Katie
We all make our way to the living room.

Tyler and Izzy join Mike and Clair on the big sofa.

Ava takes the recliner and Derek sits on the ground in front of her. Leaving Wyatt and me on the small sofa on the other side of the room.

"We have something we want to tell you," Clair says looking at the ground.

"Oh shit, are one of you dying?" Derek exclaims.

"No, no one is dying." My dad groans.

Wyatt and Izzy share a look but before I can decipher what it is Clair starts taking.

"I guess there's no easy way to put this but, Mike and I are... dating," Clair says slowly.

Everyone is silent till Derek abruptly laughs. "That's a good joke, you really had me going there for a second."

Tyler shakes his head. "Der, I don't think they're joking."

I can't bring myself to say anything.

It's like I'm outside my body watching this happen.

Derek looks back and forth between Clair and my Dad. "No, you wouldn't do that. You wouldn't do that to Mom would you?"

Clair takes a deep breath. "Derek, I love your father."

Derek stands up. "Don't say that!"

His eyes dart around the room not able to focus properly. "Some friend you are. You divorce your husband then date your dead best friend's husband."

I notice Tyler tighten his fists and Izzy pats his arm.

"What do you think Mom would think about this? She would be ashamed of both of you.

"I guess it doesn't matter because you obviously don't care." Derek spits out.

Tyler stands up with his jaw clenched. "Derek, leave before you say something you'll regret."

Derek moves closer to Tyler. To be fair Derek had six inches of height over Tyler, but Tyler has the upper hand.

"You're not upset about this?" Derek yells.

Tyler's face hardens and a look I've never seen before flashes for the briefest moment. "I am upset but, I think we should hear them out before we jump to conclusions."

"Hear them out?"

"I have to get out of here," Derek says with his voice shaking.

He slams the front door on his way out.

Ava gets up with a guilty look. "I'm going to go after him."

Everyone nods their heads except me. I'm still trying to process what's going on.

Sometime during Derek's explosion, Wyatt pulled me closer to him.

"How long have y'all been together?" I ask softly, finally finding my voice.

My dad looks at the wall directly behind me. "Almost a year and a half."

It suddenly feels like all the air gets sucked out of me. I look towards Izzy and then to Wyatt; realizing something.

"You lied to your own daughter for a year!"
I yell at my dad.

I take a deep breath but it does nothing.

He flinches at my voice but doesn't say anything.

"You both knew didn't you," I say cold enough to freeze a lake.

I look at Izzy, I know if I look at Wyatt I'll break.

All my walls go right back up around my heart. "You're my best friend Izzy and, you lied to me!" I spit out.

Izzy's eyes fill with tears and she takes a breath and I interrupt her. "Don't even, you lied to me and I don't want to hear your excuses."

I turn towards Wyatt. "I trusted you and you lied straight to my face this morning."

"Katie, don't be mad at them, be mad at me." My dad says.

"Don't worry I am." I storm out the back door.

I see their chair swing hanging in the tree and I plop down on it.

All this time they've been lying to me.

Dad's work dinners, Claire's late nights. All lies.

Wyatt
Tyler sighs and walks to the kitchen with Izzy hot on his heels.

I run my hands down the front of my face and sigh. Katie is never going to forgive me.

I hated lying to her this morning, but it wasn't my place to tell her.

"She'll forgive you, Wyatt, just give her time," Mike says patting my shoulder.

"Time is actually the worst thing you can give Kat. The longer she sits out there the more she's going to close her heart up." Tyler says from the kitchen walkway.

We all give him the same confused look. "How long have you known?" Tyler asks me.

"We told him not to-," Clair says but, Tyler interrupts her.

"Wyatt. How long have you known?"

"Izzy told me she suspected something at the last football game but wasn't sure. Yesterday is when I saw them at the mall together."
I say.

Tyler nods his head.

"He told us if we didn't tell y'all he would," Mike says.

"I wanted to tell you and Katie, but I felt it wasn't my place too," I say quietly.

Tyler sits down. "I understand and I forgive you. Both of you," Tyler says looking at me and then Izzy.

"I wish y'all didn't hide your relationship from us," Tyler tells his mom.

"I know and I'm so sorry, Ty," Clair says with tears falling down her face.

At this moment I notice how similar Tyler and his mom look. They have the same eyes and hair color.

Tyler gets up and hugs his mom. "Promise no more secrets."

"No more secrets."

"Which one of us is going to talk to Katie," Izzy says cautiously.

"I think I should since I'm the only one who didn't lie to her," Tyler says smiling softly.

Katie
"Go away, liar!" I yell to whoever opened the back door.

I'm sitting on the bench swing that's hanging from a big oak tree in Tyler's backyard.

"Last time I checked I didn't lie to you."

