We park in the bakery lot, and I say, “I painted all afternoon.” I pull up the picture I took on my phone and show her.
Sophia whistles. “A couple horseback riding. That’s beautiful. Were you inspired from your ride with Brayden?”
A blond woman behind the counter interrupts before I have to answer. “Are you girls here for the wedding cake tasting?”
“Yes,” Sophia says. “This is Leleila, the bride-to-be…” She puts her arm around me. “And I’m Sophia, the best friend. The groom is late but should be here shortly.”
“Wonderful. I’m Winny.” She pats at her blond hair with bright orange streaks running through it. “Another party will be doing a tasting tonight also. No one else is here yet, though, so just take a seat at that table in the far back, and I’ll be right over.”
Sophia insists on me sitting in the outer chair… “So the first thing Phillip will see when he walks in are your legs. That is why you’re wearing the skirt, right? So he’ll notice you.”
I try to deny her statement but take the seat she points out. She sits across from me as Winny approaches us with a two-tiered glass plate in her hands. Gorgeous bite-sized cake morsels, in various colors and styles, are scattered on both tiers.
Sophia claps her hands. “This is the perfect dinner, Winny,” she jokes.
Winny puts the plate in the center of the table. “I know. Dessert instead of dinner. Why do you think I wound up in a bakery?”
She puts one napkin in front of me and one in front of Sophia. “Okay, girls, try this top one here.” She gives us each a piece of vanilla cake with buttercream icing.
I bite into mine. “It’s so good,” I say just as the bell rings at the door.
The back of my neck tingles.
“No way,” Sophia says, her mouth dropping open. “I think you’ll want to see who this is, Lei.”
I turn my head, and the cake in my hand drops onto the plate.
Even from across the room, those blue eyes are blazing into me. “Brayden?” I say.
He shoves his hands in his pants pockets and nods. “Hey.”
“The other party is here!” Winnie hustles over to greet him.
“Other party?” Sophia mutters to me. “He’s getting married?”
Brayden flicks his gaze to me. “I’m here for my cousin. For Jasalie, really.”
I smile at his obvious discomfort as he rocks back on his heels. “You look like you’re really looking forward to this.”
He flashes me a grin. “Yeah. I’m not a wedding planner kind of guy. Yet here I am.”
Winnie whips her gaze back and forth between the two of us. “If you all know each other, would you like to sit together for the tasting? Ms. Gordon has already given me her style and decorating specs, so all you’re here for is the tasting, Mr. Wild.”
Brayden hesitates, his eyes on me, and I bite my lip. But Sophia waves him over. “Come take a seat!”
Brayden takes off his coat and puts it on the back of the chair next to me. Sophia kicks me under the table and smiles widely, and I know she’s loving the fact that he’s here.
Could this be any more awkward? And where is Phillip?
Like his ear is burning, my phone beeps with a text.
You’re going to have to do the tasting without me. Dr. Lucas asked me to stay to run through some analysis with him. I promise I’ll make it up to you.
I turn off my phone angrily. Phillip can make all the promises he wants, but the thing is, there’s always going to be another paper. And his workaholic nature is never going to end.
When I look up, all three people in the room are watching me.
“Everything okay?” Brayden murmurs, concern etched on his face.
Willing myself to pull my shit together, I give him a bright, completely false smile as I nod.
And he knows I’m full of shit.
He reaches for my hand, like he’s not even thinking about it, and covers it with his own.
Sophia gasps.
Brayden’s cheeks redden. He never shows embarrassment like that, and I stare at him in surprise as he immediately removes his hand and pats my arm awkwardly like his movements were all planned.
Winny grabs three pieces of chocolate cake covered with red icing. “Cherry flavored,” she explains about the red frosting. “Maybe Ms. Gordon will like this flavor.”
For the next hour, the three of us eat cake. And it’s fun. Sophia’s silliness breaks the tension in the room, and Brayden FaceTimes Jasalie to give her his opinion. Jasalie’s thrilled when she sees Sophia and me.
