“Don’t get weird on me now, Peyton. We’re damn good together.”
I nodded, avoiding his eyes.
“Do you regret what happened?”
My gaze snapped back to his. “Do you?”
He shook his head. “Not for a second. I told you I’ve wanted you for a while. Although I did promise you sex in front of the fireplace. We’ll have to do that next time.”
“Next time?”
“I want there to be a next time.”
“I think I like the sound of that.”
I got dressed while Wyatt took care of the condom. He pulled a pair of pajama pants on and slid his arms around me.
“I feel like such a dick for making you drive yourself home. I should have planned this better.”
I laughed. “I think I’d prefer it this way.”
“What? You can make a break for it? Get away from me?”
“No,” I said, turning in his arms. “Knowing it wasn’t planned. That you haven’t been doing all this to get me into bed.”
“Well, I’m not sure I’m that innocent. I have been thinking about getting you into bed for a while.”
I laughed, knowing it wasn’t the whole truth. He’d barely spoken to me since we’d met. I had no reason to think he had a thing for me all this time. But it was nice to hear.
“Wednesday, pack a bag and stay the night with me.”
“Why?” I blurted.
“Because I want to do that more than just once. Just having you in front of the fire isn’t enough. There’s shower sex. And middle of the night sleepy sex. And forget breakfast sex. And because I want to wake up to you.”
I knew I should say no. I knew I was getting too attached to him. I knew it was a bad decision.
But I knew I couldn’t resist him.
So I said yes.
Chapter 16
At girls’ night the next night, Wyatt kissed me in front of everyone. I had to deal with all the questions, but at least I knew they all liked him. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the introductions to the new guy were since Wyatt was basically one of us.
“I don’t think it’s fair that no one is grilling Wyatt,” Vicki whined. “You guys almost had Hunter running for his life.”
“He fucked with you,” Carrie said. “He didn’t show up when he was supposed to and wasn’t around when he should have been. He deserved what he got. He’s lucky all we did was grill him.”
“I wanted to filet him,” Olivia confessed. “He’s grown on me and I like him, but when he first showed up? Nope. I was ready to lock him out.”
“He was really sorry.”
“He should have been,” Tara added. “They ripped Noah a new one. And I know he’s not the only guy who was handed a sack for his balls after this group got a hold of him.”
Sam and Carrie laughed. I just sat there quietly so they didn’t decide it was worthwhile to attack Wyatt. I really liked his balls. And everything they were attached to.
“We were pretty ruthless with Xander,” Addi admitted. “He was the first guy to try to break into our group. When he hurt Mandy, we were all ready to castrate him.”
“He made up for it though. It was a misunderstanding,” Mandy defended her husband.
“It was. Just like with the rest of them. Granted, they were all jerks at one point or another, but they made up for it.”
“I was the jerk with Joey,” Addi said. “I can’t believe he ever gave me a chance.”
“None of us are perfect,” Sam said, reaching for her best friend. “Joey isn’t either.”
“He’s close.”
“He is close. We all found the perfect person for us. We’re lucky. And it looks like Peyton is getting lucky, too.”
So much for keeping my head down.
“I didn’t say that.”
Sam snorted. “Your fuck me eyes said it for you.”
“I do not have fuck me eyes!” I shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
“Mommy? What does-”
“Stop!” Olivia yelled to silence Becca. “It’s an adult thing to say that you aren’t allowed to repeat. Ms. Peyton is sorry she said it.”
“But I-”
“Right Peyton?” Olivia asked in her stern mommy voice.
I nodded, meeting Becca’s eyes. “I am. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not a good thing to repeat.”
Becca watched me carefully for a long moment, then shrugged and turned back to her table. I should have known better than to look at Wyatt at that moment, but he was sitting right next to Becca and my eyes couldn’t be controlled.
‘Fuck me?’ he mouthed.
I shrugged.
He winked at me before letting his eyes trail down my body, hovering at my chest. When he met my eyes again, I knew exactly what Sam was talking about.
And that she was right.
He winked again then turned back to the conversation at his table. I forced my eyes away from him and realized everyone at my table was watching me.
“Want to explain it again?” Sam asked.
“Shut up, Sam,” I said in a very mature voice.
They all laughed at me. I deserved it.
“Okay, fine. I was giving him-” I glanced at Olivia and whispered, “fuck me eyes. He’s damn good at it, and I want it again. Are you happy?”
The table was silent for about half a second before everyone started cheering. I laughed in spite of myself, accepting the compliments that I’d done well. Not that I did anything. Wyatt was with me all on his own. Not because I did anything to make it happen.
“Tell us all about it,” Carrie demanded.
“No!” Olivia shouted. “He’s my boss. I really don’t think I could handle knowing what sex with him is like.”
“Oh, please. You have Ethan to go home to. You won’t be thinking about Wyatt,” Abby said.
“True, but I don’t think I’ll be able to look Wyatt in the eye again if I hear how big he is.”
