I closed my suitcase and slid it under the bed. After taking another look around the beautiful room that would be mine for the next week, I turned to Ladd. He was back to leaning against the doorjamb and looking so handsome it made my heart feel as if it swelled in my chest. Was I really this lucky to have a man like Ladd Wilde love me?
“Guess that’s it. I’m all unpacked.”
“Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?”
Smiling, I nodded. “I can’t wait to meet your brothers.”
“Just a warning. They’re going to fall instantly in love with you.”
“Got it.”
He held out his hand for mine. “One more warning.”
“What is it?”
“Game night in the Wilde household can sometimes get a bit crazy.”
“I want crazy. I want happiness and love and all the crazy to surround me while we’re here.”
A slight look of worry passed over his face. “Viv, if there are any words to explain what game night is like…happiness and love are not in there.”
My brows raised. “What words would you use?”
An evil smile grew across his face. “I think I’ll let you decide for yourself.”
“Oh dear,” I whispered as he guided me out of the bedroom to head downstairs.
Ladd
Vivianne stood in the living room with a surprised expression on her face. She looked around at the others, then focused on me.
“Clue?” she asked.
“Dad’s sitting this one out so that you can play, Vivianne,” Jason said, excitement obvious in his voice.
My two younger brothers had, of course, loved Vivianne the moment they met her. They asked her all kinds of questions about herself, but luckily nothing too personal. Mainly what type of music she liked, favorite movies, things like that. When my mother heard that Vivianne was a Stevie Nicks fan, they fell into a side conversation about some of their favorite songs from both Stevie and Fleetwood Mac.
Now Vivianne looked at my father, who raised his beer and grinned. “Welcome to the family. This is just one of many things that will introduce you to the Wilde world. And we take our last name seriously.”
“Clue?” she asked again, clearly confused. “I thought maybe you guys would play Monopoly or charades or something like that.”
“You’ve never played Clue before, have you?” David asked.
Vivianne grinned. “Of course I have. When I was like…fifteen.”
“You’re in for a real treat then,” my father replied. “The one you need to look out for is Nellie.”
My mother looked up from where she was preparing everything. “What do you mean, me?”
I laughed. “You go full-on detective mode, Mom.”
“I take the game seriously!”
I glanced over to see Vivianne covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh.
After a minute or so, my mom lifted a bowl. “Okay, so all of the characters are in this bowl, and we’ll pick randomly becausesomepeople always want to be the same person.”
Mike sighed. “Excuse me if I like Professor Plum. He’s a cool dude!”
