Chapter 36 Wyatt
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Wyatt
“Why the fuck did we agree to this?” Linc mutters at my side as we wait for someone to answer the door that Kane just knocked on.
“Because Abby invited us,” I say. Linc shakes his head, resignation settling over his features.
That’s right, brother. I’m pretty sure all three of us would do just about anything if she asked us to.
Abby invited us to her friend Sienna’s house for Friendsgiving. I don’t quite know what to expect, but if it means I get to spend the day with Abby, you bet your ass I’m here with a smile on my face.
The door swings open, revealing a beast of a man with short black hair. He is about the same height as Linc and me, but broader and more muscular. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous.
“Welcome,” he says, opening the door all the way. “Come on in. Sienna will kill me if I let you guys stand out here in the cold.”
We all laugh, shuffling our way inside. My eyes immediately scan the crowded house for the one person I’m desperate to be near.
Hell, I’d settle for just laying eyes on her from across the room. There are a lot of people here, but I can’t find her.
The man who let us into the house introduces himself as Warren as he shakes our hands. When he gets to Kane he pauses, running his hand through his hair.
“It’s good to see you in one piece,” he says, and Kane’s eyes narrow in confusion. “I’m a firefighter. We were there after the accident.”
“Oh… thanks,” Kane says, using his left hand to shake the man’s hand.
“Of course,” Warren says.
“You’re here,” Sienna says, smiling at all of us as she steps in beside Warren.
I only know her name because of the girls’ night shenanigans at the bar a while back. He wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her snug against his side.
“I’m glad you guys could make it,” she adds.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Kane says.
Sienna waves her hand in dismissal. “Any friend of Abby’s is a friend of ours. Make yourself at home, goodness knows everyone else has,” she says, eyeing the houseful of people.
Their house isn’t small by any means, but the number of people and dogs running about it feels much smaller.
“Oliver,” Maverick shouts from the far side of the main living area. He runs over, wrapping his friend in a hug.
My eyes roam over the room again. Maverick is with Abby this week, so if he is here, then Abby must be here too.
I still can’t find her silky brown locks anywhere among the sea of heads around the room.
Maverick looks up at Kane. “I’m going to take him for a while.”
“Okay,” Kane says, laughing. “Have fun. Come get me if you need something.”
Oliver nods at his dad, then, with a big smile, darts after Maverick.
“Well… that was freaking cute,” Sienna says. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
She proceeds to do just that for the next ten minutes. There are some people I have already met over the last few months, but most of them are new faces.
There’s no way in hell I am going to be able to remember everyone’s names. I might love talking to people, but remembering names has never been a strong suit of mine.
I quickly picked up on the fact that most people here are in poly relationships. I had no idea so many of Abby’s friends were involved with multiple partners.
Interesting.
I can’t help the way a tiny flame of hope starts to flicker to life inside of me at the idea of one day that being our reality, too.
Maybe it’s something Abby would be open to. She was more than open to it in a sexual sense. Maybe relationship-wise would be much the same.
It’s a pointless train of thought. We’re friends right now… only friends. I have to keep reminding myself of this on a daily basis.
The last few weeks have been weird but yet somehow still wonderful. All four of us are fighting to stay friends despite everything that went down between us.
There are clearly feelings involved for everyone, but being friends seems like the better choice than not being in each other’s lives at all. That sounds like excruciating torture.
Seeing her, talking to her, and not being able to touch or kiss her in the way I want is a kind of torture in itself. Still, it’s far more tolerable than never getting to see or talk to her at all.
“Oh, the pie,” Sienna says with a laugh. “I should have taken that from you a while ago.”
I’m about to reply as she grabs the pie from my hand, but the words get lodged in my throat. Abby steps out of the hallway and into the living room.
She looks stunning in an oversized sweater that hangs over a bare shoulder that I want to sink my teeth into.
You’re in public. Get your shit together.
Her eyes land on me first, then they drift to the two men standing at my side. “Fuck,” Kane mutters under his breath. Linc makes an unintelligible sound.
