The crush that she had on Wyatt was beginning to grow, though. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she'd succumb to it.
Chapter 16
Wyatt
When Friday rolled around, Wyatt found himself unable to concentrate at work. His mind was whirling and anxiety tingled in his chest. He got up from his chair and paced back and forth. He was so restless that he couldn't sit down.
Why is this bothering me so much? He thought. I knew that Lily would have to go home at some point. Why am I so upset by it?
With only a few days left before Lily was to return home, Wyatt was a wreck. He'd spent the previous week watching her interact with his daughter. Lily was such a good nanny. The perfect nanny, really. She'd taught Maggie how to tread water and had made her smile more times in one week than he had seen in the whole year since Caroline had died.
Maybe I ask her to stay for a while longer, he thought. Maybe I can see if Mildred wants another week off of work.
He knew that wasn't the answer, though. Not only because Mildred likely wouldn't want any more time off, but because even if she did, he'd be running up against the same thing when that week was over. Lily would have to go home eventually no matter what.
Is this bothering me because I'm afraid that Maggie will miss her, or is it because I'll miss her? He asked himself.
He knew the answer to the question, though he wasn't willing to admit it to himself. He was the one who was going to miss Lily's presence. Having her around had made that giant mansion of his feel like a real home again. It was an element of his life that had been missing for over a year now. Normally, he spent more time at the office than at home. The office hurt less. There were no reminders of Caroline in his office, besides a few pictures on his desk, though. His house, on the other hand, was filled with things that had Caroline's touch on them. The drapes, the furniture, the color of paint on the walls. All of that reminded him of his loss. Somehow, though, when Lily was there, none of those things hurt as much.
“I've got to get to work,” he whispered, finally taking a seat at his desk.
Without even thinking about it, he pulled his cell phone out and opened it up to the main screen. The same old image of his family at the beach came up. He gazed at Caroline's smiling face, wishing he could just have a quick conversation with her. He just wanted to ask her some simple questions. He wondered if she thought he was doing a good job at raising Maggie and if she was mad about his attraction toward Lily.
With a sigh, he set the phone down onto his desk and pushed it aside.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed as soon as he'd started looking at the work he needed to do. He lifted it up to see a text from Lily. When he opened it, he was greeted by a picture from her. It was a selfie that she'd taken with Maggie. It looked like they were playing in the backyard. He could see the slide from her playground on the right side of the photo. They were both smiling wide, their cheeks pressed against each others.
“How cute is that?” he whispered to himself, admiring the image for a minute.
The strings on his heart tugged in every direction. One part of his heart ached like it always did, as he continued to miss Caroline. The other part, though, felt suddenly alive. Seeing that picture from Lily caused something in him to ignite. Maybe it was excitement, or anticipation, or simply just lust. He couldn't be sure. But a part of his heart that had been dim for twelve months suddenly tingled with life. It was intense.
He set the phone back down onto the desk and exhaled a long breath.
What if Lily is the one for me now? He thought. What if that's the reason she came into our lives in the first place?
Wyatt couldn't shake the idea that Lily was in his life as part of some universal plan. He wasn't exactly a religious man, but did believe that certain things happen for certain reasons. The idea that Lily had been brought into he and Caroline's life didn't feel like a mistake. It felt like it was on purpose.
He closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to come home every night to Lily. He smiled at the thought. He'd get home and she'd be there, playing with Maggie. They'd kiss and hug and then when Maggie went to bed, they'd both go up to his room. He'd even clear a place out in his closet for her stuff.
What am I doing? He thought, shaking his head. I've got to get to work. This is ridiculous.
Wyatt went to work, but even as he distracted himself the best he could, the feeling of getting to come home to Lily every night still tingled in his belly. It was an odd sensation, but intense enough to temporarily ease the pain that chronically plagued his heart.
The sunset was beautiful that evening, as Wyatt cruised down the highway in his Lamborgini. He had the windows down and the music up, just enjoyed the fresh air. He pressed on the gas, feeling the twelve cylinder engine roar under the hood. With over five hundred horse power pulling him along, he was at nearly ninety miles an hour in no time.
It was past rush hour, so there were only a few straggling cars on the road. He adrenaline was pumping as he blew past them, pointing his car toward home. This was his favorite stretch of road and he drove like this whenever he was stressed. There was something about it that eased his worries. It was a combination of the excitement of driving at such a high speed and of the constant risk of getting pulled over.
Just two more speeding tickets and Wyatt would lose his license. This, of course, only added to the adrenaline. The mere thought that a highway patrolman could be parked up ahead made him squeeze the steering wheel just a l
ittle bit harder.
This is my therapy, he thought, easing the car through a slight turn.
The Lamborgini actually handed better at higher speeds. It turned so easily and gripped the road like it was made out of glue. Once through the turn, he pressed on the accelerator again. This time he brought the car up to ninety five. He considered taking it all the way to a hundred, but doing so would cause him to miss his exit. So he let off the gas, causing the engine to die down while he coasted toward the deceleration ramp.
“That was fun,” he said to himself, with a boyish smile on his face. “I do love this car.”
Caroline hated this thing, because she thought it was going to get me killed, he thought. I think she would have learned to love it, too, though. Maybe eventually.