19. Wyatt
CHAPTER 19
Wyatt
MAN-TO-MAN
I don’t sleep a fucking wink that night—or the next.
I’m the first in the kitchen at the New House at half past three on Monday morning. I blearily scoop coffee into the coffee maker and fill it with water, yawning nonstop while I wait for the pot to brew.
I’m dragging ass. But I also feel wired, gripped by this insane, nervous energy I’ve never experienced before rattling through my body like a dog that won’t stop barking.
It’s the worst combination ever. My knees ache, and my eyes feel like sandpaper.
Also, my dick won’t stay down. That’s been fun.
It’s been less than thirty-six hours since I last saw Sally. But you’d think I’d been in the desert for forty fucking days and forty fucking nights for how deprived I feel.
For how nervous I am about the nice, normal conversation I’m about to have with nice, normal people.
Hello, parents. I adore your daughter, and I would very much like to date her. I promise I’ll treat her the way she deserves. The end.
That’s it. That’s all I have to say to John B and Patsy .
They know me. They love me. Hopefully, that means they’ll recognize that while I might have had my fun in the past, I’m serious when it comes to their daughter. They have to know I’d never intentionally mess with Sally or break her heart.
They have to know my intentions—my heart—are good. I’m opening up in a way I never have before, and that’s all because of Sally. Surely, they’ll see that.
Why then am I so fucking nervous?
Why can’t I stop smiling like an idiot, despite those nerves?
“I want you to be my guy. Not just the guy I have a good time with. But the guy I call, and confide in, and come home to.”
“I want you to stay.”
Only been waiting twelve years to hear those words.
I meant what I said when I told Sally I hadn’t been ready for her when we were younger. Not because I was stupid, necessarily—I did some really stupid shit, don’t get me wrong—but because I wasn’t ready to let someone in. I didn’t know how to be vulnerable. I hadn’t understood yet that trust was a two-sided coin. Yeah, you risk a lot when you trust someone not to break your heart, but you also have a lot to gain.
The poker player in me should’ve recognized that reward only comes with risk. Guess I needed Sally to teach me that lesson for it to really stick.
The coffeepot gurgles, letting me know it’s ready. I pour myself a giant cup and load it with cream and sugar. The mug stings my fingers as I bring it to my lips, my eyes rolling to the back of my head at the first sip.
Ain’t as good as Patsy’s coffee, but it’s still pretty damn delicious.
Sally and I agreed we’d chat with her parents first thing this morning. I wanted to see her yesterday. I wanted it so bad that I sent her a text before the sun was up, asking if I could take her out for another ride on the horses. She’d seemed to really enjoy that the day before.
Almost as much as she liked riding my mouth.
Goddamn, how much is this girl gonna like riding me? I’m fucking dying just thinking about it. I just don’t want to be doing that shit behind anyone’s backs.
I don’t want to be anyone’s dirty little secret. Not that Sally ever made me feel that way. But it’ll be nice to date her out in the open.
To love her the way I’ve always wanted to love her.
I almost think she might love me too. She didn’t just like my tattoo; she was obsessed with it. She appreciated the thought that had gone into it, the sentiment behind it.
She understood and definitely didn’t seem turned off by it.
In fact, it seemed to turn her on in a big way.
I was all set yesterday to meet Sally at our horse barn, but then she got a call about an injured filly at a nearby ranch. She ended up spending the morning performing emergency surgery, and by the time she was done, I was tied up with a tractor that wouldn’t start and then a busted irrigation pipe that had flooded a good bit of the southwest pasture.
Sally texted me good night at seven thirty, which I missed because I was helping Sawyer put Ella to bed. She doesn’t want to stay in her room these days, so bedtime has been a struggle. When I offered to help, I swear Sawyer teared up for a second he was so grateful. And so exhausted, but I guess that’s parenthood for you.
By the time I was able to respond to Sally a little after eight, she already had her notifications silenced.
I miss her.
I already have so many ideas for our first date. This Friday. My place because I want her all to myself. I also like that the commute between the dinner table and the bedroom is thirty seconds. Less if I throw Sally over my shoulder and take her there myself.
I don’t cook, and I don’t know wine, but luckily, I have friends who do. I’ve already drafted the texts I’ll send Mollie and Patsy.
Speaking of Mollie, I’m gonna need to talk to Cash after my chat with the Powells this morning. Hopefully, he’ll also see that I’m doing everything above board. I just need to convince him to trust me.
Sally does. And she’s the smartest out of all of us.
Surely, my brother will come around. If he doesn’t…well, he’ll just have to get over it because I’m done wasting my time by not spending it with Sally.
I look up at the sound of the back door opening. My heart thunders when I see John B step into the kitchen.
He is alone, and he has a grave look on his face.
Shit.
“Mornin’.” It takes effort to sound normal. “Coffee’s ready. Can I pour you a cup?”
John B takes off his Stetson and hangs it on the rack by the door. He runs a hand through his thick gray hair. “Already had some, thanks.”
“Patsy not with you?”
“She and Sally were a little ways behind me in Patsy’s truck. I got an early start.”
