Page 32 of Ever After All

She tipped her head to the side. “Well, there’s locals’ night coming up. We could meet there, and I could hold your hand.”

“Just hold my hand? I’ll kiss you if you let me,” I teased. Her cheeks went pink. “Like this.” I drew her closer to demonstrate and ended up making myself breathless by the time I lifted my head.

Chapter Seventeen

Rosie

Me: I told Tessa.

Wyatt: I figured. She told Adam, and he told me he’d suspected it.

Me: Tessa said the same thing! Are we that obvious?

Wyatt: Sweetheart, I’ve had it bad for you for years. The only reason it wasn’t obvious before I moved home was that I wasn’t here for anyone to notice.

My cheeks burned, and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling too hard.

Before I could respond, another text came in.

Wyatt: How about you meet me at my office tonight? ??

At the mere thought of the table in his office, my cheeks burned even hotter.

Me: Okay.

Wyatt: Okay? Do you remember the last time you were in my office?

Me: How could I forget?

Wyatt: That’s more like it. I’ll be waiting.

Thank goodness I had a job that kept my mind occupied. Otherwise, I would’ve spent the day dwelling on how to handle everyone knowing about Wyatt and me. Even then, they wouldn’t know the whole truth.

As it was, the hospital was beyond hectic. That was par for the course in an emergency room, even in a small town in Alaska. By the time the end of my shift rolled around, I was running on fumes. I was relieved that it was locals’ night. Not that I wanted to stay too late, but I could use the food and drinks just being handed to me so I didn’t have to think. Wyatt’s presence always soothed me after a long day. Although I had admitted to myself and to him just how much he meant to me, I shied away from pondering what it meant that he was the person I turned to when I needed comfort, the port in my personal storm.

I stepped into the bathroom in the small locker area for nurses. I splashed water on my face and whipped a brush through my hair before pulling it back up into a ponytail. My hair was beyond recovery for trying to leave it down. I changed out of my scrubs into a pair of cotton pants. They could pass for attractive, but they were mostly comfortable. They had a wide waistband and swung around my ankles. Atop that, I wore a comfortable long-sleeved cotton shirt. It was attractive enough, but all I wanted was comfort after a day like this one. On the list of reasons Wyatt mattered so much to me, I knew I didn’t have to worry about going out of my way to look good for him. I could just be comfortable, and it wouldn’t matter.

A short drive later, I parked behind the headquarters for Fireweed Industries. I smiled as I glanced toward Wyatt’s truck when I climbed out. I told myself I didn’t purposely park beside him. My teenage heart whispered, Yes, you did, in a singsong voice in my thoughts.

Moments later, I slipped into the back hallway at the brewery, wondering if I might see anyone as I hurried down the hall toward Wyatt’s office. Just before I reached his doorway, Blake walked out of his office, which was directly across the hallway. Blake greeted me just as the door to Wyatt’s office swung open.

Heat flashed into my cheeks. Blake cracked a quick grin as he glanced back and forth between us. “Oh, I see you two have finally come to your senses.”

“Wh-wh-a-a-t?” I sputtered.

Blake arched a brow. “You two have been crushing on each other hard. I’m personally relieved to see you sneaking down here to visit Wyatt.”

“Oh my God,” I muttered under my breath.

Blake glanced toward Wyatt. “Adam told me.”

“Of course he did,” Wyatt said dryly.

Blake winked.

“I forgot how fast rumors travel through your family,” I muttered.

“It’s not a rumor,” Blake pointed out with an insouciant shrug.

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