I had wanted him. God help me, I wanted him. And wanting Wyatt Hargrove was dangerous in every possible way.
Because Colin was out there.
And Wyatt was getting close enough to see every crack inside me. I wasn’t sure which one scared me more.
Twenty-Four
Wyatt
My shirt stuck to my back. My jeans clung to my legs. Water dripped off the brim of my hat every time I blinked, and the cold was setting deep in my bones. I should’ve gone home to change first. But Rena didn’t give grace for delays, and Maddy didn’t deserve to wait around for her dad to get his shit together.
I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and saw Rena immediately. Leaning against her shiny SUV, sunglasses on, arms crossed, impeccably polished and impatient as always.
But Maddy?
She sat on the curb, tapping her shoes on the asphalt like she was drumming out a song only she could hear. She spotted me before Rena did. Her face lit up, and my chest eased just seeing it.
I parked the truck and swung out, boots squishing.
Rena’s mouth tightened instantly. “Wyatt. You’re soaking wet.”
“Stock water blew. Didn’t have time to change.”
“You couldn’t even towel off?” she snapped. “You look like you came straight out of a cattle trough.”
“Good morning to you, too.”
“Honestly, Wyatt.”
But Maddy was already running. “Dad!”
She barrelled into me with a hug like she was trying to tackle me. Her arms wrapped tight around my waist. She didn’t care about the water, didn’t care about the mud. She just clung.
The knot in my chest loosened.
“Hey, Mads,” I said, smoothing a hand over the back of her head. “You doing okay?”
“I am now,” she said, muffled against my shirt. Then she pulled back and scrunched her nose. “You smell like… a wet horse and old hay.”
“That’s accurate.”
Rena stepped forward, visibly annoyed. “Please don’t get her soaked. I just washed that hoodie.”
“She hugged me,” I said dryly. “And I also have laundry facilities out here in the back woods.” I didn’t usually get snappy with her; it wasn’t fair to Maddy, but the amount of shits I had to give was at an all-time low.
Rena ignored that. “Her bag is packed. Practice clothes should actually be clean this time. Please don’t let them sit for three days again.”
Maddy groaned. “Mom, I washed them.”
“And then left them in the washing machine until they smelled like feet.”
Maddy grinned at me. “She exaggerates.”
“Sheabsolutely doesn’t,” Rena said, crossing her arms tighter. “Anyway, I’ll text you, and we can figure out a pick-up arrangement. Maybe you can bring her to me, so I don’t have to comehere.” It seemed to be lost on her that she grew up here. We grew up here together, and even though none of her family lived in River’s Edge anymore, it didn’t erase her past.
“That’sfine,” I said.
Rena adjusted her sunglasses. “At least try to make her look presentable when she comes home.”
