Worth the Wait (17 page)

“Hey! Leave Wyatt alone.” Avery stalked the rest of the way down the stairs and interrupted. “I’m not pregnant.”

“Thank goodness.” Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. “You were drunk off your butt last night. Drinking would be bad for my grandbaby.”

“I wouldn’t say drunk off her butt, Bonnie.” Teri-Lyn put down the ladle
to the punchbowl.

The adults began to bicker again and it was hard to determine what was being said. Avery walked toward Wyatt, but suddenly there were a dozen people in the way. So she sought out who she hoped was an ally. She tugged on her Aunt Morgan’s arm and pulled her aside. “A little help. This is getting way out of control.”

“OK. I’ll do what I can,” Morgan assured her as she
waved Michelle and Isabelle over. “But Seth told me about Riley calling you. Please tell me that was a big misunderstanding.”

“Yes. No. It wasn’t a misunderstanding exactly, but I can explain.” She bit her lip. “Can we talk later?”

“Oh, boy.” Morgan’s eyes widened. “Ladies, we need to defuse this situation. You get as many figurative pitch forks and torches out of the villagers’ hands
as possible.”

“What’s going on?” Jared said with a bright smile as he entered the house.

“Uncle Jared.” Avery walked toward him. “Please do me a favor and don’t get involved in this insanity. We’re straightening some things out right now.”

“Yes,” Tyler said. “Like your behavior lately, young lady.”

“Sounds like I’m just in time for all the fun…” Jared said as he scanned
the room, then his gaze locked on the box in J.J.’s hand. “J.J., what are you doing with that box?”

“Stopping a catastrophe,” J.J. quipped.

Jared’s voice was tight. “The ring belongs to me.”

The room went silent.

“What did you say?”

“This isn’t how I wanted to do this, but there’s no time like the present.” Jared took the ring box out of J.J.’s hand and walked over
to Autumn.

“Jared Reed, what are you doing?” Autumn put her hands on her cheeks.

“Something I’ve dreaming about for months.” He got down on one knee and took the ring out of the box.

The ladies all
awwww
ed at the same time. Michelle whipped out her cell phone and started recording.

“Autumn Jillian Waverly. I know we both resisted the matchmaking efforts of this wacky family
for the longest time. We were both at a point in our lives when we thought a career would fill the empty void in our hearts. Luckily we both wised up and took a vacation that changed our lives. It set us on a new journey to each other and here we are. I’ve been in love with you since the day we met at that resort. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“Yes.” Autumn sniffed as tears
fell from her eyes. “Yes.”

Avery’s heart skipped a beat when Jared and Autumn embraced. She’d noticed a tremendous change in her uncle since he’d met the beautiful, vivacious woman, and it was wonderful news that they’d be getting married. She fought back the urge to go on social media and announce to the world that her uncle was getting hitched. Instead, she went over and grabbed the happy
couple for a congratulatory hug before they were mobbed by the party guests.

Wyatt waved and pointed to the door. She nodded in agreement. They both casually eased out of the room and were heading for the patio door when they ran into Parker coming out of the kitchen with Gabe in her arms.

“Where are you two sneaking off to?” She smiled as she cradled her nephew.

“We need some
air.” Avery smiled back and looked quickly behind her shoulder. “I just hope they don’t send a search party looking for us.”

“Go. I’ll cover. It’s the least I can do after I missed all the fun last night. But I wouldn’t take the cell phones.” Parker winked.

“Thanks, Parker.” They both kissed her on the cheek and scooted out of the house. Once they were a few feet away, they stopped
and burst into laughter.

“That was a scary scene in there,” Wyatt said. “But the engagement lightened the mood.”

“I agree.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I can’t believe my uncle’s getting married again.”

“That’s pretty sweet.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Speaking of crazy, I can’t believe my recently unengaged brother went on a date with Anna Beth last night.”

Avery’s eyes widened. “Do tell.”

“First thing’s first. Want to get out of here?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t care as long as I’m with you.” He took her hand in his.

