Wyatt
Once I get to Katie's house I see Tyler's car in the driveway. I figured he'd come.

I look at the time and realize I'm fifteen minutes early. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to be early."

I get out of my car and lock the door. When I get to their front door I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell.

Katie opens the door and my jaw falls to the floor.

She looks amazing. She has her hair slightly curled and is wearing a blue shirt that made her look even tanner.

I'm starting to wonder how I never noticed her before now.

Oh boy, I am in trouble.

Katie
When I open the door I see Wyatt standing in an olive green button-down shirt that made the little bit of green in his eye pop. It also made the muscles in his arms stand out more than normal.

He really looked good. Too good.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. "Hi, you're early!"

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink which makes me smile. "I'm sorry, I hope it's okay?"

I wave my hand in the air. "Oh, it doesn't matter. Come in."

Yeah, nothing is more attractive than a teenage girl who acts like a grandma talking to her grandkids. Great job Katie.

He follows me inside and I close the door behind him. He hands me the bouquet he was holding. "I got you these."

Their daylilies, my favorite. I feel myself blush slightly. "Awe Wyatt, you didn't have to get me these!"

"They're beautiful, how did you know these are my favorite?"

He smiles and I feel a flock of butterflies irrupt in my stomach. "I just had a hunch."

Since when did guys give me butterflies? Lord, I need to get a grip.

Wyatt follows me into the kitchen. "My dads still getting ready so I'll give you a tour of the house." I take a vase out of the cabinet and fill it up with water for the flowers.

I hear Tyler come up behind Wyatt with Derek close behind. "Hey man, long time no see," Tyler says chuckling.

Derek pushes Tyler out of the way with his wheelchair and I hear Tyler mumble a few curse words about his toes being smashed.

Derek looks Wyatt up and down. "So you're Wyatt?"

"You're taller than I remember." Wyatt looks at the ground and chuckles, pink slowly spreading across his cheeks.

A few days ago I would have let Derek embarrass Wyatt, but today something changed in me.

"Derek stop. Be nice and don't act like an old man that never gets out of the house," I snap, but Derek glares at me.

Tyler being Tyler tries to change the subject. "Wy, you got her daylilies her favorite type of flowers, good move." Did I mention Tyler is not the best with words?

I grab Wyatt's hand and push Tyler out of the way. "Okay, both of you move, I'm going to give Wyatt a tour of the house." I pull him into the living room.

"This is the living room where we watch movies, tv shows, and even the news." I gesture around with my hand as I explain.

I walk over to two reclining chairs. "This is where Derek and my dad watch football games. Now Ty sits here because Derek is in a permanent chair at the moment."

"Haha very funny, go ahead and make fun of your crippled brother," Derek shouts from the kitchen.

I walk towards the steps that lead upstairs. "Over here are the steps that lead upstairs and right there is the door to the basement."

We go upstairs and I see Wyatt looking at me and Derek's baby pictures.

The one he was looking at, I was on Tyler's shoulders holding a Nerf gun in the air. Derek was giving Izzy a piggyback ride in the picture and I think my dad was the one taking the picture.

I stop beside Wyatt. "The reason I'm holding a Nerf gun is that this was taken right after Derek and Izzy beat me and Tyler in a Nerf gunfight."

Wyatt chuckles. "Wait, y'all actually had those?"

I pretend to look horrified. "We still do!"

That makes Wyatt laugh even harder. "How old are y'all in that picture?"

"I think Derek and Ty are thirteen and me and Izzy are twelve."

We continue up the rest of the stairs and stop at the bathroom. "This is just your average beach-themed upstairs bathroom."

I point to the doors on the other side of the hall. "Those two doors are mine and Derek's rooms, mine is the one with post-it notes all over it."

Wyatt chuckles and looks down at me. "I wanted to tell you earlier that you look amazing."

I feel my face heat and I try to play it off. "Oh please. But thank you anyway."

We just stare at each other for a few moments till Derek yells, "Gracie, something is beeping!"

I turn around. "I'm sorry, I have to get that." Wyatt follows me downstairs.

While I finish getting everything ready Wyatt talks with Tyler and Derek.

"Okay, Sorry it took me so long, but I'm finally ready. Hopefully, Wyatt gets here soon because I'm famished," My dad says as he walks into the kitchen.

When he sees Wyatt his eyes widen in embarrassment. "Well hello Wyatt, it's nice to finally meet you."

I see Wyatt's ears turn red. "It's nice to meet you too Mr. Fleming." They shake hands.

My dad smiles at Wyatt. "Good firm handshake, I admire that." I put my head in my hands.

I guess we all know where I get my weirdness from.

