5. Wyatt
Chapter five
Wyatt
W hen Mia came into the workshop at Knox’s place and told him that they needed to postpone their trip for a day because Maizie needed a sitter, I jumped at the opportunity to make myself available. It didn’t hurt that I had Pepper with me, and Colby loves that dog as much as I do.
Since the night at the bar when Lucy signed Maizie up for that dating app, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.
And aside from showing up at her house the next day with the exterminators, I haven’t seen her.
I’ve been working security at Midnight Rose, the strip club that the club owns.
And I had to make my monthly trip to check in on my parents, which never leaves me in a good mood.
I didn’t want to bring my shitty attitude around Maizie.
She’s my friend, but I know damn well there’s some sort of spark between us. And I know she feels it, too.
Maybe I was selfish in thinking I had time.
Maybe I figured there was no way she was going to meet the man of her dreams working at a little bar in Shine.
I’ve never made a move, but there are a million reasons why.
Answers to questions I still haven’t quite figured out.
After all, it isn’t just Maizie I worry about hurting, it’s her son, too.
I grew up with parents who fought all the time until finally getting divorced.
When I was younger, times were better, but things changed and I was caught in the aftermath.
A part of me is scared that I’ll repeat my parents’ mistakes, and the idea of putting Colby through that breaks my fucking heart.
Truth be told, I’ve been interested since I met her almost five years ago.
She was hot, and I was single. I didn't know much about her the first time I saw her working at Thorn and Thistle, but Ozzy was quick to tell me that she was off-limits when I asked about her. He made it clear that she’d just had a kid, and the last thing she needed was anyone fucking with her head.
I respected my prez and the brotherhood enough to listen.
I was free and single and had every intention of keeping my life that way.
But now…now things have changed for me.
When her grandmother passed away, the club did what it always did and rallied around one of our own. Even though she was an employee of the club, she was still ours.
She started coming around the clubhouse with her kid for family dinners Tanya liked to arrange.
The employees from the shop and the bar would get together and eat massive amounts of food and hang at the clubhouse with their families.
Obviously, Maizie never stayed for the festivities that would take place later in the evening, and I found myself less and less inclined to as well.
When Linc got out of prison, and his old lady came into the picture along with Lucy, they started working at the bar as well.
The two girls and Maizie hit it off and became fast friends.
Since my brothers were spending more time there, I tagged along.
That’s when I admitted to myself that my feelings for Maizie started to change. Somewhere along the way, I saw her as more than just our hot bartender who had a kid, and instead started seeing her as a friend. As a gorgeous and strong woman who took care of herself and her kid.
Whenever she needed something, I’d make sure she had it without her having to ask.
Oil change on her car? Check. Leaky faucet?
Turns out I’m a great plumber. Her lawn mower took a shit and she needed her grass cut?
Never let it be said I don’t love to do a little landscaping for my favorite bartender.
It wasn’t that I was doing any of this in the hopes of getting her in bed, but she needed a helping hand, and I have two.
The small things I did for her would turn into a beer when I was finished or dinner if she didn’t have to head into work.
If I was coming by the park to let Colby play with Pepper, I made sure to stop and get her favorite coffee from Cool Beans.
Not because I wanted her to feel indebted to me, but because we’re friends—and that’s what friends do.
But I want more. Have for a while. Since my feelings have changed into something more than friendship, I’ve tried to figure my shit out.
Tried to come to terms with my shitty upbringing and wondered several times over the last couple years if I could even be the man she deserves.
If I have it in me. Ozzy couldn’t possibly take issue with me dating her if my head is on straight, right?
But she’s never really seemed to look at me as anything more than a friend.
Until I showed up at her place tonight.
There was no mistaking the heated look in her stare when she came down the hallway and I was standing in front of her door after Colby let me in.
When I laid eyes on her in her tight black jeans and loose T-shirt that hung off one shoulder, the urge to run my tongue over the bare skin of that shoulder was strong.
Maizie is beautiful, there’s no denying it, and it’s getting harder and harder for me to not walk up to her and press my lips against hers to see how she’d react.
Would she open her pink lips and let me taste her, or would she push me away?
