Beautiful (5 page)

Skylar chuckled as she shook her head.

“I see someone who, if she puts her mind to something, she can do anything she wants. And I see someone very strong who has put up with a lot of bullshit yet still walks with her head held high. You’re pretty damn awesome if you ask me.”

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at me. “You don’t even really know me, Wyatt.”

Giving her a smile, I leaned in closer and said, “Yet. I don’t know you
yet
. But we’re off to a great start, don’t you think?”

Her smile about blew me out of my seat.

“I think so. I won’t deny, I’m curious about you.”

Lifting a brow, I said, “I’ll take it!”

She glanced at the time and then turned back to me with a pout. “I guess I should probably head home. My parents might be worried about me.”

After paying, I walked her out to her car. I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and hold her to let her know what it was like to have someone care about her.

“Do you work every day?” I asked right before we got to her car.

“Not every day. I’ve been having a hard time in calculus, so my parents are making me cut back on some hours. We have a big test coming up, so…”

I smiled as I looked into her beautiful gray eyes. She seemed so strong on the outside, but her eyes were so lost.

“I’ll help you study. Meet me here tomorrow. What time works for you?”

She let out a small chuckle. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. I wouldn’t have asked if I minded.”

“Tomorrow? After football practice?”

“Perfect! I’ll meet you here, angel.” I almost reached down to kiss her on the cheek before I caught myself.

The moment her teeth sank into her lip, I knew. I was lost to this girl like I’d never been lost before.

“Night, angel.”

Lifting her hand, Skylar quickly got in her car. I watched her drive off until I couldn’t see her taillights anymore.

What is it about her that makes my stomach drop like I’m on a damn ride at Disney World?

I knocked on the door and waited patiently.

When Skylar’s mom opened the door, she flashed me a huge smile. “Good afternoon, Wyatt. What’s on the agenda for today?”

The first few times I’d picked up Skylar, I could see the apprehension in both her parents’ eyes. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for them to let me take their daughter out, knowing that their son’s best friend had raped her. Even Skylar had had a hard time at first. The first time I’d offered her a bottle of water, I could see the fear in her eyes. It’d about killed me. From that point on, I’d pretty much let her make all our plans.

Countless hours at the coffee shop or on the lawn outside the library were where we’d spent most of our time. Today though, I got to pick where we were going.

As I sat in the living room with Skylar’s father, Paul, we talked about everything football while I waited for Skylar to finish getting ready.

I knew the moment she walked into the room. My eyes lifted, and I fought to find my breath. Her hair was pulled up in a sloppy bun on the top of her head with a few strands hanging down. She was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. My eyes moved down, and I smiled when I saw the purple sneakers.

I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone as beautiful as she was.

“Hey,” I said as I stood up and walked over to her.

“Hey back,” Skylar said. She bit into her lower lip.

Damn it, I wanted to kiss her so badly, but the last thing I wanted to do was spook her or make her dad want to hurt me.

“So, what do you kids have planned for today?” Paul asked.

Skylar turned to look at me. “I’m not sure. I let Wyatt pick what we’re going to do today.”

Paul smiled slightly. “Well, have fun, and be careful driving. Check in with us in a few hours, Skylar.”

Skylar blushed as she looked between her father and me. “I will. See you later, Daddy.”

I placed my hand on her lower back, and I swore, her body trembled. I led her from the house and out to my car. Only just recently, Skylar had started riding in my car with me, but it was never at night.

Once I got in, I started the car up and headed to Lakeside Park.

“So, what is the plan for today?” Skylar asked as she wrung her hands together.

“It’s a surprise,” I said with a wink.

Her smile faltered for a brief second before she regained it. “Do I get a hint?”

“The park.”

With a chuckle, Skylar hit me on the arm. “The park? Seriously? The one time you get to pick, and you pick the park?”

With a shrug, I smiled at her and said, “I like the park. It’s peaceful.”

Pulling in, I backed into a parking spot, so Skylar couldn’t see the area that had been set up for us. Michelle and Mitch had helped me set everything up.

Walking over to Skylar’s side of the car, I opened the door and held out my hand for hers. Her cheeks turned red as she placed her hand in mine. Lacing my fingers with hers, I headed toward the area where Michelle had set up the picnic. Turning to my left, I saw Michelle and Mitch hiding behind the slide.

As Skylar and I walked up over the hill, there was a blanket laid out with a basket. It faced the river and was the perfect spot for a picnic.

“Oh, look! Someone is having a picnic. How sweet!” Skylar said as she looked around. “I can’t believe they would leave their stuff like that though.”

It made me sad that she didn’t think this had been set up for her.

Pulling her toward the picnic, I let go of her hand and sat on the blanket. The horrified look on her face had a wide grin spreading across my own.

“Wyatt! What are you doing? Oh my God!”

“Come on, Sky. Let’s live dangerously.”

