Page 84 of Fear of Intimacy

Walking into the house Wyatt grew up in made my chest ache. The cream walls were littered with photos of the Boone brothers. The deep brown hardwood floors were newer since Wyatt forced his mom to let him do updates on the place.

You could tell the place was loved. It was an actualhome.Not some mansion that was filled with emptiness. There was a bit of clutter throughout the house but it was a type of clutter that came with a home that was well lived in. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up inside of it.

We walked down the hallway towards the kitchen in the back. I stepped through the archway just as Evelyn, Wyatt’s mom, stepped away from the stove.

“There’s my favorite.” She pulled Josie into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth for a moment.

Wyatt appeared from the other side of the room. “I thought I was your favorite?”

“You mean least favorite,” Landon pipped in, walking into the kitchen.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at her sons as she let Josie go and held her arms open to hug me. Giving me a bright smile, she pulled me into her arms. It was a hug only a mother could give. Not having gotten many from my own mom, I held onto Evelyn a tad bit longer.

“Are you taking care of yourself?” Evelyn asked, pulling back to look at my face. I nodded, but I wasn’t sure she believed me. Those blue eyes of hers seemed to stare into my soul.

I changed the subject. “Thanks for letting me come.”

“Of course.” Rubbing my arm, Evelyn stepped back and moved over to the counter. The gorgeous white counters with grey throughout was filled with different kinds of snacks. Everything from chips and salsa, to devil eggs, to cheese balls. Evelyn always went full out when guests came over.

My eyes flitted over the rest of Evelyn’s kitchen. The dark gray cabinets were gorgeous and not too dark for the space. Especially with the huge windows off to the side. While the kitchen has been updated it was still that older family home where a wall cut off the dining room and living room from the kitchen.

As I glanced over at the archway to the living and dining room area and found just the person I was looking for. Trevor leaned against the wall looking absolutely delicious. He shouldn’t have been allowed to look like that.

And he was all mine.

I couldn’t bring myself to argue with my inner voice. Not when he flashed me a smile that was reserved just for me.

“Where’s Mila and Bryton?” Josie's voice pulled my focus away from Trevor. Her and Wyatt were standing off to the side of the island. Landon was leaning against the counter by his mom.

“He texted saying they’ll be here in a bit,” Trevor answered. Like a magnet, my eyes went back to him. I wanted nothing more than to go over there and kiss him. Since I couldn’t I stepped towards the island, swiping a cracker.

“I have some snacks for you guys to munch on while we wait to start the burgers.” Evelyn said as she placed yet another plate on the counter.

“Please tell me you made chocolate cake, Ma?” Landon asked, looking around the kitchen. These guys and theirdamn chocolate cake. Apparently, Wyatt and Landon’s mom madethebest chocolate cake you’d ever eat.

Someone always brought it up and raved about how amazing it was. Even Josie jumped on the chocolate cake train. I had yet to actually try it.

“Don’t any of you even think of finding it and taking some before tonight.” Evelyn pointed her finger at each of us. Landon, Wyatt and Trevor put their hands up as if they were innocent. I grinned at their expressions, knowing full well they would try and find that cake.

The sound of the front door opening and closing got all of our attention, especially when one voice in particular yelled out.

“The party has arrived bitches!” Mateo, Wyatt’s younger brother, came waltzing into the kitchen. As soon as he saw his mom, his eyes widened. “Landon don’t swear in front of Mom!” Mateo quickly turned to Landon and shoved his arm.

“You little shit.” Landon wrapped his arm around Mateo’s neck, tugging him into a choke hold.

Across the counter, Evelyn just sighed. “I’ll be back in a minute. Try not to kill each other.” With that, she left us all in the kitchen.

Somehow, Mateo managed to wiggle out of his brother's hold, stepping away with a wide grin. He turned toward Wyatt, holding his arms out as if to hug him, but when Wyatt stepped forward, Mateo shoved him to the side and grabbed Josie, yanking her into a tight hug and lifting her off the ground. “There’s my girlfriend.”

I'd been around enough times to know Mateo only said that to mess with Wyatt. It was hilarious to watch the eighteen-year-old flirt with Josie. I leaned back against the cabinets, watching the two of them.

“Geez, have you grown since I last saw you?”Josie took a step back, looking him up and down.

“So kind of you to notice. Yes, I have.” Mateo lifted his arms up and flexed his biceps. “Grew these guns.”

I snorted under my breath, but I had to agree. He definitely put on more muscle since he started uni a few months ago. His shoulders seemed wider and his face looked thinner like he was slowly growing into himself more.

“I’ll let you touch them later if you want, gorgeous.” He winked at Josie, making her laugh.

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