“How big is he?” Sam asked, her curious eyes swinging to me.
I glanced at Olivia. She plugged her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. I held my hands apart to show them. They all cheered again, prompting Olivia to unplug her ears and open her eyes.
“No more,” she begged. “Please!”
“One more question,” Carrie demanded. “How many did you have?”
“Last night?”
“Ooh! So there was more than one time?”
“No! I mean, yes, but not sex. Last night was the first time we had sex.”
“Oh, shit,” Olivia groaned. “I wondered why he was in such a good mood today. I really didn’t think he was screwing my friend.”
“Well, he’ll be in a really, really good mood Thursday so you might want to take off.”
“Gah!” Olivia shouted as everyone else laughed and reached out to high-five me.
“Okay, okay,” Vicki said. “Let’s give Olivia a break. Me, too. I’m not sure I can handle hearing about my sister’s sex life.”
“Really?” Riley asked. “My sisters and I talk about sex all the time.”
“You do?”
Riley nodded. “Definitely. Haven’t you guys?”
Vicki and I exchanged a look. The truth was, we talked about Vicki having sex a lot, but she’d never asked about me. She didn’t know any of my sexual past. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her, but she never seemed interested. She told me about a few guys she’d dated over the years, and shared a lot more than I wanted to know about her and Hunter, but that was it.
“I can’t even think of the last time I had sex before yesterday so there was never really much for me to tell,” I hedged, knowing Vicki was realizing our conversations were relatively one-sided. “Vicki’s definitely had more to share.”
“You make me sound like such a slut!”
I shook my head. “I don’t mean that. You’ve been dating Hunter for a while. And before that you dated other guys. I’m so absorbed in my work that I barely see a
ny men besides the husbands of my patients.”
“Except Wyatt.”
I nodded. “Well, yeah, but we’ve only been talking for a few weeks.”
“How did you two get together?”
“We’re not really together. We’ve gone out a few times and slept together once. That’s it.”
“But you have plans to sleep together again?” Carrie asked.
“Yes, but that’s just because he wants to cook me dinner and have sex in front of his fireplace.”
“Wait, what?” Olivia exclaimed.
“Sorry Liv.”
“No, now I need to hear this.”
I chuckled. “At Thanksgiving we were talking about the holidays and I told him I hate this time of year. He decided he wanted to convince me this time of year is great so we’ve been doing things that he enjoys. Ice skating. Sledding. Shopping for Christmas ornaments.”
“He took you shopping for his snowflake?” Olivia asked.
I nodded. “Um, yeah. Why? What does that mean?”
She looked around at the group then dropped her voice. “He hasn’t taken anyone besides his mom or sister in years. He told me once that the only woman he ever went with was his ex-fiancée.”
All eyes swung back to me, waiting for my reaction.
“Shoot,” Olivia said. “I assumed you knew. I was trying to make you feel better, not worse.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. He has a past. It’s to be expected. I knew about her but not the ornament.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel weird.”
I squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. I promise.”
But it wasn’t fine. Not really. I felt like he’d kept something major from me. Something significant. Like things were very different between us than I thought they were.
And I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about that.
“I know this is hard to hear,” I began, “but I think it’s time.”
Grace nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I know. We’ve been talking about it, but we were hoping it wouldn’t come to that.”
“I know. And I’m not saying we give up completely. We can keep trying if you want to. But the toll it takes on your body after a while is tiresome. I want to save you from that.”
She nodded again. Her husband, Brian, held her against his side. He looked like he was about to cry also.
“There are some great adoption agencies to choose from. And you know you can do domestic or international adoption. Unfortunately, the process is not quick, but you know you’ll have a child of your own at the end of it.”
“That’s all we really want,” Brian said.
“I know. I want that, too. I was really hoping I’d be able to give you a natural child, but there are so many kids out there in need of good homes.”
Grace and Brian nodded and looked at each other. “I think we’re ready for that. We want to keep trying with you, but we don’t want to miss a chance to bring a child into our home. We know there are kids out there that need us.”
“Good. I think you’re making a good decision. I know it’s not an easy one.”
Grace shook her head. “It’s not, but over the last eight years, we’ve talked off and on. I’m a lot older now than when we started trying. We know every year that passes reduces my chances of getting pregnant.”
“You can still have children when you adopt. They’ll be yours in every sense except genetics. And you’ll be helping children who need the help.”
“Thank you, Dr. Prescott. We really appreciate the help.”
“Of course. Anything you need, call my office and we’ll do whatever we can to help you.”
“Thank you.”
I left the exam room and went straight into the next room. My day continued as I rushed from one patient to the next and by the time I was done, I was ready to collapse.
Laura walked into my office smirking. “You keep running yourself ragged like this and you won’t be able to enjoy your all-nighter with Mayor Hotness.”
I laughed. “I never should have told you about that.”
“Oh, please. I’m your best friend. Who else are you going to tell?”
“True.”
