Page 24 of I Found You
“Are you sure? You don’t have to,” I said.
“You have fed me four times. It’s usually paper plates or paper towels, so I don’t think much of the cleanup. But this was a full-course dinner. A delicious one. That I didn’t have to cook. Let me clean this up.” His stare was hard. He wasn’t going to back down from this. I put my hands up in surrender, but rather than going into the living room, I perched myself on the island, which gave me a view of his back as he scrubbed the dishes. He had a really nice back. And a really nice backside. I could sit here all day, just enjoying the view.
He glanced back at me and huffed a small laugh, shaking his head slightly. “You look like a kid up there, swinging your legs.”
Smiling along with him, I responded, “I feel like a kid up here, but a happy kid who’s watching someone else do the work. It’s new. I like it.”
“Of course you like it,” he said and, without turning around, expertly shot water from the sprayer over his shoulder directly at me.
“Agh,” I screamed. I tried to kick at him, but my legs were too short. In an effort to get closer, I lifted myself off the counter, using my arms to hold my weight. Only my upper-body strength wasn’t strong enough to hold me, and I slipped. I tried to gain my footing before I hit the floor, but I couldn’t get them back under me in time. My butt landed on the floor, my legs awkwardly beneath me, my dress splayed out around my waist. Wyatt spun around quickly, the spray nozzle wild in his hands, and a jet of water hit him square in the face.
Laughter burst out of me. It was like it couldn’t be contained within my body, and it didn’t stop. I was hysterical, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Tears flowed from my eyes as I sat on the now wet floor, looking up at the now wet man standing before me.
Wyatt was looking at me like I was crazy. “What the hell happened?”
“I tried… to kick you… for squirting… water at me… and I missed,” I told him in between sobs of laughter. “And then… you squirted yourself… with water anyway. And now I’m on the floor.” I threw my hands up and let my head bang against the side of the island, closing my eyes and trying to control myself.
Wyatt’s laughter started small, gradually increasing until he was doubled over, before he wrapped his hands around my waist and hauled me up from the floor, his muscles barely even bunching under my weight. Sobering quickly at his touch, I looked up to find him staring at me, laughter still lingering in his eyes.
I pulled back from his hold, smoothing my dress down. My head swam as the blood flooded to my face. “Thanks for everything today. You know you don’t have to work on my house, right? You can just come by to see Jane anytime you want.”
His gaze softened, and he reached out his hand like he was going to touch me, but he didn’t. He let his hand drop and took a step back from me.
“I told you, I like to stay busy. It’s no big deal. I should get going though, let you get Jane ready for bed.”
He kissed Jane’s sleeping head, and she instinctively turned toward him in her sleep. His smile was so soft and tender as he watched her for a moment. It almost felt intrusive to watch them together, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away.
* * *
Later that night, I lay on the sofa with Jane on my chest when my phone chimed a new text message alert.
Wyatt: Thanks for dinner today
Wyatt: And the show. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time ;)
Me: Happy to be of service :) And thank you again for everything.
I snapped a picture of Jane on my chest and sent it to him. Technically, I snapped multiple pictures, but I sent him the one where I was looking down at her rather than one where I was looking at the camera. That way, it didn’t seem like I was sending him a picture of myself.
Wyatt: Fucking beautiful. Have a good night, doll.
10
Wyatt
“Hey, are one of you Jackson?” I asked the duo who had just arrived in a tow truck with a badass black 1990 Rod Hall Signature Edition Dodge with an orange and white stripe across the sides.
“Are one of you Jackson,” one of the kids mocked. He had his chest puffed out and his arms wide on either side of him as he strutted toward me. My brow hitched. Who the fuck was this kid. Was this Maeve’s brother? Was that stance supposed to be me?
“Sam, fuck off. He’s helping me out.” Okay, good. Not Jackson, then.
“Nah, I’m just fucking with him,” he laughed. I didn’t. The kid, Sam, was walking around, making his way toward the garage door. I stepped in front of him, blocking his progress.
He feigned left and right, quickly bouncing back and forth like he was going to make a run past me. This kid was fucking bizarre. I stood in front of him and didn’t move an inch.
He stood and turned back to his friend. “This place is a shithole, J. You don’t need to be here. Trey said he’d find aplace that you can leave it.”
“I’m not leaving my truck in the back of a parking lot somewhere,” Jackson grumbled. “It’ll end up getting towed. Or stolen.”
