Page 106 of Win Big

“Oh.” I sip my wine too. “Are things okay with Owen? Did something happen at school?”

“No, nothing happened. I wanted to talk to you about... Everly.” Her voice shakes and she swallows.

“Everly?” My eyebrows shoot up and heat stabs through my chest at hearing her name. “Why?”

“Are things serious with her?”

I shift in my chair. “Uh . . .”

I haven’t got a hot clue how to answer that. She dumped me. And I’m miserable as hell about it. I can’t stop thinking about her. I keep remembering moments, when she made me laugh, when she pissed me off and then made me laugh, when she served dinner to homeless people, and when she got down on her knees in the shower andlooked like she loved what she was doing...

I suck air into my lungs.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I tell her, my voice scratchy, not exactly sure where her question is coming from and wanting to reassure her. “I’ve told her that you and I just friends. I told her that you were married to my best friend and I help look after you and Owen now that Hank’s gone.”

“Oh.” Her lips quiver. “Just friends.”

“Yeah.” I study her. “Heather . . .”

She presses her lips together and lifts her chin. “I’m not just friends with you, Wyatt. Since Hank died, you’ve been around somuch, and... I mean at first I was grieving for Hank... but now... I’m in love with you.”

Holy shit. I stare at her, trying to keep my mouth from falling open, trying to keep my expression calm... but inside I’m a freakin’ typhoon.

“I thought maybe you were feeling the same,” she continues in a soft voice. She scoots to the edge of the couch and leans toward me. “You do so much for us. You haven’t had a girlfriend since you moved here. You love Owen. I thought maybe you were developing feelings for me too...” She swallows. “We get along really well, and have a lot in common.”

What do we have in common? Besides Owen and Hank. Okay, Heather likes hockey. And she has a pretty good sense of humor, and she’s a great mom, but I’ve never felt anything more than sympathy and affection for her. I still haven’t said a word, flabbergasted.

“You’ve been seeing Everly Wynn,” she continues. “You didn’t tell me about her. I didn’t think much of it until you showed up here with her. I was... hurt.”

“I’m sorry.” My response is automatic. I had no idea. I rub the back of my head and look away.

“I thought about it and realized I have to tell you how I feel if I ever want to have a chance with you.”

My head is spinning. This is insane. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to hurt her—again—but I don’t feel like that about her.

I do feel like that about Everly.

Before I can say a word, though, she goes on. “Owen needs a dad.” Her voice trembles. “And he looks up to you so much. You’ve been there for him, since Hank died. You’ve really helped him deal with his father dying. You’re a huge part of his life.”

Jesus. Guilt slams into me like a slap shot. It knocks the wind right of me.

I’m the reason Hank is dead.

That’s why I do so much for them. I mean, I really do love Owen, and Heather’s great, a good mom, a nice person. But I realize that selfishly, everything I do is to try to make myself feel better.

I gaze helplessly at Heather as more guilt pummels me.

She’s right. Owen needs a dad. And I’m the one who took his dad away from him.

Owen does love me. It would be easy. There are times Heather, Owen, and Iarealmost like a family. That time we went to Disneyland, peopledidthink we were a family. We could make it official and I could spend the rest of my life trying to make up for how I let them down.

Now Heather’s waiting. Watching me, clutching her wineglass, her eyes flickering.

How much am I willing to do to make up for the heartache I’ve caused them?

I keep thinking about Everly.

I think I might be in love with her. Fuck it, I know I am. I never planned on having that. I don’t feel like I deserve it. But she doesn’t feel the same.

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