Page 40 of Bones

“Glad you like it... You hungry?”

Wrath and Savage had wiped out most of the pizza and wings, so I didn’t get much to eat. And after our little workout, I had a little grumble in my stomach. “Umm, yeah. I could eat. Whatcha got?”

“Not a lot.” He searched a moment longer, then said, “I can make us an omelet or a grilled cheese? Or an egg sandwich?”

“Oooh, an egg sandwich sounds good.”

“Yeah, it does.”

He pulled out the eggs and mayo and placed them on the counter, then he took out a skillet. It was strange seeing him like this—so relaxed and laidback. It was almost like I was getting a secret glimpse of his life outside of the club—one that no one else got to see. Enthralled, I sat down on the stool and watched him fry our eggs.

When they were almost done, he pulled out the bread and started to spread mayonnaise on each slice. As soon as he was done, he stepped back over to the stove to check on the eggs. That's when I told him, "My mother used to make egg sandwiches whenever my brother and I were sick- like every single time. Earache. Stomachache. Egg sandwich. I swear she thought they had special healing powers."

"I would never think about eating an egg when I was a kid. Just the thought of them turned my stomach." He cut each of the sandwiches into triangles as he told me, "But Stitch ate them all the time, and I was determined to be just like him, so I gave it a go. Turns out, they weren't so bad. I even grew to like them."

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but when I first moved to the clubhouse, I was completely terrified of your dad.”

Wyatt slid my plate over to me as he snickered, “He does make quite a first impression.”

“He certainly does. He makes a pretty impactful second and third impression, too,” I giggled. “But now that I’ve gotten to know him, I’m still pretty terrified of him.”

“Really? Why? He’s just a big teddy bear.”

“Stitch is nothing of the sort. He’s more like a rabid bear or a starved mountain lion or a werewolf on a full moon.”

“I get it. He’s a big scary dude, but he was more of a father to me than my ol’ man ever was. He saw me for me. Never treated me like I was just some weird kid. He didn’t call me names or put me down. He took the time to get to know me, and that meant something to me. It still does.”

“I’m glad you have him in your life.”

“Me, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him.”

“Do you think you would’ve joined the MC if he hadn’t come around?”

“No, probably not, but then, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have done if it hadn’t been for him.”

“Like what?”

“Rebuilding an engine. Riding a motorcycle. Going to a party and getting hammered.” He shrugged. “The brothers got me to do stuff I never thought I’d do.”

“They can be pretty persuasive.”

“That’s an understatement,” he chuckled. “But honestly, when I was younger, I didn’t need a lot of persuading. I wanted to do the things they were doing, even if it was something I was skeptical about. I guess the draw to being like them was stronger than my fear of failing.”

I’d known Wyatt for over two years before I discovered that he had Asperger’s. I wouldn’t have known then if he hadn’t told me. I’d always just thought he was quiet and reserved, but as we got closer, he started opening up to me about the struggles he’d had growing up and how he still struggled with his temper. I liked that he felt comfortable enough to talk to me about the struggles he'd had.

It made me feel closer to him, and I wanted that more now than ever. “I wish I had known you when you were younger. I bet you were adorable.”

“What? You don’t think I’m adorable now?”

“Oh, you’re plenty adorable, especially when you cook in your boxers.”

“Oh, you think so?” A panty-melting smile swept across his face as he said, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

We continued talking as we ate our sandwiches, and when we were done, Wyatt put our dishes in the sink and asked, “You ready for that movie?”

“Sure.”

I followed him into the living room and over to the sofa. As soon as we were seated, he grabbed one of his blankets and draped it over us. He grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels. “Action? Comedy? What are you in the mood for?”

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