Page 2 of Breathing Wisteria
Wyatt
This room is full of love. It’s almost a tangible entity that I can physically feel and a small smile dances across my lips as I stand in a corner, taking it all in. My smile explodes into a loud laugh as I watch one of my best friends, Cassidy, chase her three-year-old twins around the room, a small plate of food in each hand and long cotton-candy-pink hair streaming behind her.
“I don’t know how she handles those two.” A gentle voice has me turning, and I see the last member of our trio, Skye, standing to my right, her own full mouth tilted in an amused smile.
“I struggle with my two, and Poppy is barely even walking. If I were getting double-teamed like that, I’d be waving the white flag.” She groans.
I bring the champagne glass left over from our earlier toasts to my mouth and take a small sip, enjoying the way the bubbles tickle my throat on their way down.
“You know what?” My eyebrow quirks as I observe my beautifully ridiculous friend, who is the perfect, contradictory mix of virtue and venom, with her children. “If I ever doubted the existence of karma, that doubt vanished when she had Mack and Seb. I mean, look at that.” I raise a finger from my glass and point toward Cassidy’s parents on the opposite side of the room. They’re watching the quiet chaos their grandchildren are causing, gleefully. “Cass’ mom is practically giddy watching her chase those babies around. I’d say that’s a pretty blatant example of karma biting you on the ass.”
Skye snorts out an adorable laugh as she takes in the Jensens’ expressions before she turns her attention to the newly engaged couple slow dancing in the middle of the room. The reason we’re here celebrating tonight.
“So, how long do you think until those two start popping out some beautiful babies?” Skye tilts her head to Ethan and Layla, her warm blue eyes softening as we watch Ethan’s grip on his new fiancée tighten and he pulls her even closer.
The pain that rips through my chest at her question is visceral and it takes everything I have to keep myself upright and a smile plastered on my face.
“My guess is we get an announcement in the next six months. I can’t see them waiting,” I reply, confidently.
Skye continues to watch them contemplatively, and I allow my mind to wander. My thoughts are trailing into dangerous territory when her next words take me completely by surprise and quickly snap me out of my dark reminiscences.
“I guess it’s just you that we have to worry about now.”
I whip my head around to face her, my eyes wide in surprise.
“What?”
She reaches across and takes the glass from my hand before gulping down the remains and placing the empty glass on a table beside her.
“Well, it’s just you now. The rest of us are all married off, or as good as. Babies are popping out all over the place.” She looks pointedly over to a large table where Cassidy has managed to wrangle Mackenzie and Sebastian, getting them seated alongside Skye’s children, Summer and Poppy. Cassidy and her husband, Mason, are looking flustered as they deal with a pissed-off Mack (seriously, can you say, like mother, like daughter?) and Skye’s husband, Ben, feeds Poppy and watches on indulgently while Seb sneaks his much-loved potato chips to his much-loved Summer.
“Now we just need to get you married off and we can all be horrible hot messes together!”
My face heats at her declaration and for the millionth time since I met these women all those years ago, I regret holding on to my secrets so fiercely.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen, sweetie, so don’t hold your breath.” I hate the steel tone my voice carries.
Skye’s eyes narrow shrewdly as she watches me and I’m sure she must be able to hear my heart thrashing wildly in my chest. Unbidden, my hand flies to my breast, my palm attempting to soothe the pain away.
“One day you’re going to tell me, you know.”
The ache intensifies at her words and a flush of anxiety washes over me.
“Tell you what?” Denial. I’m an old hand at this particular method of self-preservation and the words slip out of my mouth with practiced ease.
Skye’s hand finds mine and she gives me a gentle squeeze.
“When you’re ready, I will be here for you. I need you to know that.”
One thing you learn about Skye very quickly is that she may look like an angel, all innocent beauty and wide-eyed optimism, but she will have your back, no questions asked. Anytime, anywhere.
I clench my jaw and my teeth grind against each other. A lump solidifies in my throat making it impossible for me to do anything other than nod.
No matter how desperately I wish I could unburden my heart, it’s impossible to change the past. I have no choice but to continue to keep these scars hidden because, honestly, I’m not sure they could ever forgive me for concealing such a huge piece of my heart from them.
As if this moment couldn’t get any worse, the song that was the soundtrack to the worst year of my life starts playing over the sound system. A song declaring true love and the desire to save something worth fighting for. Memories immediately run through my mind as I relive it all. Long fingers scrawling words, madly trying to get down the thoughts, emotions, and fears before they disappeared forever.
Skye’s reaction to the song is vastly different. Her face transforms when she hears the opening chords, the air between us immediately defusing, and her hand grips my wrist.
