Page 51 of To Love You

“Betelgeuse isn’t in the belt.” Wyatt looked back up at the stars.

“I know. It’s the shoulder or whatever.” Adam waved his hand dismissively. “The point is, I did know it.”

“Did you want a cookie?” Wyatt smirked.

“You ate my last one.”

“That was a cake.”

“It’s all I’ve got.” Adam shrugged.

“I found out because I saw them together,” Wyatt finally answered his original question. “I was out with my friend Krista and we saw them together.”

“Together, together?”

“Very together,” Wyatt grumbled.

“It’s shit, kiddo. I’m sorry things took such a crap turn.”

“It is what it is.” Wyatt shrugged, which was as much as Adam could do.

“You up?” Grant’s voice echoed from the other side of the yard. Wyatt tensed and snatched up his wrappers, going back into the house. “Thought you and Cooper would have been locked in a bedroom by the way things were going earlier.”

“Was it that obvious?” Adam stood up and waved over the fence. “And yeah, I’m up. Had an unexpected visitor.”

Grant headed down the deck, stopping at the fence and peering into Adam’s yard. “You look pretty alone out there.”

“He’s not,” Wyatt said from the deck, an apple from the fridge in his hand.

“Wyatt.” Grant shifted his attention to Adam’s son. “What brings you to town?”

“I’m sure you know.”

“Not the details,” Grant said.

“Were you listening?” Wyatt asked.

Grant leaned on the fence and shook his head. “I just heard your dad talking. I didn’t expect him to be out this late.”

“I just needed to get away from the city for a while,” Wyatt said.

“As long as you need,” Adam promised him at the same time Grant asked, “You’re staying?”

Wyatt sat back down in the chair and took a loud, crunchy bite of the apple. He chewed and swallowed, turning his attention back up to the stars.

“For a while,” Wyatt whispered, so softly that Adam barely heard him. “If that’s okay.”

“You know it’s okay.”

“I know it’s not ideal.”

“I said it’s okay,” Adam repeated, voice sterner. From the fence line, Grant chuckled under his breath, clearly recognizing the tone Adam had taken.

Wyatt took another bite of the apple and stood, his gaze drifting from Adam to Grant and back again. “I’m going to go see if Cooper has sorted out the sheets.”

“Okay,” Adam said. “I’ll be in soon.”

Wyatt swallowed the bite he’d been chewing and headed toward the slider.