Beautiful (23 page)

I was stunned to hear her say that about Jacob. “No…I mean, I’m in love with Wyatt.”

Her smile relaxed some, as did her body. “How many?”

“Four of us,” Michelle said.

We followed Beth over to a booth.

“Thanks, Beth,” Michelle and I said at once.

Quickly turning, she headed back to the front of the restaurant.

“Does it bother you that people are all of a sudden friendly with you again?” Michelle asked.

Pursing my lips, I thought about it for a few moments. “No. I’m glad things are slowly getting back to somewhat normal.”

I glanced down at my hand and the diamond ring on my finger. I was engaged. Even though I knew we were young and still had another few weeks of high school, it felt so right.

Placing my hand on the table, I slid it toward Michelle. She had her nose buried in the menu.

“So, Wyatt gave me something last night.”

She wiggled her eyebrows while she kept reading. “Oh, I bet he did. Three times, you lucky bitch.”

Sighing, I closed my eyes and barely shook my head. “That’s not what I was talking about.” I lifted my hand and turned it, so the diamond faced her. “Wyatt asked me to marry him before he made love to me.”

Michelle let out a gruff laugh. “I swear, you just said—” Dropping her menu, she stopped talking when she saw the ring on my finger.

I wasn’t expecting the reaction that came next.

“Oh. My. God!” Michelle screamed out as she grabbed my hand and jumped. “You’re engaged!”

I looked around the restaurant as I felt my cheeks heat up. “Michelle, will you please sit down and stop jumping? Everyone is staring.”

Michelle kept jumping. “I don’t care!”

Before I knew it, she dropped my hand and pointed to someone. When I glanced over my shoulder, my stomach dipped when I saw his beautiful smile.

Wyatt.

“Holy crap! You asked her to marry you!” Michelle screamed out.

Mitch walked up and looked at Michelle, then me, and then turned to Wyatt. “You actually did it. I’m impressed.”

Michelle and I both said, “What?”

Hitting Mitch on the chest, Michelle gasped. “You knew, and you didn’t say anything to me?”

With a shrug, Mitch winked. “Sorry, baby. It was a secret, and we both know how you are with secrets.”

Wyatt leaned down and kissed me on the cheek before taking his seat next to me. My stomach fluttered, like it always did anytime he touched me. I had figured, after we’d made love, it would go away. When he reached for my hand, it felt like butterflies were going crazy in my stomach, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Wyatt asked.

I gazed into his green eyes and smiled. “Nothing. I’m just happy.”

He kissed the tip of my nose and grinned. “Good. Because I’m crazy happy.”

Michelle finally sat down and grabbed my hand again, gushing over the beautiful ring. Of course Beth had to walk back over and take a look. That caused another girl from school who was in the restaurant to walk up. Before I knew it, we had a small crowd gathered around us.

Wyatt must have sensed I was getting a bit unnerved by all the attention.

He finally stood up and said, “As much fun as this is…I’m starving y’all. We just want to eat breakfast.”

A few people walked off, whispering as they looked back at me. I narrowed my eyes at them and turned to Michelle. She had to have been thinking the same thing I was.

“Oh, I already know. Let the rumors fly,” she said.

Moaning, I buried my face in my hands.

“What are you talking about?” Wyatt asked.

I dropped my hands to my lap. “Nothing. Let’s just eat and enjoy breakfast.”

By the time the waitress brought my French toast, I had lost my appetite, but I forced myself to eat.

Wyatt immediately noticed the change in my mood. “Don’t let what anyone says bother you, Sky. You and I know the truth, and that is all that matters.”

Forcing the tears to stay at bay, I turned and looked at him. “They’re going to say I’m pregnant.”

Wyatt smiled. “So? We both know the truth. Just like we knew the truth about Charlie. If these people have nothing better to do than to talk about you, then I feel sorry for them. We have a few more weeks to go. Then, we’ll be in Italy and then on our way to Baylor. It’s just you and me, angel, from this point on.”

I knew what Wyatt was saying was true. Still, the thought of new rumors circling around made me feel sick.

Something hit me in that moment. Wyatt was right. Only I needed to know the truth. What everyone else might say or think about me didn’t matter. I had to make the choice if I was going to let whispered rumors bring me down.

That was an easy decision.

No. I was over letting people’s words tear me apart. I was no longer broken, and with the help of people I loved and who loved me, I had built an army to get me to where I was.

“You’re right. And you are all I need. I love you,” I whispered. Leaning over, I gently kissed him.

Pushing a piece of hair behind my ear, Wyatt looked at me, and his eyes danced with love. “I love you, Sky. Always have and always will.”

Wyatt

Skylar was spot-on.

Come Monday morning, Jenny was doing her best to say Skylar was pregnant and that was why we were getting married. Most everyone ignored her, but a few guys did break down and ask me. When I told them no, they seemed to believe me. The only one I had a problem with was Jacob. He was not pleased with the news and made it clear that if I ever hurt Skylar, he would be the first person there to help her pick up the pieces.