She blinks a few times, then makes her way over to us. “Hey,” she says.
Linc is the first one to pull her in for a hug. She moves down the line, giving Kane and I hugs as well.
I force my arms to fall back to my sides because if they had their way, they would remain wrapped around her the rest of the day.
“I’m glad you guys are here,” she says with a level of precision that feels unfamiliar after the last few weeks.
I get why she’s being more guarded now, but I hate it. I want every vulnerable piece of her, and I want to give her all of mine in return.
Fuck. This is hard.
“Did you guys meet everyone yet?” Abby asks.
“A lot of them,” Linc mutters. People aren’t really his thing.
She smiles, shaking her head. “Come on, you loner. Let’s go get you a beer.” She grabs his hand, dragging him behind her into the kitchen.
He might be resisting, but I know him better than that. He’s soaking up every second of having her hands on him. Heaven knows I’d be doing the same.
I feel bad for only bringing a single pumpkin pie. I know we were a last-minute addition to the guest list, but everyone else’s contributions were far superior.
That was one of the best meals I have probably ever eaten, and that’s saying something because my surrogate mom is a fantastic cook. I have eaten many nearly perfect meals in my life, most of them made from her hands.
My ass is parked back on the sectional, trying to digest the meal. I should probably go for a walk or something, but I’m kind of in a food coma. The hustle and bustle going on around me is plenty to keep me entertained.
Some people are watching a football game here in the living room. Some are in the kitchen, gathered around the island, drinking their beverages of choice.
Avery and Hadley are sitting on the floor while a couple of the little girls braid their hair. The bigger kids disappeared upstairs a while ago, Oliver included.
The thing that has me smirking to myself, though, is the way Abby convinced my very grumpy brother to play a board game. He kind of looks like he wants to find a bathtub to stick a running hair dryer into.
But his whole face softens when he turns to look at Abby, who is enthusiastically playing the game at his side.
There are only a few people on this planet who could get Linc to do what he’s doing right now, and apparently, Abby has been added to this list.
Leah plops down beside me on the sectional. My smile is instant. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself,” she says, bumping her shoulder against mine.
Seeing her smiling and happy is everything. She looked like she was moving through the motions without really living when we were watching over her.
I know she can’t possibly be over all of it, but the lightness to her soul looks good on her.
“Did you get kicked out of the kitchen?” I ask. Some of the ladies are in there making whipped cream to go with the desserts everyone brought.
She rolls her eyes. “There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and I’m not exactly a professional chef. So…”
“Now, you get to sit and relax while they do the hard work,” I say, clinking my beer bottle against her wine glass.
“There’s worse places I could be,” she says with a shrug.
“A room filled with angry bees, a pond with hungry sharks, a forest with a thousand mountain lions.”
She throws her head back against the couch cushion, laughing loudly. “First of all, why are all these scenarios about animals that want a bite out of me? And second, why the sharks in a pond?”
I roll my eyes this time. “I don’t fucking know. Maybe the sharks in my mind can survive in regular old water that isn’t full of salt.”
“You’re so weird,” she laughs.
“You don’t know the half of it. But I think you’re just as weird… like, in a good way.” I tack on the last bit so she knows it isn’t a dig.
We settle into a comfortable silence, both of us sipping on our drinks. In the short time I’ve known her, Leah has become like a younger sister to me. I want the best for her, and I would go toe-to-toe with anyone who dared to hurt her.
My head swivels to the left when Abby wanders into the kitchen. She opens the fridge and groans.
“There are more hard seltzers in the garage,” Sienna yells at her without even turning around.
Abby disappears down the hallway and into the garage. My body makes the decision to follow her before my mind can even contemplate what’s going on.
I can hear Leah chuckling quietly behind me, but I don’t think anyone else is paying attention. I make a half-assed attempt to look like I’m heading to the bathroom, then sneak out into the garage.
