Chapter Three

A few hours later it is finally four o'clock in the afternoon. My friends have been gone for ages, both of them sending me texts as if we didn't spend the whole morning together. Wilder and Wyatt are off in his room doing who knows what. Wilder has to leave for work in a few minutes. He has to be there at five, which is the time that the first of the kids should be arriving. It's almost as if he planned it that way to avoid the house full of screaming kids.

I have just finished giving Val a bath since she came in from outside completely filthy. She is now sitting in the living room floor with the baby, watching Beauty and the Beast on dvd for the third time today. Van is in their room, cleaning up his side. Ricky is in the kitchen washing dishes to try to cut down on his time being grounded. I lift the clothes basket up and walk through the upstairs hallway, noticing not for the first time today, that I really need to vacuum the carpet. I enter the twins room and gather their dirty clothes, which are mostly thrown in the floor. Van is sitting against his dresser reading a chapter book.

“I though you were suppose to be cleaning..” I tease him with a grin.

“I am.” He claims with a smile. He turns a page of his book, “I'm dusting the inside of this book.” 

That was a pretty solid retort from a six year old and I'm kind of impressed. I laugh at him and shake my head. “Carry on.” 

I walk down the hall to Wilder's room and I knock on the door. It swings open and I am face to chest with Wyatt. “Well, hello.” He drawls, smiling down at me.

I lift the basket in acknowledgment. “I'm on a laundry run. Where's Wilder?”

He moves back so that I can enter the room, which is empty. “You just missed him. He ran downstairs to take a quick shower before work.”

I can feel his eyes on me as I move across the room and gather Ricky and Wilder's pile of clothes. Once I have them shoved in the almost overflowing basket, I have to sit it down because it's heavy. Wyatt comes up behind me as I lean over it. “Let me help you with that.”

“No, that's okay, I can get it.” I tell him, but he ignores me. I'm trapped between his arms for the second time today and I turn my head to look up at him. He is watching my closely and it makes me a little nervous. 

“I want to help you, if you'll let me. Besides, I'd really like to talk to you.” Wyatt says quietly. I can't find the words to refuse him, so I simply nod my head. He moves one arm and I move away from the basket, which he easily picks up. I leave the room, heading to mine and he follows behind. I push open the door and he stops in the doorway, looking around. “It hasn't changed much.” He comments, looking at me as if he's surprised by the fact. Did he expect me to change it? This room was done for me by my two favorite guys. I don't plan on changing it. Ever.

“Nope.” I agree. I move over to the little closet and open it up, lifting mine and the babies dirty clothes into my arms. A white lace bra falls to the floor and before I can try to grab at it, Wyatt picks it up. He makes no remarks or even acknowledges it. He just drops it in the basket. I appreciate him even as the blush stains my cheeks. The sight of my bra in his hands gave me some thoughts that I should not be entertaining when standing this close to him. Or ever, really.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I need a distraction from my embarrassment so I start a conversation with him, hitting on the topic that's been swirling in my mind since he mentioned it a few minutes ago.

“Um, just this stuff between us, I guess.” Wyatt says.

“Stuff between us?” I repeat it as a question, although I know he is referring to the kisses.

“Don't play dumb, love, you're too smart for that.” Wyatt tells me, turning to leave the room. This time I am left to follow him.

“The kisses.” I say.

“Bingo.” He doesn't even turn around.

“Okay.. what about them?” I ask his back and he stops abruptly on the top of the stairs. He turns to face me with no expression on his face.

“What do you mean?”

I don't know what to say when faced with his unwavering gaze and deadpan tone of voice. “I just mean, you've kissed me a couple of times throughout the years. It never meant anything before. I'm not reading too much into it now.” I expect him to be pleased that I'm not going to suddenly turn into some clinging girl with the unrealistic hope that he is suddenly in love with me.

“So basically you're saying that I'm playing you?” He asks, sounding angry. “The kiss meant nothing to you? Is that what you're saying?”

