"Logan, for the twentieth time, I'm fine. And stop apologizing."
Logan stood behind me in my bedroom as I finished brushing my hair and putting it up in a ponytail. "Come on, Amelia. You looked really upset and uncomfortable last night at your party. I thought you would have liked the surprise."
I met his eyes in the mirror. "I appreciated what you did, Logan. I really do. It was sweet."
"But? I'm sensing a but."
I turned to him and inhaled a deep breath. "I just...don't do well with big crowds. Never have." I tucked my hair behind my ear. "I don't like to talk about it much. I just...don't do crowds."
I saw the regret in his eyes as he walked towards us. "I totally understand. It won't happen again, Amelia. I promise."
He gave me a quick kiss before he started to leave my room. "I'll see you down at the cook out?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be there in ten minutes."
After he left me alone in my room, I finally finished putting my hair up. My hair has taken on a life of its own today and hasn't been cooperating with me. The disadvantages of being a girl.
I was actually looking forward to this cookout. Wyatt assured me it was just his family. Thank God. Speaking of Wyatt...After my little breakdown last night and our kiss in my bedroom, I had to force myself to rejoin the party downstairs. Wyatt stayed close by me as we mingled through the crowded house.
The party itself was nice. There was delicious food, a giant cake, and lots of presents. Wyatt told me he was going to surprise me with my birthday present today. I was nervous about what it was. After the party last night, he and I sat on the patio that connected our rooms and talked about what happened. We both agreed that nothing could happen between us. No more kissing...or anything else. It was hard for both of us. Especially since I knew that he still had feelings for me. But the sad truth was, it was too late.
I was engaged to Logan, and even with his shady the reason behind the proposal, it still meant something to me. I still had things I needed to figure out with Logan. We needed to talk more about this whole possible marriage because of the business thing. But not today. Today, I was going downstairs to have a nice cookout with people I cared about. And at the same time, hopefully I could control the feelings Wyatt seemed to stir inside me.
When my hair finally looked presentable, I slipped on my shoes and started heading out of my room and down the long hallway to the stairs.
"Hey, you."
Wyatt's voice sent a chill down my spine and I stopped where I was. I let out a deep breath before I turned towards him with a smile. "Hey, yourself."
The corner's of his mouth lifted as he took in my appearance. "You look nice."
I was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top. Nothing fancy. "I doubt it," I laughed. "These are my 'whatever' clothes."
I didn't miss the heated look in his eyes when he ran them over me.
"Still. You look nice."
I felt my cheeks heat and I looked away when I suddenly felt bashful. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" he teased.
"Like you've seen me naked."
He arched a brow. "Well..."
"Wyatt!" I warned and we both laughed. "Let's go before someone comes looking for us. You know your mom hates when we are late."
"Yeah, yeah. You're right." He fell in step beside me as we started going downstairs, "How are you feeling? Better?"
"I am actually," I answered as we stepped into the large foyer. I've been here for almost a week and I would still get lost on occasion in the large mansion. "Thank you again for last night."
"No problem. I'm sorry about your dress."
Oh, yeah. I needed Wyatt to literally rip the dress off me when I had my little freak out. "I feel so embarassed about that. I just felt clausterphobic. It was like I couldn't breathe."
"Hey," he said quietly as he pulled me to a stop. "Don't be embarassed. Ever. You know I understand what you're dealing with. I'll always be there for you. Besides, you're appointment is tomorrow. It's a good first step."
I worried my bottom lip as I fidgeted with my fingers. "I'm so nervous about that, Wyatt. What if I can't do it?"
He pondered that for a moment before he gave me a serious look. "If you can't do it, then you walk out of the office and come outside. I'll be waiting and I'll take you wherever you want to go."
"Really?" I asked in a low voice.
He held out his index finger. Our own little version of a pinkie promise. My eyes met his before I pressed the tip of my index finger against his. "I promise," he whispered back to me.
"There you are!" Lynette called as she came in from the back yard.
"Sorry, we're late. I was having a bad hair day," I said with a smile.
Lynette gave Wyatt a kiss on the cheek before she looked at me. "You look lovely, Amelia. Doesn't she, Wyatt?"
He gave me a smirk full of hidden innuendos. "Always."
I gave him a look before we followed Lynette out back. They had two grills going with hamburgers and hotdogs. They had a few cornhole games set up and music was playing. Lounge chairs were placed sporadically across the lawn and around the large pool.
"Wow," I breathed. "This all looks amazing! And it smells amazing."
"I hope you brought your appetite!" Mr. Thorne called out from the grill.
