Wyatt

by Leanne Davis

  “So you were nicer to me because I was pathetic? Meanwhile, Wesley, who was only trying to take care of himself, is the loser?”

  “I’ve since made my peace with Wesley, right? Isn’t he currently living with us? Who made that happen? Whose former girlfriend does he now call his?”

  We’re still jogging slowly, but my breathing is a smidgeon harder. “Good point. I’ll give you that. You were first class about Dani. From the breakup to how you treated her and Wesley simply because she asked you to.”

  “I still love her. Dani’s been my best friend for my entire life.”

  “Wesley’s been my longest friend. So I guess you and I have to be friends for our friends’ sakes, huh?’

  He nods. “I suppose. Are you getting winded yet?”

  “Yes.” But still I jog. I make it a whole mile. Sweat runs down my face, and it seems like I am running on two hard boards, the bottoms of my feet hurt so much. The pads ache and bruise each time my foot hits the pavement. The longer we jog, the less careful I become at setting my feet down. Wyatt jogs on air, like a feather falling to earth. I jog like an anvil crashing to the ground. I’ve had to quit talking. I stare at my feet and brush the sweat off my forehead.

  “I’m going to walk for a few steps.”

  Wyatt presses his lips flat, and I’m sure he’s suppressing a smile. “So you don’t mind if I go ahead?”

  “Oh, no. You go.” And off he runs as if a gunshot triggers his reaction, and he’s sprinting for a large cash prize. I expect to see smoke flying behind his sneakers at the fast speed he adopts. Fine, he was coddling me, going super slow to keep pace with the newbie runner. I didn’t realize how hard he had to restrain himself until he takes off just now. Surely he can’t keep that pace up. But he does. He freaking does. I go around another loop. I mostly walk rather than shuffle this time and by the third mile, I am only walking. But Wyatt? He passes me several times and he’s still running. There is no jogging pace for him. His shorts end just above his knee. They are black, loose, athletic shorts, and he practically lives in them and his white t-shirts. He’s not much of a fashionista, but the muscular definition on his legs is enough to make me fan my face.

  Phew.

  Three miles is my limit. I might have run or jogged, but it’s more like I half-skipped most of it.

  I collapse on one of the park benches that face out towards the Columbia River. There are no docks here. A slope leads straight to the water and large boulders dot the shore. The current sweeps past here and I shiver, not even thinking about falling into it. I can’t swim worth a damn, so it terrifies me to imagine myself in deep water. Even this close to it, my hands get clammy with apprehension, and my primal fear that I could tumble right into it petrifies me.

  Eventually, after six or seven miles of running and becoming a sweaty mess, Wyatt stops near the bench. He begins stretching again, doing lunges and then placing his hands on the ground and pulling his foot and holding it behind him. The stretching continues until he is all smoothed out and he flops down beside me.

  “So you’re in crazy good shape.” I huff at him as if it’s his fault.

  “What? You didn’t notice that until now?” He flexes his arm muscle right next to my head.

  I scoff and grimace, but his delicate ego and small smile make me laugh. “Okay, stud, we don’t want you to get confused. Of course I noticed all your muscles. Football god that you are, right?”

  He gives me a stern frown, but the twinkle in his eyes softens it. “Of course. How could you miss that?” he chuckles. “Though between you and Dani, how could anyone ever know? She was never very accommodating when it came to stroking my ego either. She’s pretty tough when she confronts a guy’s perceived vanity. I learned real young to keep my fragile ego in check.”

  “Oh, I can see Dani not being impressed by anything so superficial as how one looks.” I give him a once-over. “Then again, look at her dating record. Most people would argue the opposite and say that’s all Dani cares about. She has a definite type, I think.”

  Wyatt smirks. “A month ago, I’d have walked away if anyone compared me to Wesley. But I must admit… damn if we don’t look alike.”

  I consider him. “All this stuff you do. Do you like it?”

  “What stuff exactly?” He kicks out a leg and turns to face me. A few feet separate us, so his bulk isn’t intimidating or claustrophobic. Since Dani and Wesley vouched for him, I feel more at ease. Even though Wesley and Wyatt had a rough start, if Wyatt were any danger to me or Dani, Wesley would have smashed him into the ground.