“What? NO!” I take a step back, surprised by his words as much as by his anger. This is completely unlike him, to get riled up like this. He is always so easy-going and calm, to have him suddenly snap at me is disconcerting.

“Sounds like it.” Wyatt picks up the basket and heads down the stairs, leaving me standing alone, confused. After a few moments I move to follow him. I catch up to him just as he reaches the laundry room. I shove him into the tiny room and pull the old, broken sliding door closed behind me.

“Now.. lose the attitude. I was simply saying, we've kissed a couple of times before and it never seemed to mean anything to you then. It was just casual happenings in between your many girlfriends. No accusation intended, just simply stating facts. When I said that I wasn't reading anything into it, I didn't mean that it didn't mean anything to me. I just meant that I'm not going to suddenly assume you are my boyfriend and start following you around like a lost puppy. I'll see it as a kiss between two long time friends and nothing more.”

“I don't know what the kiss meant.” Wyatt admits.

“I figured as much.” I nod my head in agreement, as if that's the exact answer I expected. Although, if I'm being honest, its not the one I wanted. “If you don't know what you mean by your kisses, then you can't exactly expect me to know what you mean by them. I don't know what you want to happen now, if anything, but it's not fair for you to get angry with me for not being on the same page with you when you don't even know what page your on!”

“I know.” He says, looking at me. Intently. I feel shy under his intense gaze but I don't turn away, meeting his eyes with false bravado.

“Okay.” I say briskly. I don't really know what to say next so I try to edge around him in the tight space, reaching for the washer. I brush past him, my hips brushing against his groin and my shoulder grazing his chest. He sucks in a breath quickly, the sound filling the confines of the small area and my mind.

Suddenly hands are gripping my waist for the second time today and I find myself being turned around and sat on the washing machine. Wyatt tugs on my thighs until my legs are around his waist. Without wasting a second he takes my lips under his, kissing me with a passion I've never experienced before. I've only seen kisses like this in movies I've certainly never experienced it first hand, but boy is it something. I feel my whole body tingling, as if his touch is electrifying me.

My hands are tangled in his hair and pressed as close to him as I can get. I'm giving myself over to the passion of the kiss when I hear it; crying. Then my brother's voice calling my name. The sound of feet pattering by as they run through the house looking for me. I sigh, pulling out of his arms with a small smile. “Mi Vida Loca.”

“My crazy life.” He repeats with a tender smile. He gives me a quick kiss before he moves away, lifting me down.

I quickly pull open the door, running into the living room. I find a shirtless and damp Wilder holding Lucy in his arms. She's screaming her head off. When she sees me she lunges out of his arms and I swoop over and grab her, cuddling her close. She is crying so hard she's shaking, sobs racking her little body. “My baby..” I look at Wilder, “what happened?”

“I have no idea, I was in the shower. According to Val her movie went off and she just fell out crying.” He tells me, trying to hold back a smile.

“Yep. She does that. I didn't realize the movie was almost over.” I pat her back. “Ready to watch the Little Mermaid?”

“Nooo.” Th sad little whimper is whined against my neck.

“Frozen?”

“Nooo..” This time a shake of the head accompanies her reply. I grin. Her sobs have quieted to a soft mewling.

“Okay, okay. How about.. my personal favorite... Aladdin and the King of Thieves?” I ask, expecting a no, but she surprises me. “Ess..”

“With snacks?” Val asks, excited.

“Sure.” I tell her with a smile. “We are going to have a late supper so a small snack shouldn't hurt.”

“I'm gonna get Van! He loves this movie!” Val takes off from the room at a run.

“I see what you did there. You conned the kids into watching that dumb movie with you!” Wilder teases me with a grin. I roll my eyes at him, trying to hold back a smile. I know if I'm not careful he'll start teasing me about my childhood crush on Cassim, Aladdin's father.

