Page 52 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
If given the opportunity, she’d be setting everything straight with Wyatt. She hoped he didn’t hate her forever.
* * *
Gabby leanedher stomach against the counter in front of the sink. Bandit had told her not to worry about the dishes, but unable to sleep, she’d quietly slipped downstairs into the kitchen.
Carrie Anne’s party went off without a problem. The conversation was lively, the games were fun, and the food was delicious. Overall, Gabby was pretty pleased with the way things had gone. Mostly, she was happy that Carrie Anne seemed to love it. With as little time as she had to prepare, that was the most important thing to Gabby.
The only dark cloud over her now was Wyatt. Over and over, she’d practiced telling him everything. Each scenario left her in tears and him wishing he’d never see her again. None of them were what she wanted, and if she could go back, she would have never gone along with Carrie Anne’s plan.
“You’re up late.”
Gabby jumped, dropping the glass she was washing, and soapy water splashed onto her shirt. “Wyatt!” She snatched a drying towel and patted down her shirt. “I thought you were in Amarillo for Israel’s bachelor party.”
He stepped a little farther into the kitchen and leaned his hip against the island counter. “I was supposed to be, but I had trouble sleeping.”
“So you drove home? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I didn’t want to wake anyone up.”
She braced her hand against the counter and palmed her forehead. Her whole body shook as the adrenaline rushed through her blood. “You scared me to death.”
“I didn’t mean to, but I’m glad I caught you.” His voice held an edge.
She nodded. “I’m glad you did too. I need to tell you something.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he nodded. “That you and Bandit aren’t really dating?”
Gabby jerked her head up and looked at Wyatt.
He locked eyes with her, and she nearly withered under the glare. “He told me tonight. After I pleaded for his forgiveness for kissing you.”
“Wyatt…”
He dropped his arms and held up his hand. “I don’t want to hear it. Not only did you lie to me, but you let me believe I was cheating on my friend. Do you have any idea how guilty I’ve felt? I thought I had fee—” He cut himself short of finishing the sentence, looking disgusted with himself.
What could she say? That it was Carrie Anne’s idea? That didn’t make it any better. It didn’t change that Gabby had gone along with it. There was no amount of excuses that could make any of what she’d done okay. “I know, and I’m sorry. I was waiting for you to get back to tell you the truth.”
“Why did you do it?” His voice broke, and along with it, the last shred of her heart.
“I thought if you believed I was unavailable, you’d see me differently. I thought…it’d make you…” Now that she was saying it aloud, it was stupid. Games and tricks and deceit weren’t how you started relationships. If she’d just been honest from the beginning, he may not have seen her as someone he wanted to date, but at least he wouldn’t be looking at her like she’d gutted him.
He crossed the room and stopped in front of her, piercing her with a look. “Those kisses we shared meant nothing to me. I’d thought about giving up the rodeo to move home. I was going to do it for—” He stopped short. “It doesn’t matter. You lied to me. Played me for a fool. I won’t do anything to hurt our families, but you should stay away from me from now on. You’re right. Those five years you were away, you did change. Just not for the better.”
Gabby fought to hold back tears as each venom-coated dagger hit. He had every right to be angry. “I know.”
Wyatt turned and walked out of the kitchen. As soon as he was out of sight, Gabby lost the fight, and tears streamed down her cheeks. A soft sob escaped and then another until she slid to the floor, covering her face with her hands. She’d made such a mess of things. And she couldn’t see how it would ever be fixed.
Chapter 21
“What are you doing in here?” asked Bear. “Still upset about Gabby?”
Wyatt looked up from where he sat by the window in the study. “No, I just wanted a minute to myself. I hadn’t checked out this area of the house yet and thought I’d give it a try.”
More like he couldn’t stand being in the same room with Gabby. Not that he’d kept tabs of where she was. He’d done his best to ignore even caring if she was around. He’d finally decided to come clean to Bandit after feeling terrible for so long, and finding out from Bandit that she’d lied to him had made him sick to his stomach. Wyatt hadn’t even given Bandit a chance to respond before he’d marched out of the hotel and took off in his truck. He’d driven around Amarillo a little while and ignored the more than dozen phone calls from his brothers and Carrie Anne. He’d not been in the mood to chat.
It didn’t matter to Wyatt why she’d done it. It only mattered that she had, and now the very sight of her made him wish she’d stayed in Charleston. He’d been so close to telling her…he pushed the thought away. Whatever feelings he might have had were gone now.
Lunch had been a few hours ago. Wyatt had found himself needing a minute to think without all the noise and found this room to be perfect for a man with much on his mind.