“Let the ladies help you choose, Brayden!” she says to him. “And Dylan said he’s going to set you up? What’s that about?”
Brayden tugs at his hair. “Jasalie, your husband doesn’t know when to mind his own business.”
She laughs. “And Leleila, I still hope you’ll come to the wedding also!”
“Um…” I pause, and Brayden jumps in.
“If she can make it, I’m sure she will.”
I glance over at Sophia, and she puts her hands over her face and giggles.
Brayden says goodbye to Jasalie and then leans closer to me so he can disconnect the call. Maybe it’s my imagination, but it feels like he lingers for a moment longer than necessary. I can smell his cologne, and him, and my pulse starts galloping.
And then, the moment breaks.
Brayden thanks Winnie for her time and stands up.
He grabs his coat off the chair and walks out of the bakery.
I tell Sophia I have to go, and then I grab my coat too and run after him. He’s already partway across the parking lot when I call out.
“Brayden.”
He stops and turns back to look at me. “Leleila, I’m sorry. I was surprised as hell to see you in there.”
I’m well aware that lines are being blurred all over the place. I also know that I’ve never felt this happy before and that my wedding will be upon me before I know it.
“I understand.” I fiddle with the zipper on my coat. “So, Dylan wants to set you up, huh?”
Brayden lets out a breath. “Yes. And I don’t need his damn help, which I’ve made clear to him. But my cousin is—and this is something you’ll learn if you meet him—not easily deterred. No doubt that persistence helps him out when he’s being chased by three-hundred pound linemen.”
I laugh. “I’m sure it does.”
“But he’s driving me fucking nuts. He won’t let up, and he’s insistent he’s going to set me up with somebody if I don’t bring my own date.”
I swallow. “Well, I’m sure the wedding will be amazing. You’ll have fun no matter what.”
“I guess so. Dylan and Jasalie deserve an amazing wedding.” His hands drop into his pockets.
“That sounds great.” I clear my throat. “And I understand if you can’t make dance class next week. I know you’ll have a lot going on with family and friends in town.”
Brayden tips his head back and gazes overhead again like he did last night. My heart lurches, and I feel like it’s hanging in the balance as I wait for him to answer me.
“I don’t want to back out on you,” he finally says as he lowers his gaze to meet mine.
While we’re standing there in purgatory, I hear a car start up. I turn my head to see Sophia zipping out of the parking lot.
“Soph!” I wave my hands at her as she passes us. “I need a ride!”
She slows down and her window lowers a crack. “I have to run, Lei. Have Brayden take you home?”
“I have to make a quick stop,” he says, glancing at his watch. “It’s my parents’ anniversary, and I promised Luke I’d pick up the gift from all of us. The place will be closed by the time I bring you home and then go back for it. So if you don’t mind an errand…”
“Great!” Sophia throws a hand out her window, now fully lowered, and then she accelerates until she’s a cloud of dust.
“Okaa-ay.” I shake my head at my completely unsubtle best friend. �
��I guess I’m going with you.”
Chapter Twenty
Brayden picks up the enlarged and beautifully-framed photo of his family at the photo store in the main shopping plaza in Wilcox.
His phone rings as he’s setting the gift in the backseat.
“Yeah?” he says as he answers. “She’s what? How the hell did she escape? There are coyotes all over the damn place at this hour…look, I can be there in about twenty minutes. I have to drop someone…I don’t think I can get there any faster. She’s on the other side of town from the highway…”
I twist around to catch his eye. “I can sit in the truck and wait for you while you go do what you need to do,” I offer. “It will save you fifteen minutes easy.”
I can read the conflict in Brayden’s eyes from here. He understandably doesn’t want to tote me along to his family ranch. Why would he? But at the same time, he obviously is needed immediately.
The desire to help out his family wins, and soon we’re driving down the windy road at Wild Ranch, right on the border of Mountainview but in the town of Wilcox.
