Wylie #2
Wylie climbed on top of him and took advantage of his position to lay a big, sloppy kiss on his lips.
Diego caught his head and deepened the kiss into something more meaningful and tender.
How could Wylie not get mixed signals when Diego did things like that?
It totally contradicted his stance on keeping this “friendly” and “casual.” Every time Diego rolled over to show him his belly and beg for more, Wylie got deeper into his feelings for the man.
Wylie was leaving tomorrow, and no promises had been made beyond friendship. He knew that deep down, Diego wanted the same thing as him, he was just too scared to pursue it. Trouble was, Wylie didn’t know how to fix that.
“Be good,” Wylie said, leaning back to trace the man’s mouth with his finger, getting lost in the impossible depths of those warm brown eyes.
“Always,” Diego said gruffly. He made no move to get up or remove Wylie from his warm embrace, and instead stared back at him with so many conflicting emotions and wrapped his big arms around his waist to hold him there.
That was perhaps the biggest tell of all.
“I just don’t understand why we can’t do long distance.”
Wylie was griping to Nancy from the fitting room of Men’s Wearhouse in between trying on various cuts and colors of suits.
Blue, black, or charcoal gray seemed the standard first-suit palette.
This one was royal blue with sharp, tailored lines and a jacket that hugged his broad shoulders and tapered to the waist. It wasn’t the most expensive suit or even a well-known brand, but it was the man who made the suit, right?
Wylie could imagine himself in the courtroom, convincing a jury of his client’s innocence, sowing the seeds of doubt that would ultimately cinch the case in his favor. He felt like Superman donning his costume and cape, ready to fight crime, or in this case, deliver justice.
He stepped out of the fitting room to show Nancy.
“Well, what did he say about it?” Nancy asked, inspecting the suit’s seams to make sure they were all intact.
“He won’t agree to anything more than friendship, says he’s only ever ruined things.” Of course Wylie felt compassion for the man, but you shouldn’t let your past mistakes define your future. Wasn’t that one of those inspirational sayings they put on posters in high schools across America?
“That’s a him-problem,” Nancy said.
“Yeah, well, it’s a me-problem now. I hooked him up with Bob for some counseling sessions.
But do you know how frustrating that is on my end?
I mean, I’m in love with this man. I want to build a life with him.
White picket fence, two-point-five kids, golden retriever, the works, but he can’t even imagine bridging the distance of a two-hour drive. ”
“Maybe that should tell you something,” Nancy said, turning him around so she could inspect the back of the suit.
Wylie gave her a look over his shoulder. “Why are you so against me and Diego being together? He’s a great guy.”
She sighed and rested her hand on her hip, preparing to give him the business. “He is a great guy, but you’re starting a new chapter of your life. You’re going to meet many new and interesting people. There might be a man up there better suited to your future goals.”
“What does that mean?” Wylie demanded, feeling insulted without knowing exactly why.
“It means…” Nancy gathered herself, speaking slowly as if communicating with a small child.
“It means that you’ve only ever been surrounded by your peers here in Largo, but you’re going to a place that recruits the best of the best. Bright, talented people who are all just as ambitious and driven as you are.
Maybe there’s a better match to be had.”
What exactly was she trying to say? “I’m not aiming to be half of some power couple, Nance. And Diego is ambitious and driven in his own way. Are you saying he’s not good enough for me?” Wylie asked the question with righteous indignation, prepared to defend his man in a ten-point essay.
“I’m saying that he’s a bit lost. Diego has spent almost the entirety of his adult life in prison, and that affects a person.
While you were out there having life experiences and learning about the world, Diego was following a very strict schedule in a controlled environment.
He wasn’t taking risks or making big life decisions.
I can see why that’s scary for him. And why the stakes seem so high.
That doesn’t make him unworthy of you, it makes him more fragile. ”
Fragile? The man was strong as hell, but Nancy had clearly meant it in a different way.
A kind of emotional fragility. Wylie had never really thought of Diego that way, probably because he was always so certain and set in his ways, so…
stubborn. But maybe those traits were more pronounced because of his fears.
His desire for control and routine. His need to set the terms and boundaries in their relationship.
Damn, that actually made a lot of sense.
