Say You Want Me (13 page)

Wyatt and I go back to setting up the booth the best we can. I have no idea how Mrs. Kannan typically runs things, so I’m winging it. Of course, Wyatt can’t remember either, so he does whatever I ask. It’s a flawed system, but it’s working for now.

About an hour later, the streets are packed. People come from all over. Everyone is courteous, everyone is nice, and it’s . . . surreal. Definitely nothing like back home.

We move around the tent, selling cupcakes as Wyatt flirts with the women, who then buy more cupcakes. It’s hilarious to watch them fawn over him, and I have to admit that he’s adorable.

“Angie! You’re a lifesaver!” Mrs. Kannan rushes over, clearly not under the weather.

“Mrs. Kannan, you look like you’re well.”

She laughs. “Must’ve been one of those twelve-hour bugs or something. Funny how quick it cleared up with a little bit of rest. You really saved the day, dear.”

I shake my head with a smile. “I’m happy to help.”

“Why don’t you let me take over? I’m sure you’re just exhausted. I remember all too well when I was pregnant. I could sleep for days!”

“I don’t mind.” I really don’t. It’s been really fun. I’ve met pretty much every member of Bell Buckle and the surrounding towns. They all talk about how excited they are to meet me and throw in a good word for Wyatt.

“I insist.” She pushes both mine and Wyatt’s backs. “Go on now. You know, Wyatt? Your mama was looking for some help at her booth. I think Trent has had enough.”

Wyatt’s eyes bug out. “I doubt she would want me there.”

“You know?” She taps her lip. “I remember now, she told me that you were
required
down there.”

I laugh. Payback. “Wyatt.” I touch his arm. “You wouldn’t want to not help out your mother when she needs you. It wouldn’t be very Southern of you, would it?”

He runs his tongue across his teeth and makes a
tsk
sound. “You think so, huh?”

I shrug. “What would Martha Stewart do?”

“All right, Big City. Let’s go help Mama since you’re in a giving mood.”

We walk through the crowds, and I make him stop every few stands to check out some of the things for sale. There’s one booth off to the right that has horseshoes dangling from the front. They have different plaques with names painted on them, a few sewn projects, but I love the horseshoes more than anything. They’re all engraved with whatever you want on them. I touch the cool metal over the name engraved on the bottom of the display one. “Can we get one?” I ask Wyatt.

He looks perplexed. “Of course, but for what?”

“Well, I was thinking at the bottom it can say: ‘Hennington’. Then on the side here,” I point to the left, “we can put the date of conception, and on the other side, we can have it updated to the baby’s birthday?”

The smile he gives me lights up the sky. After spending the last twenty-four hours with him, I want to do something special. He baked cupcakes, gave me a stellar orgasm, made me coffee, and so many other things in a small bit of time. It may be insignificant to some, but to me, it means everything. No one ever thinks of me like that. I’ve never had a man give up his time or go out of his way just because.

Wyatt does that, though, and he does it without selfish intentions. He gives the parts of himself willingly because he has so much more to offer. He doesn’t have to tuck pieces of his heart away like I do. He just is.

“I think it’s a great idea. We can hang it over the door of the nursery once we get that together” His lips press against my cheek. “I love it.”

“I’m glad it makes you happy.”

He gazes at me before looking away. “You being here makes me happy.”

“I had a really great time last night. It was fun.”

“Me too.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Not that!” I clarify.

Wyatt chuckles. “I know, baby. I had a really good time with you, too. It was fun working beside you.”

“Good. You were a lot of help. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

I don’t remember if I told him that, but he deserves to know it.

We place the order, and we’re told they’ll mail it to us in a few days.

I wave to Presley and Zach as we pass the Townsend’s booth. She mouths:
help me
. I shake my head and keep moving as we enter where more fair games are.

There’s a little pool with fishing rods to get the frogs and a stand with jugs you have to throw the ball to knock down. “I hate that game,” I say as we pass it.

“Me too.” Wyatt laughs. “My stupid brother would always pick it.”

