29. WREN

29

WREN

I've been home for two weeks. The first few days were hard. Then Willow sent me a string of texts Wyatt had messaged her over the last few months and the last eleven days became even harder.

During the day I've been in the office meeting with lawyers, finishing up the paperwork for Wyatt and his siblings to sign, getting all the payoff amounts from the bank.

I miss Wyatt desperately. Regular text messages and video calls do very little to fill the empty hole in my heart. I'm not sure how many more days I will be able to handle being away from him.

Yesterday I googled if it was possible to become addicted to a person.

It is.

And I am.

I have all the symptoms.

There is nothing more that I can do on my end for this deal. Checks have been signed. Paperwork has been turned in. I'm waiting on the bank to get everything approved, signed and delivered .

With no end date in sight, I've decided I'm not going to let the Abbotts hold me hostage in my own home. If I want to go to Wyatt, I'm damn well going to.

I'm far enough along in the process that there is nothing Abbott can do to change the tides. Ownership of the property is all semantics at this point.

The original plan for tonight was for Daniel and I to go out to dinner with his dad and put on a show. Pretend to be the perfect fiancé. I don't have it in me. I've never been a good actress. Wyatt will be the first one to tell you I'm also a terrible liar.

I sent Daniel a text letting him know my change of plans. He replied saying his only regret is not being able to see his dad's face in person when I call his bluff and tell him it is over.

After my meeting this afternoon, I'm doing something I never thought I would do.

Flying in a plane.

In three hours, I'm going home. The thought of seeing Wyatt's face and being able to touch him motivates me to do what I have to do next.

"Do you have everything you need?" Mom asks as I pack the last of my things in my bag.

"I think so." I take one last look around my bedroom.

"I'll donate all the clothes for you. We'll store all your other things until you're ready for them," she says, with a tremor in her voice. "I'm proud of you, Wren. You are the strongest person I know. You've always fought and loved fiercely. You care for people effortlessly. I think that's why you sometimes feel you're not good at it. Loving people is just what you do."

"Maybe. I never thought about it that way. I'm going to miss you." I wrap my arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you too. We'll be there for the grand opening. That's only a few months away. I'm going to ask Faith for the name of a good real estate agent. Maybe it's time for all of us to have a change of scenery. How do you think I'd look in a pair of those jeans?" She points at my legs.

"Incredible," Dad says from behind me. "We need to get going if you're going to make your flight." He kisses Mom on the forehead before grabbing my bag.

Mom and I hug goodbye one last time. I inhale a deep breath of perfume and commit it to memory. I did the same thing when she dropped me off at Newhouse for the first time. "You can do this," she whispers in my ear, before letting me go.

"Are you ready?" Dad asks, parking the car in front of Fred Abbott's office building.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I may not be wearing a power suit today but I have on my power cowboy boots. Each step I take into the building is a reminder of my purpose and strengthens my resolve.

"How can I help you?" the receptionist asks.

"We're here to see Mr. Abbott," I say.

"Is he expecting you?"

"No, but he'll want to see us. Tell him Ivan and Wren Ellington are here to speak with him about an urgent matter," Dad tells her.

A few moments pass before we are allowed entry into his office.

I keep checking my watch. Getting on the plane is giving me enough anxiety. I don't need to add being late on top of it.

"Wren, Ivan, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you until later this evening. Please, take a seat. What can I do for you?" Fred asks.

"I think I'll stand thank you," I say. "I only came by to drop this off." I place the ring box he gave me on the edge of his desk. "I've made my choice. I won't be marrying Daniel. I appreciate the offer but I'll have to pass."

Fred stands from his chair. "You should reconsider. You will lose everything if you walk away."

"I'll lose everything if I don't," I say, standing my ground. Everything I want is on a farm in Alabama. If I don't walk away, I get nothing. "Now if you excuse me I have a plane to catch."

"All it takes is one phone call to the bank and I will own every inch of their land," he threatens.

"You will have to take that up with the new owners. The bank no longer has a say. I suggest you stop threatening my family. You aren't the only person in the room who knows how to throw threats around. Mark my words, if you continue down this road with me, it will be painful," I say tersely.

"You have a lot of nerve, little girl."

"You're right. I do." I smile back at him.

"Ivan, are you going to let her speak to me like this?"

"I see nothing wrong with what she's saying. Wren has always spoken her mind."

"I can ruin you."

"You could." Dad shrugs. "You won't." He types something out on his phone. "There are documents in your email listing all the clients you have stolen from over the years. Threaten my family again and I will send it to the press."

"Where did you get this?" he demands.

"My newest employee. You're going to need a new business analyst by the way. I just took your best one since mine just bought a farm."

Fred picks up his phone and places a call. If I had to guess, it's to his son. When Daniel's lawyers came through with access for his trust, a new blackmail plan began. Before he packed up his office, he managed to get everything we needed to put Fred on a leash.

"Have a great day, Fred." I walk out of his office with my shoulders back and head held high.