“So, what? I should just give up on him then?” Wylie asked, put out by the mere suggestion.
“You can’t carry the man into a future he’s not certain he wants.
You’re a caretaker, Wy, and it’s something I love about you.
You like to swoop in and fix things. Like you did for Hannah, like you tried to do for your mother, like you do for everyone at Sunset Village who needs something, but you need a man who’ll do the same for you.
Someone who will swoop in and care for you when you need it, support you in your goals and ambitions.
And if Diego isn’t ready to provide you with that by committing to a relationship, long-distance or otherwise, then you shouldn’t try and force him into it. ”
Why did the truth always hit so hard? It felt like a physical blow to his gut as Wylie’s shoulders slumped and the entire wind was knocked right out of him. Damn Nancy for her wisdom and sound logic. But she was right about one thing, he couldn’t force the man to do a goddamned thing.
“What do you think of this color?” he asked instead, standing up straighter to fill out the suit properly. If he couldn’t solve the frustrating conundrum of Diego, then at least he could focus on the task at hand.
“I like it. Brings out the blue in your eyes.”
Wylie nodded in agreement. “Diego would like that,” he said, and Nancy threw up her hands as if their entire conversation had been a complete waste of time, but it hadn’t.
He’d been listening to every word. “If this doesn’t say husband material, I don’t know what does,” Wylie said, snapping a selfie and sending it to Diego, as promised.
“Boy, you are hopeless,” she said with a shake of her head.
Smiling, Wylie replied, “Delulu, I know, but this is the one.”
After shopping with Nancy, Wylie stopped by Sunset Village to check in on Hannah and Kayla under the guise of grabbing a few last-minute things from the trailer. Plus, the residents were hosting a going-away potluck for him that night, which was really starting to make this thing feel real.
There had been an incident a few days ago with Brian showing up at the trailer park and sniffing around for Hannah.
She and Kayla had been at her mom’s place at the time, and Brian was met with the business end of a rifle when Mac found him and told him to vacate the premises.
They’d called the police to report it, but because they hadn’t listed Wylie’s residence on the injunction, and because Hannah hadn’t been there at the time, there was fuck-all they could do but make note of it in his record.
“Any word from him since then?” Wylie asked.
Hannah shook her head. “But Denise said she’d act as an intermediary for supervised custody.”
“Did you set a schedule?”
“Saturdays. That’s going to be his day for now.”
“And Denise swore she’d be there the whole time?” Wylie wanted to be sure. God forbid Brian try and kidnap Kayla, since there was no limit to what that asshole might attempt. Hannah nodded. “What about child support?” Wylie asked.
“I got with the legal aid people you suggested and they’re helping me figure it out.”
“Good. I’m glad you contacted them. And how are you feeling about all this?”
She blinked, always on the verge of tears these days, though he hoped that might get better with time. “It’s like, I devoted so many years to trying to make that relationship work, even though I knew it wasn’t what I wanted, and now it’s just…over. I feel like such a failure.”
Wylie could see some of himself in Hannah, her determination to do everything in her power to keep their family together, her willingness to overlook another person’s flaws in order to make it work. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I know it sucks. You must be in a lot of pain.”
“Yeah, but mostly I’m pissed at myself for not doing this sooner.
For wasting all that time.” She sighed and stared up at him.
“I gotta make a plan for me and Kayla, Wy. I can’t be a server at the pit for the rest of my life.
I gotta go to school or get some technical training, make something of myself.
I don’t know. It all feels so overwhelming. ”
“One day at a time.” He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head, thinking he should take his own advice.
“How about you? You all packed?”
“Yep,” Wylie said, which brought up some mixed feelings.
“And, are you ready?” she asked, meaning something more than just the gathering of his possessions.
“Not really. I’m leaving a lot behind.”
“Diego?” she asked.
“And you and Kayla and Nancy. I’ve never been on my own like this before.” Wylie was a pack animal, not a lone wolf. He’d never even pretended to be one, in fact, and he was worried he might not be able to hack it alone.
“You’ll make new friends. Smart ones,” Kayla assured him.
Wylie grunted with dissatisfaction. He was sick of everyone putting him on some kind of pedestal, and he didn’t like the way it “othered” him from everyone else.