My heart is in my throat now. I take a long, slow sip of coffee and pray like hell John B isn’t about to punch me in the nose. Does he already know? How did he find out? Sally tell him? Or someone else run their fucking mouth?
He puts his hands on the edge of the nearby countertop. “Sally said y’all wanted to talk to Patsy and me. Wouldn’t say what it was about.”
So that’s why he’s early. He has his suspicions about what Sally and I are going to say, and he wants to talk about it, man-to-man, before the girls get here .
Don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one.
“Sir, I want to date your daughter.”
Just coming out with it is a gamble. But John B is a man of few words. He never beats around the bush. I’m hoping he’ll appreciate me getting right to the heart of what I’m here to say.
There’s an unpleasant tug in my chest when John B lets out a long, aggravated sigh.
“Look, Wyatt. I love you like a son. You’ve always been good to Sally and to Patsy and me. I know you mean well.”
I bring my mug to my lips, hoping the coffee will wash away the taste of bile in my mouth. “But?”
He meets my eyes. “Every father believes his daughter is special. But Sally—she’s got enormous talent and even more potential. I’ve been a veterinarian for over thirty years, and I’ve never seen someone even come close to what Sally can do. She’s smart. She’s intuitive. She has excellent bedside manner.”
Do not think about how hot Sally is when she forgets her manners.
Do. Not ? —
Fuck, I’m already thinking about the way she spit on my dick and then licked it up like I was a lollipop.
“She’s the best in the business,” I manage, clearing my throat. “But we always knew she would be.”
John B eyes me. “Exactly my point. Sally is meant for greater things than Hartsville could ever give her. I have a lot of regrets about not being able to achieve more in my career, and I’ll be damned if Sally has those regrets too.”
The dagger plunges deep. John B would never intentionally hurt or offend me—I know he has an appreciation for how good I am at my job, for how hard I work—but his words are like a knife nonetheless.
He said that Hartsville’s not good enough for his daughter. But what I hear is that I’m not good enough for her. I’ll only be another choice she’ll regret.
Anger flares inside my gut. Doing my best to keep it in check, I sip my coffee. “I hope you know I would never limit Sally or try to tie her down. I respect the hell out of her talent. I also respect her opinion. She knows what she wants, John. We have to trust her to make the right choices for herself. You and I, we don’t have any business meddling.”
He stares me down. “Sally is going to New York, and she’s going to take the job there. That’s where her focus needs to be. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? Of course you do. You just said we can’t meddle.” He tilts his head. “Y’all are adults. I can’t stop you from doing what y’all want to while Sally is here. But you have to promise me, Wyatt, that come the end of December, she’s not going to be second-guessing our plan. She’s moving to Ithaca.”
And you’re not going with her .
He doesn’t say that last part, but he doesn’t need to. I’m picking up what he’s laying down. He’s fine with Sally having her fun with me. But we can’t get serious because apparently, he thinks Sally falling in love with me would mess with her head.
He thinks I’d hold her back.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, John.” Looking down at the dregs of my coffee, I rotate my mug in my hands. “I’m offended by your insinuation that I’m somehow bad for Sally. No one wants to see that woman soar more than I do.” I look him in the eye. “You have my word on that.”
He looks at me for a long beat before he swipes his palm over the countertop. “I’m sorry. Wasn’t my intention to offend you. But we all know you can be…a bit of a wild card.”
I inwardly wince. He’s not wrong.
Neither am I when I reply, “Not when it comes to Sally.”
“I just need you to understand what a big deal this job is, Wyatt. I know Sally has her doubts about it. I’m not blind. Is being a surgeon at one of the world’s top hospitals going to be easy? Hell no. But the sacrifices will be worth it. Getting the job, succeeding at it—that’s the ultimate goal. Do. Not. Stand in her way.” His face is red.
Wow, he’s pissed .
“Have I ever stood in her way before?” I stare at him, pulse thumping in my temples. “Not once. Not a single time over the past twenty years have I ever prevented her from reaching her potential. I’ve never messed with her head before, and I’m not gonna do it now. Even if I tried, Sally wouldn’t have patience for it. You and I both know she’d tell me to go to hell.”
“Maybe.” John B’s jaw twitches. “Maybe not. But I have your word that you’ll let her go when the time comes?”
Emotion clogs my windpipe, making it difficult to breathe. To think. I can’t tell if I’m mostly angry or sad or what. I just know this conversation has left me ripped up and hollow inside, like a hurricane just tore through me.
I’m damn proud of myself for being honest— mostly honest anyway—with Sally after more than a decade of bottling up my feelings.
I’m stupid happy I get to date her and touch her and teach her. I’m beyond excited about the time we’re going to spend together.
But John B’s disapproval dims all that.
I didn’t expect him to be thrilled about me dating Sally.
I also didn’t expect him to basically tell me to lay off because, clearly, I’m not good enough for his daughter.
Clearly , I’m going to lead her down a path that will break her heart and wreck her spirit and spell out death for her very bright future.
Prove him wrong.
That voice inside me is a familiar one. It’s the voice that’s been pushing me to try new things lately. To believe new things about myself, the past, the world .
I could let John B’s words crush me. Or I could let them motivate me to show him I’m not the wild card who will keep Sally from achieving her potential.
