Wyatt’s smile deepened. “I love going into the bar when it’s closed. When it’s just you and Cooper.”
Just you and Cooper.
The words hung in the air and stunned him a little. Until he’d said them out loud, he hadn’t realized just how important they’d both become to him.
“Honestly,” Gypsy said, “it’s a lot of trial and error, and you’re lucky that Belle is old enough to tell you when you’re getting it wrong. With a baby, you have no idea. You just keep trying things until you find something that sticks.”
“Maybe, but that’s obviously not going to be enough with Belle.”
“My point is that you’ve got good instincts, and you’re smart, and you love her. You’re a better guy than I’ve given you credit for, and you’re going to do just fine raising Belle.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Her praise warmed him, buoyed his spirit, and gave him hope. “God. How am I going to tell her about her mom?”
“You write songs that people pay damn good money to hear,” she said with a smile in her voice. “You’ll figure it out.”
He sighed and shook his head. “And I have no idea how to start putting a life together for us.”
“Is she in school?”
Wyatt stared at Gypsy as his mind bent that direction. “She’s mentioned projects she’s done. I think she called it school. What grade are they in at five years old?”
“Depends on what month she was born. She could be in preschool or kindergarten, but she’s really smart. I’d suggest putting her in kindergarten if she isn’t already.”
“How do you pick a school?”
“You don’t, unless you want her to go to private school. Kids go to the school that’s in their school district, which is great for Belle, because you live in a great school district.”
He cut a grin her way. “How do you know where I live, sugar?”
She smirked. “Don’t flatter yourself. Everyone knows where you live. Where will she live when you’re on the road?”
“I have no idea. My manager said I should hire a nanny.”
“I’ve told you this before, but this is one time you seriously don’t want to try to solve your problems with money.”
“What’s wrong with a nanny?”
“Wyatt, she lost her dad, and pretty soon she’s going to learn she lost her mom too. How do you think she’s going to feel when you tell her you’re leaving too?”
He closed his eyes, and dread swelled through him. “I’m starting to think there’s no way she’s not going to be totally screwed up.”
“Not exactly a positive outlook, but since you put it out there, I think counseling should be the first order of business after you’ve got her in school.”
His head swung toward her. “Counseling?”
Gypsy burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you should see your face. You look like I suggested castration.”
He groaned and covered his eyes with his forearm.
“I don’t think a nanny is a bad idea,” she said. “As long as you don’t think you can leave her with a stranger and just disappear for weeks or months at a time.”
She propped herself up with one hand behind her and gave him a sassy look. “And don’t even think about asking me to watch her just because I’m not a stranger and I’m the only woman in town who won’t sleep with you.”
He barked a laugh. “Jesus, don’t sugarcoat it. Just tell me what you really think.”
That made Gypsy laugh, and she rolled to her back and covered her stomach with her hands. Wyatt couldn’t help but smile. Her laugh was sweet and sexy and made crazy things happen inside him. The same kinds of things that happened when he fantasized about kissing her.
“Oh my God,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I must have had too much wine.”
He rolled to his side and took a piece of her dark hair, twirling it around his finger. When she didn’t bat his hand away, he slid the back of one knuckle across her cheekbone. Her skin was so soft. She smelled so good. He’d wanted her for so long.
“Are you ever going to go out with me?”
She sighed and rolled to face him, then curled her fingers around his. This was the closest they’d ever been, and his heart pounded hard and fast. His thoughts started to gray around the edges as his focus tunneled until all he could think about was Gypsy.
She moved his hand away from her face, but didn’t let go. “I think you missed the whole point of our talk tonight. The bottom line for me is that, at this point in my life, Cooper comes first. It won’t take long for you to be saying the same thing about Belle. And if you think working your life around Belle will be difficult, adding a relationship to the mix would truly throw a monkey wrench into the system.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how much I admire you for the way you raise Cooper, but there has to be a happy medium somewhere. If you give up everything you want just so they can have everything they want, what are you teaching them?”
“I’m not saying they get everything they want. I’m saying they get everything they need. And at this age, I don’t think you can ever give them too much attention.”
“What’s the deal with Cooper’s father?” He’d wanted the answer to that question as long as he’d known her, but the fact that no one at the bar knew the answer meant she never talked about it. So he’d respected her privacy. But he saw things changing between them, and he felt knowing the answer would tell him a lot about her. “You’ve never mentioned him.”
“He’s not worth mentioning.”
“He’s missing out on one hell of a kid,” Wyatt said. “And the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
“He wasn’t interested in having another kid.”
“Another?”
She let out a deep sigh and averted her gaze. “He’s an entertainment agent. Used to come into the club where I was working in Miami. I was in VIP customer service, so we interacted a lot. He traveled for work, but when he came into town, we were together. When he left, we talked on the phone, FaceTimed, texted. We were seeing each other for over a year when my birth control failed.”
For as long as Wyatt had known her, he hadn’t seen or heard of her dating anyone, and the way she handled flirty men at the bar told Wyatt she didn’t want to date anyone. Which was why he made the idea of dating all fun and games. He knew going at her directly would get him nowhere.
Now he was glad he had. It might have taken what felt like forever, but he was right where he wanted to be. He had her all to himself, opening up about things she didn’t tell just anyone.
“That’s when I found out he was married.”
Gypsy’s declaration hammered Wyatt in the chest. “What?”
“Yeah.” Her expression turned grim. “He had a wife and—I kid you not—five children. Five.”
Wyatt’s eyes closed on a curse. He couldn’t even imagine how hard that news must have hit Gypsy.
“He was so understanding.” Her voice changed as she imitated his words. “‘I’ll take care of you, baby, don’t worry about anything. I’ll take you to the clinic. I’ll even pay for the procedure.’”