Opening it, I took out the few nicer items I’d brought and hung them up in the closet while Ladd lay back on the bed, his feet hanging off so he didn’t get the quilt dirty.
“That quilt looks older than yours. Was it Sarah’s as well?”
He glanced down at it. “I’m not sure. Mom will know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was found with her things as well.”
After putting all of my bathroom things away in the guest bathroom, I walked back into the room. “Why did your great-grandfather pack away all of Sarah’s things?”
He sat up. “According to my dad, who askedhisdad, Great-Grandpa Lawrence was so heartbroken when Sarahdied, he couldn’t stand to see any reminders of her in the house. So, he had it all packed up and put where he couldn’t see it.”
My heart broke for a man I never knew. “That is so sad. You would think he’d want reminders of her, if he loved her so much.”
Ladd nodded. “The Wilde men are a strange bunch.”
“You’re telling me this now?”
He stood…and suddenly became very serious as he studied me. “I think our emotions run very deep. My grandmother told Mom something once, about Grandpa Flint dying before she did. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was sitting in the pantry, hiding because David and I were playing hide and seek. I couldn’t have been more than ten years old, but I remember that conversation that I was in no way supposed to hear.”
Intrigued by the story, I asked, “What did they say?”
“Grandma Lilith told Mom that she was glad my grandfather had gone before her, because if she’d passed first, he wouldn’t have been able to handle life without her. That, just like Lawrence, Grandpa Flint would have tried to erase all evidence of Lilith simply so he could go on with life. She warned Mom that once a Wilde man loves you, he loves you with everything he has…and sometimes a love like that can be too much.”
“Too much?” I asked in barely a whisper. “I can’t imagine that someone loving you too much could ever be a bad thing.”
He shrugged. “When someone loves you too little, that’s not good. Can you love someone so much that it hurts them in ways you never could have dreamed?”
“No. I don’t think so. Was he clingy? Did he not allow her to do the things she loved to do? Is your father that way?”
Ladd laughed. “God, no. My father would give his right arm if it meant keeping my mother happy. He’s supported her in everything she’s ever wanted to do. Like when she first wanted to learn how to quilt, and she took this class in town. They were making a Christmas quilt, and Mom was in heaven. She loved going. It was once a week, and that meant she wouldn’t be here to cook dinner, which she fretted about because that’s the kind of mom she is. My father told her not to be silly. To go to class and have fun.”
Ladd grinned. “She’d haul her dang sewing machine with her, and I can remember David and me waving her goodbye. Mike and Jason were really young at the time. Dad would load all four of us into the truck and head into town as soon as she was gone. There was a hamburger place that had the best shakes, and Dad would let us order anything we wanted. David ordered a hamburger one time, and asked if he could have friesandonion rings. My father just laughed and said yes. And I ordered three different shakes one week just because I wanted to taste them all.”
He was smiling fondly at the memory, and I felt a pang of jealousy. What must it have been like to grow up with a mother and father who loved you and wanted to make you happy at all costs?
“Did you drink all three milkshakes?”
“Heck no,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t like the strawberry, so Dad drank it. David and Jason split the banana shake. My favorite was the chocolate, and since that day, I’ve never ordered anything other than chocolate.”
“To me, it sounds like it’s a good thing your father loves your mother so deeply.”
Ladd nodded. “I think it is. But I also know if anything were to ever happen to her, his life would be turned upside down. I’ve heard him tell her that if she wasn’t in his life, he wouldn’t want to go on.” He lifted his head, and our gazes met. “I think that’s what Lilith meant by loving someone too much. That the thought of them not being with you makes you not want to live.”
“Are you trying to scare me off, Mr. Wilde?”
His expression turned serious. “Not at all, Viv. But I suppose I have some idea of how they felt. The moment I saw you, I knew I wanted you to be mine for the rest of my life.”
I blinked back joyful tears. “Is this your way of asking me to marry you?”
Tossing his head back, he laughed before giving me a look. “Trust me, when I ask you to marry me, it’ll be a hell of a lot better than starting with a crazy story about my family in the guest bedroom.”
My heart tripped at his words.When I ask you to marry me.
A light knock on the door had us both looking over to see Nellie standing there. “The boys are home and they’re dying to meet Vivianne. I thought we might have a game night if you’re not too tired.”
“Game night sounds great,” Ladd said as he walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Viv is putting some things away, and then we’ll be down.”
“Take your time,” Nellie said. “The boys are grabbing a quick bite.”
“Thanks,Mom.”
