Page 43 of Charm Me
As soon as I exited the building, I pulled my phone out and called for a private jet. I needed to see Zoe today and there was no way I’d be able to wait until Monday to see her again. It had already been too long since I last heard her voice and held her in my arms. I was a fool for that woman, and I planned on telling her exactly how I felt.
Despite my insistence, the plane couldn’t leave until early morning. I debated on renting a truck and driving out but decided I could wait one more day. Instead, I ordered takeout from a nice restaurant and headed back to the hospital to spend the evening with Abigail.
***
I PULLED UP IN FRONTof Zoe’s parents’ house a little after ten in the morning. Every bit of my confidence dwindled away the moment I put the truck in park. Now that I was sitting in their driveway, my hands were shaking.
Maybe I should’ve called or texted Zoe to let her know I was coming. But I wanted to surprise her. At least this way she couldn’t tell me not to come. Which, honestly, was my greatest fear.
She struck as the kind of woman who’d love surprises. If she was happy to see me, it would bring out the smile I’d grown to love so much. Just imaging her huge smile when she saw me unexpectedly was enough to light up every nerve ending in my body.
Zoe owned my heart. She had the power to make me the happiest man on this planet or crush me completely. Now that I was here, I was nervous as fucking hell. I had no doubt there’d never be another woman for me. Sitting in my truck imagining the pain I’d feel if she rejected me today confirmed just how deep my feelings for her ran.
She was it for me. My forever.
I tried to deny it, to pretend it was just an attraction with insane chemistry. But it was more than that. We had a deeper connection than just great chemistry in bed. We understood each other without the need for words.
One look. One smile. One touch. That’s all it took to know what we had was special. We didn’t need words, but today I’d tell her exactly how I felt for her.
Sarah and Mike stepped out of the house before I reached the front porch. Mike reached his hand out and took mine. He surprised me when he pulled me in for a hug.
“Wyatt. What a surprise. We weren’t expecting to see you.”
The way he embraced me settled my nerves some. He wasn’t upset to see me, and I’d take that as a good sign. “Sorry to show up unannounced. I should’ve called.”
“No need. We’re happy to see you.” Mike’s face beamed.
We had hit it off during the time I spent here, and it made me smile knowing he was happy to see me. Sarah, on the other hand, wore a much more guarded expression.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Every bit of my nervousness kicked into overdrive. “Is Zoe around? I need to speak to her.”
“She’s out at the moment,” Sarah said. Her voice was clipped, and she held her lips into a tight line. “But if you’d like to come in and wait, I can make up some snacks.”
I nodded. I knew Sarah was protective of Zoe, her reaction toward me fed my worst fears. My silence with Zoe had created some issues. Issues that I needed to correct. That hadn’t been my intention. Maybe I’d made a mistake in sparing Zoe my pain regarding my sister.
Sarah turned to head back inside, but Mike stopped me from following her. “She took Princess Aurora and rode out to the lake where she took you. She left about an hour ago and if you get on a horse now, you’ll probably catch her before she heads back.”
“Mike!” Sarah spun around, and her jaw dropped.
Mike shrugged with a look on his face that indicated he didn’t do anything wrong. “What?”
“She said she wanted to be alone.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. Clearly these two disagreed over telling me where Zoe had gone. While I admired Sarah’s loyalty to Zoe and need to protect her, I was grateful Mike told me where she had gone.
“Oh Sarah, let it go. The man is here. That says more than anything else.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Mike placed his hands on Sarah’s arms and kissed her forehead. “Men don’t just travel halfway across the country, show up at a woman’s parents’ house for nothing.”
You got that right. My smile grew.
Sarah stared at her husband, and her expression slowly began to soften. “Oh.”
The fear I’d felt a moment ago started to fade. With every exchange between Sarah and Mike, it gave me hope that Zoe felt the same way I did. If I had caused Zoe any pain or worry over my feelings for her, I’d fix it.
Mike patted my shoulder and smiled. “Come on, Son. Let’s go get you saddled up. I hope you remember the way.”
“Yes, sir. I sure do.” I tipped my hat to Sarah and smiled. While she still looked a little uncertain, she returned my smile.