33. Wyatt

33

WYATT

Josie: See you tonight.

I smiled at the heart emoji Josie sent, her profile picture smiling back at me. I took it the other day as she lay on my couch, clad in one of my sweatshirts, smiling over at me. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and her face clear of makeup, leaving her cute freckles on display. She looked downright beautiful.

We had a date tonight and I planned on finally asking her to be my girlfriend. I'd wanted to ask her sooner, but a part of me was nervous she would say no. I knew her past relationships hadn't been the greatest and I didn't want to push her. If she wanted to keep things how they were, I would do that, even if I wanted to make her mine in every way possible.

Before I could do that, I had to take care of something first.

Pocketing my phone, I opened the door to my brother's ice rink, Hockey Haven . My footsteps echoed as I walked through the lobby. Cases lined both sides of the walls, filled with pictures and trophies. A mix of Landon's trophies ranging from when he was a kid, right through to uni, and some from the past teams that played at the rink before he bought it. There were even a couple from the last two years of little and junior league Landon started up.

The chilly air from the ice hit me as soon as I stepped through the double set of doors. The sound of skates on the ice made me smile. Coming to the ice rink always felt like coming home. There'd always been something soothing about the rink, long before Landon bought the place.

It was mid-afternoon on a Thursday, so it was no surprise that the rink was half-full with kids. By the looks of it, the Junior hockey league was warming up for practice. I knew they caught sight of me when the whispers started. I gave them a little wave as I passed, enjoying their excited gasps.

As they chatted animatedly in my wake, I made a mental note to come back and say hello to them once I'd finished talking to Landon.

Stopping in the doorway of Landon's office, I found him typing something on his computer. I knocked on the door frame and walked in.

"Hey."

"Wy." Landon looked up, surprised to see me. "Didn't know you were going to drop by. Is everything okay?"

"Things are fine," I said as I took a seat in front of his desk.

Typical Landon, immediately thinking something was wrong. He's been a father figure my entire life, always there to fix anything no matter what it was.

I wasn't entirely sure how to go about this. I love my brother, he's honestly one of the best people I know, but his treatment of Josie at Mateo's game was uncalled for.

Knowing it was better to rip it off like a Band-Aid, I braced my forearms on my knees.

"About Mateo's football game."

Across from me Landon leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching me intently.

"What you said to Josie was uncalled for. She didn't deserve it." I held his gaze as I spoke.

Josie may not officially be my girlfriend yet, but like hell I would let someone talk to her like that, even if it was my brother.

"Are you sure she isn't a reporter?" The look he gave me said he didn't buy it. "We've been through this before."

"Josie is not Lacey," I snapped.

"That's what you thought about Lacey until she turned around and wrote an article about your ‘relationship' and sold it to every news outlet."

"That was six years ago," I said through gritted teeth. "No one even gave a shit about what she said."

"Because your agent steered your PR to bury it," Landon said as he leaned his arms on his desk. "Who's to say Josie won't do the same to you? You're finally getting your game back."

"What is your problem with her?" Now I was starting to get pissed. He was comparing an old fling—it wasn't even a relationship—to Josie. Lacey was a mistake I'd never make again, and I knew for an absolute fact Josie wouldn't do what she did to me.

"I'm trying to protect you."

"Well stop!" I yelled. Remembering there were kids just outside the door, I took a breath before lowering my voice. "I don't need you to protect me from things anymore. I'm not a kid, Landon."

I saw the flash of hurt in his eyes, though he tried to hide it.

Fuck.

I hadn't meant for it to come out that harsh. I knew Landon was trying to look out for me.

I'll forever appreciate everything he's done for me, nor could I repay him for giving up his childhood so I could have one. But he also needed to learn I wasn't ten anymore. Yes, I'd made mistakes in the past with women, but Josie was not one of them.

"Lan," I sighed. "I know you just want to protect me, and I love you for it. I do. But I'm falling for Josie, and you need to accept that."

Landon was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "You're falling for her?"

It was the first time I'd admitted it out loud.

I was falling for her.

Faster than I ever thought possible, but every day I spent time with her, I found myself wanting more. More of her smiles, her laugh, the way her nose scrunched up when she was thinking. I wanted to wake up every morning, knowing was in bed beside me.

Was it fast? Fuck yes, but I didn't care. Not when I finally felt like I'd met my person.

"I am. I'm asking her to be my girlfriend tonight."

Landon leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I just want what's best for you."

My anger dissipated at his words. Getting an apology from Landon was rare, even if I was his brother. He didn't mince words and stood by what he said most of the time.

"I know you do." That's all he's ever wanted for me, and I appreciated it more than he knew. "But I need you to know Josie's not going anywhere. So what happened on Saturday can't happen again."

"As long as she makes you happy, I'll be supportive."

"Thank you." Having Landon's support meant a lot to me.

