Page 23

Chapter 23

Wyatt

I n the back seat, a bottle of wine clinks against some of Noah’s favorite “Old Ruffian” beer from a local brewery. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as excitement and anxiety wrestle for dominance. Tonight is the big meet between my best friends and my fake-not-really-fake girlfriend. My worlds are colliding, and there’s an anticipatory weight on my chest. It’s vital that the most important people in my life hit it off.

I’d be less worried if I hadn’t had such miserable luck with love in the past, and if Noah hadn’t acted strange all week. He even forgot an appointment and had me covering the front desk while he bolted out the door.

Moxie buzzes me into her building, and I knock at her door. While I wait, I brush nonexistent dust off my shirt and flap my arms to air out where I'm already sweating through. Our relationship finally feels like it’s taking flight. When we bumped into an acquaintance of hers at the store the other day, she even referred to me as her boyfriend, for real, with no one to put on a show for. A thrill ran through me.

I’m about to knock again when the door flies open. Moxie has on one shoe, an incorrectly-buttoned sparkly purple shirt, and the hottest leather pants I’ve ever seen. In one hand, she’s clutching an assortment of clothing, and in the other is a cookie. Her face is ruby red, and she breathes like she just finished a hard-fought race.

“Are you okay?” I thought I was anxious, but I’m cool as a cucumber compared to her. She’s like a guitar string pulled too tight.

“Me? Oh sure. I might be a tiny bit nervous. Come in, I’ll be ready in a minute. This is fine, I always have–” she gestures wildly around without finishing her sentence. She walks back to her bedroom, running fingers through her hair. “This is no big deal, right? I mean it’s just your friends, isn’t it?”

I smile at how cute it is that she’s concerned about making a good impression. “Oh yeah, you’ll like them. You don’t have to stress. Noah and Mindy are the best friends everyone wants to have. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were worried about this. Think of it as a backyard barbecue with another couple.”

She waves me off. “Right. I mean it isn’t like you’re bringing me to some formal ‘meet the family’ grilling. Noah has already seen me! No big deal.” She spins on her heel and disappears behind her door. Moments later, she reappears looking far more composed in a black skirt that falls at different lengths around her legs. It gives her a look like she’s gliding on shadows, and her white shirt shows off a hint of cleavage.

“Oh, that looks like an even better idea,” she says.

“What does?” I ask.

“The way you’re looking at me now, maybe we should just stay here and entertain ourselves tonight.” She suddenly sounds more confident, her voice tinged with the hope of an escape.

My brain freezes as my body seriously considers her proposition. I swallow hard, then nearly growl out my response. “You’re a wicked temptress.”

I glance at my watch. We’ve got a little room to spare.

I meet her eyes, and she grins wide.

“How do you feel about a quickie?” I ask.

“Hmmm... that sounds like it’s in your favor.”

I straighten. “Hey, not that quick. I can get the job done.” I walk past her into the room and pull open the drawer of fun gadgets. “Especially with the help of one of these.”

She pulls a vibrator from the drawer, clicks it to life, and I tackle her.

* * *

Moxie exits the bathroom, patting her hair back into place, her skin flushed.

“Do we have to go? Are you sure we can’t keep doing that?” she asks.

“I don’t want to stand them up. And unfortunately, we’re running late.” I walk over to her and rest my hands on her waist. “If you’re uncomfortable there, I promise we can leave at any time, but you won’t want to. Trust me, they’ll love you. I’m sure you’ll be best friends by the end of the night.”

I give her neck a gentle kiss and wait until her eyes soften. Her breathing slows, and I take her hand and escort her to my car.

On the ride over, I turn the radio up, trying to keep to music choices of the “you can’t help but sing along” variety. Moxie and I rock out to “Livin’ on a Prayer” as we pull up to Noah and Mindy’s small brick bungalow. Kids' voices cheer and shout at a park down the street, and a family waves to us as they walk by pushing a double stroller.The place is idyllic, and the family vibes are just right.

I hand Moxie the wine and grab the beer. Noah greets us with the warmest smile I’ve seen on him in a while.

“Noah, you remember Moxie.” I dramatically wave my arm toward her, picking up her sweaty hand.

Her smile quavers, but Noah doesn’t seem to notice.

“Moxie, it’s nice to see you again. We’ll try to keep you dry tonight. I think the first time I saw you, your hair was still dripping from the river,” Noah jokes.

Moxie laughs. “Not my best look.”

Mindy walks up, gently pushing Noah out of the way and waving us in. “What do you mean not your best look? You’re gorgeous.” She gives her husband a reproachful glare while accepting the wine from Moxie.

