Waiting for Wyatt (Red Dirt #1) (49 page)

I had missed the feel of her. I had missed the way she pressed against me, begging me to be inside of her. That girl made everything in my head disappear except for the need to hear her soft moans as I pushed her body over the edge. And I needed it right now. I had planned on dinner and maybe some talking first, but all of that could wait.

“Show me the rest of the house,” I whispered against her lips.

“Huh, um . . . what?” She seemed confused, and then her cheeks got a little pink. Emma peeled herself away from me. Taking my hand, she pulled me through the living room. “Bookshelf.” She pointed over by the wall. As I scanned the familiar titles, a warm feeling caught me in the chest. “Couch,” she muttered as I followed behind her. Going into the tiny hallway, she nodded at the closed door. “Bathroom.”

And then we reached our destination. I had never seen her bedroom. My eyes drifted across the dresser and yellow bedspread before going back to the girl who had haunted my dreams. She took the final few steps, lying down across the brightly colored bed. It suited her. All cheery and warm. All Emma.

I unfastened my belt and tugged the zipper, letting my jeans fall down to my ankles. My fingers ran up her soft thighs, tugging the edge of those lacy panties. They moved smoothly down to her ankles. Tossing them to the floor, I climbed on top of Emma. I kissed her softly, running my tongue against hers. As I settled between her legs, the flowery dress bunched up around our hips. I wanted her like this. I wanted her in that beautiful dress on that yellow bedspread like the sun was shining all around her. She looked so innocent and beautiful.

“Look at me, Emmy.” Her eyes held onto mine as I pushed deep inside her. The real Emma was more incredible than all the memories. As I moved inside her sweet, warm body, she whispered, “I love you,” over and over against my neck. I got lost in her kisses. I got lost in the way she wrapped herself around me. As my past slowly disappeared, I got lost in my future. I got lost in Emma.

W
YATT HAD COME HOME. I
could barely breathe from the flutters of excitement overtaking every emotion. We spent the next day basically in my bed. Our bed. He was staying. Diana had made arrangements for Wyatt to work at a dog shelter in Tulsa until the terms of his parole were completed. He was
staying
with me. We were
staying
together.

Every moment felt like a new beginning. He was different. He
felt
different. Lighter. Younger. We ventured out to a movie theater. We had dinner at a restaurant. According to Wyatt, that night was technically our first date. And then a few days later, he took me dancing. I learned something new about Wyatt Carter. He was
really
good at dancing, all sweet and sexy as he guided me across the floor.

I loved spending time with him. And I loved him. I didn’t think it was possible to love him more than I had a year ago. But I did. I loved
that
Wyatt and I loved
this
Wyatt, the one who woke every morning with a giant smile spread across his lips.

And I loved walking outside of the little house, seeing the familiar silver and black bike parked in the driveway. It was funny. Every time I saw Priscilla, I thought about Mr. Hughes.

My old neighbor and I still exchanged letters. I had even mailed him a picture of me sitting right on the back of Priscilla. And in return, Mr. Hughes had sent a weathered photo of a familiar, younger man, sitting astride the very same motorcycle on the California coast.

Wyatt and I road everywhere together while the weather was still warm. We visited his family. And he finally met mine. My father gave him a leery stare at first, but he had a private talk with Wyatt, which seemed to settle his nerves. I didn’t know the words that transpired between them, and probably never would. However, the whole family eventually warmed up to the idea of Wyatt. How could they not? He loved me and would break every bone in his body before ever hurting me.

Everything seemed surreal as our future plans gradually came to light. Wyatt talked about all the ideas he had for us. For him. And I knew every one of those ideas tied back to something that provided redemption to his soul.

And then one afternoon, I came home from work and found Wyatt on the phone with Diana. His face was tight with emotion as he spoke to her. “I promise. I’m okay. I need to do this.”

He listened as she talked, nodding his head a few times. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After they hung up, Wyatt came back into the living room. He wrapped his arms tight around me, clutching me against his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

He buried his nose into my hair, pressing his lips gently against my neck. “I called Diana.”