I look around and see Tyler walking toward me.

He sits down beside me. "You can't stay out here forever."

"I know."

"How are you holding up?" I ask.

"Good, besides the fact I just ate an entire box of Reese Puffs cereal.

I roll my eyes. Tyler does stress eat.

"What has you the most pissed off?" Tyler asks.

"That they lied. I don't even care about them dating, I'm mad they hid it from us for almost two years."

"I think they were scared of how we would react," Tyler says calmly.

Surprisingly it calms me.

I give Tyler a grin. "For what it's worth I think you should have slugged Derek."

Tyler laughs. "I wanted too but, he was just lashing out because he was mad."

Tyler takes my hand and I rest my head on his shoulder. "Don't take it out on Iz and Wyatt, they did what they thought was right."

Deep down I would have done the same thing.

I hear a crunch of leaves and turn to see Izzy standing teary-eyed with her hands in her pockets. "Can I sit?"

I nod my head.

"Katie, I am so sorry I should have never hid that from you," Izzy blurts out.

"I understand why you didn't tell me," I say softly.

Izzy sniffles and shakes her head. "You're my best friend-"

I stop Izzy with my hand. "No, if I was in your place I would have done the same thing."

I give her a small smile. "I forgive you."

Izzy finally breaks out into tears and pulls me to her chest.

We stay like that for a few moments.

"If you forgave me you can forgive him." She says against my head.

I sigh into Izzy's chest. "He lied to me this morning."

"So did I!" Izzy exclaims.

"Yeah, but your my best friend," I whine.

I know she is right it's just easier to stay mad at Wyatt.

She pulls away and gives me her famous mother's look. "At least hear him out."

I nod my head and Tyler stands up, offering Izzy his hand.

They walk inside and I see Wyatt come out with his head down.

He sits down and then suddenly blurts out, "If I did it over again I still wouldn't tell you."

Great way to start off this conversation.

I glare at him and he sighs. "It wasn't my place to tell you your father is dating your dead mother's best friend."

When he says it like that it makes sense.

Unfortunately.

"I know you're pissed with me but I'm not going to say I'm sorry for not telling you," Wyatt says quietly.

I nod my head and the look he gives me tells me everything I need to know.

I feel all the walls I tried to build up around my heart fall.

As hard as I try Wyatt always works his way back in.

"But I am sorry I lied to you this morning."
Wyatt wraps his arm around my shoulders and I crack.

He knows I don't need pity or lies about how I should or should not feel.

He was honest with me with no sugarcoating.

Exactly how I would have been if the tables were turned.

I bury my face into his chest and sob. Not the cute quiet kind, the loud hiccup kind where you feel like your lungs are collapsing.

Wyatt rubs small circles on my back till I calm down.

"I feel like I should be mad about dad dating but I'm not. I'm happy for him. Another part of me thinks I'm betraying my Mom." I confess.

"She would be happy too. You can't feel guilty about being happy. Your mom is probably looking down smiling, and thinking, 'It took them long enough'."

I chuckle and snuggle closer to Wyatt. "I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier, it was just easier to be mad at you than confront my feelings."

Wyatt laughs. "I've noticed the only feeling you can decipher is anger."

I punch his arm softly. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is. You're always calm and sarcastic, till someone makes you mad." Wyatt argues.

He didn't know how far away from the truth he is. I had feelings for him and it isn't just a petty crush anymore.

I'm head over heels, crazy for him.

We sit like that for a while. Wyatt arms wrapped around me and my head resting on his chest.

When we hear a car pull up we go inside.

We walk in and Derek is hugging Tyler while Clair cries again.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Derek tells Clair and she swats her hand while pulling him in for a hug.

"You had your reaction and you came back and apologized, that's all that matters."

Clair is the most forgiving person I've ever met.

"If you think about it, Tyler was the only one who had a mature reaction." My dad points out.

A spark of agitation flares in my chest but I quickly stomp it out.

"Let's not point that out," I say coldly.

"The main thing is I couldn't think of a better woman for my father." I smile just thinking about them together.

Clair wipes tears from her eyes. "Y'all don't know how much you mean to me."

Mike hugs Clair. "What are your thoughts now?"

Derek shrugs his shoulders. "I'm happy, Clair's always been in my life so not much is going to change."

Tyler smiles. "I'm glad my mom finally has a good man in her life."

Izzy hugs closer to Tyler's arm. "I think you make the cutest couple."

I grin. "I'm just glad Dad isn't going to be spending all his free time doing crossword puzzles."

Everyone laughs and I glance at Wyatt to find him already staring at me.

How is it possible in such a short amount of time someone can mean so much to you?

Guys!!! This chapter was so hard to write. This chapter took me days to write. Let me know y'all thoughts.

If you have any suggestions pls comment them!!