Page 12 of A Wilder Wedding

Of course, my own worst nightmares began to come true as a familiar voice sounded from behind me, and I realized Naomi, Wyatt, and Ridge were on their way through, working, but still close enough that they were going to see this tableau.

I really wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were here,” Naomi said, her voice hesitant when she looked at me, and then she looked past me at Joanna, eyes wide. “Joanna.”

“Oh, Naomi. You’re still here. Interesting.”

I moved forward. “Let’s get you guys back to the main room.”

Naomi just gave me a wry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s okay, Amos. I can handle this.”

“So, the two of you are still together then?” Joanna asked as she looked between us. “My mother loves to talk about the two of you.” She looked down at Naomi’s hand and smirked. “No ring?”

I could not believe this woman was doing this, especially in front of her kids. I gestured towards the door behind them. “Let’s head back to the main room. You don’t want to miss the rest of the tour.”

Joanna just scoffed. “Okay, Amos. Whatever you say.”

“You have a lovely family,” Naomi put in, before Ridge cleared his throat, clearly sensing a fight about to brew. Only I didn’t know who was going to throw the first punch. Probably the toddler.

“You know what, let me, I’m on my way there anyway. I know Amos has work to do.” He gave me a look that spoke volumes before he practically herded Joanna and her family out the door. Joanna smirked over her shoulder again. I hated that look. She was damn good at it.

That left me alone with Wyatt, Naomi, and my own misery.

“Naomi. I’m sorry.”

She looked at me before she threw her head back and laughed. “You’re such an idiot. I don’t care what she thinks about me. She was always a selfish bitch, and now she gets to be a mom on top of it. Good for her. She got exactly what she wanted, but she doesn’t get to make me feel like shit. You’re the one who always saw her in me.” Naomi shook her head before I could speak. “I’m not her.”

“I know that. Why the fuck would you think I would ever compare the two of you?”

“Because that’s all you did. You were so afraid that you were going to put me in a little box like Joanna said you did to her that you didn’t do anything about us. You always pushed me away because you were afraid of what Joanna claimed. But do you notice what I’m saying? You didn’t. It was all in Joanna’s head. I’m not her. I make my own fucking choices. So, you know what? Keep thinking that I’m her. I’m not. However, I will do one thing that she did, and walk away.”

And with that she left, leaving me standing with Wyatt, who looked confused as hell.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

The Wilder cousin just shook his head. “I think you just need to man up, grow up, and tell her that you love her.”

I glared at the other man. “Pretty rich, coming from you.”

Wyatt held up his hands. “We’re not talking about me and my own issues. We’re really not. But you and Naomi? Fix it. You guys love and hate each other so much, it’s very confusing. I don’t know what happened between you and your ex, and I don’t care. We can talk about it over a beer at my bar, or wine, if that’s what you must have.”

I laughed despite myself. “You know you like our wine.”

“I do, but I digress. Fix this. Just tell her that you love her. Don’t do whatever it is your ex thinks you did. Which I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling that a lot of wrongs were made, but probably a lot of rights too. Just, fix it.” He slapped me on the back of the shoulder, and headed out, leaving me alone with my thoughts, knowing that I needed to fucking fix this.

Because Naomi was right. And that was the crux of it all.

Joanna had fucked me over and fucked me up, and I seemed to have done the same to Naomi.

It was going to take a lot of groveling to fix this.

A lot of groveling to get her back.

And a lot of groveling for her to actually listen when I told her that I wasn’t too much of an idiot.

And I loved her.

Only I had no idea how to even begin doing that.

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