Page 82 of Concealed

Hearing his assessment makes me smile with my entire body. As messed up as this situation is, I’ve never been happier than I am in Wyatt’s company. I don’t know how we’re going to make it work, but I really hope that we can.

“Have you heard from him at all tonight?” I ask.

Gabe gives his phone a cursory glance. “Nothing. Believe me, Becca, if he had a chance to message anyone, he’d pick you over me.”

It makes me wonder what Wyatt told Gabe about me, and if wants to find a path forward together as badly as I do. But Gabe could also be teasing me – it wouldn’t be the first time – or making assumptions that aren’t true.

“Do you think it’s stupid to get involved with someone else so soon after leaving Matt?”

Gabe takes a sip of water that downs most of the glass, and I busy myself with refilling it while he contemplates an answer.

“Life is a funny thing. Either nothing happens, or everything happens all at once. If you weren’t over Matt or needed more time to heal, well, I know Wyatt. He would have stayed away.”

Remembering when Wyatt told me that I was already whole has me swooning at the memory of his confidence in me and my abilities.

Even when I find it impossible to believe in myself.

“If you’re both ready for something, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else might assume,” Gabe continues. “I’m glad that two of my best friends found someone to make them happy.”

I rest my elbows on the breakfast bar and drum my fingers against the cool countertop. “I just… Even tonight, for example, I hate not knowing if he’s okay.”

“Would you hate it even more if you never knew? If it wasn’t just his shift that you didn’t hear from him, but that you never heard from him period? Maybe because he had a new girlfriend and didn’t speak to you anymore?”

My stomach turns violently, and my face must give me away because Gabe chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”

“Why does everything have to be so complicated?”

“It isn’t, really. You’re never going to find a partner who checks every box. No one is perfect. It’s just a matter of being able to accept someone’s flaws and less-than-ideal circumstances. Being with them and their imperfections has to be better than the alternative of losing them completely. Only you can decide if Wyatt is worth it.”

“He is,” I whisper. “Never thought I’d say it about another damn cop, but he is.”

Gabe points at his badge. “I’m offended.”

I roll my eyes. “You don’t count.”

“Then Wyatt shouldn’t count either. We’re not all the same.”

Gabe is right, and I need to have a serious conversation with Wyatt. However my future looks, I want him to be part of it. We can go as slow as we need to, but I can’t imagine not having him in my life at all.

Impulsively, I grab my phone and send him a message.

Rebecca:I know you’re busy tonight, and I hope everything is going well. I just… I miss you. And if you’re really and truly off tomorrow, let’s talk, okay? There’s something I want to tell you. It’s something good. I’ll wait up for you. Can’t wait to see you.

“I love that smile,” Gabe says.

When I look up from the screen, I realize that he’s been watching me the entire time.

“It’s been a long time, and I’m glad that you’re back in my life,” he continues. “This time, I’m not letting you get away. I know Darren will back me up on it.”

I miss my family so much.

Even if I need to depend on the Vegas PD to help me – or at least to create the paper trail that Wyatt insists I need – then so be it. Nothing is going to keep me away from my people anymore.

The look on Gabe’s face can only be described as contented nostalgia. “Do you remember when…”

I wait expectantly, looking forward to reminiscing about one of his happy memories from the past. It’s so telling about someone’s character when they share what stands out in their minds versus the moments they forget ever happened.

But I frown when his expression changes to high alert. I start to ask him what’s wrong when he raises a massive hand to silence me. He tilts his head toward the radio, and I scramble to turn it off, enveloping the room in silence.

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