Page 34 of Deking
This is one of those little things people always talk about that means more than anything big could.
And to think, he’s not even my real boyfriend. He’s just playing the part.
“If you don’t like them, you don’t have to keep them,” he says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“No, I love them. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten flowers. Thank you. Oh, and come in.”
I step back and out of the way. Wyatt brushes by me and steps inside.
“So, I have some bad news,” I tell him softly as I shut the door.
Wyatt turns and looks at me, frowning. “Is everything okay? Your dad…”
I shake my head. “My dad is fine, and technically everything is okay, but I need to cancel our plans for today. I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” he says, his face falling.
“It’s just that Will worked late, so he went to bed later than normal, and he’s still sleeping. I really don’t want to wake him up, and technically, I could leave Dad alone, but that doesn’t feel quite safe. I’m sorry.”
Wyatt steps forward and rests his hands on my shoulders. “Lyla, it’s okay. I get it. Your dad comes first, and I don’t blame you for wanting to let Will sleep. The guy deserves it.”
“He really does,” I murmur as my heart clenches.
He gets it. Something Kyle never did.
Wyatt hums as he looks over my shoulder.
“What are you thinking about?”
“What if we gave Will the day off and took your dad out for the day?”
Before he even finishes asking, I start shaking my head. “That’s nice in theory, but honestly, taking him out of the house is a nightmare. I never know what he’s going to do or say. Not to mention the judgmental looks from strangers when he inevitably does something. It’s just a lot.”
“It’s hard on you,” he murmurs.
“It really is, and trust me, I know how bad that sounds, and I feel shitty for it, but it’s the truth.”
He rubs his hands over my arms. “Hey, it’s okay. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“I mean, I am canceling on you at the last minute,” I quip, trying to lighten the mood.
“You are, but I won’t let you. Seriously, what if we take him with us? You won’t have to do it alone. I’ll be with you the entire time and am more than willing to pull my weight. You won’t have to do it all by yourself.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, caught off guard.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
I asked Kyle to help with my dad exactly one time, right when he really started to decline and decided I would never ask him to help again. He drove us to the appointment and that was it. He never got out of his car or anything, but the entire time he bitched about how it was inconvenient for him and how I should be thankful that he was giving up his time for this.
Reason one hundred and eighty-two on how Kyle and Wyatt are nothing alike.
“Are you sure?” I press.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”
“Agatha, is everything okay?” Dad yells from the other room.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” I say back as I grab Wyatt’s hand. “Come on, let’s go tell him the good news.”
