Chapter 17
Taylor
I shot Wyatt an apologetic look as I swiped to answer. It wasn’t the best time, but I hadn’t spoken to my brother in months. That meant I didn’t have to fake the smile that lit up my face as soon as he came onto my screen.
“Chris! Abby!” My smile widened when I spotted my niece beside him. “Oh, wow, you’re almost as tall as me.”
“You can’t even see me, Aunt TayTay.” She giggled, flicking her blonde curls at how ridiculous I was being. She was the most adorable little thing, having very little of her milk teeth left at eight years old.
“Oh, I can see enough. I can tell how big and tall you’ve gotten,” I replied.
“I heard from Alex that you were stuck out in the mountains somewhere.” Christian seemed relieved to see that I was okay. “How are you doing? I mean, she said you’re fine, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
Wyatt had risen from the couch and I could feel her presence near, even if I couldn’t see her.
She’d gone to get more firewood from the small storage closet in the back.
Our gazes locked briefly, and something unspoken passed between us.
She threw me a wink, her arms laden with logs, and went to kneel by the fireplace.
“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine,” I assured my brother. “I was a bit banged up, but nothing serious.”
“Banged up?” Christian’s brow furrowed slightly, but for Abby’s sake he didn’t freak out or anything. “Alex told me you were stuck out there, but she didn’t say anything about being hurt.”
I bit my lip, feeling a little guilty. “I didn’t want them to worry, so I didn’t say anything. And it really wasn’t that bad, anyway. I mean it, I’m fine.”
“TayTay, I miss you.” Abby waved at the camera with her pudgy fingers. “Daddy said we can come visit in the summer.”
“Awww, I miss you too, munchkin.” I blew her a kiss. “How about I come visit you before the summer? How does that sound?”
Her eyes grew large with excitement, and she jumped up and down on her dad’s lap. “Yay!”
Christian and I fell into easy conversation, revolving around the storm, life back home, and how everyone was doing. But the whole while my thoughts were never too far from Wyatt, who was just out of sight behind me, yet felt so close.
The electrifying tension still lingered in the air, even during my check-in with Christian. There was no denying that things had heated up as much as they could between us. All that was left now was for that heat to boil over.
“Who’s that?” Abby pointed to a spot over my right shoulder.
She’d caught sight of the Lab as he walked across the room, and her curiosity was piqued. I patted my leg, calling him over, and Michael Keaton bounded to me with his tongue out, tail wagging.
“This is Mr. Michael Keaton.” I scratched his jowls as I held his head in place so she could get a good look at him. “He’s the master of the house, and almost as cute as you are.”
Abby’s face brightened as though I’d introduced her to Santa Claus, himself. “Hi, Mr. Michael Keaton! I like your tail.” She beamed.
Michael Keaton gave a soft bark, his way of greeting her. The animation sent Abby into a tizzy, and she looked like she wanted to clamber right through the phone.
“Can he do any tricks?” she asked.
Christian shook his head with a laugh. “Give Daddy and Aunt TayTay a second to catch up, would you?”
“It’s okay, she’s much better company than her dad,” I chided, sharing a good giggle with Abby. “Here, watch this…”
I stood up, taking it easy on my left leg.
I was doing much better, but my injury would still stitch every now and again if I wasn’t careful with it.
Wyatt’s watchful gaze never left me, her wood stacking momentarily forgotten.
She was sure to keep out of frame, but I knew that if I were so much as to stumble she’d be right at my side to keep me from hitting the ground.
“Mr. Michael Keaton.” I adopted the firm voice I’d heard Wyatt use. Then, without knowing whether it would work or not, I copied a move I’d seen her do with him—twirling my forefinger in a circle, pointing down.
The Lab, happily panting, spun round and round at my feet, his eyes glued to my finger. I snatched it back into a fist, and he instantly stopped. Then I opened my fist, flat palm facing down, and Michael Keaton went down onto his belly. When I flipped my hand over, he rolled onto his back.
Abby screeched with delighted laughter, clapping her hands enthusiastically. “Again, again! Mr. Michael Keaton is so cool! Did you teach him? Can I make him do one? How old is he?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Chris intervened with an exasperated chuckle. “Remember what I told you about one question at a time, sweetie?”
“I want to play with him, Daddy.” She pouted, her chubby cheeks blowing out to almost double their size.
That made him laugh out loud. “We’re halfway across the country, Abs. You can’t play with him right now.”
“Yes, she can.”
I looked up, and Wyatt was coming to stand beside me. She smiled at Abby, giving Chris a slight nod.
“Uh… this is Wyatt,” I started hesitantly, surprised she’d willingly put herself on camera. The Wyatt I’d come to know over the past few days would’ve avoided people at any cost. “She, uh, this is her cabin.”
I could’ve said she was the one who saved me. I could’ve told my brother that I was pretty sure I was falling in love with her.
But I didn’t.
“Pleased to meet you, Wyatt.” Chris gave a small wave, his polite smile giving away all the unasked questions that were so clearly milling around behind his eyes.
“Is Mr. Michael Keaton your dog?” Abby asked. “I want a dog, Daddy. Aunt TayTay, can you get me a dog like Mr. Michael Keaton?”
Chris and I laughed, utterly defeated by Abby’s endless questions.
“Yes, he is my dog.” Wyatt smiled. “And I’ll show you a cool trick you can do with him. Here-” Wyatt motioned for me to bring the phone down to Michael Keaton’s level. “Okay, Abby, hold up your hand to the camera.”
My niece diligently did as she was told, her pink palm taking up most of the screen. I found myself rapt with the scene unfolding in front of me, with how in the world Wyatt was going to have Abby play with the dog. I could tell by the look on Chris’ face that he was on the same wavelength.
“Here, buddy.” Wyatt clicked her fingers, making Michael Keaton look at the screen.
He spotted Abby’s hand, then got up and trotted over to the phone. Then, without hesitation, he lifted his paw to her palm in a kind of doggy high-five.
Abby’s high-pitched screech of absolute glee pierced my ears, and she descended into a fit of happy giggles. Wyatt winked at me, then quietly moved back to her spot at the fireplace.
“Good boy, Mr. Michael Keaton,” Abby commended him once she’d regained control of her delight. “Can you do it again? Huh, boy? Can you give me a high five?”
She held her palm up again, and true to form, Michael Keaton didn’t disappoint.
“He’s a smart fella,” Chris observed against a backdrop of his daughter’s endless chorus of ‘good boy’ and ‘you’re so cute’.
I thought about how the Lab was the reason I was alive in the first place and nodded firmly.
“He was the one who found me out there, in the snow,” I explained, and Chris seemed genuinely impressed. “I’d say smart is an understatement.”
“I’d agree,” he said, and the expression in his eyes softened. “I’m really happy you’re safe, Tay. One less thing to worry about.”
We continued our catch-up, although I noticed Wyatt watching with a distinct warmth in her eyes. It was just a regular call with my brother and his kid, but something about having her there made it seem intimate. The first time sharing my family with her.
It was unchartered territory for me—I’d never had this kind of ease and closeness with the brief dalliances of my past. Either I knew they weren’t women I’d want to stick around, or they decided not to stick around.
Just as I was about to mouth a silent ‘thank you’ to Wyatt for helping make Abby’s day, the cabin was plunged into darkness. The square holding my brother and niece went black, call dropped. The abrupt change from the warm, familial conversation to complete blackness was jarring.
“What’s going on?” I looked around, half expecting the answer to come at me from the shadows.
Wyatt struck a match, crouching in front of the fireplace, and ignited the kindling she’d prepared for later.
“Power outage,” she murmured, the soft orange glow dancing on her face.