Gretchen bustles in and looks around as if checking to see if anyone needs anything.
Isabel quickly busies herself by filling another water glass.
“Did everyone meet Isabel?” Gretchen asks.
“We did,” Ryder informs her.
“Oh, good. I haven’t had a free moment to make formal introductions. She has the most impressive recommendations from the family she worked for. So many skills. I’m so glad she’s here.”
Isabel’s cheeks are even darker now. She’s so nervous. I wish I could say something to calm her, but I’d be freaking out if I were in her shoes, too. She’ll relax over time.
Hell, what am I thinking? This is my first night in the house, too. I’m only marginally less nervous than Isabel. Plus, my life is in upheaval, and the man next to me, with his hand on my bare thigh, wants me to marry him as fast as I’ll agree to it.
I’m not at all sure Isabel is more nervous than I am. But I’m not the one currently serving this raucous table of people and trying to impress all of us.
Isabel leaves the dining room on Gretchen’s tail.
“We’re so glad you’re here,” Ryder announces, looking at me. “If there’s anything you need, ask anyone. We won’t know where to find it, but we’ll all start looking,” he teases.
“Thank you. I’m sorry for the circumstances. I’m sure you all think I’m weird for keeping my identity a secret. Maybe I am. I just wanted to live my life in peace while not giving up what I love to do.”
Tiago shakes his head. “No one thinks you’re weird. We totally understand.”
Arianna leans toward me from across the table. “Are you kidding? I was hiding in Wilde almost as long as you. I managed to live under the radar for two solid years. No one had a single clue who I was. It was so refreshing. I thought I might get away with it forever.” She elbows Dallas playfully. “Until this brute showed up and thought it would be a good idea for us to eat at a restaurant in the city.” She rolls her eyes.
It’s only been a few weeks since someone recognized Arianna when she and Dallas were in the city. The next day, reporters showed up at the library, hoping to grab the latest big scoop about the life of the unfortunate woman whose father snapped and killed her mother before committing suicide.
Arianna weathered the storm. Everyone in town helped her. Will they do the same for me?
Dallas pulls Arianna closer and kisses her soundly. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The love in this room makes me squirm. It’s palpable. I find myself craving things I never thought would happen for me. And when I glance at Brody, he’s smiling at me with the same expression as every other man in the room. Adoration.
He points at my plate. “Do you want more roast?”
“No, thank you.”
He finished his before me. Now every ounce of his attention is on my thigh, which he’s stroking with one hand. Even though he’s looking at my face, I know he’s not listening to anything anyone is saying. He’s busy trying to distract me.
And it’s working. I literally ache for him in a way that makes me want to shove my chair back and drag him upstairs. This will be the first night we sleep in our newly chosen room. I wonder how much sleep we’ll get, considering I need to be at my desk first thing in the morning.
Gretchen serves a delicious lemon tart for dessert. I’m going to gain ten pounds in a week eating here, but if Brody gets his way, I’m going to gain far more than ten pounds in the coming months.
It’s contagious. All of a sudden, I have baby fever. I can’t believe I’m gradually getting more and more on board with this madness. And I keep grinning like I won the lottery.
The moment I take the last bite of my tart, Brody stands. “We’re going to bed. Most days, Melody works early in the morning, so she’ll be tapping at the keys before the sun.”
“Not that early. More like with the sun,” I respond.
“I have to open the library at nine,” Arianna adds.
Reagan nods. “I have a hiking group to accompany at nine also.”
Claire leans into Ryder’s side. “I’ll be here, helping Gretchen hire more staff.” I’m aware that Claire has taken on the role of the matron of the house. As the first to marry a Wilde, she kind of got thrust into the job. She’s apparently good at it, though. And someone has to do it.
Brody threads his fingers with mine and nearly drags me from the room.