Skylar took a step back as her eyebrows squished together. “Who are you, and what have you done with Wyatt?”

Laughing, I held up my hand. “Sky, I asked Michelle and Mitch to set this up for us. It’s the surprise.”

Her expression softened immediately as a smile moved over her face. “You set up a picnic for us?”

I never felt my body react like it was as her eyes pinned mine. “Yep. Are you going to stand there, or are you going to join me?”

Skylar flopped down with a giggle. I loved when she let go and was carefree like this.

“I’ve never been on a picnic before!”

I opened the basket and started pulling everything out. “Well then, I’m glad I am the first to take you on a picnic.”

With a push on my shoulder, Skylar rolled her eyes before she took everything in. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on her knee while she watched me set everything out on the blanket. “Wyatt, I don’t even know what to say. This is simply amazing.”

“Just tell me that this will be a weekly date for us.”

Her eyebrows rose in question. “A date, huh?”

The lightness in my chest was nothing new, not since I’d met Skylar. Every moment we were together, she’d bring out some new feeling.

“A
weekly
date.”

Her smile was now full as her eyes lit up. “I like the sound of it. Right here? In this very spot?”

Pouring her a glass of sweet tea, I glanced around at our location. “Yeah. This can be our official spot.”

Skylar moved her legs into a crisscross position as she took the drink.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing. At one point, I leaned up against a tree with Skylar snuggled up into my side as I read to her from her favorite book,
Emma
by Jane Austen.

My mother had mentioned to me once how romantic she thought it was when my father would read to her. I’d never had the desire to do it before Skylar.

After about an hour and a half of reading, Skylar stretched while I shook my head.

“Jesus, she is the worst matchmaker ever,” I said.

With the most beautiful laugh I’d ever heard, Skylar stood up and gazed down at me. “Emma has more money than sense.”

“Well, don’t the two of you look all cozy?”

Skylar spun around while I looked up to see Eva, Skylar’s coworker.

“Hey, Eva!” Skylar said.

Eva smiled and hugged her. “It’s good to see you with a smile on your face, Sky.”

As I stood, I couldn’t help but notice the blush moving across Skylar’s cheeks.

She glanced over to me and said, “Well, it’s hard not to smile when someone makes your day by reading your favorite book to you.”

Eva turned to me. “Do you have an older brother?”

With a chuckle, I shook my head and replied, “No, I don’t.”

“Damn. Anyway, enjoy your day. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Sky.”

Skylar lifted her hand. “Okay, see ya later.”

Taking in a deep breath, I slapped my hands together and said, “All right, I guess I should get this all cleaned up.”

Skylar was soon helping me put everything back into the basket while we talked about football.

Being with Skylar made me happier than I could have ever imagined. Every day, I’d thank God that I’d sat next to her in English. It wasn’t lost on me that all the people at school had been whispering and talking. I’d even had one asshole ask me if I was screwing her.

Prick.

Mitch had told me yesterday that this was the happiest he’d seen Skylar in a long time. That was all I cared about—making Skylar happy and knowing she was worth more than the stupid rumors flying around about her.

Pulling me from my thoughts, Skylar stood in front of me and scrunched up her nose in the most adorable way ever. “So, this was fun!”

I held my arm out for her, and she laced it through and started walking with me toward my truck.

“Yes, it was. Same place and time next week, right?” I asked.

“Totally! I’m already looking forward to it.”

The happiness in her voice was all I needed to hear to know this day had turned out exactly how I had hoped.

Skylar

Glancing around the library, I was glad to see it was fairly empty. It gave me a chance to show how happy I was without people making snide remarks. I was positive that the smile on my face was permanent. Wyatt and I had been together almost nonstop for the last month. Tonight, I was going to attempt to go to a football game. The last time I had gone to one, I’d been on the sidelines, cheering on our school. This time, I would be cheering on Mitch and Wyatt.

“What are you smiling about?”

I glanced up to see Jenny standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. Deciding to be the better person, I focused back on the book I was studying.

The library had always been my safe haven. Mrs. Bartell was the best librarian ever. Not only did she know good books, but she also knew when I needed someone to talk to.

Jenny huffed. “So, this is where you hide out, huh?”

I slowly inhaled a deep breath through my nose and blew it out. Standing, I couldn’t help but notice when Jenny took a step back. I was caught off guard for a second as I watched her look at me intently.

“Jenny, we used to be friends. What happened?”

For a quick second, I saw a look pass over her face before she swallowed hard. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she turned and walked away. I blew out the breath I hadn’t even noticed I had been holding in as I sat back down.

“Everything okay over here, Skylar?” Mrs. Bartell asked.

With a smile, I nodded my head. “Yes.”

She gave me a knowing smile. Then, she turned to head over to the boys in the corner who were getting loud. After getting on them, she quickly began helping them cite their works.

As I watched her, I couldn’t hide my smile. She was the reason I was looking into law school. Every school needed a Mrs. Bartell.