“I still can’t believe you’re spending the night with him. Have you ever spent the night with a guy? In your entire life?”
I shook my head. “Nope. But it’s not a big deal. It’s just a lot of sex.”
“Do you really believe that?”
I shrugged.
“Pey, you’re kidding. It’s not that simple. You’re sharing personal space with someone. Sharing a bathroom. Waking up with morning breath. It’s not just sex. It takes sex to a whole new level when you spend the night with someone.”
“I’m not moving in. He just wants me to stay so we can have lots of sex.”
“You said he wants to wake up with you, right?”
I shrugged. “So?”
“That’s not about sex. He likes you. And I know you’re falling for him.”
“I am not,” I argued. “Why would you think that?”
“I’ve never seen you walk away from work for a guy. Or for anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it’s not like you. You’re having fun with him. He’s good for you.”
“You’re reading too much into this, Laura.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I am. I know you like to keep your head in the sand, but do you really believe that you can keep all night tonight to just sex?”
I sighed, knowing she was right. “I don’t know. I thought I could, but now I have no idea.”
“How about this? You go over there, you enjoy the night. If you fall for him, deal with it later.”
“That sounds like a perfect way to get hurt.”
“You’re Peyton Prescott. No man can hurt you.”
“If any man could, I think it would be Wyatt Ramsey.”
Chapter 17
Wyatt opened the door with his keys in his hand and a grin on his handsome face. “Good, you brought a bag.” He leaned in and kissed me, then reached for my bag. He dropped it inside the door then stepped into the hallway with me.
“Are we going somewhere?”
He nodded as he locked the door. “Yeah. I forgot to grab dessert. I don’t bake.”
“We don’t need dessert,” I protested.
“Yes, we do. It’s part of the holiday tradition for me. Since I’m quickly running out of time to convince you this is a great time of year, I need to go all out. I wasn’t sure what time you were going to be here so I didn’t grab it before I came home. Come on. It’ll be quick.”
I groaned and let him pull me back outside. He told me about his day as we drove into town. It was surprisingly bright out for so late in December. I glanced at the clock and realized it was early.
“Wow.”
“What?”
“Laura said I’ve been leaving work early lately and I thought she was crazy. I don’t think I’ve been out of work this early ever.”
Wyatt chuckled. “I know. I’m the same. There are days I’m getting out of there before Olivia lately.”
“I’m not sure which of us is a worse influence on the other.”
He laughed. “I definitely never gave up my time for a woman before.”
Olivia mentioning his ex-fiancée popped into my head and I clammed up.
Wyatt parked and got out. We were walking down the street hand-in-hand before he brought it up.
“What did I say?”
I sighed, annoyed and pleased that he could read me so well. “It was nothing.”
“Now I know it was something,” he teased. “What happened?”
I stopped. “Olivia mentioned you were engaged before.” He dropped my hand and paced away a few steps. “Don’t get mad. When you kissed me yesterday, they all wanted to know what was going on. I told them about our dates and Olivia was surprised you’d taken me shopping. She said besides your mom and sister, you’d only ever been with your ex.”
Wyatt didn’t say anything for a long moment. He ran a hand over his stubbled jaw then faced me. I could see the pain in his eyes and it killed me to know he still loved this woman enough to feel the hurt she left behind after however long it had been.
“I told you I was engaged before.”
“I know. And that doesn’t bother me. I guess it just shocked me to realize the only time you went shopping for an ornament with someone other than your family was when you went with your fiancée. And then with me.”
He shrugged, a grin tilting his lips up. “I never wanted to go with anyone else.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Can I ask what happened?”
“I met Eleanor years ago, right after I graduated college. I was working in the city counsel office basically as a secretary. We worked in the same building and started talking. After a while, we started dating and fell in love.”
I won’t lie. It hurt to hear him say he loved someone else. Dammit.
“We talked, a lot. I told her I didn’t want kids. She agreed. After we got engaged, she changed her mind. She decided she wanted kids. Her friends were having kids and she didn’t want to miss out. I was considering a vasectomy, but she didn’t want me to. We argued, a lot. She came to me one night and said she was sorry. That she was emotional and hormonal and she didn’t really want kids. I still loved her and wanted to marry her so I didn’t think anything of it. A month later, she told me she was pregnant.”
I gasped. Even though I saw it coming, I was shocked.
“I was mad and hurt. I felt like she was trapping me. We were still trying to get back to where we’d been before, but I felt like I no longer had a choice when it came to marrying her. I had to, because that’s what I was raised to do.”
I could see the pain in his eyes and wished I could take it away. I couldn’t imagine someone doing that to another person.
“I found out later that she lied. She wasn’t really pregnant. She thought if she told me she was that she could get pregnant before I noticed. I knew I’d never trust her again. I have trouble trusting anyone because of her.”
“I think you have a good reason.”
He nodded. “She’s in my past now. I’m done with relationships. I’m content with how things are with us, and the rest of my life. It’s better this way.”
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