“Oh, fucking shit!” I got up, putting my hands over my mouth. Praying to God my memory was warped by some weird dream I had. “Oh no…no. No. Helen, you didn’t.”
Looking around quickly, I nearly jumped over the couch for my tablet. Picking it up from the ground, I held it like it was a child. “Play video camera for midnight last night.”
I watched and then fast-forwarded. When I saw it. When I watched myself get up and kiss him, my legs went limp, and I collapsed onto the floor. “What have I done?”
Think, Helen. Think!
“Delete video from all severs.”
“Password needed.”
Placing my thumb on the screen, I watched it delete before letting the tablet fall out of my hands onto the floor.
“I’ve ruined everything.” I whispered to myself. What was going to happen now? He was going to act awkward! My parents…shit. No, he wouldn’t talk to them about this. Maybe he was drunk, too?
And I remembered why I was so upset earlier.
It was because I want Wyatt. I didn’t want to be taken away from my family. But I don’t want Wyatt to see me as family. I want to be a Callahan. But not a Callahan.
“I’m horrible person.” It was never about my biological father or family. My father is Declan Callahan. My mother is Coraline Wilson Callahan. I wouldn’t have changed that for the world. But I wanted Wyatt not to see me as his cousin. I wanted my biological parents to show up just to remind him I wasn’t his cousin. But he never stopped seeing me as his uncle’s daughter. That is why I was mad. That was why I left.
I’m a manipulative, selfish, violent murderer…who just forced herself on her cousin!
I have to fix this.
Getting up off the ground and going back to the couch, I picked up my phone, dialing before heading up the stairs to my bedroom.
“This is Helen Callahan in the penthouse suite, I’ll be leaving in a few hours. Have my car ready and call the maids. This place is a mess.”
WYATT – AGE ELEVEN
Lifting the cloth up, I stuck my head under to ask, “Why are you under the table?”
“Because it’s nice under here.” Her brown eyes were red like she was crying, but she sniffed, wiping them so I couldn’t see. I looked at both ends of the table before crawling under with her. “What are you doing?”
“You said it was nice down here. I want to see, move over.”
“Wyatt—”
“Did someone say something mean to you?” I asked, picking at the paint under the table.
“No.”
“So why are you sad?”
“I’m not sad.”
“You’re crying.”
“I’m not.”
“Your eyes are red, and you have a booger—”
“Shut up!” she yelled at me, putting her hands over her nose. Laughing, I reached into my suit pocket and gave her my handkerchief. She blew so hard, I shook a little bit with her. I tried not to laugh, but she sounded like an elephant.
“Do you think I’ll ever get married?”
“Why do you want to get married?” I asked her like she was crazy.
She flicked my forehead. “Not now! When I’m older.”
“Oh.” Duh.
“Sure, you’ll get married when you’re older. Why wouldn’t you? You’re pretty…well, not when your face is covered in snot.”
I tensed up, ready for her to hit me or even yell again. But she didn’t. Instead she said, “I heard some of the boys say that Dona was so pretty and that Nari was kind of cute, too. Then one of them said that I looked like a monkey with a…mop…a mop on my head.”
“Which boys?” I asked, looking out over the yard.
She leaned over and then pointed, to the ones by the trees. “Them.”
When I looked back at her, that’s when I saw her lips tremble and that she was pinching her hands together so tightly her nails were digging into her skin.
“Don’t do that,” I said, pulling her hands apart. “One day you’re going to get a ring on there. You don’t want your hands to have scars.”
“But I’m ugly—” This time I flicked her forehead as hard as I could. “Ouch!”
“I already said you’re pretty! Why are you listening to their words more than mine!” I yelled at her, really annoyed for some reason. “I’m going to tell Ethan, Darcy and Sedric, too. We’re going to get them back for sure.”
“No! My parents said not to cause trouble.”
“Were kids, Helen, we’re supposed to cause trouble!” I grinned, letting go of her hand and moved to get out from under the table.
“Wyatt!”
I popped my head back under. “Besides, if no one marries you, I will.”
“We’re cousins. You can’t do that.” She replied back at me.
“That’s not true.” I took out my phone to check and showed it to her. “Marrying your first cousin is legal in twenty-five states. Some lists claim that twenty-six states allow cousin marriage... No states ban marriages between second cousins. We’re second cousins, Helen!”
“I’m not marrying you, Wyatt!” She glared at me.
I frowned. “Why not? I’m cool. Plus, I’m about to beat up the people who made you cry.”
“Wyatt, don’t!”
“Stay here and watch so you don’t get in trouble, too,” I replied, giving her thumbs up before standing up straighter. I saw Ethan looking at me from across the lawn. I ran back toward the house, waving for him to come with me.
I was going to make those boys cry worse than her.
WYATT – NOW
That’s where I remembered that from. I sat up against the headboard. I even proposed?
“Hmm.” Looking to see what the maid lying next to me wanted, I felt annoyed with myself again.
“You’re not going to make me ask you to leave, are you?” she asked,
