Brothers Black: Wyatt the Heartbreaker

by Blue Saffire

  “Yes, I have. That sounds great to me,” Wyatt replies with that charming smile.

  “Oh great,” Mom says. “Steve finally finished that apartment over the garage, so you guys will be staying up there. I figured you would be more comfortable there.”

  I actually laugh as a blush creeps over my face. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Oh, Honey please, you are twenty-five and from what Steve tells me, Wyatt here is thirty. I am sure you are sharing a bed at times back home,” Mom shrugs as she turns to look in the back seat.

  I laugh again knowing my mom is fishing. Wyatt takes my hand and brings it to his lips. “Actually, we are moving in together when we return to L.A.,” Wyatt says with a big smile on his face.

  I turn away not able to see the happiness in his eyes. I know this is not going to be easy and I don’t want to get into it right now. I can’t believe this is happening we were just talking about starting our lives together.

  “Are you okay,” Wyatt leans into my ear to whisper.

  “Yeah,” I whisper not turning toward him.

  I am so glad when Steve pulls into the driveway of the little craftsman he and Mom call home. I feel Wyatt eyeing me, but I know I would break if I look at him right now. Steve cuts the engine and turns to Mom.

  “Hey, why don’t you go in the house and relax. I’ll get the kids set up in the apartment and then come get dinner started,” Steve says as he cups Mom’s cheek lovingly.

  “Thanks, Honey,” Mom says and leans in to place a kiss on Steve’s cheek.

  Steve and Wyatt collect our bags and we follow Steve behind the house to the garage apartment. We walk past my car and I smile. It was a high school graduation gift from Steve. He knows I have a secret fetish for Mustangs, so he bought me a brand new sleek black one, kitted out in chrome. My baby will smoke any 10-second car in 5 seconds flat. I smile at her with pride.

  “Sweet car,” Wyatt whistles.

  “That’s Nellie’s baby. I have been keeping her running for you. You guys should have no problems using her to get around while you’re here,” Steve says with pride.

  He loves cars as well. It was something we bonded over when he and Mom first started dating. It kind of broke the ice. He took me to a car show after Mom told him my secret and we hit it off from there.

  We were going to restore an older model together, but we nix that idea when Mom became sick. No one had the time. I love my car, but Steve and I had both agreed it would be a bad idea for me to take it with me when I left. It would have been easy to track.

  “Really, Baby,” Wyatt lifts a brow at me. He licks his lips and I can read the dirty thoughts running through his head on his face. “So fucking hot,” He mouths at me.

  I smile at him despite the deep aching in my heart. Steve leads us into the apartment and I have to smile to myself. It looks fantastic. I know that he had started the remodel with me in mind. Before I left, he was trying to make a place I could call my own, but still be close by.

  As I look around at the little touches of color and the crystal chandeliers, I know he finished the place still thinking of me. It twists the knife in my chest even more. I have abandoned the people that needed me most.

  I can’t hold back anymore. I have to know what is going on. I turn to Steve and see him watching me closely. He knows what is coming.

  “What is going on Steve? How long has she been like this,” I almost sob.

  I watch as tears fill this big strong man’s eyes, he throws his head back and puffs out a heavy sigh. When he looks back at me again, his face is a mask of pain. He opens his mouth, but no words come out the first time.

  “She didn’t want you to know,” comes out on his second attempt. “You weren’t happy, well before you left and she knew it. When we got the news a few months before you had to leave, your mother made me promise not to say anything this time.

  “She wanted you to find happiness. She was the one to ask your Uncle Rob to start talking up moving back home. I swear I would have taken you both back a long time ago, but she has never been a hundred percent up for the move,” Steve swallows thickly.

  “Oh God, Steve, you should have said something. I never should have left,” I sob.

  “That’s exactly why she didn’t want me to say something, Sweetheart. You have sacrificed so much for your mom. You mean so much to her kiddo. She worries so much about you because you are her world,” Steve says with his voice full of emotion.

