Chapter 24 Kinley #2
“Right,” Elsa said, “we should get going. Daddy’s calling late tonight, and we want to be wide awake to talk with him.”
“Can we stay just a little bit longer?” Emily asked.
“Honey, everyone has to leave. Right?” She looked at Jeremy and then at Wyatt.
“Jeremy’s spending the night at my mom’s house. Nothing like Grandma spoiling you a bit.”
“And Gran is the best,” Jeremy said. I was surprised that he wasn’t protesting at all at the idea of leaving.
Wyatt checked his watch and then looked at me. “We should get going so we can drop Jeremy off soon.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m ready.”
“Are you here with your car?”
“No. I dropped it off at home after work and Ubered here.”
“Perfect.”
I glanced at Dad.
He was the only one who hadn’t given me any clear signals about Wyatt. But then again, Dad had always been suspicious of everyone. He was the exact opposite of Mom.
“It was great meeting you, son,” Dad said and shook Wyatt’s hand again.
Hmm. I still wasn’t getting a clear message, but Mom looked relaxed. That meant she wasn’t worrying about Dad at all. I felt my body get lighter.
Jeremy looked up at me. “Are you coming too?”
Wyatt answered for me. “Yeah. We’re dropping you off at Grandma’s together.”
Mom smiled from ear to ear, as did my sister.
Dad nodded. “Have fun you two. We’ll be heading out soon as well.”
Then Jeremy and Emily shook hands, which was so adorable that I wanted to hug them both. After that, the three of us left. Wyatt looked at me, beaming. I smiled right back but glanced down at Jeremy.
“What was your favorite part of the zoo, Jeremy?” I asked.
“The lions. I love the lions,” he said without missing a beat. “They’re strong, and Dad said there are places where you can see them in the wild, but he won’t take me there.” He glanced at Wyatt. “Uncle Wyatt, do you like lions?”
“Sure,” he said.
“Then maybe we can go see them in the wild together.”
Hmm, I see what he did there. Clever trick.
Wyatt hesitated for a second before saying, “That could be dangerous, Jeremy. I’m afraid, you know?”
Jeremy gasped. “You’re afraid of lions?”
“Yeah.”
“Should I be afraid?”
“Well, they are wild animals.”
They went back and forth about this until we reached the car. I loved watching Wyatt interact with Jeremy.
Once we were on the road, Jeremy focused on me. “Kinley, do you like lions?”
“Honestly, I’m more of a hippo type of girl.”
“Dad said you can see hippos, too, in the place where there are lions.”
Damn, he was really, really good.
“I think there might be giraffes too,” I said. “And probably elephants.”
I took out my phone to research where safaris were available. Tanzania came up on the list. Most of the tours had clear indications that only older kids were allowed.
“Maybe your dad does plan to take you there when you’re older,” I said. “In the meantime, you know what? There are a lot of documentaries about wildlife as well.”
“But those are lame,” Jeremy replied, folding his arms over his chest.
I looked at him in the rearview mirror. His frown was so damn cute. “You’ll enjoy the trip more if you do research before you go.”
He lowered his arms, and his face opened up as if he’d just had a light bulb moment.
“You’re right. I’ll do research and convince Dad it’s the best thing ever. And Uncle Wyatt, if you’re not afraid, you can come too.”
Wyatt winked at me, and we continued to chat about the pros and cons of being prepared when you go on a trip.
Wyatt’s mom lived in a gorgeous ranch-style home with a neat yard in the front. The second we were out of the car, Jeremy ran to the front door.
“I’ll wait for you here,” I replied.
Wyatt took my hand. “No, you won’t.” He caressed the back of my hand with his thumb. “Mom will be happy to see you.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah.”
My heart was beating fast, but I didn’t even have time to overthink it because Jeremy simply opened the front door and went in.
“Wow, no knocking, huh?”
Wyatt chuckled and took my hand, and then we stepped inside too.
“Grandma, I’m here. Oh, Grandpa, you’re here too,” I heard Jeremy say.
As the two of them came into view, I felt as if we were intruding. Both of them wore aprons and were elbow-deep kneading dough.
“Will you look at that,” Susan said, looking at the clock. “We totally lost track of time.”
“Hey, Jeremy,” Bruce greeted his grandson.
“Grandpa, are you staying with us too?”
“I’ll stay for a bit, sure. I was just helping your grandma with a new project. Homemade bread,” he told Wyatt and me.
Wyatt looked between his parents with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
“Kinley, so good to see you again,” Susan told me.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “We were all at the zoo.”
“Who is we?” she asked, frowning slightly.
“My family went to the zoo, and Wyatt and Jeremy met up with us there,” I explained.
Susan looked at Wyatt with a huge smile on her face. “Is that so?”
Oh, moms. They know us better than anyone.
“Well, all right, then, Jeremy. Let’s eat. I made you pizza,” she told him.
“Where is it?” Jeremy asked, looking at the oven.
“Already cooling in the living room.”
He darted out of the kitchen area without even saying goodbye. Then Susan looked at us. “That leaves you two. There’s nothing left to say except have fun.”
Wyatt nodded. “Thank you. Dad, do you want us to drop you off?”
Bruce waved him off. “Oh, nonsense. I’m here with my car, of course. I’ll just help Susan finish the bread, and then I’ll be on my way.”
Wyatt narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything else.
“All right, then. Let’s get going,” I said.
Wyatt nodded. We bid Jeremy goodbye, but he was too busy slicing up the pizza to pay much attention to us.
As we left the house, Wyatt put his hands on his hips. “I bet Dad will spend the night here.”
“So what? They’re grown-ups,” I countered.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll get used to it,” he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than me, but then his expression changed, his eyes twinkling. “The rest of the night is all ours.”
“Yes, it is. Whatever shall we do?”
“I suggest I whisk you off to Coronado.”
“And have your way with me in that huge house of yours?”
“Exactly.”
I tapped a finger against my chin. “Hmm. Let me think. Wait! I’ve already thought about it, and yep, that sounds great.”
Wyatt grinned as we headed to the car. The drive was scenic, especially as we crossed the bridge. I kept looking out the window, the lights all over the city casting a nice glow on the water.
“I love San Diego,” I said.
“So do I. I especially like Coronado,” Wyatt said. “My family thought I was losing my mind when I told them I was buying a huge-ass mansion there. Now they keep inviting themselves over.”
I laughed. “Don’t act like you don’t love having them there.”
“I do love it.”
“So, they were against the move?”
“They were surprised because it’s more expensive than all the other neighborhoods. But I like my comfort. And I do like the neighborhood a lot.”
“I can see why. And I absolutely love your house,” I said just as we reached it.
God, I still couldn’t get used to how huge it was.
When we stepped inside, Wyatt turned to me. “Where do you want us to start the night? Want to order food?”
“Nah, that ice cream was enough. I don’t need anything more.” He agreed, and I suggested, “Why don’t we head out to the pool?”
He grinned. “Oh, you read my mind.”