“Come on inside,” he says when he pulls up into the driveway and I make no move to get out of the truck. “It’s so dark out here. You can hang with my parents while I help Luke find his damn dog. My twin brothers are out for the night or they’d be the ones running around in the dark.”
Meeting parents is normally something I’m fairly skilled at. Meeting Brayden Wild’s parents is not something I feel even remotely prepared for. And this mini skirt is never something I would have picked out for a parent meeting. I wonder if there’s a way to cover up my legs somehow. Doubtful.
But I feel like I owe Brayden this after everything he’s done for me. I take a deep breath, open the passenger door, and climb out.
Brayden grabs the framed photo and leads me down the path toward the gate that leads into the backyard. “They hardly ever use their front door,” he explains. “We always go in and out through the kitchen.”
He opens the screen door, which leads into a small porch area. Then he opens the wooden door beyond and ushers me in ahead of him.
And suddenly, I’m in the middle of the Wild kitchen. All I smell is chocolate chip cookies. It’s so warm and cozy that I take off my coat right away, without even thinking about it. Brayden’s behind me, and he takes the coat from me and lays it on the closest chair. Then he puts his coat over mine, and I turn to face him nervously.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
He places his hand on my lower back and whispers into my ear. “It will be fine.”
Chills race through my entire body at his closeness, and I work to regain control over my hormones as he calls out, “Mom! Are you home?”
A pretty woman with dark brown hair up in a bun comes hurrying through the swing door that looks like it leads to a dining room.
“Brayden, I can’t believe I didn’t hear you come in!”
“Happy anniversary, Mom.” He hands her the photograph as he kisses her cheek.
She looks at the picture of their whole family, and in the lighted room, I’m able to see too.
Like Brayden, his siblings are all attractive—there’s Luke, his handsome twin brothers, and his sister who has long dark hair. To me, of course, Brayden stands out. From his larger-than-life smile to his incredibly bright blue eyes, he’s completely gorgeous.
“Thank you, honey. I just love it. Dad will too.” She gives him a hug and kiss, and then turns to me. “Pardon my manners. Hello, I’m Edna Wild.”
“This is Leleila,” Brayden says. “June’s sister.”
I wish her happy anniversary, and then William, Brayden’s father, comes out, and another round of greetings begins. William Wild is gray-haired but very fit, and he smiles a lot. He loves the framed photo, and Edna immediately says they’ll hang it up in the living room.
“I think it’s great that your sister started a natural grocery store,” Brayden’s dad says to me as we walk through the swing door and take seats at the dining room table, which is filled with plates of food. There’s chicken, salad, and sweet potatoes, and it all looks delicious.
Brayden excuses himself to find Luke, and Edna insists I take a plate of food.
“We’ve just sat down to dinner,” she explains. “Luke and Brayden will be sure to grab a plate themselves when they return.”
William takes the chair across from me. “You can never have too many health food stores.”
“Yes, that’s true,” I say. “Brayden mentioned you’re interested in healthy eating.”
“I love it,” he says. “Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my desserts and my nightly glass of wine, though. Nothing can stop me from that!”
Edna brings in a bottle of wine in that moment, and she laughs at the timing. “You can tell we’ve been married forty years, can’t you?” She smiles as she takes a seat next to her husband.
She hands me the plate of chicken first, and I take a piece. It’s breaded and moist and so good I could have three helpings worth. Everything is delicious. That’s what I tell her, and she beams at me as Luke and Brayden stroll into the room. A large wolfhound trails them.
“Mom, I have to take Leleila home,” Brayden says when he sees me seated at the table.
“Nonsense,” his mother says. “Leleila has to eat first. So do you. Sit down, boys.”
“It’s okay,” I say to Brayden when he continues to stare at me. “I’m not in a rush. Your mom went to all this trouble, and the food is delicious.”
Brayden’s jaw relaxes, and he comes over and takes the seat beside me.
