Page 17 of Unleash You

Her lip pouted a little before she turned on her heel and left me standing there, watching her go back to Josh.

5

Unrequited Love

Anabelle

I let myself fall back on my butt. The dew from the grass seeped through my shorts, but I didn’t mind it. With the heat of the day, a little wet felt good. I chomped down on my paintbrush and leaned back to assess my progress on the mural I’d been working on over the weekend. When Lilly asked if it would be okay to take down the weathered picket fence, I begged her to let me keep it. This crooked gate was part of my childhood. Even if the divide was added back when the Coles and Copenhavers didn’t get along, it still held great memories for me.

To celebrate the Cole’s family reunion, I wanted to do a scene depicting all five brothers: Derek, Matt, Tyler, Wesley, and Zack. It was mostly complete, though I still couldn’t quite capture Wesley’s features and his brood that he’d had even when we were kids. I touched a hand to my cheek. After our incident at the St Regis, he’d been avoiding me. Or at least, I hadn’t seen him since then. Maybe he had a lot of work, managing all his important investments that he hadn’t had time to make sure I wasn’t trying to leave the country.

Did I imagine it all? Just because he touched me didn’t mean he wanted to kiss me. I rolled all the way back on the lawn. The sunlight prickled my skin, and my mind wandered toward Wesley. He’d been jealous about Josh. That much I knew for sure. He’d even flirted with me a little when my leg touched his. A flicker buzzed at my core. The way it always did every time I thought of Wes. Was it possible? Was it possible that after all this time, Wesley Cole finally thought of me as a woman and not Charlie’s little sister? Unrequited love had always been the status quo between us.

I laughed because for the first time ever, the idea of Wes and I together didn’t sound so insane or unattainable. I planned to find out if he meant to kiss me or not before. Lilly and I had conspired to throw Derek and Valentina an engagement party in three weeks. That would be the perfect time to figure out a way to make Wes confess his feelings for me. Even if in the end, it turned out he was only concerned for my well-being, I needed to know for sure. I glanced down at my clothes, a pair of denim jeans and a pink blouse. Did I own anything that wasn’t pink? I needed to fix that for the party and show Wes that I wasn’t a little girl anymore.

My phone buzzed next to me and brought me back to reality. It was a message from Josh. He’d been texting twice a day since we met. He sure was in a hurry to move things forward. My polite act had given him the wrong idea, and I didn’t want to string him along. He wasn’t Wesley, Though, he might be able to help me there. The last time Josh and Wes were in the same room, Wes almost kissed me. I picked up my mobile and texted him back. Lilly had already invited Birdie to the engagement party, but I wanted to make sure he’d show up with his mom.

“You look like the cat that drank the milk.”

“Nothing.” I hid my hands behind my back and shot a glance upward. For a split second, my stomach dropped. This wasn’t Wesley. It was his twin brother Zack. I sighed, relieved.

“Admit it, for a second, I almost had you. You thought I was him.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Zack.” Growing up, this was his game. He’d always try to get people to think he was Wesley. Apart from his family and me, everyone would fall for it every time. He didn’t look like Wesley that much. Not to me anyway. I squealed and shot to my feet. “You’re here.”

He picked me up in a bear hug and swirled me around. “How are you?”

“When did you get in? I didn’t know you were coming today.” I leaned against his chest when he set me down.

“I sent an email last week when I got permission to fly home. Did you not get it?”

“I haven’t checked my account. Sorry. But I’m so happy you’re finally here. Your mom has been beside herself since Derek told her he wanted everyone to come hang out for a month.”

“I know. She’s so happy. Have you met Derek’s fiancé? Does she really have angel wings?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“No, she doesn’t. But she’s incredibly gorgeous. I met her this morning when they got here.”

“I didn’t see them when I walked in. When Mom said you were home, I came straight here. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last saw you. I feel like it was just a few days ago.” He sat on the grass and pulled me down with him.

“I know. It feels like it was only yesterday when you were holding my head while I puked my guts out in Zimbabwe.”

He laughed. “I’m so sorry about that.”

“I survived. That’s all that matters. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was so great to give back. But how are things with you?”

“Same. What’s new with you?” He pointed his chin at my mural, with a knowing smile. “I already saw Wes. He’s a mess.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing as usual. But don’t worry, he’s home for a while now, plenty of time for you to tell him how you feel.”

“It’s complicated.” I groaned in frustration.

“Mom told me about the frozen accounts issue.”

“Yeah. Wesley’s been playing the overly protective babysitter. So weird.”

“I can’t believe you still have a thing for him.” He brought his legs up to his chest. “What did he ever do to win you over like that? I mean, other than his incredibly good looks, what do you see in him? Half the time, he’s in a broody mood. The other half, he’s counting pennies.”

---