"You should bring her to Mateo's birthday party next weekend. He'd love that."

"I bet he would," I shook my head while Landon smirked.

"You know Mateo. He loves to push your buttons."

"He's going to get his ass beat," I grumbled. I knew Mateo thought flirting with Josie was funny, but the thought of anyone flirting with her didn't sit well with me. Even if it was my brother doing it jokingly.

Hearing the chatter of kids grow in volume, I stood up and followed Landon out of his office to the ice, all of the kids staring at us.

"Have anything going on for the next hour?" he asked, looking from the kids to me.

I smiled at the kids, knowing I had a few hours free before I saw Josie. "I'm free."

Holding a small bouquet of lilies, I knocked on Josie's door. I was a tad early, but I wanted to see her. Two days without her was too long, but between her job and my hockey, we'd both been too busy. I was eager to see her, despite the butterflies in my stomach knowing what I planned to ask her.

When she opened the door, my breath caught in my throat.

She looks absolutely stunning.

Josie wore a deep green dress with a single strap over her shoulder, a ruched waist and a long slit showing a hint of her long legs. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, the ends curled with a few tendrils framing her face.

"Wow."

"Hey." Her cheeks were slightly pink which just made her even cuter.

"You look amazing," I breathed, my eyes following the line of the dress from her shoulders down to her feet.

"It's not too much?" she asked, her hands fiddling with her dress.

"Not at all." I shook my head and extended the flowers towards her. "These are for you."

"They're beautiful." She brought them up to her nose and smiled, her brown eyes sparkling. I never knew brown eyes could be so beautiful until I saw Josie's.

"Thank you."

"Ready to go?" I smiled in return.

"Let me put these in some water and grab my purse."

I slipped through the door behind her, shutting it as I watched her walk away. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that hopefully I could soon call her mine. I'm beyond whipped but I don't even care.

After a few minutes, Josie returned with her purse. "Ready."

With a soft smile, I extended my hand. As her fingers slipped through mine, it felt like they were meant to be there. Unable to help myself, I bent down and kissed her, not caring if her lipstick transferred to me.

When she looked up at me with a wide smile, I knew I was done for when it came to Josie.

"Reservation under Boone," I said to the hostess as she greeted us. For a night like tonight, I wanted to take Josie somewhere special. This was one of the best Italian places in Toronto. A little higher class than what either of us were used to. Sure, I could afford to eat out at all the fanciest restaurants in the city, but that just wasn't me. I'd rather eat at Rick's, but tonight I wanted to treat Josie to the best.

I felt uncomfortable as the hostess stared at me, though I tried my best to ignore it. I'd seen that look on many women when they talk to me, like they were trying to mentally undress me. Maybe a few years ago I would have liked the attention, but not anymore. Especially not when I had Josie by my side.

I tugged her closer to my side as the hostess grabbed two menus. I could feel dozens of eyes on us as we walked through the restaurant to a table in the corner.

So much for a romantic, private dinner.

I'd gotten used to the attention over the years, but Josie hadn't had the chance. The last thing I wanted was to throw her in with the wolves. Reaching the table, I pulled out Josie's chair before sliding into the one next to her.

"Well, aren't you popular?" Josie said after the hostess gave us our menus, purposefully lingering longer than necessary. "Does it get annoying at times?" I watched her glance around at the people seated around us, most not even trying to hide that they were staring.

"Yeah, it can be a lot. Some people don't understand personal space." I wanted her to know that despite all the stares, I was fully focused on her tonight. "But none of it matters because I'm here with you." I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips.

"That was cheesy," Josie said but her voice was a little breathless. I smiled against her hand before putting it back on the table. Grabbing the menu with one hand I rested my left on her thigh.

Almost immediately, our waiter appeared at our table. I ordered us a bottle of wine while the two of us looked over the menu. Josie was quiet, her eyes darting over the menu and then around us. The stares had subsided a little, but a few lingered.

When the waiter came back with our wine, I saw Josie hesitantly reach for it. I could tell she was uncomfortable being here. Maybe it was the atmosphere, that you had to be well off to afford this place, or all the stares, but regardless, she wasn't having a good time.

Seeing her tug her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at the menu, I knew I'd made a mistake bringing her there.

This isn't us.

"Let's get out of here," I said, grabbing my wallet and putting down a hundred-dollar bill. Standing, I reached for her hand.

"We just got here."

"Not really in the mood for Italian." With her hand in mine, I gently led her back through the restaurant. Eyes once again on us.

I ignored the hostess calling after us and walked out of the restaurant. As we walked down the street towards the car, Josie pulled me to a stop.

"We didn't have to leave." I could see and feel the guilt coming off her. "I was okay to stay."

"It's not worth it if you are uncomfortable." And I meant it. "I know a better place we can go."

"Better than one of the top-rated Italian restaurants in the city?"

"You can count on it," I grinned.