Page 27 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
He took a deep breath. “No, of all the people in the world, you deserve to be happy. If Bandit gives you that, then I’m all for it.” That’s what his lips said, but for the first time since coming home, his heart and his head were on the same page. Wyatt wanted Gabby to be happy…but with him.
The thought slammed into his chest like a battering ram, hitting with such a force, he was winded.Too late…whispered in the back of his mind again. He didn’t want to be that guy, but the idea of losing Gabby ate him up.
What was he going to do now? She was dating his friend. A guy that was more family than anything. Trying to come between Bandit and Gabby would be like stabbing a brother in the back. It wasn’t honorable. It wasn’t right. How could he fix all this?
“I’m sorry, Gabby,” he said and took her hand. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that or to make you mad.”
Squeezing his hand, she smiled. “I know. Bandit and I have just started talking. That’s it. I enjoy his company.”
Man, that hurt Wyatt’s heart to hear. Not that she was happy, but that she was happy with another man. A guy that he respected and thought of as a brother. But they were only talking. That was good news, right?
“I thought you were dating Tim, anyway.” He raised an eyebrow.
A pink blush swept over Gabby’s cheeks, and she bit her lip. “There is no Tim. I had to do something to try to tamp down Carrie Anne’s meddling in my love life.” She sighed. “She thinks she needs to find everyone’s love since she’s found hers.”
Wyatt laughed. “Tell me about it. She just can’t help herself.”
They were quiet for a few more minutes before he broke the silence.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were at my events?” He glanced at her, watching for her expression.
She blinked, and her lips parted.
“I want the truth.”
Twisting in the seat, she faced forward again. “I think that’s water under the bridge.”
The house belonging to the orchard came into view, and he slowed the pickup down. “Well, that bridge is rickety and can’t hold any weight. I want to know why.”
She turned away from him. “Because every time I came to say hi, you had girls all over you.”
Wyatt parked the truck in front of the house and cut the engine. “Why would that have stopped you? They were just…girls. You’re family. That’s always been more important.”
With a small nod of her head, she replied softly, “Yeah, you’re right. I should have let you know.” She cleared her throat. “We should probably check out the orchard. Bandit and I have plans tonight.” She quickly opened the door and jumped out of the truck.
Why did it sound like she was on the verge of tears? All he’d done was ask a simple question. There was no need to be upset about it.
He shook his head. He was probably reading too much into it. Carrie Anne clearly didn’t know what she was talking about anyway.
He got out of the pickup and joined Gabby at the front. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry. I just…I wish I’d known. What I was trying to say was that you’re more important than a bunch of girls.”
“It’s okay. I can be too sensitive sometimes.” She set her forehead against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry too.” She looked up at him.
His heart skipped a beat and then hit marathon speed. He liked the feel of her in his arms. While they might not have been completely joined at the hip as kids, they were good friends. There had been a few times he’d gone looking for Carrie Anne, only to catch Gabby instead. She’d given him girl advice every so often.
Then there was the time he’d had his tonsils out when she’d stayed with him that whole week. At the time, he thought nothing of it. With the revelation that Gabby had skipped a summer camp she loved in order to be with him, it changed how he saw their entire history. On the surface, he’d always thought of her as family, but digging a little deeper…he was seeing that things weren’t as black and white now.
Gabby dropped her arms and stepped back. “I guess we should check out the house.”
He nodded, but his thoughts were jumbled. His whole world had been flipped on its head, and he didn’t know how to right it. All these feelings were probably off anyway. Carrie Anne had planted seeds of doubt, and his mind was letting them grow. That made more sense than anything.
Turning, he faced the house and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to concentrate on why they were at the orchard. Now that his attention was focused on the house, a rush of excitement hit him as his mind began going a million miles a minute. Lately, bull riding didn’t even give him this feeling.
This place was full of potential, and he was sure Bear would let them buy this part of the ranch from him. It would take a ton of work, but there was a full-color picture of the finished product playing in his mind like a big screen at a drive-in. A little blood, a lot of sweat, and a bucket of tears, and this old house could be a fantastic place to hang his hat. He and Gabby could make this happen, just like they’d talked about years before.
Chapter 11
As Gabby rubbed her arms, she studied the house while trying to squelch the ache in her heart. Family. Even after talking about her not being a little kid anymore. He still didn’t think of her as anything else. If she thought actually spelling it out would help, she would, but not with the puzzled way he’d looked at her when she’d mentioned all the girls hanging on him. What would be the point?