“How about a ride? Comet may be the only living thing on this ranch that isn’t disappointed in me right now.” She bit her lip.

“You could never disappoint me.”

She squeezed his hand. “Let’s
go to the stables.”

* * *

The sun was beginning to set and the air was cool when they reached the stables. Wyatt made sure Avery was safely mounted on Comet before he got onto his horse, Duke. He’d never been the earthy type, but like so many things, all that had changed when he’d met her. Avery gave Comet the command and went racing off, so he went after her. They’d
spent many days like this before, but now it was different. The innocence of youth was fading, but not in a bad way.

Now he finally understood and embraced his feelings for her. Something the man he was three years ago would never have done. It would have been too introspective and painful to open up and be vulnerable to someone. But he confided in her and told things he’d kept secret in
his heart, like worrying about not being as smart and successful as his brothers. Or the gnawing feeling of not knowing what a healthy relationship was after seeing his mom and dad’s marriage implode, only to have her back with her first husband. Avery had been there to comfort and encourage him.

He knew exactly where she was going. She often checked on the aqueducts the horses used when
they grazed. She always had to make sure all the animals on the ranch were OK. It was one of the many things he loved about her. Soon they reached the aqueduct near the sloping hill and dismounted.

“Looks like the repairs are holding up,” she said. “Bo said if it didn’t they’d install a new one.” She peeked over the cliff.

“Be careful.” He grabbed onto her waist. “You’d think with
all the money flowing around here, they’d just put a new one in, but that’s not how this family works. You put forth every effort to fix what’s broken.”

“Pretty much.” She moved back from the edge and starting walking with Comet.

He reluctantly let her go and followed with Duke. “As much as you love animals, I thought you’d be a veterinarian.”

“Uncle J.J. gave me a great piece
of career advice. He said never turn something you loved into a career. He said he loved football, but he knew when he played it was a business and he was an asset in a business model. I should save my grandest passion for myself.”

“What do you think his grandest passion was?”

“I’d say Sam and the kids. You think everyone noticed we’re gone yet?”

“It’s a safe bet.” He smiled.
“But it’s nice they haven’t loaded up into the pickups and come looking for us.”

“Parker probably sent them on a false trail.” She pulled her hair onto her right shoulder to stop it from blowing in the breeze. “I really made a mess of things the last couple of days.”

He smiled. “Don’t feel so bad. It’s not every day you do something out of character like get drunk, start a bar fight,
and
get arrested.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re not. I had to convince my dad that he and my mom didn’t need to cut short their cruise to come to Texas to chastise me. I assured him that half the state was already going it. And have you seen Texas? It’s a big place.”

“It was awesome of him to suggest the community service.”

“Yes, that’s my dad. The punishment
should fit the crime.”

“I’m glad you’re OK. You held your own. I don’t think Kelly will be making any snide comments for the rest of the school year.”

“I shouldn’t have let her get to me. She’s always tried to bait me when it came to you.” She gave him a knowing look.

“She’s just jealous because I call you
princess
.”

She laughed. “And I hate it when you call me that. Why
have you insisted on calling me princess all these years?”

“Because.” He looked at her. “You’re gorgeous, graceful, poised, and intelligent and have a smile that’s contagious. I didn’t think girls like you existed anymore.”

“I come from a long line of odd ducks.”

“What?”

She waved her hand. “Something my Aunt Morgan told me a long time ago to make me feel good about being
a little eccentric when I was little. She said the women in our family were odd ducks, but in a good way and it was OK.”

“She’s right.”

“Thanks for the stethoscope, by the way. It was lovely and thoughtful. I’m going to cherish it for my entire career.” She looked at him for a moment. “I’ve missed you Wyatt.”

“I’ve missed you too. I kick myself every day for pulling away from
you.”

“Why did you do it?” She bit her lip.

Wyatt took a deep breath. It was time to throw caution to the wind.

“I got scared. Something happened between us the night we kissed at the school fair. We’ve kissed before, but this time it was different.”