Before it can get any more awkward I clap my hands together. "Alright, let's eat!"

I'm pretty sure I see Wyatt let out a very long breath. It's cute to see him all nervous.

I thought Derek was bad but my dad is way worse. You would have thought my dad was a cop and he was interrogating a murder suspect. It was questioned after question.

I didn't interrupt though, it's fun to watch Wyatt answer all of my dad's questions.

What? He is the one that suggested we date, so it's only fair for him to endure my dad alone.

"So Wyatt, what are you doing after you graduate?" My dad asks.

I speak up for the first time the whole dinner. "What he really means is, 'Wyatt what college are you going to'?" My dad rolls his eyes at me.

Poor Wyatt's whole face pales. I don't think I've ever seen him this nervous. I don't know why he's so scared of my dad, he's just a college professor. I guess looking at him he can look a little intimidating.

He's around the same height as Tyler, and he used to work on cars back in his early years.
So it made his hands look big and calloused.

He also has grass-green eyes and a head of black hair peppered with white.

Wyatt answers my dad in a shaky voice, "I don't know yet. I did get offered a chance to play for a few different colleges. I haven't decided if I want to or not because I don't want to leave my mom alone. I'll probably end up taking classes at the community college."

My dad smiles. "There's nothing wrong with going to a community college. Did you know Katie applied to Clearbrooke, she's waiting to hear back from them."

Wyatt looks over at me and smiles. To everyone around us, it just looks like your everyday Wyatt smile.

I know that he's thinking, 'Haha now you're the one being interrogated'. I smile right back at him because unlike him I'm not scared of my dad, well...only when he's angry and he's not right now.

I sigh, and I think Wyatt's the only one who knows it was fake. "Yeah, I can't go without a scholarship, so hopefully the riding team will think I'm good enough."

Tyler jumps in. "Of course, she couldn't apply to the same school as Izzy, Derek, and I.

"Yeah, she has to go and break up the gang," Derek says with his mouth full.

I quickly stick my tongue out at Derek and Tyler while my dad was looking at his food.

"I like Clearbrooke and it's not that far from y'all, only an hour."

My dad points his fork at me. "And she will be closer to me than you two."

My dad looks at Wyatt. "These two hooligans, are going to school four hours away from here." That makes us all laugh and I see Wyatt relax.

After we finish eating I stand up and place my plate in the sink.

I start getting the rest of the dishes off the table and my dad says, "Sweetie, I would stay and help you, but I have like twenty tests to grade."

I grin. "Mmhm, sure you do."

My dad's lip twitches telling me he's fighting a smile. "I would never lie about something like that. How dare you accuse me of something so horrible."

I dramatically roll my eyes. My dad walks out of the kitchen mumbling about how I'm being overly dramatic.

He stops in the hall and turns around. "Wyatt, it was nice meeting you. You seem like a nice kid. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

My dad looks at me and very noticeably mouths, "I approve." I just shake my head.

Derek does this fake yawn, stretch thing and says, "Me and Tyler have something to do in the basement."

Tyler chimes in, "Yeah sorry, Kat we can't help with dishes." They walk/roll out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, That didn't sound gay at all!" I yell.

"F.Y.I I'm giving you the finger, you just can't see it!" Tyler yells back causing me and Wyatt to burst out laughing.

Wyatt opens the dishwasher and starts loading it. "You don't have to help me."

He looks up at me with his dashing smile. "I don't mind."

I grin back at him. "Well, didn't your mother raise such a gentleman?"

Wyatt chuckles. "Why, yes she did."

"Thank you for helping me." (He was not only helping me but washing the dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher.)

"Oh, it's no problem."

I put the plate into the cabinet and start drying off another one. "Normally it's just me doing the dishes, Derek used to help but since his accident, he hasn't been able to."

Wyatt looks at me with a curious face. "So you do a lot of the chores?"

I smile slightly. "I do most of them. Dad helps when he can but he's always so busy with work. And Derek well, let's just hope he marries a woman who loves to clean."

Wyatt chuckles. "He's that bad?"

I laugh. "He's banned from ever using the laundry machine again since he dyed all of dads clothes pink."

Wyatt shakes his head. "I know the feeling, I've done that one too many times."

I shrug my shoulders. "My mom died when I was young, so I just kind of grew up taking care of them. If Tyler's mom didn't teach me how to wash clothes and how to clean a toilet I don't know what we would have done?"

Wyatt shakes his head laughing. "Kate, you are the most interesting girl I've ever met."

I look at him with my eyebrows raised. "I hope that's a good thing."

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!

Y'all have a favorite character yet?

I know I do!

I was so excited to introduce Katie's dad!! Don't worry he'll be in a lot more chapters!