“Holy shit, please tell me you’ve been on a date since she left you…”
“I said shut up, Smith,” I snap, interrupting him and he blows out a breath.
“Oh, this is such a bad idea.”
My gaze flicks to his and I glare. “Now you tell me this. Five minutes ago, you were calling me a pussy and egging me on.”
“Five minutes ago I didn’t know how fucked you were.”
“Thanks, asshole.”
He shakes his head. “It’s okay. We can fix this. Just ask her questions about herself and don’t delve into religion, politics, or shit like that. Keep it fun.”
“I’m not a goddamn idiot.”
“I have to cover all my bases,” he answers, picking up his fork again before remembering how terrible the food is and dropping it onto the table with a sigh. He looks at his phone and nods to the coffee shop. “You should get going.”
“I hate you,” I tell him and he laughs.
“No, you don’t. Oh, if they have pastries, please bring me one. I’m so fucking hungry and this food is inedible.”
I shake my head. “Not a fucking chance.”
“Come on, Fuzz,” he pleads as he stands up and I laugh, shaking my head again.
“Nope. Enjoy your stakeout.”
He continues to plead as I walk away from the table and I feel a little bit of satisfaction over the fact that he’ll have to sit there hungry while I get this stupid date over with. Then again, maybe I’d prefer to sit there hungry. When I step outside, I suck in a breath and lean back against the brick wall of the restaurant to relax. I already know I’m a moody fucking bastard and if I go into that date pissed off, the poor girl will be miserable. As I glance up at the cafe, I release a breath. It hadn’t occurred to me until Smith said something that I haven’t actually been on a date in ten damn years and I don’t know how I let so much of my life get away from me. Jesus, I’ve pissed away so much time being angry at Piper that I haven’t lived but that just infuriates me more.
How did it all come to this?
Dropping my head back, I run my hand through my hair and blow out a breath. I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on Piper Robichaud like it was yesterday even though it’s been twenty damn years since that day. She had just come to live with her aunt Myra who was my next-door neighbor and even at ten years old, when I looked at her, I felt something I never had before. The look in her eyes… it hit me right in the chest and I just knew, with the innocence of a boy, that she was different than any other girl I’d ever looked at before. We hit it off like a house on fire and I rarely spent more than the eight hours my parents required me to sleep away from her. Three years later, I asked her to be my girlfriend and the rest is history.
That girl, she fucking owned me, heart, soul, and body and even though I was still too young to fully grasp the magnitude of our feelings for each other, I still knew that she was it for me so the night we graduated from high school, we drove out to the river and under the full moon, I dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Right after that, I joined the Marines and we got married down at the courthouse with my parents and a couple of our friends watching on before I shipped off to boot camp. They stationed me in North Carolina and shortly after we arrived, I had to break the news to her that I was deploying. Leaving her was hands down one of the hardest things I’d ever done and as terrified as I was, I knew I would make it back to her safely. I had to. With Piper in my life, I had too damn much to live for to die in the desert and I would never leave her like that. Too bad I never saw the real threat coming.
Shoving off the wall, I shove my hands in my pockets, pushing thoughts of my ex-wife out of my mind as I start crossing the street for my date but her memory is fucking persistent. It always is and thoughts of her always leave me feeling the way I did ten years ago when she walked out of my life. What the hell is wrong with me? I was supposed to be relaxing so I could go on my damn date but I feel more agitated now than I did before I stepped outside and I am already feeling sorry for poor Shiloh. Any woman I want in my life deserves a hell of a lot better than a messed up man with trust issues.
Jesus Christ, Landry.
Get your shit together.
“Wyatt?” a sweet voice calls and I turn, taking in the curvy blonde walking toward me. Damn, her pictures didn’t do her justice and the way her jeans hug her hips flips a switch in me. She smiles and I straighten my shoulders as I pull my hands out of my pockets.
“Shiloh?”
She nods as she reaches me and I extend my hand at the same time that she goes in for a hug. I awkwardly wrap my arms around her and pat her back like she’s a fucking child before rolling my eyes at myself.
For fuck’s sake.
I can almost hear Smith laughing his ass off at me from across the street.
“Nice to meet you,” I tell her as I pull away and her smile widens.
“You, too. Are you ready? I’m dying for some caffeine.” She motions to the cafe and I nod before gesturing for her to go first before placing my hand against the small of her back and leading her inside. I don’t know how I look but everything I do, every movement, every word I utter, feels so goddamn forced and awkward and I barely resist the urge to apologize to her for what is sure to be a terrible date. As she steps up to the counter and orders her latte, she reaches into her purse for her wallet and I shake my head, stepping forward to lay a twenty-dollar bill on the counter.
“I got this.”
She shakes her head. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I insist,” I assure her with a smile. I may be a little rusty at this dating thing but I still know that my mother would kick my ass black and blue if she found out I didn’t pay for a date. Shiloh flashes me a grin as she moves off to the side for me to order. The barista, a teenage kid with big, bug glasses, looks up at me expectantly as I scan the counter, my stomach growling at the sight of the donuts and muffins. “Cup of coffee, black, and a blueberry muffin.”
Once I pay and we both have our orders, I let her lead me to a table along the back wall and sit across from her as she stares out the window for a second before laughing.
“So, I have a small confession.”
I nod. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”
“This is my first date after signing up on the site and I’m so nervous.” Color rushes to her cheeks and I smile as she ducks her head. Fuck, she’s cute. Okay, so maybe I haven’t dated in a long time but I’ve got this. Shaking off some of my nerves, I reach across the table and grab her hand.
“If it makes you feel any better, this is my first date, too.”
“Really?” she asks, her gaze flicking up to mine and I nod. Tension seeps out of her shoulders and she takes a deep breath before taking a sip of her coffee. “Okay. Now I feel a little bit better.”
I pull my hand back. “Glad I could help.”
“So, Wyatt… tell me about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
She tilts her head to the side as she studies me for a second before leaning forward and meeting my eyes. “Actually, there is one very important question I have for you.”
“Shoot,” I answer with a nod.
“What are you looking for out of this?”