Free Pretending Hearts by Heather Topham Wood Page B

the volume high enough to hopefully drown out Wyatt’s voice. Wyatt removed the remote from my hand and muted the TV. I shot him a dark look.
    “Okay, I’m a complete fuck-up and I probably don’t deserve you. But I’d like another chance,” he said in a rush.
    I leveled him with an even look. “Why? I don’t get the sense you want a girlfriend and I’m sure I can’t be the only freshman girl willing to help get your rocks off—”
    He broke in. “Delia, I want more from you. Maybe you don’t believe me and I probably need to make more of an effort to show you how I feel.” He drew a long breath. “But I’m serious enough that I want you to meet my parents when they come up for a visit in two weeks. Will you have dinner with us?”
    I leaned back against the couch cushions and stared open-mouthed at him. I was thrown for a loop. Wyatt seemed of two minds and I had no idea how he really felt toward me. And it hadn’t escaped my notice how Wyatt’s interest in an exclusive relationship peaked when he found out my brother was in the NFL. Wyatt had casually mentioned more than once about going to see one of Blake’s games. I hadn’t cemented plans with my brother because I didn’t know how long things with Wyatt would last. Planning to visit Blake in Maryland was a big step. Since I was hesitant about introducing Wyatt to my brother, I figured he would be leery over introducing me to his parents.
    I took my time answering. I tried not to get pulled in by the way he smiled as if I were the only person in the universe who truly mattered. Or the way his brown eyes seemed to darken with desire each time he looked my way. What would his parents see when they saw us together? Would they consider me another conquest of their wayward son? Or would they see the way he responded to me and believe I could be the one to change him for the better?
    Early on, Wyatt had explained how he never had a serious girlfriend. I always thought the reason was because he wasn’t interested in anything long-term. But maybe the reason was because not many girls would put up with his baggage.
    “I’ll go to dinner with you and your parents,” I said reluctantly. This could be a make or break dinner. Seeing the way Wyatt interacted with his family could give me more insight into his character. On paper, Wyatt and I made sense, but my heart wasn’t convinced.
    “Great, I’ll set it up,” he said and scooted closer on the couch. I felt him playing with a loose strand of my hair. After a pause, he mused, “Guess I’ll have to meet your parents soon.”
    My body reacted as if he had tossed me into an ice cold bath. My spine stiffened and my teeth gritted together. What a truly god-awful idea . A dinner with my parents would mean my mom grilling Wyatt on his family’s annual net worth and my father trying to conceal the fact he had a starring role on our neighborhood’s sex offender registry.
    “Well… maybe. My parents are going through an ugly divorce now and dinner with them would be very awkward.” I covered for them and hoped Wyatt would leave the topic alone. Meeting Blake was going to be an ordeal as it was. I’d have to make Blake promise not to bring along Autumn. Wyatt could ask all sorts of questions—eventually leading him to open a Pandora’s box that would never be shut. Even simple questions like how did Blake and Autumn meet could uncover the ugly truth about my family. I could only guess at how thrilled my brother was going to be over my insistence on keeping his fiancée far away from my boyfriend. But his relationship with Autumn was Blake’s mess—not mine.
    “All right, but we’ll go to a Warriors game soon?”
    “Yes,” I replied and nodded enthusiastically, glad for the subject change. “I’ll call my brother about the upcoming home games.”
    Wyatt seemed satisfied with my answer and didn’t mention again about meeting my parents. Telling him the truth wasn’t possible—at least, not yet. I