Stay with Me (With Me in Seattle 9)
“I know,” he says softly as I gently rub some ointment on the cut, then reach for a bandage. “I realize that I overreacted. Like I said earlier, I trust you both. I would just rather you spent time with me rather than an ugly dude who doesn’t deserve your company.”
I laugh and put the first-aid kit away, then wash my hands and look up in the mirror to find Wyatt standing behind me and looking at me.
He’s so fucking handsome. His hair is also wild, a little longer and darker than Luke’s. His eyes are always so intense when he looks at me.
And that tattoo . . . well, it does things to me.
He wraps his arms around me from behind and holds my gaze in his.
“Are we okay?” he asks.
“We’re okay,” I confirm, but then frown. “But, Wyatt, you were right before. We have to learn to talk to each other because, otherwise, our ghosts will ruin us, and I don’t want that.”
I turn in his arms and smile when his hands roam from my back to my ass.
“I’m being serious.”
“I can be serious and still grab your ass,” he replies, then tips his forehead against mine in that sweet way he does.
“I love you,” I say, just blurting it out before I lose my nerve, and he pulls his head back, his eyes pinned to mine again. “I love you, Wyatt. I’ve wanted to say it for a while, but the timing was wrong.”
“If I’ve learned anything tonight, it’s that life is too precious to wait,” he says, his lips just inches away from mine. “And I love you, too. Fuck the timing.”
“This is my owl,” Olivia, Nat’s daughter says to me the next day. I’ve come to their house to talk to them about the possibility of staying at the house longer.
“It’s a beautiful owl,” I say to the adorable five-year-old. She has dark hair and green eyes, just like her mama. I mean, Luke and Natalie are two of the most beautiful people on the planet, so of course, their children are gorgeous. “What’s her name?”
“Owlivia,” she says with a giggle. “Do you see what I did there?”
I laugh as the girl sits next to me, as if she’s at home here. “I do see what you did. Well, I think it’s awesome.”
“She doesn’t have any babies,” she informs me, her face suddenly serious. “But I have three babies.”
“She’s big into siblings these days,” Luke says as he walks into the kitchen and makes a cup of coffee. “Would you like some?”
“No, thanks, I’ve had mine already.”
“I’ll take some, though,” Nat says as she breezes in, looking fantastic as if she hadn’t spent half of the night worried about a house fire.
“You need to eat, too,” he reminds her before kissing her square on the mouth.
“Daddy kisses Mommy all the time,” Olivia informs me. “Auntie Jules says it’s gross.”
“Do you think it’s gross?”
She just giggles and shakes her head no. “It’s because Daddy loves Mommy.”
“That’s right.” I kiss her smooth cheek. “So, first of all, the clean-up crew was already in the backyard this morning. You move fast.”
“I have work to do,” Nat says with a shrug. “Were they there too early bugging you?”
“No, I was already up,” I reply. “And I was at Wyatt’s anyway. I just stopped over there to get fresh clothes and stuff. And, I have a favor to ask.”
Luke passes Natalie a plate of fresh fruit, and they both turn their attention to me.
“What’s up?” Luke asks, and I’m suddenly tongue-tied. Why can’t I just talk to Natalie? It would be so much easier. “Actually, let me ask you this first. Have I offended you somehow?”
My head whips up, and I frown. “No, of course not. Why?”
“You seem uncomfortable around me, and I want to make sure that I didn’t do something wrong.”
“No.” I shake my head and then laugh. “Honestly, you make me insanely nervous.”
Natalie grins at him and chews on a strawberry. “Told you.”
“I don’t know why, because you’ve always been nice to me, Luke. But you might be one of the only people I’ve ever met who makes my palms sweat.”
A slow smile spreads over his ridiculously handsome face. “Is it the movies?”
“Maybe? Mostly, I think it’s just that you’re hot. And I mean that in the most respectful way possible.”
“No, I get it,” Natalie says with a helpful nod. “He’s totally hot.”
“Does Daddy have a fever?” Olivia asks in my lap, making us all laugh.
“No, sweetie,” I reply. “He’s fine.”
“Can we move past this nervousness?” Luke asks me. “Maybe you just haven’t been around me enough to realize that despite the debonair good looks, charming smile, and classy ways, I’m just a normal man.”
“And, here we go,” Nat says, rolling her eyes. “You’ve given him a big head.”
I laugh and shrug a shoulder. “Yes, we’ll get past it. I’ll wear gloves when I’m near you.”
“What’s the favor?” Natalie asks.
“Well, if I were to decide to move home permanently, would it be possible to rent the house from you until I find a place of my own?”
Natalie sets her plate down and claps her hands excitedly. “Of course! And you don’t need to pay us, silly. You can stay as long as you want.”
“Absolutely,” Luke replies, nodding and smiling.
“I really don’t mind paying rent. This house is in a prime location and could be bringing in a lot of income for you.”
“It’s convenient for the family,” Nat says, waving me off. “Are you really going to move home?”
“I think so, yes. I have some things to tie up in L.A., and my new business venture will be out of there, so I’ll have to commute a bit—”
“I do the same,” Luke says with a nod. “It can be a pain, I’m not going to lie, but it’s doable, and being near family makes the hassle worth it.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” I agree. “I’ve missed everyone, and with Dad’s scare last week, I just think that it’s time to be home.”
“Well, you won’t get an argument from me,” Nat says. “I suspect a certain handsome architect had a hand in this decision?”
“No.” I shake my head, but Nat just cocks a brow. “Well, partly. I haven’t told him yet.”
“Might want to,” Luke suggests. “The man’s a goner over you.”
“We said the L word last night,” I confess and then shake my head in bewilderment. “I definitely didn’t expect to find him when I came here last month. I just wanted to work and be with the family. But here he is, and this may sound so incredibly cheesy, but he’s totally changed my life. Turned it upside down, that’s for sure.”
“Love does that,” Natalie says, looking at Luke. “He came out of nowhere on the beach and accosted me.”
“I didn’t accost you,” he says with a laugh.
“You were ready to smash the hell out of my camera,” she reminds him.
“I thought she was the press,” he says to me.
“But I was just taking pictures of the sunrise,” she adds. “And once he believed that I wasn’t trying to get rich off of photos of him, he didn’t let me out of his sight.”