“No. I felt it too.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ve been having all these sexy feelings for you lately, and it scared me too.”

“It did?”

“Sure. I knew it meant something had changed between us.” She sighed. “But then you kept running away. Then we argued at the wedding and went off to talk and ended up almost having sex. Then you tried to hustle me out of there, and I thought maybe you’d changed your mind and that you didn’t want something to happen.”

“Avery.” He caressed her arms. “Believe me. The only
thing I wanted to do that night was to be with you. But your first time should be special, not rushed and confusing. The entire family was literally only a few yards away. And I wanted to make sure I was worthy of the gift you were giving me.”

“So you did want to be with me? I thought you changed your mind because I was an inexperienced kid.”

“I’ve been taking cold showers every day
since.” He laughed to lighten the mood. He looked into her eyes and saw so much doubt. “You really thought I wasn’t interested?”

“Yeah. I thought you’d gotten fed up with the family looming over you with veiled threats and watching your every move. I thought when I saw Kelly at your place you’d decided to have a wild senior year, free of the drama.”

He caressed her cheek. “Is that
why you started spending time with Riley?”

“Well, there’s no mistaking what he wants. It felt nice to be around someone who desired me.”

“Yeah. I had a talk with Riley. I told him if he screwed you over he’d have to deal with me.”

“You did?”

“Yes. If he was your choice, I wanted you to be happy even if that meant I was miserable. But you didn’t need to be jerked around
by some celebrity quarterback who has a new girlfriend every month.”

“Oh, Wyatt.” She sniffed. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He shook his head, not willing to accept her praise just yet. “I know his type can be alluring. I can’t compete with that right now.”

“Why would you have to?”

“You’re on your way to becoming a doctor. You need someone who
is marching toward a successful career of his own. I’m still finding my way.”

“Just because I’ve chartered a course for my future doesn’t mean you have to rush to catch up with me. You’ve done so well the past few years, I know you just need a little more time to find the right fit. You majored in business because of your brothers. But you also minored in communications. Look how well you’ve
helped Cal with the marketing of the Bright Star. It’s second nature for you to organize things and put a good spin on it. You’re the guy everyone goes to help finish off a project or get the word out.”

“You know, I didn’t think about it that way.”

“You’d make a good public relations person. But you still have time to explore. Nobody has the right to pressure you into selecting a career,
not even our well-meaning family.” She smiled.

He loved her smile. “You deserve to be with a good man.”

“I know. I’ve been with him for three years.” She stared into his eyes, her expression serious. “You’re my best friend, and ever since we shared that life-altering kiss, all I’ve wanted to do was kiss you again. I know that sounds kind of corny—”

Wyatt didn’t wait for her to
finish. He leaned in and kissed her. Avery wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He parted her lips with his tongue and probed deeper. This was what he’d been missing. The taste of those soft lips, the feel of her smooth skin. She smelled like fresh flowers picked from Teri-Lyn’s garden. It was intoxicating being with her, and he never wanted to be without her again. They broke
apart when Comet started nudging them.

“You said the next time I kissed you I had to know what it meant.” He touched his forehead to hers. “I know what it means in my heart. I love you, Avery.”

“I love you too.”

“I wanted you so badly that night, but I didn’t want us having regrets about it. I know you may not be ready just yet for a sexual relationship. But we have the rest
of our lives. We can be intimate when it feels right for you. I’m in no rush.”

“I’m not in this alone,” she said softly. “How about when it feels right for the both of us?”

“It’s a deal.”

He worried he was hugging her too tight, but he’d missed her so much. The lovely hue of the sun was fading from the landscape. It was starting to get dark. It was time to get back to the party
and face the family.

She seemed to read his mind. “Think we should be heading back?”

“I’m afraid so.” He sighed.

“I think we should tell the family about our new relationship status. I don’t want to feel like we’re sneaking around,” she said as she mounted Comet.

“You want to tell them tonight? It’s been a wacky past few days.”

“Yes, silly. They need to get used to
it and there’s no better time than right now.”