  “Football. Being the star-stud-or-whatever-you-are for your school?”

  “Oh, I love football. I love everything about it. From holding the ball in my hands to the wet grass under my feet. There’s nothing better than releasing the ball from my hand and watching it spin into the horizon before landing exactly where I want it to. I love the team camaraderie. I experienced it first with my dad and then with my teammates. I love the exercise and making goals and the way the field—”

  “So, that would be a yes.” I interrupt him as his gaze drifts towards the river, although it appears as though he sees nothing.

  “That would be a resounding yes.”

  “Then why don’t you seem… I don’t know, excited to be going back to school to do that? Why does it seem like you view it as a dreaded chore you have to face?”

  “Do I come off that way?”

  “I don’t know you that well, but that’s the vibe I got. Plus…”

  “Plus?” his eyebrows jerk upwards. “Why be circumspect now? You’ve come this far.”

  “Circumspect? You and I come from totally different… backgrounds.”

  He frowns. “What’s wrong with that word?”

  “Nothing, really.” But I didn’t know what it meant.

  “Anyway, what kinda vibe do you get?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Like football is just another thing you check off and mark as done. Just another class to fill your basket for your degree. Does that make any sense?”

  “No, because football is much better than any classes I take. I love football, I love the team, I love leading it. It’s my dream come true. I’m just a very serious guy, you know? I take my life pretty seriously because I realize what’s at stake. Maybe the vibe you’re reading now is simply me in training mode.”

  “Oh, you mean running? This is training mode?”

  “Yeah, part of it. Endurance training. Staying agile and fast.”

  “Yet you let me crash it?”

  He moved like a snail beside me and stayed with me for much of it. I didn’t realize I was taking him away from his actual training. This kind of training seems to make him unhappy, and even his previous girlfriend often commented he wasn’t acting himself this summer. According to Dani, Wyatt was being cold, volatile, and just different. Hell, compared to most of the guys his age that I knew, he was a saint. He wasn’t on drugs, or a pimp, or a criminal, or in a gang, or trying to make me do any of those things. Judging by my paltry standards, he’s no less than a damn prince.

  As far as I know, he doesn’t even smoke or vape. Crap, I’ve never met anyone as clean as Wyatt.

  “Well, if you think running will help you after what you just went through, seems the least I could do. We can try and jog when I’m home from school.”

  “I won’t be able to move my muscles tomorrow, but yes, I’ll keep trying. I can always walk, right? Work up to the running.”

  “I think you should. It’s a great stress reliever, too. Considering the—”

  “Tragic life I’ve had?”

  “Well, I intended to be more diplomatic, but yeah, it might be a good way to let off some steam. It always works for me.”

  “You’re saying I need to work out?”

  His lips tweak up. “Oh, hell, no. Don’t take what I said as that. I’m just saying I’m available if you want to go out for a jog.”

  “When you’re in town.”

 
“Right, when I’m in town.” Oh, the luxury. Not only does he have student housing on campus, where he lives with two other guys, his teammates, he also has the option to come home to Silver Springs whenever he wants to.

  “But you will let me watch a game?”

  “Jacey, everyone in my family comes to the games. Pick whomever you want to ride with.”

  His gentle tone suggests my desire to attend his game and see his school is no big deal. But to one who has never been invited anywhere for most of her life, it’s hard to believe that anyone would want my company. No one ever asked me out to dinner or to a movie or to walk in the park. There were no outings strictly for me. That’s why it’s such a big deal for me to go anywhere here and do anything new. Almost everything I’ve done until now is new to me and invigorating. Even our afternoon jog before sitting down to talk and watch the huge, wide river was new and interesting to me. The previous boredom that was eating away at my brain vanished.

