“Well,” Tabitha whispered as she stroked his hair and felt her stomach do that little flip it did whenever Wyatt was being touchy-feely and playful like this. “Maybe you really are a superhero, then?”
Wyatt lifted his head, staring at her in surprise. “What does that mean?”
Tabitha shrugged, feeling her cheeks heat as she admitted, “If that’s really your superpower, then I think it’s working.”
Wyatt’s gaze got hot as he looked up at her. Then he got on his hands and knees and leaned over her. Tabitha met him halfway, her eyes closing expectantly as he wrapped one hand around her neck and tugged her forward.
She moaned into his mouth when his lips met hers. His kiss was hard and confident, very different from the first one, because they’d been practicing—a lot.
They didn’t break apart until Tabitha was flat on her back on the mat, and Wyatt was lying over her. He pulled up, resting all his weight on his forearms as he looked down at her with his chest heaving.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” She panted as she fought to think after that.
“Say you love me.” Wyatt pushed her hair away from her face, studying her intently. “I wanna hear it.”
“I love you,” she whispered softly and then reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and tugged him back down.
He kissed her again, softer, gentler than the first time, but it was every bit as nice. Wyatt made everything golden. Life was beautiful around him, and she loved him for it. So much so, she wanted to stay right here forever and never open up another notebook. She wanted the story to end with this one perfect moment.
And they lived happily ever after.
If only she believed it was that easy.
Part Five
The Age of Innocence
When I step in the ring, I bring everything I have.
Chapter Eighteen
April 1996
When Tabitha was young, she believed in heroes. Cookies and kind words were more than enough to teach her how to see the good in people when she should have been as hardened as Clay by the end of her formative years. Despite the cruelty her life inflicted on her, she had been set to head into her teen years as idealistic and hopeful as every other girl her age. Then the egos of two prepubescent boys killed her romanticisms as quickly as they had once formed.
That should’ve ended it—but it didn’t.
Life got very complicated instead. Heroes turned into vigilantes, and villains became more real than she ever wanted them to be.
She read once that impressions made in childhood formed the basis for someone’s personality for the rest of their lives. Somewhere along the way, Wyatt Conner had been imprinted on her soul. The threads that tied them together were unbreakable and bone deep. No matter how desperately she tried to untangle herself from him, somehow it just ended up pulling them tighter together. What if she was destined to never get over him and always harbor that unrealistic hope of knights in shining armor and happily ever afters?
“He’s staring at you again.”
Tabitha looked up from her book, casting a glance across Maple’s One Stop shop, where she’d been working since last summer. She found Wyatt casually picking through the candy aisle that was conveniently close to the lottery counter where she sat waiting to ring people up. He was tossing random things into the basket hanging on his arm without looking at them. There was a bounce to his step, as if he knew he was causing havoc. His well-worn black T-shirt was stretched tight across his massive chest, because he’d grown out of it two years ago but hadn’t bothered to throw it away. His jeans hugged his ass, showing off his long, powerful legs, and Tabitha couldn’t help but stare. How very unfortunate that he’d grown into one of the biggest, sexiest eighteen-year-olds to ever set foot in Garnet County. It made a difficult problem even more challenging.
He sent her a wide smile as if reading her thoughts. His blues eyes sparkled even from a distance.
God was punishing her for something.
“He comes in here deliberately to mess with you. He couldn’t be more obvious ’bout you two if he tried.”
Tabitha sighed and turned to look at Terry, who was leaning against his mop, grinning at her. “I know.”
“Why won’t you just go to prom with him? You know that’s the reason he’s been pestering you at work more than usual.”
“You of all people should know why. You weren’t my pretend boyfriend for the first two years of high school for nothing.”
“You shouldn’t let Brett rule your life. You’re a month from graduation. Things are different. Y’all can have your own lives now.”
“Don’t you have a store to mop?” Tabitha countered because she wasn’t going to get into this argument when Wyatt was twenty feet away, causing trouble.
As if sensing they were talking about him, Wyatt came up to the counter with the basket in his hand. He set it on the counter in front of her triumphantly. “Ring these up for me, Miss.”
“This is the lottery counter,” she said drily and then pointed to the register where Sara was standing there bored out of her mind because it was nine thirty at night and no one was in the store. “But Sara would be happy to help you.”
“I have to buy something from you to be rung up here. Okay.” He looked over the counter, staring at the tickets on display under the glass. “Well, I don’t gamble. So what’re we gonna do ’bout that?”
“Seems to me like you’re standing in the wrong place then.” Tabitha set her book aside and gave him an annoyed look.
“You hear this?” Wyatt cast a glance at Terry. “Your employee’s being rude to me.”
“I’ll be sure to voice your complaint to my mother.” Terry laughed. “What’re you doing tonight, Wyatt?”
He shrugged. “Heading to work dispatch.”
“All night?”
“It’s the weekend.”
“Dang, you Conners are always working. Makes me tired just watching you.”
“I like working the late shift with my dad.” Not to be distracted from his original task, Wyatt pointed behind the counter. “How ’bout those? You can ring me if I buy a pack of those, can’t ya?”
“Cigarettes?” Tabitha gasped in shock. “Wyatt!”
“No,” he said quickly, pointing once more. “Those.”
Tabitha followed his gaze, seeing that he was staring at the condoms hidden on the bottom shelf. She turned around and shoved his shoulder. “Get the heck out of here.”
“Maybe I got a date later.” Wyatt laughed. “Jealous?”
Tabitha stiffened at the taunt. She narrowed her eyes at him for one moment, before she got off her stool. Two could play this game. “Fine. Which ones would you like?”
“I dunno. Can’t see ’em hidden way down there. Bring ’em up here.”
Tabitha’s cheeks were hot, but she bent down and gathered every brand of condoms they sold. Then she lined them up across the counter with exact precision while Terry laughed so hard the sound echoed around the empty store. She glanced up to see Sara was tilting her head to see what was going on and then covered her mouth and giggled.
“See any you like?” Tabitha asked in her most professional tone as she sat back down.
Wyatt leaned his elbow on the counter, appearing to be studying them with great interest. He picked up a box that advertised being ribbed for her pleasure. He turned the box, showing it to her. “You think that’s true?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Tabitha shrugged.
Wyatt gave her a long, hot look that stole her breath. “I could remedy that.”