Chapter 19 It’s Family Time, Damn it
It’s Family Time, Damn it
GWEN
I’m sprawled across Wyatt’s chest, boneless and exhausted in the best possible way. My head rises and falls with every slow breath he takes. His eyes are closed, but his fingers are twirling a strand of my hair lazily, and the sensation makes me smile. In Wyatt’s arms, I feel treasured.
His skin is warm under my cheek, my palm splayed across the soft scatter of hair on his chest. I keep brushing my fingertips through it because it calms me. Touching him feels right even when I’m still mad at him.
“You okay, honey?” he murmurs, voice low and thick from afterglow.
“I’m not sure,” I mumble. “I think you fucked me so hard I’ve lost feeling in my lower extremities and you caused my brain to short-circuit.”
He laughs—a deep, satisfied rumble under my ear.
“What you are saying is I fucked you senseless,” he says. “That’s a good thing. Maybe you’ll stop trying to push me away.”
I sigh as I sit up. I pull the sheet up to cover my breasts. His eyes crack open, watching me carefully.
“I can admit I didn’t handle things in the right way.”
“You’re damn right you didn’t.”
“But,” I continue sharply, “you shouldn’t have told Caleb he could stay with you.
Wyatt, that’s going to hurt him. I don’t know what your divorce agreement looks like, but I’m positive a court has to grant a change in custody.
You told him he wouldn’t have to go back to his mother, and you had no right to do that. ”
His jaw ticks. “I had every right. His mother is a piece of shit.”
“Wyatt—”
“No.” His voice hardens. “I know her. You don’t. And you heard what my boy said.”
“I understand,” I respond softly. “What Caleb said broke my heart too, but you can’t promise Caleb something you can’t deliver. Besides, we don’t know the full story. Kids get things distorted sometimes and—”
“She’s as evil as they come,” he growls. “Her brother is the one who shot at me the day we met, Gwen.”
My mouth snaps shut. My spine goes rigid. “What?” My voice comes out strangled. “Wyatt … What?”
“Dee and her brother have some kind of plan. Together they barely have half a brain, so I’m not sure what they’re cooking up. What I do know is that getting me out of the way seems to be the basis of it. For that reason alone, I’m not letting my son go back into that snake den.”
Fear ripples down my spine. Not for me. For Wyatt and Caleb.
“How are you going to stop it? You know she’ll get the police involved if you don’t bring him back.”
“My club is working on getting proof,” he says, leaning back against the headboard. “If we get it, I’ll hand it over to the cops and let them deal with the whole damn mess.”
“And if Christmas comes and you don’t have proof? I mean, we’re talking about a matter of days—not months.”
“They’ll come up with something.” He shrugs, but it’s tight. “If not, I’ll offer her money. If there’s one thing I know about Dee, it’s the fact that she’s as mercenary as they come.”
“Paying someone who tried to kill you seems like the wrong way to go,” I grumble.
He grunts. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Before I can respond, my phone vibrates on the nightstand.
I blink. “I wondered where I'd left that. I haven’t had it all day.”
“Who is it?”
I stretch and grab the phone. Purring out loud when Wyatt’s hand cups my breast and he pulls me back into him once I have my phone.
“It’s Cora—my sister. She’s probably calling about dinner tomorrow.
Remember? We postponed the other day because she had a reaction to the Botox her husband used on her. ”
He snorts. “I thought you said she has that shit done all the time. I kind of picture her as a plastic Barbie.”
“You’re not far off,” I admit, rolling my eyes.
“But apparently her idiot husband found a new supplier in Mexico who was ‘a lot cheaper.’ Whatever they use there is definitely not the same as what he normally gets. She had a migraine for a week, and her lips swelled up so big she looked like one of those fish that hang on the side of a fish tank and clean it with just their lips.”
Wyatt barks out a laugh. “She’s back to normal?”
“No, but they want to have a family dinner before they go to Cabo to stay with his parents for Christmas.”
“I’m thinkin’ I’m not going to like your family, honey.”
“That’s okay. I don’t like them either. I’m just stuck with them,” I tell him truthfully. “What makes it worse,” I add with a sigh, “is that they’ll invade my house, and I’ll have to leave you and Caleb to put up with them.”
“Invite them here.”
“I can’t do that.”
“What’s the matter?” he mumbles. “Isn’t the house fancy enough for you to show it off to them?”
I smack his chest. Hard. “Will you stop? I love your house. Why are you always trying to make me sound like a self-entitled piece of crap?”
He drags me toward him and kisses me until my toes curl.
When he finally pulls back, he whispers, “I’m an asshole.