“Thanks. When I first met your husband, it was about an hour after Wyatt had to fish me out of the river on a rafting trip. I’m sure I looked like a drowned rat.” Moxie rifles her fingers through her glossy hair as she talks, causing the light to shimmer across her locks.

“You looked fantastic.” I freeze, realizing I said it aloud. Noah and Mindy turn to look at me and my face heats under their silent stares.

“Well, come on in. We’re grilling black bean burgers out back. I hope that’s okay for you, Moxie. I know Wyatt will eat just about anything.” Noah directs us to the backyard.

“You make it sound like I’m a goat. I have a delicate palate.” I put the beer in the cooler, then hand one to Moxie.

Her eyebrows go up. “That might be a stretch. From the fast-food wrappers I saw in your truck, I don’t think discerning fits, either.”

“It’s not my fault that their offerings call to me as I drive by. You want a beer, Noah?”

He nods, and I toss him his usual.

“What about you Mindy? Do you want a beer, or I could open that bottle of wine?”

She shakes her head and holds up her water bottle. “No, I’m good, but tell me about this river trip. Is that how you two met?”

Moxie recounts the story animatedly, praising me along the way while Noah rolls his eyes good naturedly and Mindy laughs in all the right places. For someone who was so nervous to meet my friends, she has no trouble charming them. I catch an approving smile from Mindy, who drifts around Noah as they set up the grill. They move like they’re so aware of each other, like they always know where the other is and what they’re doing without a thought. Their casual touches are as natural as breathing.

The way they look at each other with such affection has always been a mixed bag for me. I’m over the moon that my best friend has his soulmate, and seeing them so happy together is incredible, but sometimes it’s hard to play third wheel when I’ve always yearned for a companion of my own. Tonight, the ever-present twinge of pain I feel watching them together is absent as I admire the radiant glow surrounding Moxie. She catches me staring at her and winks. Warmth fills my chest, and I know in my soul I’ve found my person.

The conversation branches out, and soon Moxie and Mindy comfortably exchange book recommendations before heading inside for a tour of the house. While I can’t hear what they’re saying, Mindy tells a story that sends Moxie into giggles. I could see us getting together and doing game nights, backyard dinners, some bar hopping. The future is laid out before me, and it’s beautiful.

When they disappear inside, I turn to Noah.

“So, what do you think? She’s great, right?” I feel my face warm, embarrassed to be asking him like I’m seeking approval, but I can’t help it. Things seem so perfect; I need someone else to verify that I’m not dreaming.

“Yeah, she seems nice.” Noah takes a drink of his beer, and my stomach drops.

“But, what?” So many times, I’ve thought I had a good relationship with a girl only for her to dump me. Every step I take in life, the rug gets pulled out from under me, and I’m afraid to believe. Is this once again too good to be true? Baseball dreams race through my head. Does he see something I don’t?

“But nothing, man.” He chuckles. “Remember, slow and steady. I’m trying to look out for you. That said, I do like her, and I think Mindy does too.” Noah slaps me on the back.

My muscles relax away the tension I hadn’t noticed I'd been carrying.

“I’m getting hungry. Are you ready to throw the food on?” Mindy calls out as she and Moxie return from their tour. The temperature gauge on the grill shows it’s heated and ready, so onto the grill the food goes.

The conversation flows easily as our dinner sizzles. Mindy shares how they ended up finding their house and the endless list of improvements she’s hoping to do.

Noah shakes his head. “One thing at a time or Wyatt’s going to have to move in to help me get everything done on your schedule.”

“Hey, as long as you feed me, I’m happy to help out.” I hold Noah’s gaze so he knows I mean it.He’s my best friend. I’m glad to do whatever he needs.

Noah takes the plate from the table over to the grill. The savory scent fills the backyard as he opens the lid to flip the burgers and roll the corn.

“Moxie, if you ever need any heavy lifting at your place, all you have to do is wave a promise of food in front of him, and he’ll follow you anywhere,” Mindy jokes.

Noah gives me a subtle nod of appreciation and turns to Mindy. “Don’t worry. We’ll get it done, but there’s a lot going on at work right now. Once we get that sorted out, we can get back to fixing up the house.” Noah runs his hand through his hair, pursing his lips.

“I’m sure we will, but I feel like we have a little more of a deadline now,” Mindy says.

I look from one to the other, clearly missing something.

Noah calls out, “Burgers are just about done.”

“Okay, let me get the rest of the fixings out. Moxie, could you give me a hand?” Mindy asks.

I give Moxie’s back a little rub as she gets up from the table. She leans over to kiss my forehead. Her fingers drag down my bicepsas she turns to go into the kitchen.

My eyes linger on her perfect ass as she struts to the house. Finally, I turn to Noah with a big smile on my face.

