"Ready?"
I pat the blanket folded over my arm. "Ready."
But not really. I'm not ready for us to take one more step forward in time, because it's our last night together and I'm sure as hell not ready to leave tomorrow. I'm not excited about returning to Pittsburgh or even returning to my job. I'm only vaguely excited about the prospect of getting into the BRIU.
All of that … my life … just seems so far removed at this moment. It seems like a dull dream. It's like the gray of Kansas before Dorothy landed in the brilliance of Oz.
I follow Wyatt down the deck stairs, and we only walk a few feet away before he motions for me to spread out the blanket. After both of us have our butts firmly planted, side by side, facing the moonlit ocean, Wyatt cracks open the wine-twisting the cap actually-and pours us each a glass.
He holds his glass angled toward me, and I tap mine against it.
Clink.
"So … are we celebrating your last night here?" he asks softly.
"Not something I think I want to celebrate," I murmur.
"Me either."
"This sucks."
"Big time."
"This is deep conversation."
"The deepest."
We both start laughing, and he bumps his shoulder against mine. I push back gently against his and then take a sip of my wine.
After I swallow, I tell him, "So … I sent a message back to David."
"Yeah?"
"Mmmm. Hmmm," is all I say before I take another sip of my wine. The ocean is lovely … a pure cloudless night with a bright moon, causing the water to look like it's covered in floating, crushed diamonds.
"Are you going to tell me what you said to him?"
"Sure. Why not."
His head swivels to me, and I can see the moon glittering in his light blue eyes filled with serious interest. He patiently waits for me to divulge.
"I just told him that I wasn't interested in talking. That it was best that we just both keep moving forward with our lives, but I appreciated his concern. I assured him I was fine."
"Did he respond?"
"No," I say while rubbing my finger around the edge of my glass. "But I expect him to. David was never one of those types that let me have the last word."
Wyatt snorts. "Maybe I need to step in and play the jealous boyfriend role."
I reach out and lace my free hand with his. Leaning my head on his shoulder, I ask in a teasing tone, "Is that what you are? My boyfriend."
His hand reflexively squeezes mine but his tone isn't teasing when he says, "Boyfriend sounds so juvenile. All I know is that you're mine and I'm yours."
My smile comes immediately … the warmth in my chest right behind. Lifting my head up, I reach over and push my wineglass into the sand. Coming up to my knees, I turn to face him and take his wineglass away. It finds a resting spot next to mine.
I scoot in closer to him, maneuvering my way in between his legs. I keep on scooting, and only when his arms are wrapped securely around me do I lean in to kiss him. When his tongue is against mine, I bring my hands up to cup his face. I pour every bit of feeling into my kiss, not so I have to avoid the words, but because I just want this to be a prelude to them.
When I pull away, I tell him as honestly as I can, "We can make this work. I know we can."
He smiles at me … bigger and brighter than the moon. "You think so, huh?"
Dropping my hands from his face to his shoulders, I sit back on my haunches a bit so he can see me clearly. "Wyatt … when we were in Simon's office … when Lance forced us to … you know."
"Yeah, I know, baby," he says softly.
"I wasn't afraid. I wasn't repulsed. I didn't feel like I was doing my duty to save the mission. I didn't give a shit that Lance was standing there, and I sure as hell didn't crawl across the carpet toward you because he was making me."
Wyatt's head tilts to the side … a tiny huff of breath comes out of his lips. "Why did you do it then?"
"Because of the way you were looking at me. The way you were aching for me … the sorrow you held for me, because I was in that position. You were angry with yourself that you couldn't protect me. You blamed yourself because I was on my knees before you. I saw all of that, Wyatt. I saw into your soul in that moment. And I knew … I knew that you were something different … something special, in my life. I may not have pieced all of this together right away. I surely didn't know that I would be sitting here with you in this moment, but I knew you were brought into my life for a reason."