"You did great in there," Dad says as he buckles himself in the car .

My nerves are frazzled as we pull off on the highway toward the airport. I don't know if it's adrenaline from confronting Abbott or anxiety for my impending flight.

"Thanks, Dad. Do you think he'll try anything?" I chew on my lower lip.

"He won't risk losing his business. He's nothing without it."

That offers a small bit of comfort. I won't feel completely secure until the paperwork has been signed by all members of the Rivers family.

"He's lucky to have you," Dad says, staring down the highway in front of him. "I've had you for twenty-two years. I know better than anyone."

"I'm the lucky one. I've been loved by two of the best men I've ever met."

"You're going to make your old man cry. Promise me you'll take care of each other," he says, pulling into the drop off lane.

"We will. I love you, Dad."

"Love you too. We'll be there soon. I can't wait to see what you've done with the place." He leans in to give me a hug.

"Don't expect too much. We are still working with a small budget."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. You've always been very resourceful. Text us when you land."

I grab my bags out of the trunk and wave him off. I take a few deep breaths before entering the airport. I can do this. It's a short flight. And Wyatt is on the other side.

My seat is by the window. I don't know if that's better or worse. It likely doesn't matter since I don't plan on opening my eyes the entire time we're in the air.

As the plane takes off, I take one peek out the window to wave a final goodbye to Georgia.

I step out of the cab and my body sags with relief.

I'm home.

I drop my bags off on the porch and set off to find Wyatt. There's still a few good hours of daylight left. He has to be out here working somewhere.

He isn't with the goats or chickens. The barn is also empty. I'm about to give up and go back to the house when I hear the rumble of a four wheeler in the distance.

As soon as the four wheeler is visible, I take off running. I pump my arms and legs as fast as they can go. My boots slip over the gravel, but I don't care. He's right there.

Wyatt hops out of the passenger seat before Colt even gets it parked. He sprints in my direction, losing his hat on the path. His long legs quickly eat the distance between us.

We crash into each other. I don't feel anything but Wyatt's arms wrapping around me and lifting me off the ground. He cups my face in one hand as if he's checking to see if I'm real .

"Hi," I say, breathlessly. The sound of my voice must break the dream like trance he is in. Next thing I know his lips are on mine. He kisses me slowly, nipping at my lips, savoring the taste. His tongue licks against my lips parting them open.

I claw my way closer to him. I've never missed another person this much before. Not even my first year at college. I was excited to be on my own. I couldn't wait for my parents to leave so I could explore the university.

I was missing Wyatt the second he got in his truck and drove away.

"What are you doing here?" His eyes glance behind me. "How did you get here?"

"Last I checked birdies knew how to fly." I grin.

"You flew here? On an airplane. You hate flying."

"I know. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to get to you." I hug him tightly around the top of his shoulders.

He kisses me up and down my neck and the top of my shoulder. "Fuck, I missed you. I can't believe you flew in a plane for me."

"I would do anything for you," I say earnestly. My legs drop to the ground. Before I can walk away, he grabs my face and kisses me again.

"Tell me you're here to stay." He leans his forehead against mine.

"I'm here to stay," I whisper.

"My girl is home! Birdie's home!" he shouts, spinning me around until I'm giggling. My feet land on solid ground and we run back to the house .

He grabs my bags off the porch and takes them in the house. "Everyone is out working, but I'll send them a text. I'm afraid I'm going to have to add you to the family chat now that you're home for good." He looks at me. "I'll never get tired of saying that."

I unzip my suitcase and start unpacking. "Add me if you have to, but I'm putting it on mute. If it's an emergency, they will need to text me separately. I'm not going to read through a hundred messages to find out someone got hurt or something."

"God, I missed you. Everyone's too nice around here. I've missed this mouth." He leans down and kisses me quickly. "Let me help you unpack so we can take advantage of the house being empty." He thrusts his hips a few times in the air. God, he's ridiculous but he's mine.

"Baby, why is my shirt on your pillow?" He holds up my lifeline while I was in Georgia.

"Actually, that's my shirt. And that isn't a pillow. It's Wyatt Wallen. I slept with him every night. He smells like you." I give the pillow stuffed inside Wyatt's, I mean my, Wallen T-shirt a hug and then throw it in the middle of the bed.

"It's definitely my shirt. You were with me when I bought it," he says. I wave him off. "I'll let you keep it, but you have to take it off the pillow. That's just weird."

"Wyatt Wallen was the only way I was able to sleep." I frown.

"Now you've got the real thing. You don't need it anymore. I can't promise I'm going to let you sleep much tonight though." He wraps himself around me from behind, pressing his erection into my ass.

"I should fucking hope not," I say, making him chuckle.

"Enough unpacking for now." He flips me around and throws me over his shoulder. "If I don't have you naked in the next ten seconds, I'm going to lose it."

It feels good to be home, I think, as I strip my man naked and spend the next few hours familiarizing myself with his body again.