Page 95 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
He smiles, releasing my wrist and stroking my chin. “Don’t be. It freed me to love you.”
At that, I’m jelly.
Slowly, Wyatt gets up from his seat and he’s wobbly. He’s beyond tired, so I walk him back to his bedroom, where he says he’ll take a shower. I leave him for my room and change into my pajamas. After brushing my teeth, my ears prick to the buzzing of my phone.
I round the bed and find the display saying,‘Dad Calling.’
With a quick exhale, I answer. “Hi Dad.”
“Josie,” he rushes. “What exactly is going on over there? Your mother told me...”
“Oh, Dad,” I say, mid-sigh. “It’s so much worse.”
“I was talking about Wyatt’s parents. Is there something else that...”
My chest tightens. “No, it’s them.”
“I just can’t believe his parents would abandon him,” Dad says. “I want to get their number and speak to them about this.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” I wince. “A really chaotic scene went down in the penthouse.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I rush. “But Wyatt’s parents went ballistic and puthim in tears. They’re pushing him to go back to work, instead of prioritizing his recovery. It’s really sick and twisted.”
“What exactly did they say? I can’t believe that...”
“Dad, his mom was yelling at everyone. She didn’t even care how bad she made Wyatt’s headaches. Gosh, Wyatt is devastated. He had to ask security not to let them back in the penthouse.”
Dad’s voice turns raspy. “It was that bad?”
“Yeah, it’s awful. Erika gave him emancipation papers. Apparently his team drew them up before his accident.”
“This is bad. So there was already damage to their relationship?”
“Looks that way. It seems Erika was keeping them away for good reason.”
“This is a mess. I don’t like that you’re in the middle of this.”
“I’m okay. Besides, Wyatt told me I’m the only person he can count on. Dad, I can’t leave him.”
Dad sighs. “No, you can’t. He’s in a fragile state and doesn’t have family support. We know very well that you’re a wonderful caregiver. Even though I want you back yesterday, I’m glad he has you by his side.”
“Are you giving me your blessing to stay?”
“On the condition that you don’t fall behind on school. Wyatt has a lot of resting to do, right? During the downtime, you can do your homework. I’ll make sure the school emails it all through.”
“That’s cool with me. I promise to get it all done.”
“I know you will, kiddo. You were already ahead in half your subjects. Give Wyatt my best.”
I sigh with happy relief. “I will. Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
“Love you too, Josie.”
Love.
Wyatt said that word to me.
