For a moment, I stood back, watching Wyatt.He was all loose limbs and easy confidence, spinning Cynthia out and bowing dramatically when the crowd whooped their approval.Then his eyes zeroed in on an awkward teen, who looked amused and anxious to be a part of the crowd, but something kept her back.
She shifted from foot to foot, hands fidgeting with each other as she watched but didn’t participate.
Wyatt danced toward her, held out his hand, and waited.She shook her head, but he only re-offered with more dramatic flair.She laughed, shaking her head, eyes downcast, a shy blush spreading across her cheeks.He said something, and with a confident nod, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to bring her to the center of the dance floor.
She danced with the crowd, blending in effortlessly.Wyatt smiled at her with a thumbs up, then threw his arms in the air when the song changed to something even more upbeat.
The tie on his head was lopsided, and that dark brown wave that never stayed in place fell over his eye.He moved like he belonged everywhere and nowhere, as if gravity didn’t fully apply to him.
And God help me, he was magnetic.
He’d always been the kind of man who filled space without trying.The life of the party, the one people gravitated toward without even realizing.He laughed with his whole body, eyes crinkling at the corners, head thrown back, so full of joy and life.Not afraid of what people thought.It didn’t matter.He didn’t fear joy, he embraced it wholeheartedly.
And that was the part no one ever talked about.
They saw the wild child, the jokes, the refusal to take life too seriously.They didn’t see the way he noticed when someone was left out.Or how he instinctively shielded people without making a show of it.Or how, even now, he checked the perimeter of the room between dance moves to make sure everyone was having a good time.
His gaze caught mine, and his face lit up, that spark in his eye brighter than the sparklers he always bought me on the Fourth of July.He abandoned Cynthia mid-spin and made his way toward me, hands already reaching out .
And that was why this hurt so much.
Beneath the chaos and charm and the commitment issues was a man who loved deeply and fiercely.Who showed up in all the ways that mattered, even when he didn’t have to.
My hand momentarily touched my stomach, grateful for this baby, even if their mom and dad were a bit of a mess.
Lori was right.Wyatt didn’t know it yet, but he was going to be a great father.The absolute best.The kind who turned bedtime into an event.The kind who taught laughter before fear.Who always made time for them even when the world pulled him in a million different directions.
It dawned on me then that Wyatt wasn’t afraid of marriage or fatherhood.
He was afraid of failing at love, just like his dad had failed him all those years ago.
Breathless and grinning, he pulled me into him like it was the most natural thing in the world.Like these last few weeks didn’t exist.The universe suddenly made sense again.
“Where’d you disappear to?he asked, brushing a thumb across my jaw.
“Just needed a minute.”.
“Stomach’s okay?”He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ginger chew.“I have back-ups if you need them.
My heart exploded right there, and I yanked him into me, crashing my mouth to his, kissing him with everything I had.He was all I ever needed, and I was an idiot who put us through hell for no reason.
I pulled back, resting my forehead against his damp one.
“What was that for?”he asked.“And did you brush your teeth?”
“I love you,” I said simply.
“I love you, too.”He kissed me again, soft and sweet.“Are you ready to get back on this dance floor, because if Cynthia steps on my foot one more time, I might lose a toe.”
“She never could keep up with your pace.”
“No, only you can.”He held his hand out to me and bowed, waiting for me to take his offer.I didn’t hesitate.I took his hand, ignored any weirdness in my stomach, and followed him onto the dance floor.
The crowd parted until we were dead center.Wyatt looked at me and winked.“Ready to show them how it’s done?”
“Let’s do this.”
The music switched into an upbeat techno mix, and with a laugh, Wyatt and I fell right into our rhythm.
