To clean my financial slate and have the space to think about my future.”
“Your future,” he emphasized. “You are so damn good at helping other people, Fiona. I’ve never seen anyone more aware or empathetic, more in touch with human emotions. As long as they don’t belong to you or the two men in love with you. The men who’ve been trying to show you they want a future with you.”
“Wyatt is—”
“In love with you,” Thoreau said in a low voice, unwilling to back down. “Out of all of us, he’s done the most to prove that these last few years. To earn you. You’ve turned him away, challenged him, fought with him. You moved in with me. And he’s rolled with all of it. Not smoothly or easily, but unceasingly. And now he’s here. Putting in the time. Making peace with this—with us—to show you how much he loves you. Can you point to anything we’ve done to meet him halfway? To show him how much he matters?”
Fiona went so pale he worried she might pass out.
“Fuck.” He put his arms around her. “I’m not trying to fight with you, Fi. I swear. I’m trying to get you to wake up and see what we have here. What we could have, if you let us in all the way. If you tell us the truth.”
His phone rang again and he growled as he looked at the screen. “Sorry, it’s my sister and she’s not going to give up until I answer. Give me a second and I’ll get rid of her.”
She nodded, still looking stunned. “I have to get dressed anyway. This isn’t a bathrobe conversation. I’ll be right back.”
He let her go reluctantly and picked up. “Hey, Shell, I’m kind of busy right now. Can I—”