“Are there any more cookies?” Harriet searched through the mess of wrappers and containers on the table.
“Okay.” Katherine got to her feet and began to gather up the mess. “Is everybody done?” Frank insisted on helping his wife clean up, and while Regan and Violet stayed to help, Wyatt had no choice but to let the twins lead him downstairs. Apparently, their grandfather was quite the train aficionado, and there was an impressive display that Harriet and Jordan were dying to show him.
At least thirty minutes passed in which Wyatt learned a hell of a lot about trains. The kids had stories to tell—most they’d obviously heard from their grandfather, and their imaginations knew no boundaries. There was even a pink-and-purple caboose that was not only magical, sometimes (according to Harriet) it disappeared and went to the magical place full of cotton candy and root beer.
“I’d say I hope they’re not talking your ears off, but I know better than that.” Violet joined him and shook her head. “Don’t worry. It gets easier. After a while, it all blends together and you learn to say yes and no, and…” She giggled. “Really?”
“They’re great kids.”
“Yeah. They are. I mean, they’re a handful and drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
She clapped her hands together. “Okay, guys. You need to put away the toys, and we have to go soon. School tomorrow.”
They groaned and complained and made faces. But they listened to their mother and began to organize their mess and put the toys away.
“So…you and Regan.” It wasn’t a question.
Wyatt turned to find Violet’s attention on him. Her gaze was a little unnerving—not unlike her daughter’s—and he shrugged.
“Me and Regan.”
Her eyes lingered a little too long, as if she were trying to figure something out. She rocked back onto her heels and shoved her hands into her pockets.
“I’m just surprised.”
“Yeah?” He should have known he couldn’t leave the Thorne house without a grilling. Hell, he should be thankful Adam wasn’t here. The guy had always been a bit of a hothead where his sister was concerned.
“Why’s that?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Because of prom.” She gave him a look like he was an idiot, and then her mouth dropped open. Slowly, she shook her head and took a step back. “You don’t know what happened prom night, do you?”
The kids had stopped tossing their toys into the bin, but all it took was one look from Violet and they dug back into the job. Wyatt took those few moments to gather his thoughts.
He would have liked to have asked Violet more questions, but Regan appeared at the top of the stairs, and it was time for him to go. He said good-bye to the twins, promised Harriet he’d let her read to him the next time he saw her, and then headed up to join Regan.
She was in the foyer chatting with her mother when Frank joined them. The look of pride and joy and love on the man’s face when looked at his daughter was something to behold.
If Wyatt were a pussy, he might wonder what that felt like to be on the receiving end of such unconditional love. But he wasn’t a pussy, and he didn’t much care to think of those things. What was the point? He’d only disappoint himself.
“Hope to see you again, Wyatt.” Frank shook his hand and stood back, slipping his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Hey, sorry, I meant to ask earlier, but how’s the old man doing?”
“He’s…” Wyatt glanced at Regan as if she could help him out. The sad fact was, Wyatt Blackwell had no idea whatsoever. “I think he’s doing all right. Hanging in there.”
“That’s good to hear. We’ve missed him down at the shelter.”
“Shelter?”
“The animal shelter. Your dad likes to come and help out when he’s feeling up to it. Problem is, the old ticker doesn’t always cooperate.”
Well, that was a new one. Hell, when he was a kid, he and his brothers had begged John for a dog, and the man always answered no.
“You tell him I said hello, and I’ll try and stop in and see him real soon.”
Wyatt didn’t bother to tell Frank it might be days before he saw his father. He nodded and said he’d pass along the message, and then he and Regan left. They’d arrived separately, so he waited for her to pull out ahead of him, and he followed her back to Crystal Lake.
He had a lot on his mind, and he meant to have a conversation with Regan about prom night as soon as they got to her place. But that plan went south as soon as he walked into her house. She was there, in his face. All that hair and soft, warm skin. That mouth and that voice that drove him crazy with the sexy things she whispered in the dark.
They ended up on the floor in front of the fireplace, and as she stripped off all her clothes and pushed him back onto the soft fur rug, prom night and all that other crap faded from his mind.