I could tell myself I’m doing this to be a gentleman. I’m here to carry the box of drinks for her, but that would be a lie. I’ll absolutely carry whatever she needs me to, but that isn’t why I’m here.
I want to steal a moment with her. Even if I only get a few seconds, it will be worth it.
I can barely hear the door as it clicks shut behind me, but it’s enough to startle Abby. She spins around with a gasp.
Her shoulders fall, and she presses her hand to her chest when she sees it’s me.
I don’t even give her the chance to say anything before I’m closing the distance between us. Whatever words were on the tip of her tongue die as my fingers skim across her temple, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Now that we’re alone, there’s nothing that could keep me from touching her. Well… besides her telling me to stop, but by the way she’s gazing up at me, I don’t think that’s what she’s thinking.
“Hi,” I say, taking another small step closer. There’s only inches between our bodies now.
I want to erase that space, too, but I do have a little bit of restraint. It might be minuscule, but it’s there all the same.
Her tongue swipes across her lips. My eyes track the movement before it disappears back into her mouth.
“Hey,” she whispers in return. She swallows thickly. “What are you doing out here?”
Lying could be an option, but that’s never been my style. I also really don’t want to lie to her. “I wanted a minute alone with you.”
My eyes roam over her face, trying to sense her reaction to what I just said. Her face stays composed for a heavy beat before she exhales.
Her eyelids flutter closed. When they open again, she’s staring up at me with equal parts warmth and sadness.
I can’t take it. My arms wrap around her, pulling her into me fully. She turns her head to the side, resting it against my chest.
We stand there in comfortable silence, basking in each other’s presence. My hands track up and down her back.
A part of me feels settled for the first time since she walked out of our house weeks ago. Having her in my arms feels right, like she’s the only one I’m ever supposed to hold like this.
“I miss you,” I whisper. The admission makes me vulnerable, but I can’t keep it trapped inside of me anymore.
I’ve kept how I felt to myself every time I’ve been around her. Telling her felt like crossing the friendship line we all are fighting to toe. But here in the quiet of this garage with her in my arms, nothing else matters.
Her arms tighten around my waist. “I miss you, too.”
One of my hands moves up to gently cup the back of her head. I press a kiss to the top of her head because I just can’t help myself.
She makes a soft, contented sound, settling farther against me.
“I hate this.” Her voice is so quiet. I can barely make it out from where she’s murmuring into my shirt. “I know we have to, but I hate it.”
Oliver. Oliver. Oliver. His name rings through my head, the only thing keeping me from saying, “Fuck it,” and forgetting about the reason we can’t be more than friends right now.
Still, it’s kind of nice to hear that she’s struggling with this, too. I don’t want to see her hurting, but it would be worse if I knew she was going about her life like nothing had changed. Everything changed that night.
“It hurts,” I admit. The words crack my heart open a little more, giving me the chance to get hurt even more than I already am.
Despite everything, I trust Abby. It’s not her fault that we can’t explore this relationship between all of us and see if it could actually work.
It isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s just shitty circumstances laid in place by shitty life events. All of it is held together for a kid I love with my whole heart.
She tilts her head back. Her long hair tickles my hand that’s resting on her lower back. Her beautiful eyes stare up at me. “It hurts a lot.”
There’s a glossiness to her eyes that I want to erase by force alone, but this isn’t the kind of thing that can be handled that way. Life and emotions don’t work like that.
I don’t know when exactly it happened, but the friendship I developed with her shifted into something else. There was always a flirty attraction between us, but it’s more now.
I feel tethered to her in a way I don’t want to sever. I don’t know if I could even if I tried.
“Maybe one day,” she says a little breathlessly.
My forehead rests against hers. “Yeah… maybe.”
That tiny bit of hope is the only thing that keeps me from collapsing to my knees in front of her and begging for her to shatter the walls our strained friendship is holding in place.
There’s a razor-thin edge keeping the reason for all this front and center in my mind. It’s still there, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to fight against the rightness I feel with the woman who I think could be my everything.
I think she could be everything to all of us.
Maybe even Oliver.