I just … Dee and the years we were together has fucked with my head.
It’s worse with you because I know you can do better than me.
I’m blessed that you picked me. You could do a fuck of a lot better, and I know it.
Still, I do know you’re not that type of woman. I’m sorry, honey.”
I soften against him. “You said you love me—”
“And I do.”
“I love you, too, Wyatt,” I confess. I feel his body vibrate everywhere we’re touching. It’s like this unseen electrical force. “So, if we’re trying to make this work, we both need to stop thinking the worst.”
A slow grin spreads across his face.
“You love me?”
“I think I did from the first day, and I’m tired of telling myself that I’m being crazy.”
“Yeah, well, I knew I loved you before you even said one word to me,” he fake growls, taking my lips in an urgent kiss.
When we pull apart, I roll my eyes at him. “Quit trying to distract me. We need to stay on topic. This is important.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he says with a sexy smirk.
“I can’t invite my family here for dinner. We’re already planning Christmas dinner with my girls and your club. There’s no way I’m inviting my family to that. They’re toxic.”
“Invite them anyway,” he says. “If they get too bad, my men will put them in their place.”
“That doesn’t sound comforting.”
“Maybe not,” he smirks, “but it’ll be entertaining.”
“The timing is off. Our dinner was supposed to be the day before Christmas, right? That’s too close to their Cabo trip. How about we have a small dinner here in a couple of days?” I rub my forehead. “Although I don’t think you understand the torture you’re asking to be a part of.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” he says immediately. “As long as the night ends with you in my bed and my son in his bed across the hall, everything is good with me. Besides, this way I can break your brother-in-law’s hands if he tries to touch you.”
“We probably shouldn’t assault our guests at our first family dinner,” I giggle.
“He touches you, and he’ll be lucky if I leave him breathing.”
“Chip is scared of his shadow. He only acts like a man if he can throw his money around. I doubt he’ll try anything while you’re around.”
“Good, that will save his life,” Wyatt answers, and I don’t think he’s kidding.
“If you’re sure, I’ll call her and Mom from work tomorrow.”
“I’m positive.”
“Then, it’s a plan. Is it bad that I wish I didn’t have to go into work tomorrow?” I question quietly. “I’m going to miss you and Caleb.”
“Caleb and I will take you, then pick you up. Then we’ll take you out to eat and grab some more stuff at your house before stopping by the grocery store for dinner supplies.”
“You have it all planned out.”
“Yep. If you think about it, I’m the perfect man. Organized, sexy, and giver of multiple orgasms. You'd better hang on to me.”
“And let’s not forget you’re very modest too.”
“Oh, yeah,” he purrs. “There’s that too.”
“As good as your suggestion was, I have a better idea.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll do a store order online before work and have it delivered here.
You and Caleb can still take me to work and pick me up.
But after dinner, we’ll go to my place and grab some more of my stuff along with my Christmas tree and decorations.
Caleb needs one. If I’m going to be living here through the holiday—”
“You’re living here, period.”
“We’ll discuss that later. For now, if I’m spending Christmas here, then my tree should be moved too. It’s a nice one. Plus, Buddy needs his Christmas outfits. The poor guy has been naked for days. It’s a bad look for him.”
“God forbid the dog goes naked,” he mutters.
“So, it’s a deal?”
“Yeah,” he says, smiling. “I promised Caleb a tree. Forgot all about that shit. Thank you for reminding me, honey.”
He kisses me warm and slow and, as usual with him, I get completely lost. When he pulls back, I grin. “How long do you think Buddy and Caleb will continue to nap?”
“Probably not long,” he says regretfully, “but we can make it quick.”
“Just what every woman wants,” I tease, “a man who’ll hurry and get her done quickly.”
His eyes darken. “Oh, now that sassy mouth just got you in trouble.”
“Does that mean I’m going to go on the naughty list right before Christmas?” I puff out as Wyatt starts kissing along my neck.
He laughs. “Yeah. But lucky for you, I’m willing to let you suck me off to get back into Santa’s good graces.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” I say with a groan, as I angle my neck to give him more room to continue.
“I’m a giver like that.”
“Wyatt,” I whisper, all but whimpering.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Shut up and make love to me.”
“Anything for my woman,” he growls—low and primal—before claiming my mouth.
For the first time in my life, I think I might be the luckiest woman in the world.
Wyatt has given me everything I’ve ever wanted in life.
I don’t care that it has happened so quickly.
I just know that I want Wyatt, Caleb, and the way I feel right now to be my future.
I’m going to hold on to them with everything I have, and I’m never letting go.
Never.