Page 58 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
Mr. West made a time-out signal with his hands. “Whoa, nellies. Now, Wyatt, your momma has a good point.”
Wyatt’s mom pointed her finger at Wyatt. “See—”
His dad held up his hand. “But Wyatt is a good rider. Out of all the rides he’s done, he’s had one accident. Granted, it was a big one, but that’s it. Course, he’s had bruises in places it’s not polite to talk about in mixed company, but I think he’ll be okay.”
Mrs. West shook her head. “I don’t like it. If he gets hurt…”
“I won’t. If I have a bad feeling about it at all, I won’t ride. I promise.”
With his attention on his parents, Gabby slipped off to the kitchen. She was pretty sure she wasn’t on the guest list. The metal sink clinked as she set her dishes down, and the fork she’d used clattered as it fell off her plate. She turned, and Wyatt was standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Are you really that tired?” he asked.
She looked down and nodded. “Yeah.”
The sound of footsteps drawing closer made her lift her head. Wyatt was now directly in front of her. “I wanted—”
Holding up her hand, she stopped him. “I know. It’s okay. I messed things up, and I don’t expect them to ever be where they were. Not after lying to you.”
“Gabby, just let me—”
“No.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and then lifted her gaze to his again. “You need time, and I need time. Let’s just call it a truce for a while. Please?”
He sighed. “All right, but I want you at my event. Okay?”
“All right,” she said softly.
He shot her a sweet half-grin and walked back to the kitchen doorway. “See you in the morning.”
Well, at least he didn’t hate her guts as much as she thought he did. Maybe there was a chance they could be normal again. She wouldn’t hold her breath or get her hopes up, but this was a start.
Chapter 23
Heart palpitations. Sweaty palms. Upset stomach. Wyatt’s anxiety ratcheted up with every second his ride drew closer. Whispers he’d heard about the bull he’d drawn was that it was mean as a snake. He was the biggest bull at the event, and if he got you off the saddle, he was coming for you.
Wyatt’s gut feeling was that he’d be okay, but that didn’t mean he was stupid enough to believe the ride would be easy. He was going to have to keep his mind focused. When he dismounted, he was going to need to bolt out of the arena as fast as possible.
He shook his hands out as he paced, psyching himself up. As he turned, he looked over the crowd, trying to find his family. More importantly, he wanted to see Gabby. This was for her as much as it was for him.
Wyatt sensed someone watching, whirled around, and smiled as his gaze landed on Gabby. “Hey.”
She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.”
He quickly closed the distance. “No, wait. I’m glad you’re here. I wish you’d come to see me like this at every event you came to.” He gave her a small smile.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “I saw you pacing…and just…wanted to make sure you were okay.” She slid her hands into her back jeans pockets and shrugged.
“Yeah, just…pre-ride jitters. You know how it is.” Now that she was standing in front of him, he wasn’t nervous at all. “Getting myself ready to go out there.”
“You do know if you get hurt, Carrie Anne will make you wish the bull had killed you.” She rolled her lips in to keep from smiling.
Wyatt cast his gaze to the ground and grinned as he shook his head. “Oh, I bet she will, but I’m going to walk out of that arena.” More like leave it for something he wanted more than anything. He took Gabby’s hand. “Thanks for checking on me.”
The corners of her lips turned up a fraction. “I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
He loved hearing that. He stepped closer to her. “You think I could get a kiss for good luck?”
Gabby locked eyes with him like she was looking for a miracle. “You think you’ll ever be able to really forgive me?”