  “This is so ridiculous, Steve. I left because I was selfish. Mom needed me and I was thinking of myself. I mean look at her. I never should have left,” I cry.

  Steve shakes his head. “No honey, your mom’s prognosis didn’t give her much time to begin with. There was nothing you could have done here,” he says looking as if his heart is breaking.

  “What,” I stagger back as the force of his words hits me. I feel myself falling to the ground, but Wyatt’s strong arms surround me as my knees give way. “Oh my God, this can’t be happening. How could I be so selfish?”

  “You were not being selfish, you were taking care of your safety, which is most important to your mother and me,” he says more firmly.

  “Well, I’m safe now,” I say.

  “And you’re happy,” Steve points out.

  “Am I? You’re telling me my mom is dying Steve,” my words come out in a choked whisper as if the words won’t allow themselves to fully pass my lips.

  Steve moves closer to cup my face as Wyatt holds me against his chest. “You will take this time to visit and give her the joy she has been longing for, by seeing you happy. At the end of the week, you will go back to L.A. and live your life. You gave up eight years of your life Nellie. You are still young. The last thing she wants is to see you give up what you have gone and built for yourself,” Steve says softly.

  My lips tremble as I shake my head. “No, I’m not leaving again. She needs me,” I demand.

  Wyatt’s arms tighten around me and I look up at him. I see a mixture of concern, compassion, and sympathy in his eyes. My next words break my heart.

  “I’m so sorry, Wyatt,” I say just above a whisper. “She’s my mom. I can’t leave her again.”

  I see the wheels turning in his head. Steve sighs and takes a step back. He knows I can be stubborn when I want to be. I will not leave my mother again. I am so furious right now. I should have known.

  “Baby, if that is what you want then we will stay,” Wyatt says as he starts to wipe away the tears I no longer have control over.

  “What, you can’t stay. Wyatt, I have to be here for my mom for as long as I can be. You have work, and your family,” I say to him with my brows furrowed.

  Wyatt pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. “Where I am, you are. If this is where you need to be then, this is where I am. I’ll call Felix and have him set us both up to work remotely by next week. I can take on more of the tech work for now with you and leave the field work to Dad, Rob, and my brothers,” Wyatt says as if it is all already worked out.

  I just look up into the eyes of the man I love. I am in awe of how quickly he has made the decision to change his whole life for me. So many thoughts are spinning in my head. I don’t know what to say.

  “We don’t know how long I will need to be here. I can’t ask you to do that,” I murmur.

  Wyatt lifts my chin until I am looking in his eyes. “All I need is you. The rest is secondary. Let’s just focus on this week and making it special for you and your mom. We’ll worry about next week, next week,” Wyatt says and drops a sweet kiss to my lips.

  I want to cling to him and sob my heart out like he let me do the other night, but he is right. I need to make this week special with my mom. I plan to do my best to make up for the five and a half months I have been gone.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Nellie

  “You two are so adorable,” my mother smiles at Wyatt and me as we sit around the fire pit.

  Steve added the glassed-in covered outdoor s
pace right when we first moved out here. It boasts a fire pit, glass fireplace, grill, hot tub, and bar. It has always been where the three of us would lounge around when Mom was up to it.

  I have been curled up in Wyatt’s lap since we finished dinner. He won’t let me out of his arms. I have done my best to put a smile on my face, but I won’t lie. Having Wyatt’s arms around me has done a lot to keep me sane.

  I have no clue why I was so nervous for Wyatt to meet mom. He has charmed her just like he does everyone else. She was never this warm to Barry, which makes me wonder if Steve was the only one that didn’t like him.

  I haven’t heard or seen my mother smile this much in so long. That too has brought a smile to my face. My heart hurts for Steve. I have always known that he loves Mom, but the look in his eyes tells just how much this is tearing him apart.

  “We hope to make a beautiful married couple like you and Steve someday soon,” Wyatt says with a megawatt smile.

