She smiles and rubs her eyes sleepily before shifting her stuffed animal from her right arm to her left and tucking it under her armpit.
I'm frozen, unsure what to do. Wilder hadn’t mentioned that he had a little sister living with his parents. Was it possible his parents were young enough to have a toddler? Maybe this is Cody's daughter he brought with him to visit while in town from Atlanta?
I’m trying to think of any logical explanation for the small childstanding in front of me, watching me with sleepy eyes the same color as his and an adorable smile.
Why the hell didn't Wilder mention he had more family? And why didn’t I ask him more about himself?
Oh, that’s right, because the guy’s been like a vault so far and last night was the first time I could feel him starting to open up to me more.
“Did the storm wake you up?” I ask, breaking the silent staring competition we seem to be locked in.
She nods and yawns. “Yeah, the thunder was loud.”
I smile and chuckle softly. “It was.”
"Will you read me a story?" she asks.
I falter for a second, then try to recover. "Um... sure."
She walks towards the living room couch and hops on it before pointing to a stack of books located under the TV in an all-glass cabinet.
"Do you have a favorite?" I ask.
She nods eagerly. "The wolfy book."
I scan the stack of books, finally finding what I assume is the wolfy book that has two large dogs on the cover. One’s wearing a red, fire Marshall hat and the other in what looks like a blue police hat and the cover says, ‘Paw Patrol Adventures!’splashed acrossthe front.
Willow cuddles in closer to me as she strokes her stuffed animal kitten while I begin to read the words, wondering how the hell I’m going to explain this if someone walks in on us. I'm only two pages in when suddenly, the door I came through that faces the pool slides open revealing Wilder. His eyes scan the living room until they land on Willow and I and he freezes.
“What…what are you doing?” he demands.
I have no idea how to answer that question honestly because Istill don’t know who the little girl snuggled up next to me even is. I fumble for words, my heart pounding in my chest. “I… I was trying to find some coffee. You were asleep, and your instant coffee canister was empty. The power went out last night, and it’s so hot in the pool house. I thought I’d find the circuit breaker and flip it so that it’d cool back down, but then… I ran into Willow. She asked me to read her a book.” My voice trails off as I glance at the little girl, still clutching her stuffed cat and doing me no favors to corroborate my very strange story.
Wilder stares at me, his jaw tight and his green eyes flashing with something I can’t quite place—shock, frustration, maybe even fear. Finally, he exhales sharply, running a hand through his messy hair. “Teagan, you… you shouldn’t be in here. You didn’t have permission to come in here,” He shakes his head, his voice strained. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”
How hewanted me to find out?Needed permission to enter the main house? What the hell is any of that supposed to mean?
I freeze, feeling the sting of tears threatening at the corners of my eyes. I look down at the book in my lap and close it gently, turning to Willow with a soft smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Wilder’s eyes flick between me and Willow, and for a second, I swear I see panic behind his frustration. I don’t know if he’s worried about her or me, but the sudden shift in his demeanor has left me completely off balance. My chest tightens, and all I want to do is drop the stupid coffee canister and run. But before I can move, another door opens, and Wilder’s brother Cody strolls into the living room. His hair is sticking up in every direction and he’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. He blinks at us like he’s trying to piece together the scene that he just walked out on.
“Y’all are gonna wake up Mom and Dad with all of the noise you’re making,” he mumbles, yawning as he rubs the back of his neck.
“Willow, go back to sleep. Now,” Wilder instructs the little girl.
“But Teagan was gonna read me a book! I’m not tired anymore, Daddy. The booming is too loud.”
Daddy?!
My stomach drops, and I barely manage to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. Daddy? Wilder is herfather.
Wilder lets out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose like he’s trying to hold himself together. “I’ll read you a book in your room,” he says gently to Willow, his tone soft and careful. “Come on, let’s go.”
He glances back at me, his expression unreadable. “We’ll talk later, Teagan. Once she’s asleep, I can take you back to your sister’s.”
I’m rooted to the spot, gripping the coffee canister so tightly that my hand starts to go numb. Slowly, I set it on the counter and stretch out my fingers, trying to bring the blood flow back. My mind is spinning, trying to catch up with everything that just happened.
Wilder takes Willow’s hand and disappears down the hallway, leaving me alone in the kitchen with Cody still looking as uncomfortable as I feel. As soon as I hear the door to her room click shut, I bolt for the pool house, my bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor and then the damp grass.
