Page 84 of The Reason I Married Him
Yet he’s made you laugh. Apart from Mac’s antics, not much has made me laugh lately. Maybe this year won’t be that bad...
“Here is your check. Pay when you’re ready,” our server says, dropping off the bill.
I go to reach for it, but Wyatt swats my hand away. “Jesus Christ, woman. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The insult on his face is comical.
“Paying for dinner.”
“No, you’re not. Not when I’m here.”
“I have money, Wyatt.”
“Good for you, but you don’t use it around me.”
“Really?” I ask, placing my napkin on the table. “That’s how it’s going to be?”
“Yes,” he says, pulling out his wallet and laying down a few bills. “I appreciate your hard work and the fact that you make money, but I’m the kind of man who will pay for our outings, our dates, and everything in between. Don’t fight me over it. It’s a sword I’ll die on.” He snaps the billfold shut, pushes it to the edge of the table, and then picks up a fry and dips it in the sauce.
“So that’s that?” I ask. “Discussion over?”
“On that topic, yes. Now, if you would finally like to tell me who your celebrity lookalike is, I’d be interested to see how you compare.”
“What if I don’t know?” I ask.
“Please, everyone knows who they might be in celebrity form. Like if a director came up to you today and said, who am I casting in the movie of you, you have five seconds to answer or I’m not making the movie, who would you say?”
“That’s really aggressive of the director, and they should probably work on their bedside manner.”
“That’s Hollywood, baby.” He snaps his fingers. “They want answers right then and there. So who is it?”
Rolling my eyes, I give it a second and then say, “A younger Keri Russell.”
Wyatt leans back in his chair, studying me. His eyes scan over my face, my hair . . . my chest and then back up to my eyes. After what feels like forever, he says, “Fuck, you do look like her.”
I laugh. “That’s quite the reaction.”
“Because I had the biggest fucking crush on her growing up.” He drags his hand over his mouth, still staring at me. “And now that I see it, I can’t unsee it.”
“Well, unsee it because I’m not fulfilling your creepy teenage fantasies.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry to say, Aubree, but you are.” He stands from his chair and walks over to my side of the table. He holds his hand out and says, “Come on, Keri, oh, I mean, Aubree, let’s get some dessert.”
“You realize just how irritating you are?”
“Yet you choose to be with me.”
I lift from my seat, not taking his hand. We walk out of the restaurant, his hand on my back instead.
Yet you choose to be with me.
Sort of. I did choosethis. Not him. And even though he’s irritating, can eat a mountain of food in one inhalation, and sees the light in every-fucking-thing, I’m starting to believe Ididn’tchoose badly.
“You can seriously eatdessert after your three plates of fries?” I ask Wyatt as we step out onto the boardwalk.
“You fail to realize the endless tank my stomach is. I could probably eat a whole pie at the moment but trust me when I say that when we part, and I’m in my room all by myself, curled on my pillow, I’ll be wallowing in agony, regretting those three plates of fries.”
“Knowing that, why did you eat them?”
“You only live once, babe. Got to seize the moment when you can. If I’m going to impress you with my eating skills, then I need to take the opportunity.”