I always thought there was time for me to make a move, more time for me to figure my shit out, but my window is closing thanks to Lucy and that damn dating app.
She was messaging with a guy she matched with when she was leaving.
He put a smile on her face, and I wanted to punch him in the face.
Granted, I have no idea who the hell he is, but I hate him already.
Maybe I could have Jude’s brother break into her account and find out his information.
It wouldn’t be too hard, I’m sure. Then I could pay him a little visit and…
Okay, that might be too far. Although now that the idea has formed in my mind, I’m not sure it’s entirely off the table.
Instead, I did the dumbest thing I possibly could and told her she should meet people. Why I said that, I have no idea. I don’t want her meeting anyone else. I want her to finally see what’s between us. But she seemed happy and a little more relaxed than I’ve seen her lately and I’m…an idiot.
“Come give me a kiss, buddy,” Maizie calls into the other room as we’re standing face to face in her kitchen, awkwardly waiting for Colby to come say goodbye.
Why is it so strained between us all of a sudden?
It’s never like this with me and Maizie.
But she wasn’t messaging other guys any time we hung out before, and I wasn’t telling her it’s a good thing she’s making plans with other guys.
Colby comes bouncing in with Pepper hot on his heels and throws his arms around Maizie’s waist. “I love you, Mommy,” he says, and she bends to kiss the top of his head.
“I love you too, monkey. Be good for Wyatt, yeah?”
He looks up at her with a wide grin. “Can he take me to the park?”
“Not this time, bud. He needs a car seat for his truck, and I don’t have time to put mine in there.”
He gives her a little pout.
“Don’t worry, Colby, we're going to have so much fun here that you won’t miss the park at all,” I tell the disappointed little boy.
“What are we going to do?” he asks.
“Uhh…” Shit, I’ve never watched Colby on my own. I feel like I should ask for a list of age-appropriate activities we’re allowed to do.
“How about you and Pepper run around the backyard? We still have a rope and a few balls for him back there. Then I’ll bet Wyatt will build you a fort in the living room, and you guys can watch movies. After that, you can pick out two books for Wyatt to read before you go to bed.”
Sounds easy enough.
“Okay. Come on, Pepper,” he says and hightails it through the kitchen to the door that leads to their expansive backyard.
“Shit, I really have to go,” Maizie says, looking at the clock on the wall. “You sure you’re good with this?”
I give her the most reassuring smile I can muster and hope she didn’t pick up on the moment of doubt I had. “Of course. I was a five-year-old boy once. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll see you around eleven,” she says, and once again we’re left in an awkward limbo.
“Have a good shift,” I say and step aside so she can move past me. I follow Maizie to the door and watch her get in her car and send her a small wave before shutting the front door.
I make my way to the backyard and have a seat on Maizie’s deck. Colby is running around, playing with the dog, as I enjoy a warm evening in the house of the woman I’ve been pining over without her.
Colby runs over with Pepper trotting behind him. “Can I have a soda?”
“Does your mom let you have soda before dinner?”
“Can I have dinner?”
“Of course, buddy. You should have told me you were hungry.” That unlocks another fear. Has this kid been starving the whole five minutes I’ve been here and didn’t tell me? Would he tell me? Does Maizie have him on some sort of feeding schedule she didn’t tell me about?
“I’m not that hungry, but I really want a soda,” he says.
“Do you know what time you usually eat dinner?”
He shrugs. “I dunno. Whenever I tell my mommy I’m hungry, she usually just gives me something to eat.”
Okay, so he knows how to ask for food. That’s a relief.
Jesus Christ, Wyatt, he’s five, not a baby who can’t talk. Get a grip.
I may be overthinking this whole food thing, but this feels like a test. Not one Maizie set up, I volunteered after all. But still. I think being able to take care of her kid when she’s not around is pretty damn important.
“How about I order us some pizza, and I’ll let you have half a soda before it gets here and the other half with dinner?” That seems reasonable.
“Okay. Come on, Pepper, let's order pizza.”
Colby leads the way into the house, pulls the menu from a drawer, and hands it to me.
“What do you like on it?” I ask.