“Dude, you really need to move on,” I said, looking straight into his eyes. “Skylar is never going to be yours.”

Jacob shot daggers out of his eyes at me before he turned and headed out of the building. He hit the doors so hard that I was almost positive he had broken them.

“What’s wrong with him?” Mitch asked.

“He can’t get over Skylar.”

With a gruff laugh, Mitch hit me on the back. “He lost her the moment he walked away from her when she needed him the most. Good riddance, is what I say.”

“How many more weeks of school do we have?” I asked with a shake of my head.

“Less than three.”

We started heading out to meet the girls. Skylar had to work tonight at Pizza Mia, so I wanted to drive her home.

“What about you and Michelle?” I asked.

Mitch glanced over to me. “What about us?”

“I don’t know. What are y’alls’ plans? You’re both going to the University of Texas. Do you ever think about your future together?”

His eyes filled with fear. “You mean, like, as in…marriage?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Do you not love her?”

“Of course I love her,” he bit back. “I love her a lot, but I’m not so sure I’m ready to commit to her like that. I mean, once we get into college, how do I know things won’t change?”

I frowned and stopped. “What do you mean, how do you know things won’t change? Are you thinking of breaking up with her?”

He rolled his eyes and turned to me. “No, Wyatt, I’m not breaking up with her. But I’m not ready to make that kind of commitment either. You’re sure about your feelings for Skylar. I see it in your eyes.”

“And you’re not?”

Mitch looked conflicted. “Fuck, I don’t know. I love Michelle. Being with her makes me happy, but all I keep thinking about is what my brother Skip told me. Once high school is over, everything is going to change. What if I get to college, and I meet someone else, or she meets someone else? I can’t imagine loving someone else like I do Michelle, but she’s also all I’ve ever known.”

He pushed his hand through his hair and cursed under his breath. “And that totally makes me sound like an asshole.”

“No, it doesn’t. You’re being honest about your feelings. But have you talked to Michelle about it?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m not saying I’m going to run out and find another girl. I’m just saying…I don’t want to be stupid and commit to marrying someone when I’m only eighteen damn years old. No offense, dude.”

I held up my hands. “None taken. I know in my heart that your sister is the one. But I’ve also dated and had sex with other girls, so maybe that’s the difference. Is Michelle the only girl you’ve ever been with?”

Skylar glanced up and saw us standing there, talking. Her smile faded some as her eyes bounced back and forth between Mitch and me. Michelle was talking to Beth and being very animated with her hands flying everywhere.

“Yeah. I’ve never been with anyone else.”

I slowly nodded. “Do me a favor, Mitch. If you’re feeling like you need to sow your oats, dude, just be honest with Michelle. Don’t hurt her.”

Mitch swallowed hard. “The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt her. I really do love her. But do I love,
love
her?”

I slapped him on the back and started walking again as he followed. “You’re the only person who can answer that.”

My mother stood in front of me with tears streaming down her face while my father snapped picture after picture.

“Are we done yet? I’m going to be late for my own graduation.”

Laughing, my father took one last picture. “That’s it. Let’s get going.”

During the short drive to the high school, my mother managed to go through special moments from every grade, starting in kindergarten. When we got to school, my parents met up with Skylar’s, and they made their way to their seats.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head.

Skylar giggled. “Is your mom okay?”

“No. She’s been crying all morning. At one point, she tried to see if there were any empty seats on our flights.”

Skylar’s eyes widened in horror. “To Italy?”

Laughing, I nodded. “Thank goodness there was none.”

She covered her mouth. “She checked? Like, she called and checked?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I would have put my foot down, especially since we both paid for this on our own.”

Skylar had been saving up every one of her paychecks from Pizza Mia for a trip to Italy. I had an inheritance from my grandparents for college, but my grandfather had left a good chunk of it out for me to explore the world before college, much to the disapproval of my parents. With football season and all of that, there had been no traveling. So, when Skylar had mentioned Italy, I had been all over it. I’d handled the hotel we would be staying at in Venice, and Skylar had paid for the flights.

“I can’t wait for you to see my surprise tomorrow.”

Lifting my eyebrows, I asked, “Do I get a hint?”

“Will you tell me what hotel we are staying at in Venice?”

“Nope,” I said with a wink.

“Then, I’m not telling you what surprise I have.”

The way she scrunched up her nose and smiled was so damn adorable.

“I guess we’ll both be surprised then.”

Mrs. Richardson started rounding everyone up and having us line up.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Skylar. She was talking with two other girls, and the smile on her face said it all. This was the moment she had been praying for. This was the moment she would walk across the stage and leave her past behind her. It could have been very different. Those two girls would have shunned her six months ago, not uttered a single word to her, maybe even made a snide comment. But today, they were smiling and laughing with her.

My heart felt as if it would burst as I looked at the girl I loved.

When her eyes caught mine, she smiled bigger.

The music started, and we each made our way out. We walked across the stage to cheers and listened to speeches being made. All the while, I daydreamed about my future with Skylar.

If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was dreaming. Life was starting fresh from this point on, and I couldn’t wait.