I laughed as I walked over to him. "I'm starving, actually." I watched as he turned the hanburgers over. "Do you need help with anything? I can cut up some tomato, lettuce, and stuff for you."
Mr. Thorne looked over at me with a smirk. "How did both of my boy get so lucky? No, thank you, Amelia. I'm okay. You go ahead and enjoy yourself. Food will be ready soon."
"Okay," I said before I went over to join Logan and Wyatt. They seemed to be arguing about something.
"I won the coin toss, so I get to go first," Logan said to his brother.
"Fine, but no cheating like before. It's not my fault you lost and had to dish out one hundred bucks," Wyatt shot back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interjected as I joined their little spat. "What's going on here?"
Wyatt pointed to his brother. "He's a sore loser."
"No, I'm not. Wyatt is the one who--"
"Enough!" I looked from one Thorne brother the other. "Logan gets to go first and I'll be the ref during this game. If one of you acts up, then there will be severe consequences. Understood?"
"Agreed," both boys aswered at the same time.
Wyatt and I stepped aside as Logan got ready to start the game. He kept his voice low when he asked, "So, I'm curious. What are these consequences if one of us acts up?"
I kept my eyes on Logan as he threw his first bag. "Oh, you don't want to know. Believe me."
"What if I do?"
I smiled and watched as Logan got another bag in the hole. "Guess we'll have to wait and see."
Logan turned and gave Wyatt and evil smile. "Ha! Perfect score so far!"
Wyatt shrugged his shoulder as he stepped up for his turn. "I'm not worried. I'm always the champion."
As I watched these two go back and forth with their threats of victory and trash talk, I couldn't help but think of how I got into this situation. When I looked at Wyatt, I saw my best friend. I saw someone who knew me-- who got me-- and accepted me as I am. When I looked at Logan, I saw someone I trusted and cared about. Someone who knew me; but not like Wyatt did. Over the past few years, I wondered if it would have played out differently if Wyatt hadn't lied and said there would be nothing between us.
Would we have been in a relationship this whole time? Would we have gotten married? Kids? Deep down, I wanted those things. With Wyatt. But I was engaged to Logan; who I do love. I really did create a mess of my life, didn't I? So, how do I clean this up?
"Winner!" Wyatt called and slugged his brother on the arm. "Told ya."
Logan rolled his eyes as he paid Wyatt the money he lost in the bet. "You know, no one likes a gloater, Wyatt."
"You say that because you lost."
"Food's ready!" Mr. Thorne called out.
Logan gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Ready to eat, babe?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Logan took me by the hand and we started walking towards the picnic table. During the meal, we all indulged in some light conversation. The boys scarfed down enough food for a soccer team. Must be nice. If I ate that much, I would probably blow up like a balloon.
After everyone was done eating, the sun started to set. Logan excused himself to go inside and make a phone call, so I went and sat on the edge of the pool with my legs in the water. I leaned back on my outsteretched arms and closed my eyes. My mind seemed to be racing a mile a minute. I just wanted to settle it.
"You okay?" Wyatt asked as he came to sit next to me.
I kept my eyes closed. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You're lying."
I snorted and looked over at him. "Sometimes I wish you didn't know me as well as you do."
"Liar again," he teased with a grin.
I shook my head at him and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm just...tired."
"I know. I can tell," he said quietly before he cleared his throat. "I, uh, I have something for you."
I remembered he mentioned giving me my birthday present earlier. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small mesh paper. He seemed oddly nervous when he handed it to me. I opened the paper and that's when my heart nearly stopped.
"Wyatt, where did you--"
"I remember when you lost your mom's. I've been trying to find one similar. This was as close as I could get."
My eyes started to water as I stared at the gold necklace. But that wasn't what held me transfixed. It was the gold dolphin charm that hung from it. When my mom died, I used to wear hers every day. It devastated me when I lost it on a camping trip when I was fifteen. I told Wyatt repeatedly that I wanted to find another one like it.
"But, how? Where?"
"Does it matter?" he asked quietly. "I found it and wanted to make sure you had it."
I looked up at him and knew the tears were starting to fall. "I don't know what to say."
He reached out and brushed the tears away. "You don't have to say anything, Lia."
"Thank you," I breathed before giving him a smile. "Will you put it on me?"
He took the necklace from me and draped it on my neck. He fastened the clasp in the back and I didn't miss the brush of his fingers against my skin.
I turned back towards him and met his stare. This was honestly the sweetest and most caring thing anyone had ever done for me. As I looked into Wyatt's eyes, I had this nagging feeling in my gut. As much as I was trying to bury what I felt for him-- those feelings weren't going anywhere.