Page 20 of Single Teddy (Mayberry Protectors #6)

SEVENTEEN

TEDDY

“ L ook at me!”

Those words wouldn’t leave me alone. And neither would Wesley. His image. The way he looked at me when he said that, the disappointment mixed with hope. The light in his eyes that he couldn’t conceal, like he had done with his body, no matter what he did.

And that pie.

It had been almost impossible to save any pieces, not with Bear sneaking in a bite every two seconds, but I had managed and kept it in the fridge, resisting the urge to eat it, as if saving it would keep Wesley close to me longer.

It was stupid, and I had no idea where this need was even coming from, but I didn’t care to let it go.

I didn’t exactly help my case when I sat down later that evening to put together my vision board with all the things I wanted to strive for over the next little while and I included my dream home in it.

Wesley’s home. It wasn’t my fault he had such a wonderful place that begged to be envied.

Besides, I included other things. Like goals for my relationship with Bear and his education, his development.

It included work, like finding my passion and pursuing it, although working at Bubble Bubble at the moment was a great experience and I loved the customer service side of things.

It also included making more money somehow, finding a hobby, because obsessing over my nephew and money wasn’t a healthy way to live. That much I knew.

I hung up the collage of pictures and words in my closet so I could look at it every morning when I got dressed but it ended up haunting me the rest of the weekend, only reminding me of the house’s owner, who was impossible to forget as it was.

On Monday, after work, I picked Bear up and dropped him off at Slade and King’s house before picking Ash up from The Outpost and lastly, Wesley from the school.

I couldn’t stop glancing at him in the rearview mirror, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“So, what’s the plan?” Ash asked when we parked down the road from the house on Aster Lane.

“Let me worry about that. You do your thing,” Wesley replied, and I turned to face him.

“We all agreed it’s better this time around if we just focus on you gaining access. It’s too much to ask you to get in, clone a phone, and get all the intel we need on the first go, especially after the way the dad talked to you last time,” I told him.

It had actually been my idea. Partly because the others were still arguing over the best next step, but also because Wesley wasn’t experienced enough to go undercover. I didn’t want him in any more danger than he was already putting himself in.

“Put this under your collar so we can listen in case anything happens.” Ash handed him a bug, and Wesley studied it in his palm for a bit.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to plant this somewhere in the house so we can listen in?” he asked.

“Only if you think you can find somewhere to put it without raising suspicion or where it might be found,” I said.

He smiled at me, and my heart roared in my chest.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He took a breath, then another, and just when I thought he was going to get out, he sank into the back seat.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded, but he didn’t look okay.

Without thinking, I opened my door and his and helped him out of the car, recognizing the cold feet all too well.

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” I held his hand a little too tight and felt the goosebumps multiply across my skin, the rush of them making it hard to breathe.

“O-of course I do. The boys need me to,” he said with a shaky voice, and I couldn’t stand it any longer.

I enveloped him in my arms and held him there for a few moments. They felt like the sweetest moments of my life.

“Just remember, we’ll be here to intervene if anything goes wrong. Just shout help, and we’ll barge in,” I said.

I somehow managed to let him go, and he looked all flushed and discombobulated, but so damn adorable.

Truth was, I didn’t want to let him go. I didn’t want to send him to the mouth of the beast, but I knew nothing I did would convince him not to do this, and that was why I admired him. One of the many reasons. He might be scared, but he was willing to put everything on the line for his students.

“Th-thank you,” he muttered, but he still didn’t move.

I took a deep breath, held both his hands in mine, and looked him in the eyes.

“You know that anger about the situation? That frustration with Wyatt, with me, with all of us?”

“I was never mad at you—” he said.

“Use it. Use it to fire you up. Think who you’re doing this for. Niko and Valentin need you now more than ever.”

“You’re right,” he replied and gave me a single determined nod before pressing his lips together.

“Go on. Fight for them,” I said and let go of his hands so I could grab his head and plant a kiss on his forehead.

It happened as if…as if on instinct, and I had no power to stop it until it was too late.

The touch alone sent shivers down my spine and awakened something…

primal in me. Something I wanted more of but couldn’t quite explain, but when I pulled away and met his gaze, I wished for the earth to open and swallow me whole.

His eyes were wide in shock, his lips parted in confusion, but before I could apologize or excuse my behavior, he pulled back and crossed the street.

“Fuck,” I whispered when he was far enough away. I got back in the car.

Ash looked at me with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

“What?” I asked him.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Nothing.” I shrugged.

“Didn’t look like nothing. It looked like something.”

“Well, then…you need to get your eyes checked,” I told him and leaned into the glove box to take out the Tupperware with Teddy’s last slice of pie in it.

“Oh, my eyes are working perfectly, dude. And I can see things crystal clear,” he said, but I ignored him.

Instead, I took a bite of pie and looked out at Wesley, who had stopped in front of the Barnes’s house. He looked left and right, as if trying to gather courage, and then stepped up on the porch.

But Ash was still staring at me.

“Focus and turn that thing on,” I told him without looking away from Wesley, and Ash turned the radio sitting atop my dashboard on.

Something told me Ash wasn’t going to forget this, and the truth was, neither would I.

What on earth had possessed me to kiss Wesley?