Messy Love(69)

“You’re going to suffer in a few years,’’ Wyatt noticed with a smile as he took another sip of his beer and outright laughed when his father groaned dramatically. That got Danny and Lydia’s attention as they froze at the table and near the door for Lydia. I, on the other hand, marveled at the light that shone inside of him, a light too rarely there that it never ceased to breathe fresh air into my lungs, pulling me closer to him as if an invisible link tugged me.

Wyatt’s eyes locked with mine a moment and nothing was faked or hidden right then. I saw lust, pleasure, happiness, peace and a whole lot of other things that knocked the wind out of me before they breathed life inside of me again, making me feel more alive than I ever had been before Wyatt.

He was everything, breathtaking and a danger to me and my heart that never ceased to beat for him way too hard and fast.

Someone cleared their throat, cutting through the moment. I blinked and looked away as my cheeks burned up.

“I’ve got a black one! Is that okay?’’ Ava ran up to me and effectively put an end to the awkward silence that heavily hung as Lydia sat down and put a fresh beer in front of her husband. Denny's eyes kept traveling between Wyatt and me. The only ones unaware that something was amiss were Lydia and Ava.

“The black is perfect. Sit on your chair and tell me what you want.’’ I snatched the pen from her hand and took a deep breath to steady my hands while silently thanking Ava for her impeccable timing.

***





WYATT


My fucking heart exploded. Or maybe imploded. The result was the same; my heart wasn’t the same anymore, but a mushy mess in my chest that beat out of order while I watched Marissa working on a detailed temporary tattoo for Ava on her forearm. Her hair shone in the sunlight, making it that much harder to look away. Her pink tongue appeared once in a while when she licked her delicious lips, and her cheeks had kept that deep red on them that didn’t come from the heat, but from the insane tension that went off a few minutes ago when our eyes locked not to let go until my dad cleared his throat.

I still mourned that moment because at that moment nothing had seemed messy or impossible. Nothing had been fucked up. Everything was utterly perfect in an imperfect world.

“I see now why you’re fine with Marissa here,’’ Dad whispered near my ear as he grabbed his beer for a sip.

My eyes left Marissa and Ava to focus on Dad, but the knowing look and the worry I saw in there had me dropping my gaze to the empty beer bottle in my hand.

“Alright, you’re all done. What do you think?’’ Marissa said as she capped the pen and eyed Ava with a soft smile I wanted to see again, but when she wore fewer clothes. The thought alone popping in my head accompanied by R-rated images made me twitch in my pants.

“Wow!’’ Ava’s voice rose as she squealed. “You’re so good! Look, Wyatt!’’ She held out her tiny arm, and I couldn’t lie. With just a black pen, Marissa managed to draw a kickass butterfly that suited my sweet little sister well.

“It’s great. Marissa’s talented,’’ I said and put down the beer bottle, jaw tensed when I felt the calculating look of my father.

“It’s beautiful,’’ Mom approved, and she sent a big smile to Marissa. At that moment it was the replica of the kind of smile she gave Ava and me. It was a maternal smile that warmed even the coldest places inside you, and I felt no jealousy, no fear either. All that was gone the moment I let Marissa in, burying her deep inside of me.

“Thank you,’’ Marissa said and beamed at us, but avoided making eye contact with me. It was safer this way, but it sucked. I gritted my teeth harder. “It’s getting late. I have plans later, so I better get going.’’

“But it’s early!’’ Ava protested, and I’d have echoed her in my head if only Marissa’s plans hadn’t involved me and a few drinks with Ralph at the bar in Atlanta that Marissa had made me discover that day when I met her at InkSpired.

“Ava,’’ Dad said sternly, and her answering theatrical sigh had all of us fighting a smile.

“Will you come back soon then?’’ Ava asked Marissa, pleading with her eyes.

“Of course.’’ She bent and kissed Ava’s temple before standing up. We all followed her. “I’ll call next week and see what we can plan.’’

Ava nodded and wrapped her arms around Marissa’s. If I hadn’t been convinced already that I made the right choice when I encouraged Marissa to get closer to my mom and Ava, that sight would have. Both of my girls’ faces were worth it at that moment.

***





MARISSA


“I swear Ava is going to steal my heart,’’ I said to Wyatt as I walked inside the house after bidding my goodbyes to Danny and Lydia once I extricated myself from the huge hug Ava gave me.

“She’s the best kid.’’ He towered over me and stopped me before I opened the front door to leave. His big hand wrapped around my forearm before it glided down to grab my hand. That touch on my skin said more than any words he could have muttered. It was tender and a testament to his affection, something he had a hard time letting out. It called out to me, making me crave his arms around me and his heat to sip into me from head to toes. It went beyond the sex for me, and a part of me worried that I was way over my head, but I was too weak to stop the inevitable.