“Why the hell would you go against the star baseball player in a throwing game?” I ask. Seems a little stupid to me.

“We would rock, paper, scissors for who could choose. Zach always won, so Trent and I were destined to lose.” Wyatt explains.

Presley warned me about the three of them. She explained that as much as they bicker, they’re unbelievably close. They take the meaning of brothers very serious. If one calls, they all go. She said it’s the way they’ve always been, and that by dating Wyatt, there’s a very clear message that they’ll have to deal with all the Henningtons if anyone fucks with me. It sounded like the Southern version of the mafia.

“Wyatt! Angie!” Macie yells with her arms open “There you are!”

“Sorry, Mama.”

“Don’t be sorry. Trent is tired, and at this point we’re starting to lose money.” She laughs. “I’m going to have to start paying people to kiss him.”

Kiss? I look around, and spot Trent sitting in a booth with lips all over it and a sign that reads: Kisses for a Dollar.

Umm. I’m not really sure how I feel about this.

I grab his arm. “You didn’t tell me it was a kissing booth.” My voice is low, and I’m sure he hears the undercurrent of irritation.

“Awww, you’re jealous.”

“I am not.”

I don’t get jealous. It’s not like we’re married or even really dating. I mean, we are, but that’s not the point. The point is, I don’t get jealous. I’ve never been like that, and I’m not going to start now. I’m just not looking forward to watching girls kiss him when I’m not even supposed to be kissing him. That’s all. I’m also a hormonally imbalanced freak with a baby sucking up all my common sense.

“Then why do you care what kind of booth it is?” His brow raises. “I mean, wasn’t it
you
who said I should help my mama?”

I grit my teeth. I did say that. “I didn’t know it meant you’d be kissing other girls.”

He runs the back of his fingers across my cheek. “Does it help if I say I’ll be pretending they’re all you?”

“No!”

“You two okay?” Macie asks with a glint in her eyes.

Oh, these ladies are good. They’ve managed to orchestrate all this, and they did it with precision. I would bow to her if I weren’t too busy freaking out over whatever is going on in my heart. I know I have to play this cool.

“We’re fine, Mrs. Hennington.” I smile.

“Good. Wyatt, please go relieve your brother. Angie and I will hang here and girl talk.”

“Yes, Mama.”

I watch him walk off while I burn holes in the back of his head. I can do this. It’s fine. I’ll prove to myself after the first kiss that I’m not jealous. Wyatt and I might like each other, and I may think he’s all sorts of great, but we’re going to part ways at some point. This is just practice for the future.

Macie tries to make idle chitchat with me, but I keep missing what she says. Each time I look over toward the booth, she calls my name. So far it’s been two minutes and forty-three seconds, and no one has bought a kiss yet.

“I’m sorry. I’m exhausted.”

She nods. “I’m sure. It’s hard tryin’ to pay attention to me and wait and see who he has to kiss.”

“I’m not—” I start to say, but she puts her hand up.

“I give you a lot of credit. If it were Rhett, I would’ve marched his hide right out of this place. There would be no way he was kissin’ anyone else but me. I know you and Wyatt aren’t really serious, right? I know you’re biding your time and all.”

“I don’t know what we are,” I admit. “I also know you and Mrs. Kannan knew exactly what would happen.” My tone is soft and bordering on admiration.

Macie laughs and grabs my hands. “Don’t be upset. Sometimes us old ladies need to push you young people a little. I happen to know working beside a man can be very eye opening. I also know—” her eyes shoot to something over my shoulder and widen a bit.

I follow her gaze, and my stomach drops. There’s a throng of girls rushing toward the booth, and the front runner is none other than Charlotte.

No, no, no.

His lips are
not
touching hers. Over my dead fucking body.

My feet are on the ground and moving before I realize what’s happening. We have rules. Rules that included no other people. Rules that he agreed on. I’m not kissing anyone else while I’m here, neither should he, especially not her. I’m perfectly within my rights to fight this. That’s the point I plan to drive home.

