“All?” he asks with alarm in his voice.

“We’re all here, honey.” Two more women step in from the back porch.

Oh dear God.

Now I remember.

These are the four women who were all sitting around Presley’s house and plying me with baked goods when hell broke loose. Presley told me all about the older women from the town. All four of them have been friends since grade school, and they know everything. They also make the most amazing cake. I swear, I could’ve orgasmed from one slice.

“Mrs. Townsend!” I walk over and give her a huge hug.

“Angelina Benson, it is so good to see you again.” She returns my embrace. “You look just radiant.”

She’s another one of those moms I wish I had.

We all gather around the table as Mrs. Hennington, Mrs. Rooney, Mrs. Kannan, and Mrs. Townsend talk about the baby and how they can’t wait for the wedding. Wyatt laughs and shakes his head at me whenever I start to correct them. “You need to tell them we’re not getting married,” I whisper in his ear.

“Trust me. You don’t want to do that. It’s better to let them go off on their tangent. If you correct them, they’ll keep you hostage. Think of it as me savin’ you.”

I glare at him, and he laughs. “Stop being so damn adorable.”

My lips purse.

He leans in and kisses my temple.

All the conversations that were going on around us cease. I glance around and everyone is looking at us with expressions of delight on their faces.

I look at him, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he just watches me. I see something in his eyes then. It’s there, but it’s guarded. That knowing feeling sits heavy in my gut as I wonder if I imagined it. Could we both be starting to feel something more?

I don’t want him to fall in love with me.

I don’t want to want him.

I want for us to be friends.

I want to not fall in love with him.

But there’s a very good chance I’m not going to be able to stop it.

Mrs. Hennington clears her throat, breaking the trance. “Have you considered what we talked about, Angie?”

What we talked about? I scramble through the conversations we’ve had and finally land on what she’s talking about.

The bakery.

“I just don’t think it would be right.” I shake my head. “I would really feel terrible when I have to go back to Philly.”

“I’m sure Becca could use the help,” Macie says, handing me a piece of pie. “With being short staffed and all, she’s a bit overwhelmed. Even if it’s only while you’re here.”

I want to help. It would be great to have something to do back in the bakery, but I don’t know if I should. Why put down roots when I’m not planning to let the tree grow? My mind goes back and forth over the pros and cons and if I were to take her up on her offer it will give Wyatt false hope.

“Oh, I would love some help,” Mrs. Kannan says with a smile. “Especially with the festival and the weddings I have comin’ up.”

“I’m honestly not sure that I would be much help, Mrs. Kannan. By the time I got the lay of the shop, I’d be leaving. It wouldn’t be right.”

Mrs. Kannan and Mrs. Hennington share a look. I’m not too sure what they’re conveying, but I’m wishing that it’s in support to let it drop. “I understand, but I sure hope you change your mind.”

Crisis averted.

We talk a little more, and Wyatt sits next to me with a grin. He looks confident, as if everything is going according to plan. It makes me wonder what else he has up his sleeve. So far, the first two weeks have been almost too easy. We’ve laughed, had tons of dates, had a pretty fantastic kiss, and gotten along great. If things continue at this rate, in a few months, I’m going to have a hard time convincing myself to go back to Philly.

And that would be a bad thing.

WYATT TAKES MY HAND AS we walk back to our house, and I let him. It feels comfortable, which leaves a very uncomfortable feeling in my chest. It shouldn’t be as easy as it is. I’ve never liked guys who were touchy-feely, and it makes me wonder why with Wyatt I almost crave it.

Is it because he’s so sweet? Is it because this is how it’s meant to be? I don’t know about any of this, and Presley is no help. She just smiles when I explain how I feel. It makes no sense that I actually like him as much as I do in such a short amount of time.

We continue down the path, and I admire the set up the Hennington’s have. They all live on the same piece of land, but they’re not on top of each other. His parents live in what he calls the main house. I call it a freaking mansion. Trent, Wyatt, and Zach all have homes on the property, but Zach’s original place is no longer occupied since he and Presley built their own home.

“Hey,” I say, stopping dead in my tracks. “Why am I staying with you in your house when Zach’s house is empty?”

“Because it’s not where you belong.” Wyatt stands in front of me, and I remove my hand from his.

That makes no sense. He wants me here, but he could at least let me have my own space. I’m kind of pissed at him . . . and Presley. Neither of them thought about how much I would maybe need some separation. “Why? Why would you do that?”

“Where is this coming from? You never said a word when we were makin’ arrangements. So why are you suddenly pissed?”

“I don’t know, but I am.” Probably because I didn’t think of it sooner, which isn’t the damn point. “You never gave me a choice. You said I would move here and stay with you. It was decided for me. I still could’ve gotten to know you while living down the road.”

“No,” Wyatt says with finality.

“No?”

“No. You were staying with me. It wasn’t mentioned because it wasn’t an option.”

My mouth falls open. “And why not?”

“Because you’re pregnant and you gave me limited time. You’re exactly where I need you.”

Once again, he renders me speechless. Where he needs me? What does that even mean? I start to think back to some of the comments he’s made and try to decipher any hidden meanings. Wyatt didn’t protest after he got over his shock. He went into “man mode” and wanted to fix it all. I chalked it up to him being a good guy and wanting to take care of me, but I wonder if there’s more. “So that’s all I am?” I ask. “I’m just the girl you got pregnant who needs you to take care of her? This is why you went all commando and tried to tell me we were getting married?” I shoot the questions off in rapid fire.

“No!” He steps forward. “Maybe when you first said that you were pregnant, my mind went there. But shit, Ang. We’re not kids, and this isn’t something new between us. I don’t understand why you won’t see that you’re not some obligation. I like you. I like bein’ around you. I didn’t offer Zach’s place, because I wanted you close to me. I wanted to see if we were more two years ago, but neither of us were going to move, so I let it go. Why won’t you put down your guard?”

Because once upon a time when I believed in fairy tales, I was the girl who wanted to be married and have a family. I believed that it would happen, yet it never seemed right. No man seemed worthy of my time. No prince ever showed up, and I learned the hard way that a lot of men would treat me like shit, so I let go of that stupid dream and lived in reality. I built my own damn castle with really high walls. It was a fortress, sturdy enough to ensure I could never be hurt. Now, here Wyatt is with his cannon, finding ways to break my armor. He’s finding cracks in the foundation, and I have to stop him.