  We get up, and I all but collapse in his truck before dragging myself to my room. I take a long, warm bath. By the time I go downstairs to eat something, the whole family is sitting around talking. Wesley is eating a huge piece of cake in the living room with Dani sitting beside him. They are talking to each other. She smiles warmly at me when I enter the room. So amazing. I have a relationship with a girl who is dating my friend. Her ex-boyfriend stands with his butt against the counter, and his arms folded over his massive chest. He’s chit-chatting with his mom. Ryder sits at the table, reading something on his phone. Wesley is so right; the ease of interacting with these people is crazy hard to understand.

  “At last the bathing beauty emerges,” Wyatt announces with an easy smile when he spots me rounding the corner of the kitchen. He seems to have relaxed a lot more since I first showed up. In a surprising but odd way, my unexpected appearance could have made Wesley seem more legitimate and truthful, so he became more acceptable to be allowed in Wyatt’s house. And he’s been nothing but friendly and welcoming to me. He often teases me. I think he does it in the same way that a brother might tease his sister in a normal, healthy family.

  Tara glances at me, and I shrug. “I jogged with Wyatt, and now every muscle in my body is reminding me they’ve never been used before.” Wearing some sweats and a hoodie, I hide my hands in the deep pockets.

  “Hungry?” Tara asks in a mild tone. She is only inquiring. I shrug and nod sheepishly. Tara proceeds to serve the meal she previously prepared.

  “I can serve myself,” I protest.

  “It’s no bother,” Tara says with a kind smile. And I realize she doesn’t mind. Each time, it chokes me up. Her kindness. My shock of it. Having anyone bother with me for no reason. Wesley catches my eye and shares a knowing, private smile. He feels exactly the same way and knows how strange it feels for people like us to experience genuine kindness.

  I slip into a chair across from Ryder. He’s still wearing his police uniform. “You working the night shift?”

  He glances up. “Yeah, covering for someone who’s sick. I’m trying to convince Wesley to come with me. I want to motivate him to get off his ass and start looking into how to pass his high school equivalency test.”

  I bite into the pasta dish. It’s so good, my mouth waters. “What does one have to do with the other?”

  Ryder smiles, and Wesley ducks when I glance at him. “Wesley expressed interest in what I do. It takes a lot of work to get into my program, but it’s doable. Step one—”

  “Is getting a high school degree.” I twist in my chair and say across the space, “Wesley, you should do that right away.”

  He gets on his feet and goes to the sink to wash his plate and set it in the dishwasher. “I’d like to go on the ride-along tonight. Those are pretty awesome.”

  “Well, imagine doing it every day.”

  Wyatt starts humming as they talk with a smirk on his lips. It takes me a second to recognize the song and instantly I start laughing. I have to hide my own smile behind my hands. He’s humming “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle, the theme song to the show Cops. Everyone knows that song it seems. I raise my eyebrows at his choice. He grins back and shrugs. I have issue with that show’s portrayal of cops to criminal—mainly black criminals.

  But his timing is too perfect, and I appreciate the nonchalant way he stands at ease with his arms crossed as he hums the tune as innocently as a baby. It’s the first time I’ve seen him relax. I noticed on many occasions how much fun he has being silly and teasing in his interactions with his dad. A warmth exists between them that is adorable to watch. The bulked-up football hero and the stern but fair cop.

  Wyatt teases his dad all the time and Ryder usually responds with mock irritation until they are both laughing or goading each other back and forth. I’ve never enjoyed a teasing relationship with an adult. Especially in families I was in the care of. I can’t imagine the trust one must feel when you can tease and enjoy an adult’s reaction. It’s so far out of my sphere of “rules” for interactions with adults. I constantly admire the ease and trust and friendship Wyatt enjoys with both of his parents. I know he values his relationship with them but doesn’t obsess over it like I do. I wish… well, he can’t imagine how rare his family is.

  Dani and I crack up laughing, and Ryder and Wesley glare at Wyatt until they catch on. Tara smiles somewhere in between. She’s the diplomat in this assembly of people. It throws me to see how congenial so many people can be in one room, especially with their history and circumstances. Ryder’s a cop, and Wesley committed a crime, and I showed up without an invitation as a wandering stranger in need of help, yet I feel more at home here than any other place I ever stayed. Wyatt smirks as he passes his dad and squeezes his dad’s shoulder. “Chill, Dad. Wesley will do it. It’s just in his nature to resist. He wants to get everyone worried and looking for him like when he pretended to leave here to satisfy his wanderlust.” Wyatt casts a glance at Wesley with a twisted smile. “How long did that last, Wesley? Six whole hours?”

