“Um… I think I’m going to go get dressed,” Andrea says and starts to turn away from us.
I lunge off the counter, grab her by the shoulders, and haul her back around to face Gabby.
“I assume Hunter told you about our talk the other day?” I ask Gabby.
She nods her head. “Of course he did. He shares everything with me, which is a warning to you that you shouldn’t ever tell him a secret you don’t want me to know.”
“Duly noted,” I say curtly. “Then I assume he told you about Andrea, right?”
She rolls her eyes but comes around full circle, pinning me with a direct stare. “He sure did. Said you were all stuck on her but didn’t have the balls to go after her, which is sort of lame, Wyatt. I thought you had more gumption than that, but anyway… now I know why you didn’t bother going after her,” she says as she gives a nod toward Andrea. “You clearly found something to occupy your time.”
Then, as an afterthought, she actually looks at Andrea with a soft smile, “No offense.”
“None taken,” Andrea says with a smile, fully enjoying this now.
I can’t believe Gabby just fucking outed me in front of Andrea… that I had feelings for her. Not that I would hide something like that, but it would have been nice for me to tell Andrea that, rather than her hearing it secondhand.
Gripping Andrea firmly by the shoulders, I give her a little push toward Gabby and in two steps, we are right in front of her.
“Gabby… I’d like you to meet Andrea,” I tell her. Angling my head down toward Andrea, I say, “Andrea, this pain in my ass is Gabby… a longtime friend and fiancée to my best friend, Hunter.”
Andrea’s hand shoots out toward Gabby. “Pleased to meet you.”
Gabby’s face is filled with utter confusion, and I have to restrain myself from laughing at her. She slowly reaches out and shakes Andrea’s hand, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two of us.
“This is Andrea?” she asks me dumbly. “Your Andrea… the one that was undercover with you?”
“Yup,” I say.
She releases Andrea’s hand and shoves her hands in the pockets of her shorts. “I don’t understand… when did you go out to visit her?”
Slipping an arm around Andrea’s waist, I pull her in close to me. “I didn’t. Luckily, she had balls big enough for the both of us and took it upon herself to come visit me. Showed up on my porch step day before yesterday.”
Understanding dawns bright on Gabby’s face… the light bulb has clicked on. “Okay, now I understand.”
“Glad you get it,” I say as I release Andrea and reach out to take Gabby by the arm. Tugging her, I start leading her back to the front door. “And now… if you don’t mind, you’re ruining our breakfast plans.”
Gabby turns on her heel, easily pulling out of my grasp, and heads back toward Andrea. Taking ahold of her elbow, she leads her over to the counter and pours her a cup of coffee. “So, Andrea… this is awesome you came to see Wyatt. What made you do it? Were you stuck on him the way he was—?”
“Oh-kay,” I drawl as I stalk toward Gabby and take her by the elbow, this time latching onto her hard. Turning her toward the door, I hear Andrea let out a giggle. “That’s it. I’m throwing you out. It was nice seeing you and all, but I’d like some time alone with Andrea. I’ll see you and Hunter next week after she’s gone, and we’ll get all caught up.”
Just as I succeed in practically dragging her to the front door, she digs her heels into the carpet and pulls away again. Not as easily this time, but she still slips free.
Turning to glare at me with her hands at her hips, she says, “Yeah… that’s not going to work. You both are coming to Last Call tonight, and you are going to hang out with your friends. It’s long overdue and besides… we want to get to know Andrea.”
“Sorry… no can do,” I say with an apologetic shrug to my shoulders but with finality in my voice. “Andrea and I already have plans.”
It’s not that I am ashamed of Andrea, and it’s not that I don’t think we’d have fun hanging out with them, but I sure as hell am not sharing her when my time is limited. If this works out… and she comes back to visit, then sure… she’ll slip right into my crowd of friends as if she always belonged there. But I’m feeling too proprietary toward her right now.
Rather than capitulate, Gabby takes a step nearer to me and rises on tiptoes. “Tough shit. Cancel your plans. You’re hanging out with your friends tonight.”