Still Here: A Secret Baby Romance (5 page)

I
slammed
the cabinet door shut then looked around. I'd been told to get familiar with the files at the office, not horribly abuse them. I'd been there maybe two hours and my mood couldn't be worse.

I couldn't afford to be sour when working here. My job was to greet people, to do what they needed, file what needed filing. All the things a receptionist did. But I was so angry, and I just couldn't stop staring off into the distance and thinking about Wyatt.

He'd offered to buy up my mother’s home, my home, the last remnant of my life and then he had the nerve to send me flowers. To invite me to that stupid investors dinner, one that he left me for because of “work”. Led me on only to dump me off at his home alone, waiting on a ride from Jess to pick me up and take me home.

I scowled just thinking about him. I shouldn't give him the time of day, or a moment of thought.

"What's going on?" A sweet voice asked as I stood there unmoving.

"Oh," I said, as I came out of my self-inflicted fit of rage. A familiar face was staring at me, a smile wide across it. Waiting for me to respond.

Jessie. Damn. It was Jessie Mallard. One of my only friends left from the old days.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't realize it was you." I looked her over. She hadn’t changed a bit in all those years. Still had a sweet smile and kind eyes. And I bet she still had her quick-witted sense of humor.

"I figured as much. You looked like you were off in your own little world." She smiled at me. She’d always been sweet, if not a little bit playful, and she loved to poke fun.

But she was never cruel. It was why I gravitated to her. She’d never intentionally wound, but she was witty and bright.

"What can I do for you, do you have a permit application? Need to make an appointment for an inspection?" I asked. I'd gone over all my duties and I knew what I needed to do now. It was a slow office, the kind that might only see a few people a day, so I needed to file in between.

"What?" she asked then blinked. "Oh no. I came to see you."

"Me?" I asked. We hadn't talked in ages, and I'd been the one who stopped calling and writing. The last time I saw her was when I'd come home for my dad's funeral and since then I'd emailed maybe twice. I couldn't remember the last time we'd called. But I kept up with her on Facebook, and I made sure to like a status every once and again. I felt like a shitty friend though. My job had gotten the best of me.

"I wanted to see if you might like to do lunch? They put in this really cute little cafe down the road, Peaks and Perks. Coffee and a mountainside view." She smiled. "They have great little sandwiches too."

"You want to ask me to lunch?" I asked.

"Well, of course. I heard you were back in town and I thought I might come by and say hi." She grinned at me, but I blinked. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I’d been so unfair towards her. I’d barely called, IMed, or chatted in years, and there she was, picking up right where we left off.

Those were some of the best friendships to have.

She had no idea how much I needed a friend in this particular moment, but I did. So I walked around the desk and gave her a quick hug.

"You have no idea how much this means to me. I would be so happy to grab lunch with you." I looked at my watch then walked over towards the Bill’s office.

"I'm going to run out for my lunch, if that's okay?" I asked.

"Sure, sure. Just don't forget to put up the sign," he said as he looked at his computer.

"Will do." I grabbed the little "out to lunch" placard and stuck if on my desk before smiling at her. "Okay, I think I have everything I need."

A distraction. This was exactly what I needed. We walked down the small main street to the little restaurant and ducked in. It was easy to find a table, and we sat down.

"So, what have you been up to all these years?" I asked.

"I work over at the hardware store. Made manager." She smiled. Jessie was always a hard worker. She didn't go to college, but that didn't make her any less intelligent. She knew what she wanted, and what she wanted was to stay right here in Laurel. "Oh, and I got my associates degree. Had to in order to become manager."

She’d accomplished quite a bit since I’d been gone. Part of me was proud. The other part of me was ashamed I hadn’t stayed in touch throughout the years. I’d done that to a lot of people. But she should not have been one of them.

"And Braden?" I asked. She'd been in love with him since we were in middle school. They were always stuck together, like peanut butter and jelly. No matter how hard they tried not to be.

If two people were more made for each other, I couldn’t find them.

She blushed and then stuck out her hand. There was a little ring with an even smaller stone on it. I almost had to squint to see it, but that didn't matter. It might as well have been the biggest rock in Montana.

He'd finally done the thing she'd been hoping for all these years. He finally proposed.
About time.

"When?" I asked. I thought that the next ice age would come and go before he ever worked up the nerve. I didn’t see an announcement on Facebook, so I figured they were keeping it quiet.

"Last Valentines. We are hoping for a fall wedding though. Take advantage of the discounts." I saw a blush rise on her cheeks and I knew that she was happy. I was glad.

She deserved some happiness.

"I'm really excited for you, Jess. I always knew you'd do well." She’d done better than me. I was turning into the queen of mistakes.

We ordered coffee and sandwiches, but I was more interested in hearing about her life than I  was eating. She'd done so much, and I was surprised. They'd gone on cruises, been to the Bahamas.

Hell, she'd even taken a trip to California, and stayed with some family.

All I'd done was work.
Nose to the grindstone, and for what? A failed relationship and a one-night stand that left me wanting more.

"I'm glad you're back. I  know it's selfish, but just about everyone has moved away, and I've missed my friends," she said as she looked out the window. "Hell, I miss the amount of trouble we used to get into together."

A sneaky grin stretched out across her face. I remembered all those times we’d snuck out, done the pranks she loved so much. They were juvenile, but they were us.

