Page 72 of To Love You

Wyatt sighed, a loud exhale that puffed Adam’s used paper towel onto the floor, and he nodded.

“Okay.”

“I think you should stay in North Edgewood,” Adam suggested.

Wyatt nodded again. “I know.”

“Are you going to?”

“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “I am. At least, I want to.”

“This house is yours as long as you need,” he said. “Even longer than that, actually. As long as youwant.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Wyatt ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room nervously. “Can we talk about something else now?”

Adam chuckled. “Sure. Anything you want.”

“How are things with Cooper?”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Anything but that.”

“What? No.” Wyatt gave him an honest smile. “My relationship is a dumpster fire in the Hudson. Things have to be better with you and Cooper. How did you two end up back together?”

“We spent ten years avoiding each other and then ended up trying to hide from each other in the same guest bedroom at a friend's house.”

“That sounds unreal.”

“I walked in on him hiding from me and we…well.” His cheeks turned warm, but he didn’t finish the thought. Wyatt was, after all, still his son. “We talked.”

“Talked.” Wyatt made mocking air quotes with his fingers.

“We’ve done a lot of talking,” he said, eyes widening at Wyatt’s horrified expression. “Oh, God, no. Actual talking.”

Adam waved him off and got up, going into the kitchen to get them both beers. He returned and set them down on the table, taking a long swallow from his before continuing his thought.

“I’ve realized how important communication is in relationships. So we’re doing that.”

“Communication is shit,” Wyatt muttered, narrowing his eyes.

“Did you and Mike not talk?”

“Not him. There was someone I was involved with before him. We should have talked more than we did.” Wyatt frowned. “I wonder if things would have gone differently if we had.”

“You can talk now,” Adam suggested. “I know you’ve been with Mike for a while and whatever you have with this other person is probably ancient history, but it’s never too late for a conversation.”

Wyatt sighed again and took a drink of his beer, shifting in his chair to again stare out into the yard. Adam knew the feeling. It was sometimes easier to do the hard talking when you weren’t feeling watched. He’d gone through that with Cooper at the beginning of their relationship and he wouldn’t deprive his son of the same luxury.

“I think too much has gone by,” Wyatt said. “Too much life.”

“You never know. If there’s something you feel like needs to be said to the person, you should say it.”

“Is there something you would say to Mom?” Wyatt asked.

“I’d tell her we should have never gotten married.”

“She knows.”

Adam laughed, taking another swallow of his beer.