I’m the man who’s gonna help her make her dreams come true. Every last one of them.
Setting my mug on the counter, I wipe my hands. “If that’s what’s right, then yes. Yes, I’ll absolutely let Sally go.”
John B opens his mouth, but thankfully, Patsy and Sally arrive, their cheeks flushed from the cold as they step into the warmth of the kitchen. Patsy sets down a bag of groceries at her feet.
Sally’s eyes immediately find mine. There’s a sharp, sudden drop in my chest when she smiles, her expression bright. “Morning, y’all.”
Yep, fuck John B and his bullshit insinuations. I can be good to this girl.
I am good for this girl.
Crossing the kitchen, I nod at Sally’s jacket. “Lemme get that?”
“Sure.” Sally turns around and unzips it.
I smile when I see that it’s a Carhartt. Sally can be fancy, but she’s country too.
I fucking love it.
I feel Patsy’s eyes on us as I help Sally take off the jacket. There’s no awkwardness now, no hesitation. My fingers brush Sally’s neck, and I see her bite her lip as she rolls back her shoulders. I pull off the Carhartt and hang it on a nearby hook.
“Such a gentleman,” Patsy says.
Sally looks up at me, her eyes dancing. “When he wants to be.”
“Here, Patsy, let me get yours too.”
“I can do that,” John B grunts.
“I know.” Patsy grins. “But cowboys do it?—”
“Please don’t finish that thought,” Sally says .
“Please do,” I say with a snicker.
I hang up Patsy’s jacket and pick up the groceries.
That’s when she claps her hands, turns to Sally and me, and says, “So how long have y’all been more than friends?”
Sally’s eyes go wide. I nearly drop the groceries.
“Seriously, Mom, you can’t—God, you can’t just blurt things like that.” Sally cuts me a glance. “We’re, um…we’ve?—”
“Been official for all of three minutes now.” I drape my free arm across Sally’s shoulders and step forward, pressing my body against hers. “John B and I were just talkin’ about it. Sally and I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page before we shared the news with anybody else.”
“I knew it!” Patsy throws her arms in the air. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Y’all have been acting mighty strange lately. And I coulda sworn I saw a hickey on Sally’s neck the other?—”
“It wasn’t a hickey,” Sally replies.
John B sighs. “I beg you, don’t elaborate.”
“Beard burn?” Patsy asks.
Sally’s face is red as a beet, but she’s smiling. “Yes.”
“Oh, y’all, I’m so happy for you!” Patsy goes up on her toes and pulls us in for an awkward group hug. “I’ve only been waiting for this to happen for twenty years.”
Sally scrunches her brow. “Twenty years?”
“Your second-grade teacher couldn’t get over how inseparable the two of you were.” Patsy falls back on her heels. “Apparently, Wyatt was always talking about you bein’ his girlfriend back then.”
“You didn’t!” Sally gasps.
I chuckle. “I did. I hoped the rumor would get back around to you and you’d say yes, but I guess that never happened.”
“Timing is everything,” Patsy singsongs. “The universe wanted you to get together now, and here we are! So when can we go on a double date?”
“Never,” Sally teases.
I gently elbow her. “Aw, c’mon, Sunshine. That would be fun.”
I glance at John B, who’s watching us with a strange look on his face. He’s glowering, but there’s also this softness in his eyes when he looks at Sally.
Maybe because she’s glowing. Eyes bright. Cheeks pink. Shiny, clear skin.
She’s a bundle of happy, smiling energy, despite the fact that it’s four fucking a.m.
She looks good in a pair of broken-in Levi’s and one of the Lucky River Ranch sweatshirts Mollie and Wheeler designed.
“Ranches need swag,” Mollie had explained.
Wheeler had nodded. “Cute swag. The best swag.” Then she’d asked Duke to be the model for the men’s stuff they designed.
They should’ve asked Sally to model for them, too, because she fucking rocks this shit. Paired with a ponytail and a pair of Ariats, the shirt and the jeans scream cowgirl.
Because Sally is a cowgirl. It’s less an occupation and more of a state of mind.
“You all right over there, Dad?” Sally asks, curling an arm around my waist before she rests her head on my chest.
My pulse skips several beats.
“I’m all right,” he says. “Y’all be smart, okay?”
Patsy cuts him a look before turning back to us. “Y’all be whatever you want. Obviously, safe sex is good sex?—”
“I think it’s time to make breakfast.” Sally glances up at me. “Don’t you, Wyatt?”
“I do, Sally. I could eat a horse.”
Sally’s eyes ignite. Her mouth curls into a secret smile. I know the reply is on the tip of her tongue— Eat me instead.
I know that because I know her .
I know she’s quick and witty and she has a salty sense of humor.
Now I also know that she really likes it when I eat her pussy.
Yep. Next time she’s thinking about that, we’re gonna be in my kitchen, at my house. Instead of unpacking the groceries and helping her mama make bowls of cheesy grits, topped with fried eggs and brisket, I’m gonna sit Sally on the counter, I’m gonna get on my knees, and I’m gonna give her what she’s asking for.
I’m gonna make her come, my name on her lips.