“Man, you are putty in her hands,” he says.

“I know. It’s probably embarrassing but I can’t get myself to give a shit about it.”

“Do you want another?” He nods toward my beer, already reaching into the cooler.

He pulls the burgers and ears of corn off the grill, and I clear the table. Mindy and Moxie bring a salad, seasoned crispy potatoes, and rolls to the table.

“Everything looks delicious.” The melted butter hits my tongue with each crunch of the famous Olathe sweet corn, picked at peak ripeness. The burger is perfectly cooked and has the right amount of spice, and the potatoes balance it out perfectly.

We chat about everything from favorite bands to top TV series. Moxie must be damn good at her job considering how smoothly she fits into conversation with anyone.

“I was actually glad you set up this get-together, Wyatt.” Noah reaches over and covers Mindy’s hand.

“You don’t see me enough at work?” I ask.

Noah turns toward his wife. He slides his arm around Mindy’s shoulder, his face settling into an affectionate smile. “Don’t interrupt me. I’m trying to do a thing here. We have an announcement.”

There’s an anticipatory silence as Mindy smiles at him and nods before he continues. "We're going to have a baby. We wanted you to be the first to know.”

I swear the whole world shifts before my eyes. Suddenly the way he’s been acting and stressing about the business makes sense. My best friend who would get wasted with me in college, the creator of more pranks than anyone I know, is going to be a father. He matures right in front of me.

He and Mindy gaze into each other’s eyes as if in their own little world. I look from one to the other, then to Moxie. I jump out of my chair finally catching up with what he said and give my best friend and his wonderful wife huge hugs.

“That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you guys. Wow, you're going to be parents. Un-fucking-believable. Oh sorry, my language. I’ll clean it up. Sorry, little one,” I add in the direction of Mindy’s belly. I stare in amazement and can’t stop shaking Noah’s hand. My favorite people will soon have a tiny life totally dependent on them. Wow.

Mindy laughs. “It’s okay. I don’t think you have to worry about your language just yet, but it’s going to get weird if you keep staring at my belly for the next seven months.”

We finish dinner, but everyone is a little distracted since the announcement. Mindy and Noah keep exchanging loving smiles. Moxie, who had seemed so comfortable before, now is more reserved.

“Mindy, do you think it’s a good idea to trust this guy with your little one? I don’t know,” I say. I have to immediately bolt across the yard as Noah charges after me. Mindy and Moxie laugh as we revert back to kids.

Moxie congratulates Mindy and asks all the typical questions about how she’s feeling, the due date, and more than I can fathom at this point. I’m still in shock, but the wave of responsibility crashes over me. This is why he’s been stressed about the business. We can’t fail.

Moxie gets up and gathers plates. “Mindy, you sit down and relax. I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m fine other than some extra trips to the bathroom and some wicked morning sickness,” Mindy admits. They gather up the plates and disappear into the kitchen.

“Wow, man, this is the best news. I’m so happy for you both. This is going to be one lucky little kid,” I say.

“Thanks. I can’t believe it myself. I wanted to tell you the other day, but we were going to the doctor to make sure everything was okay and Mindy didn’t want to jinx anything. I couldn’t even look at you because I thought you’d guess,” he admits.

“It makes sense now why you’ve been so stressed about the business. I get it.”

Suddenly Noah’s jaw sets, and lines of tension appear on his forehead. “Do you get it, though? This isn’t me being stressed because we have a change in our life. It’s for real. This business is what my family depends on. We need to go over the details and come up with some ideas to get us back on track.”

“I didn’t move forward with that night hike like we talked about, and I’ve been trying to get more advertising going, but I guess I didn’t appreciate the situation we’re in.” I probably should have pushed for him to explain his charts in more detail when they went over my head. I thought it had been more of the same, and my brain has been in a Moxie-tinted haze.

“That’s why I’ve been on you about the partially-filled tours. Surely you’ve guessed that it can’t be good to have so many empty seats on the rafts. This business is in trouble, and I’m starting a family.”

“Shit, Noah …”

“We’re surviving, but we need to find a way to make it more profitable or I might have to consider other options.”

My head spins, and I’m embarrassed because I didn’t even worry about it. I totally trust Noah, so I have always kept my head down and done the tours while Noah has handled the money and the bills.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. It sounds like we have a lot to talk about, and you’re right. I didn’t understand. We should go over the numbers again. It’s now at the top of my list.”

I feel like I’m on a roller coaster that jumped the track. Everyone was so happy ten minutes ago.

“I shouldn’t have brought it up now when we’re celebrating, but you understand, right? What kind of a father will I be if I can’t take care of my family?”