“Roxy was stuck in the shed,” Luke says as he sits next to his father. “Never barked once until Bray started calling for her.” Luke tilts his chin at me. “How’s it going?”
I tell him fine, and he slides his gaze between Brayden and me. Just once, but it’s enough to know that Luke Wild definitely hasn’t changed his mind about Brayden and me sharing something private.
When we finish our meal, Edna brings out the plate of chocolate chip cookies and offers them to me first.
I dig right in. I eat three without coming up for air, and then I tell her they’re the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Her face flushes with pride, and she insists I have another.
“Did you grow up in Mountainview, Leleila?” William asks me.
I tell him I did, and we all chat for a bit about the small towns in the area.
“Wilcox’s football program was always the best in the area,” William says. “We lined up in that way with my sons and nephews falling in love with the sport like they did.”
I push my glasses up on my nose. “Mountainview’s had some decent seasons, but it never fielded a team like Wilcox.”
William snaps his fingers. “There were a couple good players like you say. There was a great defensive end—Jones something or other.”
“Arthur Jones,” I say.
“That’s the one. He made the pros for a while.”
“Remember there was that drama over the kid who got kicked out of one of the local schools for drugs?” Edna asks. “Was he from Mountainview?”
I choke on my sip of wine and start coughing.
“He was,” I hear Luke say in a low tone.
Brayden pats my back. “You okay?” he whispers.
I pull myself together and look up to find Luke’s gaze on Brayden and me. He looks thoughtful, and I grip the napkin tightly in my hand.
“Was that kid the one who tried to play for the college in Colorado…” William begins.
I know he’s just asking innocently, but the topic is hitting far too close for my comfort.
“Dad, why don’t you and Mom show Leleila your dance floor?” Brayden interrupts. “She’s learning how to dance.”
“Oh, really?” Edna says to me. “That’s wonderful. William and I love to dance together.”
Everyone heads into a large room at the back of the house, and William opens up an old-fashioned record player. When walt
z music comes through the speakers, he takes Edna’s hand and they start gliding across the wooden floor.
I glance at Brayden whose jaw is clenched. He appears as uncomfortable as I am.
“Brayden,” Luke says quietly. “Can you check on Roxie?”
“Why?” Brayden asks suspiciously.
“Because she prefers you to me, and I want to make sure she’s calmed down before you leave.”
“I’ll be right back,” Brayden says to me.
Once he’s left the room, Luke steps closer to my side.
“You okay?” he asks me.
“I’m good,” I say immediately.
“I always wondered who turned that asshole in,” Luke says casually.
I whip my head over and look at him, but his attention is on his parents.
“I just found it strange that the authorities were able to find drugs in his locker that day when no one had ever found them before.”
I shift my stance so I’m facing him. “What are you saying?”
He raises his head and his knowing eyes tell me everything. “Whoever turned him in had inside information on how to nail him. And it was personal. That kid was a druggie, sure, but the guy who made sure he was caught? He knew something worse about him than that he dealt drugs. My bet’s the kid did something to a friend of his. Someone he cared about.”
I will my face to remain blank, but I’ve never been an actress.
“You looked like you’d seen a ghost at the table,” Luke says. “And my brother—let’s just say I can read him like a book. He was worried about you. And Brayden doesn’t worry over women.”
I purse my lips. “I appreciate you giving me your two cents, Luke. I do. But…”
A ghost of a smile hits his lips. “I’m butting out. And don’t worry. I’ll forget everything I saw tonight.”
As soon as Brayden returns to the room, Luke says good night and disappears.
“Brayden, before you leave, take Leleila for a spin around the floor,” his father calls out.
“Dad, we’re not dancers.”
“Well, neither are we,” he says as he nearly runs his wife into the fireplace because he’s so busy looking over his shoulder at us. “Get on up here and let Leleila practice for one song.”
Brayden (Wild Men Book 6) Page 17