  I can’t believe how bright Mom’s face gets with his words. It is like she takes on new life and she is glowing. My heart can’t help but swell a little more with love for this man.

  “So is that your way of asking for her hand,” Mom teases with her big bright smile.

  “Yes, Ma’am I guess it is,” Wyatt responds.

  My head snaps up off his chest and I look at him with wide eyes. I know he has mentioned marriage and I know he moves at his own pace, but I am still a little taken back. Wyatt locks eyes with me and cups my face.

  “She is the air I breathe. I want to make her my wife,” Wyatt says to my mom, but he never takes his eyes off me.

  “Well, it is only your first night here. I will reserve my blessing for a bit, for now,” Mom says with a little smirk.

  “Fair enough,” Wyatt nods and returns my mother’s smile.

  “Steve, Baby, I think I have pushed as far as I can tonight. You kids enjoy the rest of the evening while us old folks tuck in,” Mom says.

  It kills me when I have to watch as Steve lifts Mom’s frail body from her seat. I noticed after dinner that she wasn’t moving around too easily. Earlier, before leaving the apartment, Steve had pleaded with me not to make a fuss. He said Mom really didn’t want us to treat her any differently.

  It is so hard not to while seeing her look this way, but I grit my teeth and bare it. I am lost in thought when Wyatt kisses the top of my head and stands, placing me in the chair he had been occupying. I wordlessly watch him as he puts out the fire in the pit and turns to lift me into his arms once again.

  Without a word, he carries me down the stairs of the back patio, and across the yard to the garage. He remains silent as he takes us into the apartment and moves to the bedroom. Once in the room, he doesn’t turn on the light but uses the light from the moonlight and flood light outside to undress me.

  Once I am undressed, he lifts me again placing me under the covers and sheets. Next he removes his clothes and climbs in the bed next to me, pulling me into his chest. His strong arms fasten around me and I bury my face in his chest.

  Wyatt places his chin on the top of my head and he releases a deep breath. “It’s just you and me now. Let it all out. I’ve got you,” he murmurs into the dark. “I may not know how much it hurts, but I know it hurts a hell of a lot. So you take what you need, Baby, and let go.”

  And I do exactly that. I cry so hard we both shake with my tears. I cry because I know I am losing my mom. I cry because there is nothing I can do. No one I can fight to save her, no remedy I can offer, no words that will make it go away. All I can do is watch it happen. I cry because I have finally found happiness, but I won’t be able to share all of the wonderful things in my life with the one person that is so important to me.

  ~B~

  Wyatt

  Nellie has finally exhausted herself and is now sleeping on my chest as little snores escapes her lips. My soul bleeds for her. If I could beat the shit out of her ex all over again, I would. I know that had she never run from him we wouldn’t be together, but she would have had precious time with her mother, time that she will never get back.

  I saw the look on Steve’s face when Nellie spoke of staying and not knowing how long she would need to be here. What my baby doesn’t get is that this week is a gift and any time beyond that will be a blessing. She was right on the plane. We made this trip at the right time and for a reason.

  I have known Steve for a long time and I have never seen him like this. Not even after he divorced his first wife. He is a great guy and although I hadn’t made it back for his wedding to Nellie’s mom, I had been happy to hear he had found someone and was happy.

  I couldn’t imagine having to sit back and watch the woman in my arms waste away, knowing there is nothing I can do. I would fight the devil himself to save Nellie. The day she takes her last breath I know in my soul, mine will be soon to follow. Each tear she has shed tonight called to one of my own.

  Nellie’s biological father hasn’t been in contact with her since her parents divorced. Though I see that Steve sees her as if she were his own daughter, her mother is all she has left. I think of the way my family has pulled her into the fold and how she has clung to them as well since being in L.A. and I know she is going to need the support of her new family through this, she and Steve both.