“I figured out that part.”

“I’ve been thinking about what I said to you last year. How I want to make this better. I told Diana that I would like to get a group together to talk to some of the high schools in the area. Like a panel thing. I . . . um . . . I’m going to tell my story.”

My thoughts spun back to all the times I had begged him to share his story, to share the piece that had twisted him up so tight. And now, he was willing to share that story with strangers in an effort to right his wrongs. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Are you ready to do that yet?”

“I doubt that I will ever be ready.”

“I know,” I whispered.

He held me tighter, letting out a deep breath. “But I need to do it, whether I’m ready or not. And I won’t hold anything back or sugarcoat the truth. If it stops just one person, then it’s worth exploiting my sins to the world.”

My heart ached for him. I knew this was important to Wyatt. “You can do this.”

“Only because of you, Emma. You make me feel like I can do anything.”

We stayed cuddled up on the couch as Cye slept on the floor in front of us. Wyatt kissed the back of my neck and whispered, “There’s something else I want to do.”

“What?”

“I’ve been thinking about a contract you signed last year.”

“A contract?” I turned around in his arms, giving Wyatt a funny look.

“Something about Emma Sawyer jumping out of a plane with Wyatt Carter.”

My eyes got a little big. “Oh,
that
contract.”

“I’ve been looking into it. You can go or just watch.” He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me softly. “I was kidding about the contract.”

I shook my head. “No, I want to jump.”

“You sure?” His eyes teased me with the challenge.

“I signed the contract. I’m going.” My sister was right. It was just a matter of time before my stupid decisions would get me killed.

A few days later, I climbed on the back of Priscilla, wrapping my arms around Wyatt. We took off toward the sky-diving place outside of town. I loved riding with him, holding on tight with my body pressed snug against his shoulders, feeling my hair swirl around in the cool November air.

The training class lasted most of the morning. With each practice session, I questioned my sanity. But he seemed so alive, so excited like the bricks were falling off his shoulders with every smile.

Before we got on the plane, Wyatt pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me. I studied the little photo of three boys about twelve years old. They were sitting on a bench, in their football pads with the evening sunshine setting in the background. He had been just as cute at twelve as he was at twenty-three. And I knew without asking, the other two were Marcus and Trevor.

I handed Wyatt the photo back. He slipped it inside the pocket of his faded jeans before fastening the harness around his body. Suddenly, I understood why this was so important. He was jumping for them; a memorial to the
three
boys who no longer existed. My throat felt tight as I fought back the tears. I knew this would never truly be over for Wyatt, but somehow, he had finally learned to move forward and to live with it.

As we reached the final altitude, we watched the other couple in the class go first. And then it was our turn. We got close to the edge. The wind howled outside the door. My stomach flip-flopped at the prospect of launching myself out into the open air.

But somewhere inside, I got that feeling, the one that always filled my senses as I reached that pivotal point when running. The mind-blowing rush that transcended into a beautiful release. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, this would be fifty times greater. I got a little giddy and laughed. Turning to face Wyatt, our eyes locked in a burning stare full of excitement.

“I love you,” he yelled. I barely heard him over the sounds of the engines and blowing wind. He flashed a big smile, letting those dimples settle deep on the corners of his cheeks. “See you on the other side.”

Wyatt and the instructor jumped tandem out the door. I watched him fall through the open sky with that picture buried in his pocket. A deep rush of adrenaline shot through my skin, and I couldn’t wait to go with him. My instructor had us pause for a few moments, and then I jumped too.

As the air hit my face, the tingles went from my head to my toes. It was the most incredible feeling. I saw Wyatt’s parachute open below us. I smiled, seeing him float away in the breeze. He was finally free. And I knew in that moment, everything in our lives would be okay.

If this were a movie, the credits would roll and a song would play.

And if so, it would be this one.

Look it up. Give it a listen while picturing Wyatt and Emma falling through the clouds, seeing their red parachutes open as they float over the world together.