“I’d say you’re off to a pretty good start.” My heart fluttered. “I still can’t believe my song was on the radio! How did you pull it off?”
He shrugged. “I had help.”
“Robby?” I questioned. “What did you have to promise him?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll be giving him a ride to school for the next week.”
I laughed. “Oh no. You know you’re going to be finding Robby-crumbs in your car for months, right?”
Wyatt grinned. “Worth it.”
I kissed him again. “So, I guess I owe Robby a thank you, huh?”
“Yeah, and maybe my dad.”
“Your dad?” I cringed, remembering all the awful things I’d said to him. “I’m not sure he’s my biggest fan.”
“You might be surprised.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked him to call in a favor to help me get your song on the radio.”
“Seriously? You asked your dad for a favor?”
“Yeah. We’re actually on kind of good terms at the moment.” Wyatt gave me a sheepish grin. “I sort of owe you for that, too.”
“Really?”
“Well, after you ripped me a new one last night, I started thinking about everything you said, and I realized you were right.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” Wyatt smirked. “I have a feeling that’s going to be a theme in our relationship.”
I laughed. “It bodes well for you that you recognize that now.”
He squeezed my sides, making me giggle as he pulled me closer. “Anyway, I decided to have a talk with my dad last night. I told him how I felt about everything and we’re making an effort to be better to each other and be more involved in each other’s lives.”
“I’m happy to hear that. I think it’ll be really good for you.”
“I just want to be good enough to deserve you,” he said softly, making my heart melt.
“Wyatt,” I reached up, stroking my fingers along his cheek. “You’re already more than enough.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his bright green eyes searched mine, seeming to ask if I really meant it. “So, does this mean I’ve finally proved you wrong?”
I couldn’t help smiling at him. “Wyatt, the only one you needed to prove something to was you. You’ve always been everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
He closed his eyes and pulled me against his chest. I loved the way my head tucked perfectly under his chin as his arms wrapped me in warmth. “I love you,” he whispered, emotion cracking his voice.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Sixty-One
Layne
The next few days passed in a blissful blur of kisses and music. I could honestly say I’d never been happier in my life. I’d found a piece of myself in Wyatt and it unlocked my soul even further than I knew possible.
We spent every waking moment together. Most of it was rehearsing for the competition, which was rapidly approaching, but we made time to sneak in a few stolen moments just for ourselves, too.
I’d never had a boyfriend before, so I had nothing to compare it to, but I was pretty certain that Wyatt was the most thoughtful boyfriend in existence. With how quickly our relationship started—from hate to love in less than twenty-four hours—I wasn’t sure what to expect. We’d sort of done everything backwards. But that didn’t stop Wyatt from planning adorably romantic dates for us.
My favorite by far was when we had a picnic by the pond at Silver Acres. We’d went in to visit with his grandparents after.
Gramps was over the moon to hear that we’d finally started dating.
“It’s about time ya stopped wasting time,” he exclaimed. Then he gave my hand a little squeeze and said, “We don’t call him Nashanova for nothing.”
I barked a laugh. “How do you know about his nickname?”
“Who do you think gave it to him, sweetheart?”
I shook my head, as the two of them shared a conspiratorial grin. It was easy to see where Wyatt got his playful sense of humor and charisma from.
“Okay, Gramps,” he said. “I think we’d better go before you try to sweep my girlfriend off her feet.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said. “I want to hear you two lovebirds sing.”
“You’ve heard the song on the radio, haven’t you?” Wyatt asked.
The radio station had been getting requests for my song since that night, so to my complete delight, they’d continued playing it all week.
“Of course, I have,” Gramps replied. “But nothing beats the real deal.”
“We didn’t bring our guitars,” Wyatt argued.
I stepped up and put a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure I saw instruments in the rec room.”
Wyatt smirked. “You saw those, huh?”
“Don’t get cold feet now, Nashanova,” Gramps teased. “You’ve sang for me and Gram-cracker so many times I’ve lost track.”
“Yes, but asking my girlfriend to sing is completely different.”
“I don’t mind,” I said, stepping closer to him.
Wyatt’s eyebrows rose. “Really? I don’t want to put you on the spot.”
“I’m going to have to sing on stage soon, so I might as well get used to an audience.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Gramps chimed in. “Why don’t you put on a little show in the rec room. Everyone would love to hear your music.”
Wyatt started to object, but I turned to face Gramps, grinning. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
His watery green eyes sparkled. “I knew I liked you.” He smirked at Wyatt. “This one’s a keeper. Don’t screw it up.”
Wyatt looked at me with complete adoration and winked. “I’m doing my best.”
Two hours later we were walking back out to Wyatt’s car, hand in hand.
“That was so much fun,” I said.
Wyatt laughed and pulled me against him when we reached his car. “Do you know how amazing you are?”
“I’m pretty sure you tell me every day, so I’m starting to get the idea.”
He shook his head. “I’m serious, Layne. I’m so incredibly proud of you.”
“For singing to Gramps and his friends? It wasn’t that hard considering he’s probably our biggest fan.”
“It’s more than that,” he said softly. There was a tenderness to his voice, hinting at serious emotions.
I touched his cheek, letting him know he could tell me what he was thinking. He pressed his cheek into my hand and sighed. My fingers slipped into his hair. Wyatt’s dark lashes shuttered closed as he locked his hand around my wrist. He pulled my palm to his mouth, as he liked to do, and kissed it.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t think you understand the gift you have. Your music . . .” he searched for words. “It touches people. It reminds them what this is all about,” he said gesturing around us. “Your songs fill people with love and hope. They make people feel less alone in the world, and those people in there, they need that more than anyone.”