She was the one who’d egged our principal’s car. Not me. I was just the one who got the blame.

"Well, I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon. We should get together. Do some things. See the sights,” I suggested. I’d follow her to the end of Montana if it meant avoiding Wyatt Graves.

"Like that one right there?" she asked as she pointed out the window. It was Wyatt. Dammit.

Why did he have to look so damn sexy?

Shoot. He was coming right for me.

I wanted to sink into my chair and melt into the floor. Maybe then he would leave me alone. Dread filled me as he opened the door of the cafe and made a beeline right to me.

"Jess, I think it might be time for us to go," I said as I started to stand, but I wasn't going to be able to maneuver around him. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

"I don't think so," Wyatt said as he blocked my path. "You're coming with me. We need to talk."

"I'm busy, and I have to get back to work."

"You'll be fine, if you need some time," Jess said. “You told me you have an hour and we've only been here for twenty minutes." She winked at me. "But I better be going."

"Betrayed by you, too?" I asked. It seemed to be happening to me a lot.

"Think of it as payback, my dear pal. Not betrayal. You abandon me, I feed you to the wolf. And he looks very hungry." She smiled and patted me on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.

It didn't make me feel any better.

S
he looked damn pretty
when she was angry. I wanted to wind her up even more just to watch the steam come out of her ears.

I tried not to stare in a stupor as she glared at me, her eyes narrow, her nostrils just a little flared.

Shit.

I was already too far gone. She walked into my life and into this town and there was nothing I could do to keep from hoping she'd walk all over me.

It was never this way with women. I was the one who had control. I was the one who made all the decisions, who used them.

I was good at it too.

But with Rose Shannon staring at me all of that went out the window. She was hellfire and a hurricane and I was just stuck in her path.

"Look, Rose, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Wyatt. We did this. We gave it a try. I listened to you, followed your stupid little plan, and it left me completely embarrassed at the end of the night." She was flaming mad, and I couldn't help but smile.

I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her a once over. Damn.

I really should've ignored that text.

But my father was an asshole. An insistent one. He wouldn't have stopped at a damn text.

Hell, he would've come down to the park and drug me out by my ear if I'd ignored him.

Business was more important than play. At least that was what he always claimed.

Funny how he did whatever the hell he fancied.

"Let me take you out again," I said. "I'll make it up to you."

I thought she couldn't get any madder, but damn was I wrong.

"The deal was one only. Once. I'm not going to make a fool out of myself for you a second time." She crossed her arms.

"You sure about that?" I asked as I looked around the little cafe. Everyone was staring.

Yeah, that's right, food hanging out of their mouth staring.

Right at us.

"Let's take this outside," she said, her face turning a deep share of pink.

Even that was hot as hell. Especially as it crept up her cheeks.

I wanted her. I wanted whatever she would give me. I wasn't the kind of man who begged, but dammit, I would beg right there.

I needed to think of something, and fast.

I needed to sweeten the pot.

She marched outside and around the corner of the diner so that she wasn't in view of the window. She didn't banish me completely, so she had to want some part of this conversation.

This interaction.

She had to want some part of me. That was what I was holding on to. The idea that she wanted something to do with me. Above all else that was what I clung to. What I hoped for. I needed to know that she was still in this.

"Enough, Wyatt. Why do you think this is going to work? Why do you think you can just tell me you want to see me again and I'll just bend to your will." She wasn't angry anymore, she was hurt.

She was looking for a reason to trust me.

"I'll increase the offer," I said, as I gritted my teeth. I didn't want her to go out with me just because her mother needed the money, but dammit, I had no pride.

Not when it came to Rose.

"What?" she asked, as she stared in disbelief. She wasn't expecting that.

She was expecting excuses. I wouldn't give her any damn excuses.

I wanted her too bad to lose her before I even got a shot at winning her over.

"You heard me. I'll increase the deal." I crossed my arms.

"I'm listening."

"Oh, just like that?" I asked.

"My mother's home is worth a lot more than you are offering."

"I'd like to remind you that she'll be keeping her home. It's a portion of her land I'm after." My business was growing fast, and I was good at it. There was more room in the budget, and I could certainly offer her more. "How much are you looking at?" I asked.

"Ten-thousand. One date." She grinned at me. This was a game to her. Well, I could easily play along. If there was one thing I was good at it was games with women.

I should’ve had an Olympic gold metal in it, the way I’d trained.

Still, she hesitated. Fine. I’d up the ante.

"Hell, I'll make it 50,000 if you agree to ten dates." Ten dates to show her what she'd left behind. Two for each year she'd been away. Surely that would be enough.

If I couldn’t convince her to at least not hate me after ten dates then I deserved what I got.

I could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't convinced. I wasn't going to do better than that, no. I didn't want to let her know that she had an upper hand in the bargain.

"Ten nights for fifty-thousand dollars. You can't say no to that, can you?" I asked. I dared her to try. Her family needed the money. Her mother needed it. I was counting on it.

And I could be a cold son of a bitch when I put my mind to it.

"Fine. Ten dates. That's nothing. I can get through that." The quiver in her lip told me she wasn't so sure.

Damn, it made me lick my lips. I wanted to be that quiver.

I had her already, she just didn't know it yet.