Page 58 of Single Teddy
I needed to leave here. Things had gotten…interesting. Too interesting. And I was sure it wouldn’t help my unhealthy obsession with this man.
I started to walk to the living room, and Teddy followed behind me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, and when I turned to look at him, he was still staring at me with a kind of fire in his eyes.
“Yup. Perfect. I’m good,” I said, barely able to articulate. “I should…I should go. Lots to do.”
I all but ran to the door.
“Talk to your…to Wyatt and get whatever you need ready. I’m going to that house on Monday afternoon, no matter what,” I said, leaving Teddy gaping after me.
As if he were in awe of me or something.
“Pfft! Get that out of your head, Wes,” I muttered under my breath as I made my way to the car. “That man doesn’t want you. He could never want you.”
And while that might be true, it didn’t mean my head didn’t take that spark of interest and run with it.
But I didn’t care.
If I couldn’t have Teddy in real life—and why would I—at least I could have him in my imagination.
SEVENTEEN
TEDDY
“Look at me!”
Those words wouldn’t leave me alone. And neither would Wesley. His image. The way he looked at me when he said that, the disappointment mixed with hope. The light in his eyes that he couldn’t conceal, like he had done with his body, no matter what he did.
And that pie.
It had been almost impossible to save any pieces, not with Bear sneaking in a bite every two seconds, but I had managed and kept it in the fridge, resisting the urge to eat it, as if saving it would keep Wesley close to me longer. It was stupid, and I had no idea where this need was even coming from, but I didn’t care to let it go.
I didn’t exactly help my case when I sat down later that evening to put together my vision board with all the things I wanted to strive for over the next little while and I included my dream home in it. Wesley’s home. It wasn’t my fault he had such awonderful place that begged to be envied. Besides, I included other things. Like goals for my relationship with Bear and his education, his development. It included work, like finding my passion and pursuing it, although working at Bubble Bubble at the moment was a great experience and I loved the customer service side of things. It also included making more money somehow, finding a hobby, because obsessing over my nephew and money wasn’t a healthy way to live. That much I knew.
I hung up the collage of pictures and words in my closet so I could look at it every morning when I got dressed but it ended up haunting me the rest of the weekend, only reminding me of the house’s owner, who was impossible to forget as it was.
On Monday, after work, I picked Bear up and dropped him off at Slade and King’s house before picking Ash up from The Outpost and lastly, Wesley from the school.
I couldn’t stop glancing at him in the rearview mirror, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything.
“So, what’s the plan?” Ash asked when we parked down the road from the house on Aster Lane.
“Let me worry about that. You do your thing,” Wesley replied, and I turned to face him.
“We all agreed it’s better this time around if we just focus on you gaining access. It’s too much to ask you to get in, clone a phone, and get all the intel we need on the first go, especially after the way the dad talked to you last time,” I told him.
It had actually been my idea. Partly because the others were still arguing over the best next step, but also because Wesley wasn’t experienced enough to go undercover. I didn’t want him in any more danger than he was already putting himself in.
“Put this under your collar so we can listen in case anything happens.” Ash handed him a bug, and Wesley studied it in his palm for a bit.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to plant this somewhere in the house so we can listen in?” he asked.
“Only if you think you can find somewhere to put it without raising suspicion or where it might be found,” I said.
He smiled at me, and my heart roared in my chest.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He took a breath, then another, and just when I thought he was going to get out, he sank into the back seat.
