Page 138 of Smitten with the Single Dad

Griffon and Jake both gaped at their father.

“Take away all my books as punishment, Dad,” Jake said, shaking his head, “but you’re an idiot,” Then he stomped into the house and up the stairs.

“Yeah. Take away all Jake’s books, but you’re an idiot, Dad,” Griffon repeated. Then he followed his brother, making sure he really thundered up the stairs, even if it took him longer because he had to stomp hard.

Wyatt opened his mouth, but Brooke cut him off before he even said anything. “Women talk, dumbass.”

“She told you she loved you. You either pretended you didn’t hear her, or just didn’t know what to say back. But either way, you left her hanging.” Justine shook her head. “Your kids are right. You’re an idiot.” Then, still shaking her head, she headed back inside Bennett’s house.

“Your kid doesn’t seem to have any problem telling a woman he loves her. Maybe you should go get some tips from Griff.” Then Brooke walked past Bennett’s house and disappeared inside Clint’s, leaving Wyatt standing there on his porch confused as fuck.

Eventually, he went inside and upstairs to where his boys were in Jake’s room sitting on his bed talking quietly. He sat on the corner of the bed. “I know this is hard. You loved Vica. But we all knew her time here was temporary. We were helping her. And now she doesn’t need our help anymore.”

Jake glared at Wyatt. “She told you she loved you and you didn’t say it back. Why?”

“I—”

“Vica makes us all happy, Dad,” Griffon argued. “She is fun, and smart, and kind, and beautiful. And she teaches us things. Like how to make noodles and speak Italian. You speak Italian and you haven’t even bothered to teach us. Why would you let her go?”

“She doesn’t want to be here,” Wyatt protested. “She wanted to leave.”

“Is that what she said?” Jake challenged. “Did she say, ‘I want to leave’?”

“Did you evenaskher to stay?” Griffon followed up. “Do you want her to stay?”

Jake met Wyatt’s eyes. “Do you love her, Dad?”

Wyatt dropped his gaze to the comforter.

Jake growled. “It’s okay to move on after Mom. You can love more than one person. Uncle Bennett loved Aunt Carla, and he loves Justine. Uncle Clint loved Aunt Jacqueline, and he loves Brooke. You can love two people. So if you love Vica, why didn’t you tell her? Why didn’t you ask her to stay?”

Griffon lifted his tearful gaze to Wyatt’s. “I’m not just mad at you, Dad. I’m disappointed too. I think I need some space from you right now so I can cool off. Can you leave me and Jake alone, please?” His little bottom lip trembled, and his eyes filled with more tears. Then he shuddered. “My chest hurts.”

Oh, dear god.

Jake hauled Griffon close and wrapped his arms around him for comfort. Then he brought his eyes to Wyatt’s. “If you love her, if you want her to stay, then you need to tell her. Because we love her, and we asked her to stay but she still left. Because she doesn’t think all the men in this house love her and want her to stay.”

Griffon, still snuggled up with his brother, turned to glare at Wyatt.

How was it that his sons were more emotionally mature and able to express themselves than Wyatt was? He did love Vica. He was madly in love with her, and probably had been since nearly the day she arrived at his house and sat at his table with him and his boys. She hadn’t been in their lives long, but Griffon was right. She’d already taught them all so much. Most of all, she’d taught him how to love again. How to be vulnerable and real with another person again. And when she told him she loved him, he was still so emotionally stunted, so caught up in his own head, that he didn’t know how to react.

And now that might have cost him.

They were married, for Christ’s sake.

Husband and wife.

Even though he’d married her to save her from deportation, now he wanted to stay married to her because he couldn’t fucking imagine life without her.

He stood up from the bed and the boys both looked at him. “You’re right.”

Excitement filled their watery eyes.

“I do love her. And I should have asked her to stay.”

Griffon extracted himself from Jake’s arms. “Then go get her, Dad.”

“I … she’s headed to the ferry.”

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