Chapter 10 Wyatt
CHAPTER TEN
Wyatt
I stare down at the two different kinds of pasta in my hands. Twisty ones or black-tie affair ones?
I feel someone step in beside me, but I don’t turn to look. A finger taps against the box of bowtie noodles. “I would go with these ones. They seem fancier.”
I turn, locking eyes with a smiling Abby. “And who says I need fancy noodles?”
“I assume you’re cooking dinner for a queen or at least a duchess.”
“Sad to disappoint you, but there’s no dignitary in my life… or any leading lady, for that matter.”
“Hmm,” she hums, leaning back against her shopping cart. She’s wearing a pair of dark blue scrubs and bright yellow and pink sneakers.
Her hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she has very little makeup. It looks like maybe she had more on earlier in the day, but after a long shift, most of it has vanished.
She must catch me eyeing her up and down because she smirks. “Like something you see?”
“If I’m looking at you, I’m always going to like what I see.” Okay… damn. That was smooth even for me.
“What a line.”
“Is it a line, though, if I mean every word?”
Her head cocks to the side as she thinks about it. “Have you said that same thing to other women?”
My response comes immediately. “No.” I haven’t ever said that to any woman I have talked to, and there have been a lot of them. I love women.
“Then I guess it isn’t just a cheesy line.”
I step a little closer, so we’re less than a foot apart. “I do like this look on you.”
She glances down at herself in disbelief. “Really? This?” she asks, gesturing up and down her body.
“Yeah, just like that. It reminds me of how smart you are on top of being beautiful.”
“Again with the lines.”
“Again… no. It wasn’t.”
We stare at each other, neither one of us willing to break eye contact first. The issue is forced when Linc, Kane, and Oliver round the corner at the end of the aisle.
She starts to step away from me, but her back is already pressed to her cart, so she can’t go anywhere. Reluctantly, I take a step back.
“Oh, hi, Abby,” Kane says. There’s a wariness in his gaze as it moves between me and Abby.
“Hey.” That single word carries more emotion than I’d expect from someone who’s only met her child’s friend’s father once.
Kane told us about meeting Abby and Maverick at a park. The way they are staring at each other leads me to believe there might be more to the story than what he originally shared.
Abby shakes her head, looking down at Oliver. “Hi, Oliver.”
He gives her a small smile. Then, she looks up at my brother, who’s standing there like his perpetually broody self.
“Hi, grumpy one.”
It would be easy to miss, but the corner of his mouth tilts up the slightest amount.
“Hi, fiery one,” he says in the most deadpan voice.
Oliver steps over, grabbing the boxes from my hands. He steps around me, sliding the rotini back onto the shelf. He holds the bowtie noodles up with wide, expectant eyes.
“Yeah, we can get those,” I say, grabbing them from him and tossing them into the cart Kane is pushing.
“Good choice,” Abby tells him. “Those are Mav’s favorite, too.”
At the mention of his friend, Oliver lights up. I don’t know what kind of magic this Maverick kid has in him, but I love him for it.
Seeing the life drain from my favorite little kid over the last year and a half has been heartbreaking. He might not be my kid, but I love him like he is.
Kane has been my brother in every way that matters for a long time. When Linc and I had nowhere else to go as kids, we always ended up at Kane’s house.
We both think of his parents as Mom and Dad instead of our own deadbeat ones. They were the ones who were always there for us. Through everything, we know they love us.
When Oliver came along, he was brought into the fold in much the same way. He’s family, and I would do absolutely anything for him.
That’s why it was such an easy decision for Linc and me to move here—it was what Oliver needed. I’m not saying the change hasn’t been good for Linc and me, but nothing else really mattered when this is what was best for Oliver.
“Well, I’d better let you all finish your shopping trip,” Abby says. She looks down at Oliver. “Can you do me a favor tomorrow?”
He nods, eyes eagerly locked on her.
Same, bud. Same.
“Maverick is with his dad this week, so can you give him a hug or maybe a fist bump for me when you see him at school tomorrow?”
His messy blond waves bounce up and down as he nods quickly.
“Thanks, bud,” she says. She looks back up, eyes looking between Linc, Kane, and me.
There’s a subtle difference in the way her gaze shifts between each of us. I can’t pinpoint the exact difference, but it’s there.
“Bye, guys,” she says with a wave before she disappears around the corner. All four of us stand there staring after her like love-sick fools.
The second the groceries are put away, and Oliver wanders off to his room, I ask the question that’s been burning in the back of my mind since the first look I saw between Abby and Kane.
“What’s the deal with you and Abby?”
Kane’s eyes widen slightly. “She’s Maverick’s mom.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Is he fucking serious right now? “And?” I ask, imploring him to keep going.
He looks between Linc and me before he lets out a heavy exhale. “Do you remember me telling you about the long ride I went on when I was torn up about Oliver not being with me—and how I ended up here?”
Yes, I remember. That was when he met Benny, and it’s what eventually sparked the decision for our move here.
“Well, I met Abby that night.”
My eyebrows rise. I do the math in my head. “You met her three years ago?”
He nods.
“Did you sleep with her?” Linc asks.
That wasn’t my initial thought, but it actually makes sense. The connection between them was pretty evident at the grocery store.
Kane hesitates for a second. “Yeah, I did.”
Well… fuck me.
“Is she the reason you wanted to move here?” Linc continues.
Kane moves his head in a noncommittal way. “No, but I think on some level I was hoping to see her again.”
“Do you want to date her? Is that what she wants?” I ask, feeling threads of jealousy weave through me.
I have no right to feel this way. If that’s what he wants, I wouldn’t stand in his way. I couldn’t. He met her years ago.
If dibs were a thing when it came to people, then he would absolutely have it when it comes to her, the spark I feel with her be damned.
“It doesn’t matter what I want.” His words are resigned. “I can’t start a relationship with anyone right now.”
He glances toward the stairs, dropping his voice. “Things are finally on a better track for Oliver. I can’t fuck that up. I just can’t.”
A twinge of sadness rolls through me. Kane is such a good dad. He’s the kind of dad I wish Linc and I had growing up. He deserves to be happy, too.
I get what he’s saying, but he shouldn’t feel the need to put his personal life on hold in order to do what he thinks is best for his son.
“She’s the reason I found both of you staring at the door at the bar the other night. Right?” he asks.
Linc and I share a glance. “Yeah,” we both say at the same time.
He nods, like he already knew the answer to his question. He opens his mouth a few times, but he can’t seem to get the words out.
He runs a frustrated hand over his face.
“I’m not going to tell you to stay away from her. I’m not that much of an asshole, but please be careful. This could all get really messy, and…”
His eyes move to the stairs, leading to Oliver’s room.
“We would never do anything that would hurt him,” Linc says, echoing the thought rolling through my own brain.
“I know you wouldn’t.” His eyes close for a moment, and when they open, they’re filled with more emotion than I can name.
“You really like her.” I say it as a statement, not a question.
He just shrugs, but I can see the answer in his eyes. He obviously does.
Linc and I look at each other again. An entire silent conversation passes between us without a single word being spoken aloud.
“Oliver comes first,” Linc says.
I don’t know how any of this will pan out, but I know that will always be our priority.