“It's not a dumb movie.” I retort. I give him a pointed look, raking him up and down. “Don't you have to be at work in a few minutes?”

“Crap!” He gives me a roll of his eyes just as I did before he pulls his work shirt over his head. “I'm running late. I'll be home by eleven thirty. I work til close. Sure you'll be okay with all these kids by yourself?”

Dang. I remember all the kids coming. They should start arriving any minute. “I'll be fine.” I've done it a million and a half times before. I'm just not really looking forward to it.

“Besides, I'll be here to lend a helping hand if she needs one.” Comes a deep, sexy voice from behind me.

“You're staying?” I ask at the same time that my brother says, “That's cool of you to stay and help her out, man. I appreciate it and I'm sure she could use the help.”

“Yeah.” He looks at me, then gives my brother a nod. "It's no problem." I stand still in shock as my brother slides his shoes on by the door, talking to Wyatt. Before I have recovered from my small shock he is already out the door, leaving me standing in the living room with my mouth gaping like a dead fish.

“You okay?” Wyatt asks me, looking at me as if one step away from a loony bin. I'm saved from having to answer him by the ringing of the doorbell. Thank God for the arrival of little demon spawns. For once I'm hoping they are so wild that we won't get a chance to talk all night.

I move over to the door and swing it open, revealing a woman and her three kids of various ages. Maggie Shaw stands there with Adam who is nine, Stacy who is seven and Macy who is two. Her kids are pretty well behaved for the most part, so I don't mind watching them. Beside, she pays really well and she is super nice. She doesn't have any strict rules for her kids like some parents I've baby sat for. They can eat sugar, have no food allergies and she pretty much let's them do anything as long as it won't hurt them or others. 

“Hi!” I give her a cheerful smile and Maggie returns it with a weary one. I usher the kids into the house and Maggie calls a goodbye to them and leaves quickly. By the time she drops them off here, she's usually so ready for her small break that she rushes off quickly. All the kids meet up in the living room, talking at once and bouncing around. Until the noise dies down there is no point in starting the movie so I walk to the corner of the room and grab Lucy's pack n' play, pulling it behind me to the kitchen. It's big and awkward, so I'm struggling a little.

“Here, let me help.” I hear just as the play pen is lifted from my hands. Wyatt carries it into the kitchen for me, which I'm grateful for.

“Thanks.” I tell him, as I sit Lucy in it to play with all her toys that are piled in the bottom. I go back to the living room to grab Macy and I place her in there with Lucy, watching the two of them playing together. it's so cute watching toddlers interact with one another.

I start making supper while the kids play, then after I feed everyone we will sit down and watch the movie, giving me the break that I'll be craving by then. I grab the prepaid flip phone that grandpa pays the bill for and I sit it on the table. Then I wash my hands and get to work. I've decided to make spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic toast and cheese. So, I get the water for the noodles on boiling and the meat on browning. I sit at the table beside Wyatt so that we can both see into the living room.

Van and Adam are sitting on the couch taking turns playing Adam's 3DS. Val and Stacy are sitting in the floor and they have Val's toy crate full of Barbies, baby dolls and other toys that you and Wilder bought her at various yard sales. I watch as she goes and gets the barbie doll house that Wyatt bought for her the past Christmas. She shows it to the girl like it's the most precious jewel in the world. Stacy, being the sweetheart that she is, politely oohs and aahhs, making Val's day. I still remember the look on her face when she unwrapped the horribly wrapped gift that Wyatt proudly presented her. He was beaming at her look of wonder as she stared at the box.

I thought that he'd never looked cuter than he did in that moment. “I see she still plays with it.” He remarks, startling me. I give him a quick glance out of the corner of my eyes before looking away again. 

“You know that she does. It's her favorite thing that she owns. She treasures it.” I say, looking down to butter the slices of bread and place them on a cookie sheet.

“Come on, you aren't still mad at me for buying it, are you?” He playfully bumps my shoulder with his, humor behinds his words. I know that he'a teasing me, as he always has.