  Dani and I are practically snickering so Wesley glares harder, and Tara has to laugh, too, when Ryder’s shoulders bounce with his amusement. “You’re right. Wesley always comes around. He just has to go through the motions to get there.” Ryder seems content that his new… whatever Wesley is to them, will eventually get his GRE, and then what? Does he expect Wesley to follow him into law enforcement?

  Wyatt glances my way. “Jacey has never been to a college campus. You guys should bring her to the game and let her stay over with me so she can have a good look around. See what it’s all about. Expand those horizons and all that healthy stuff. Long as she’s here. Plus, she’s bored to tears and doesn’t know what to do with all of her time.”

  Tara nods. “That’s an excellent idea. Perhaps we should discuss what you’d like to do.”

  “No. Oh, I’m not bored.” I could freaking kill Wyatt. He makes me sound so ungrateful. Showing up and mooching off these kind people and letting them go out of their way to keep me here at considerable expense and inconvenience to them, only to have Wyatt announce very loudly that I’m bored? I sound like an obnoxious ingrate.

  “Yes, we should talk.” Tara says.

  I set my fork down and stare at the plate. I can’t lift my head up. I have always felt like a burden and never the guest of honor.

  “Jacey, you don’t have to look so tragic. Okay? And you’re welcome to stay here, just as we asked Wesley. I know what life is like out there and I don’t want that for either of you. Especially you. Relax and take some time to figure out what you might want to do now that no one is threatening to hurt you or steal your stuff. You’re safe here. This is your home for as long as you want. So figure out what you want that to mean.”

  My gaze lifts to Tara. Then to Ryder. They both smile gently at me with worldly, adult authority. I’ve never been around responsible adults or any who actually wanted me to live with them. They promised to take care of me and even offered their help to me. It’s both liberating and terrify
ing. Wyatt stands above his dad saying, “Relax, Walker. Crap, if they can afford that horse over there, they can certainly afford you. Anyway, you’ll definitely come to see me in all my awesomeness, right? Friday night?”

  I blink. I could cry and fall to my knees in thanks. I can’t believe they’re doing this and offering me so much. Wyatt uses his kidding comment to ease my discomfort at hearing their generous offer. He’s trying to make me feel better about accepting it. I could weep for hours when I think of how kind they all are. I see what Wyatt does now. He knows exactly what all of this means to Wesley and me, and he makes light of it. That way, we can hold onto our pride and still settle here.

  I swallow. “Are you sure?”

  Wyatt answers even though I’m staring at Tara. “Of course, we’re sure, who wouldn’t want to see me? Number one team in the state—”

  Wyatt prattles on when I interrupt him.

  “I meant, are your parents sure?” I give him a fake-scowl. But I enjoy his banter how it diffuses the situation for me. “Not you. Being number one in the state, I know you can’t wait to show off.”

  Tara and Ryder laugh. I’m doing neither. I’m deadly serious, and I roll my eyes at Wyatt without joking.

  Wyatt mutters, “I know what you meant. I was trying to alleviate the heavy mood. We already did the oh, I can’t believe how wonderful the Kincaids are shit with Wesley. Yes, the Kincaids are the greatest fucking family in the whole world. Join us? Please. I’m over it. We already decided. You two wandering souls can crash here when the need or desire arises. But I am getting tired of being a savior, and I prefer not to listen to it anymore.” His gaze meets mine, and his dark eyes gleam. He teases me with his words, but a gentle seriousness shines in his gaze. He’s doing this on purpose. Trying to make things easier on me and Wesley, too. Odder still, I think he wants us to stay here. And damn if it doesn’t work. I try to swallow the knot lodged in my throat. “Thank you,” I whisper, acknowledging my inner relief that they don’t require us to kneel in our gratitude.