The Best Thing (Stevens Book 8)

Chapter 23

Beth had decided to make Wyatt dinner at her place that evening. She wanted to be on her turf in case it went badly. It had meant that Beth had to tell Katherine that Wyatt was coming over, but to Beth's surprise, Kathrine had only nodded and smiled at the news, telling Beth that she was having her monthly dinner with her parents so that she would be dining elsewhere.

Beth was by no means a gourmet cook, but she could throw together a meal if she had to, and she had decided to go to the old family stand-by, breakfast for dinner. Some of the Stevenses' most important family conversations had been over breakfast for dinner meals.

She was in the middle of flipping a pancake when Wyatt knocked, causing some of the batter to slosh out of the pan in mid flop. Turning down the heat on the pan, Beth wiped her hands nervously on her jeans before moving to open the door. She hadn't realized she was still holding the spatula in the air, so she looked as if she could be brandishing it as a weapon as she opened the door.

When Wyatt saw her, he grinned, and Beth knew it was going to be alright. He reached up and wiped some batter off her face with his finger. "Will I get a swat if I kiss you?" he asked.

Beth returned his smile and shook her head.

Wyatt pulled her towards him and gave her a long kiss, letting her know he had missed her since he had last seen her that morning. When he pulled away, Beth licked her lips and stepped back into the apartment, inviting him inside.

"Where is Katherine?" he asked as he took off his tie and suit jacket, then started to roll up his sleeves.

"She is having dinner with her parents," Beth said as she walked over to the pancake and took it off the pan. It had only burned a little. "This one's your punishment for distracting me. Are you ready to eat?" She asked as she turned off the burner and carried the plates heaped with food to the small table.

"Sure." Wyatt took a seat and started to fill his plate while Beth filled their glasses with iced tea. It was all very domesticated and gave Beth a warm fuzzy feeling.

"So, my parents?" She could no longer contain herself.

"We understand each other." Wyatt bit into a piece of bacon with a grin.

"What's that mean?" Beth leaned back and crossed her arms. It was not enough information, not by a long shot.

"Your mother was delighted and proud of the fact that she had figured out I was in love with you, and your father was a little more direct, asking me point blank if I was in love with you."

Beth's heart stopped at his words, and all the color drained from her face then rushed back so that she looked as if she was a lobster. Wyatt's eyes grew wide with concern as he reached for her hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Here," he reached up and put his hand on the back of her head, put your head between your knees, so you don't pass out."

Beth swatted his hand away while making a strangled sound in the back of her throat.

"Seriously, do you need to go to a hospital?" Wyatt was totally serious.

"That's a hell of a way to tell a girl you love her!" Beth shouted.

"I'm sorry! It's not like I have a lot of practice. I've never done it before." Wyatt shouted back.

"What did you say to my father?" Beth asked taking a deep shaky breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. She had never been very good with surprises. It was one of those things Wyatt was going to have to learn about her, but at least he could hold his own.

Wyatt's face split with a grin, and he rested his head against hers while took her hands in his. "I told him that I wasn't going to tell him I love you before I had the chance to tell you I loved you."