  I sigh knowing there is nothing I can do tonight other than hold her. Tomorrow, however, I have some calls to make and things to get in order. “I’ve got you,” I murmur against her temple before drifting off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Nellie

  “I like him,” Mom says as she sits curled up on the couch. She looks so small and fragile.

  Wyatt and Steve took off to give Mom and me some alone time. We have been here for three weeks already and time seems like it is moving so fast. Mom doesn’t look like she is getting any better or any worse, but she looks happy. Tired, maybe, but happy.

  “I love him,” I giggle.

  “I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. I wasn’t sure about you dating him when you first told me. I’d heard so much about him and his brothers, but to see with my own two eyes the way he is with you. I know you two were made for each other,” Mom smiles.

  “Yeah, he is Nothing like what I expected either,” I admit sheepishly.

  “You have always been reckless with that heart of yours. So shy, but so eager to love,” Mom muses. Her face brightens and she leans forward. “We should go dress shopping.”

  “Dress shopping,” I wrinkle my brows at her. “For what?”

  “For your wedding gown silly,” Mom rolls her eyes.

  “Isn’t that bad luck or something? He hasn’t even asked,” I frown.

  “Oh please, I’m surprised he let you out of his sight today. The man is so in tuned with your every move. I watch the two of you breathe in sync. In his mind, you are already his wife. Trust me, we can go shopping,” Mom says with a knowing smile.

  “When do you want to go? Can I think about it,” I ask biting my lip and wrinkling my nose.

  “I feel great today. I think we should go,” she replies tossing off the throw she had wrapped around her shoulders. “I know the perfect place. I have always dreamed of this day.”

  Hearing those last words and seeing the sparkle in her eyes, I know that this is what I want too. In the back of my mind, I know this is most likely my only chance at having this opportunity so I help her into my car and we are off to the bridal shop.

  ~B~

  Wyatt

  Steve and I weren’t expecting both Nora and Nellie to still be awake when we returned. We had stayed out late intentionally to give them time to themselves. However, when we arrive at the house the lights are still on and we can hear laughter as we enter the foyer.

  It’s a beautiful sound since things have been a little tense since we arrived. There has been an elephant in the room since Steve revealed what has really been going on. I’ve held Nellie every night as she has cried out her feelings over what is lurking close
r with every day.

  “Hey, there you guys are,” Nora says with a bright smile as we enter the living room.

  Nellie is lying with her head in her mother’s lap as her mother combs her fingers through Nellie’s soft curls. I look over to Steve, who leans against the doorjamb with a smile softening his face. Once again I feel for him as much as I feel for Nellie. This must be so hard.

  “You ladies seem to be having a good time,” Steve replies first.

  “Maybe we should have stayed out a little longer,” I tease.

  “Oh no, if you two would have stayed out any longer I think Mom would have sent out a search party,” Nellie laughs. She stands and walks over to wrap her arms around my waist.

  “Hello gorgeous,” I say as I stare down through her cute glasses into her beautiful brown eyes that are framed by her long sexy lashes.

  “Hello handsome,” she purrs and lifts up on her toes to peck my lips.

  “What did you ladies get up to today,” I ask as I rock her in my arms.

  “Just a little shopping,” Nellie replies with a sly smile on her face.

  “Oh really,” I lift a brow. I lean into her ear to whisper. “Did you get anything for me to enjoy?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she purrs and winks at me.

  I peck her lips and nuzzle her neck. She feels so good in my arms and this is the most relaxed she has been in days. I give her a gentle squeeze that says all the things I can’t say out loud right now, including how proud I am of her.

  “Steve, I think that is our queue. We’ll have to let our son in law to be, get some time with his girl,” Nora teases.

  I lift my head to look at Nora and lift a brow. “Does that mean that we have your blessing,” I ask with a huge smile taking over my face.

  She winks at me. “You’re getting there.”

  Steve chuckles and slaps me on the back. I shake my head as Steve wraps his arm around Nora’s waist so that he can lead her up to their room for the night. Nora stops as they get to the foot of the stairs and turns to look back at us.