7. Wyatt

Chapter Seven

Wyatt

Locals' night at Fireweed Winery was packed that evening. The restaurant held these weekly throughout the year to cater to the locals with special prices on food and free samples of beer, wine, and mead. During the summer months, it was even busier because we didn't bother to distinguish between tourists and locals. Anyone who showed up got at least one free drink.

I weaved through the crowded area near the bar, glancing around until I spied Rhys standing with his wife, Haven. Our mother, Kenan and Quinn, Blake and Fiona, and Adam and Tessa were all there. As usual, the family was out in force.

I slipped in beside my mother, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Mom."

She beamed up at me, slipped her hand through my elbow, and squeezed. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Mom, just to point out, I've been here for almost a year now."

"I know, but I had to wait extra long for you and Griffin to finally move back to town. I'm relieved you're not going out and fighting fires anymore. Now we just have to convince your twin to stop doing that."

"He will when he's ready," I said lightly.

Someone said something to my mother, and she released my elbow, immediately drawn into a conversation with Fiona and Quinn about the kitchen renovation at the restaurant.

Rhys caught my eyes, lifting his chin in acknowledgment. "How's it going over at the brewery?"

"I love it," I replied honestly.

"Good to hear." Rhys had his arm looped around Haven's waist. He'd been the first of us to settle down. They already had a toddler-aged son as well. As far as I could tell, Rhys was still deep in the honeymoon phase of being in love with Haven.

She smiled at me after she took a swallow of her mead. She held up the bottle and wiggled it in her hand. "I love this new flavor."

"It's a blueberry-blackberry combo. I ran it as a special to see how it sells."

"I think you should make it a permanent product," Haven said.

McKenna appeared at her side, immediately joining in. "That's what I said! I love it."

Blake chimed in, "It's selling really well. We usually make more money if we offer them on a limited basis."

Haven sighed. "But I want it all the time."

I chuckled. "We'll see."

"Hey!" McKenna said, her eyes looking past my shoulder.

Before I even glanced in that direction, I knew Rosie was approaching us. The skin on the back of my neck tingled. I forced myself to wait a beat before glancing over. As soon as my eyes landed on Rosie, my entire system felt jolted with a hot sizzle.

Her auburn hair was pulled up in a ponytail high on her head with loose tendrils dangling around her cheeks. Her skin was a little flushed, and my mind instantly conjured the memory of the freckles scattered all over her body, constellations that I'd teased with kisses.

Rosie's eyes met mine just as she stopped beside McKenna. She looked away quickly, fast enough that I couldn't read the expression there. McKenna swept her into a hug and began chattering about something before she looked my way. "Did you get your stitches out?" McKenna demanded.

"I already told you I did." I rolled my shoulder, reflexively checking to see how it felt. The incision felt sore, but that was about it. "I'm good to go."

McKenna pinned Rosie with her attention next. "Did you remove them and check it?"

Rosie's smile was bemused as she shook her head. "Wyatt must've had an appointment time when I wasn't there. Plus, the follow-ups aren't usually in the ER."

"Oh," my sister said, looking a little annoyed at this.

"We all know Rosie is the best nurse, but she can't do everything and be everywhere," my mother said.

McKenna pressed her lips together. "Fine. Don't do anything stupid like that again." She actually wagged her finger at me.

"It wasn't specifically my fault," I pointed out.

"It was Lia's," Blake said. "She's getting better, but when she cast her fishing line, it was a little too enthusiastic, and she caught Wyatt's shoulder."

There were a few chuckles around the group. "These things happen when you're learning to fish," I said.

I wanted to close the distance between Rosie and me, maybe ten feet, and kiss her. It appeared she'd come here from work. Her ponytail was a little lopsided on top, and she looked frazzled. For some women, the tendrils of hair dangling around their cheeks would've been a stylistic choice. Not so for Rosie. I loved that about her. She had a haphazard beauty.

Married or not, I knew it absolutely would not fly with her for me to kiss her here. Instead, I waited through what felt like endless casual conversation. In reality, it was maybe twenty minutes or so. Rosie broke away from the group finally, saying she had to go to the restroom. With everyone busy talking around us, there was enough distraction for me to think I might be able to catch her in the break room.

I discreetly talked my way out of a conversation with Blake and Griffin and wove my way around the perimeter of the room to slip into the back hallway. My timing couldn't have been better. Rosie was coming out of the bathroom at the back of the break room when I walked in. Only staff, family, and friends used this bathroom, so we had some privacy.

Pink flared on Rosie's cheeks when she saw me. She stepped back quickly. "Wyatt! What are you doing?" she hissed.

"We can either have this conversation out here or?—"

She reached for my arm and yanked me in, tugging the door shut behind me. "Or here," I murmured. This was a wonderfully small bathroom, tiny even.

Rosie narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Her tone was demanding, and I wanted to tell her that it totally turned my crank, but I never wanted her to stop being bossy and demanding with me, so I wasn't about to tell her how much I loved it.

"Well, you're here," I pointed out.

As much as I wanted to touch her, and holy hell , I wanted to touch her, I didn't. It felt as if electricity shimmered around us with our own private electrical storm snapping and crackling. The sensation made me think of what I saw once after Mount Augustine had erupted near Anchorage when I was a little boy.

The plumes of volcanic ash had made these little clouds in some areas and the friction of the tiny particles rubbing together created sparks. It was like watching mini storms drift through the sky contained in their own burst of ash.

Rosie's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, and her teeth snagged on her bottom lip. She reached up to tighten her ponytail. Her hands dropped, and she shifted on her feet. I sensed she was nervous, and protectiveness rose in a swift surge inside me.

All I wanted was to take care of her. Oh, I wanted far more than that, but the fierce need to protect and cherish her was different. I'd experienced plenty of chemistry in my life. Nothing came close to the chemistry I felt with Rosie, but the emotion twined within it amplified its power and depth.

Our gazes held while the air burgeoned with intensity as every second ticked by. As I studied her, I saw the vulnerability flickering in her gaze, a vulnerability I knew she tried to mask. My heart clenched tightly in my chest. I wanted Rosie on a bone-deep level. Yet I knew I had to be cautious to make sure I didn't push too far and too fast.

Maybe we were married. Okay, we were married. But that was nothing more than a detail. Binding though it may be, to hold Rosie's heart, I had to be patient. Much as I wanted to let the fire take hold and spin us in its flames, I didn't. Not yet. I drew in a slow breath and kept a firm hold on my control.

"Can I kiss you?" I finally asked.