“Angie,” Macie calls out when I’m halfway to the booth.

I don’t respond.

I’m on a mission.

I dig in my back pocket for the cash I put in there and head straight to the front of the line, moving Charlotte out of my way. My hand slams down on the counter as his brown eyes stare into mine. “Here’s two hundred dollars.” I thrust the cash toward him. “You’re not kissing anyone but me.”

Wyatt doesn’t waste a second. He’s on his feet, his hands grip my face, and he kisses me in front of everyone.

There are catcalls and hollers from various people. His lips are planted on mine, and I don’t care that he’s staking his claim. I don’t care if last night was supposed to be nothing. Right here, he’s mine.

Wyatt Hennington’s lips are not touching another woman’s lips while I’m around.

I turn around and see his mother, Mrs. Kannan, Mrs. Townsend, and Mrs. Rooney all standing there with huge grins and clasped hands. I’m surprised they’re not doing some sort of happy dance.

“I knew you liked me, Big City.”

I roll my eyes and release a deep breath. “Come on, Rhinestone Cowboy. I bought you for the day.”

“You bought me for much longer than that.”

“T
WO DAYS IN A ROW
you’ve woken me before the sun came up.” I grumble as I throw on some clothes. I have no idea where he’s taking me. He instructed me last night that we were going out for the day. Apparently, when I paid the money for the kissing booth, I got the day after too.

“Come on, darlin’. We’re going to be late.”

“Late for what?”

“Make sure you use the bathroom!” he calls out.

“Why won’t we have a bathroom?”

Wyatt refuses to say anything other than we’re going to spend the day together.

I grab my sweatshirt, since I have no idea if it’ll be freezing at this crazy time in the morning, throw on my sneakers, and make a note to buy a pair of cute cowboy boots. Since I’m here, I might as well. Plus, they’re kind of practical and stylish. Grace has a pair with teal on the side, I definitely need to find those.

“You ready?” he asks, holding the door open.

“Not sure why we have to be up and out of the house when I can still see the moon. I don’t know many stores that are open this early,” I push. I’m dying to know what he has planned.

“The fish bite the best in the morning.” He slaps my ass as he closes the door.

“Fish?” I choke. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

Wyatt throws a box in the back of some vehicle now parked outside the house. “Hop in.”

It’s a mix of a truck with no roof and smaller tires, a golf cart, and some sort of wagon. There’s dirt and mud all along the side, which makes me think the boys use it for more outdoorsy stuff, which I definitely don’t do.

“Angie.” Wyatt waves his hand. “Get in the Gator.”

“Wouldn’t you rather go see a movie? Or maybe have a day at the spa? Do you have a spa close?” I ask with hope.

He laughs. “Do I look like I go to the spa? Get in. It’ll be fun and relaxing, I promise.”

I don’t like the outdoors so much. But I promised myself I would step outside the box, and Wyatt did bake cupcakes, which was clearly not his thing. When in Rome.

I climb in and search for a seat belt, but there is none. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. How am I supposed to not fall out?”

“You hold on,” he says as if it makes perfect sense.

There’s a bar in front of my seat that I guess is what I hold on to? “This is nuts. Is this safe?” It doesn’t seem very safe.

“You’re safe with me. Always.” Wyatt has a huge grin on his face as he starts the Gator. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make you country yet.”

“I doubt that.”

“We’ll see.” He heads down the road, and I hold on to the bar for dear life. My hair whips around my face, and I silently curse the fact that I forgot a hair tie. The trail is bumpy, and I feel slightly motion sick. Thankfully, we reach the lake fairly quickly.

Wyatt and I exit the vehicle, and he starts getting the supplies out of the back. He has two blankets, some fishing poles, a tackle box, and what looks like a basket of food. When I offer to carry something, he gives me a sideways look and a smirk.

It’s gorgeous out here. There’s a lot of trees around it, and beautiful views. Everything looks untouched by man, it’s so serene.