“I was never mad, I-”

“Ohh.. You were mad. You lectured me for forty-five minutes about how I spent way too much on your siblings. You even tried to refuse your gift.” He tells me, giving me an accusing look.

“You bought me a laptop! Of course I refused it! It cost way too much for you to spend on me!” I nearly shout, even though we've already had this fight a hundred times before. I turn to him, gearing up for another round.

“Oh my good Lord, I should have just kept my dang mouth shut..” Wyatt groans, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and slumping in his seat. “For the billionth time, I bought it refurbished from a friend of my Dads. I paid way less for it than you think, since the thing is like a million years old.”

“Hey, don't talk about my laptop like that!” I chide him. I love my laptop. It's one of my most prized possesions.

He gives you an annoyed look then bursts out laughing. “I can't seem to win with you.” He simply shakes his head. I like that I can keep him on his toes. I feel a little urge to keep it going, so I give him a charming little smile.

“Anyways. I don't think I ever told you 'thank you' for it, so I would like to tell you now. Thank you for my gift. I really do love it.” I say, smiling at him.

“You are more than welcome.” He says, lifting his hand to cup my cheek. I stare at him and he stares at me, nothing existing but the two of us. At least, that's how it feels to me. He leans towards me and I reach over, kissing him before he can kiss me. Then I pull away in embarrassment at my own forwardness. His hand on the back of my head stops me from pulling back too far and his eyes meet mine, alive with passion and happiness.

He rests his forehead on mine, looking into my eyes with a wide smile. “That's a nice surprise. You kissing me for a change.”

“Hey, I kissed you first before.” When we were kids, I was the one who finally worked up the courage to lay one on him.

“It doesn't count if it was almost a decade ago!” Wyatt says with a laugh.

“Well, how was I to know you wanted me to kiss you?” I ask him reasonably.

“How could you not know that I wanted you to?” He asks me seriously, which surprises me.

I am trying to come up with a reply when a knock sounds at the door. I quickly stand up and rush over. It's Mrs. Johnson dropping off Levi, who is ten. I give him a smile but before I can say 'hello' he asks. “Where's Ricky?”

“He is in his room. You can go on up.” I say.

His mom and I chuckle at how fast he takes off, without even saying goodbye to her. We talk for a minute but Mrs. Calver comes up with baby Rebecca so Mrs. Johnson leaves. Mrs. Calver plops the baby in my arms and shoves her diaper bag at me. “I'm not going to give you a shit ton of instructions because I know you know what you're doing.” She grins at me. She's in her mid-twenties and she is really friendly and sweet. “I feed her about two hours ago so you should be good or a little while.”

“Alright.  We'll be fine.” I assure her.

“Oh girl, I know. Thank you for watching her. I'll be here by ten.” She smiles at me and waves as she backs away, as if I might suddenly change my mind and hand her the baby back. I wave at her and shut the door, heading back to the kitchen. I find Wyatt at the stove, stirring the pot of browning ground beef that I had completely forgotten. Usually, I'm not so forgetful.

“Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot the food! I could have burned the house down!” I cry, rushing over.

“Woah, simmer down. Nothing bad happened. I added the noodles because the water was boiling. The meat sauce is simmering. All you have to do is garlic the bread and cheese it, then it's ready to go in the oven.” Wyatt tells you.

“Wow. Mr. Domestic, you're gonna make some lucky lady a very nice husband some day.” I tease him. I open a cabinet and grab out the garlic. I sprinkle a little across the buttered bread. When I turn, Wyatt is there holding the bag of mozzarella cheese for me. With one hand I sprinkle some on each slice of bread. Then he takes the pan and places it in the already heated oven while I readjust the baby in my arms.

“Yeah. I like to think that I will.” He suddenly replies. It's been so long that I've almost forgotten what he means. My remark about the husband thing. I find myself feeling jealous of this 'lucky lady'.