“Let them.”
“Wilder,” I plead quietly.
His lips find my ear as we step inside. “I can’t wait to get you alone later.”
I can feel the blush as it creeps its way up my face.
The hostess, a girl with bright purple hair and a nose piercing, smiles at us. “How many?”
“We have a reservation.” Wilder slips his arm around my waist and tugs me close to him. “Wilder Cox.”
“Wild Cox.” The hostess cocks an eyebrow in my boyfriend's direction. Yep, she's heardallabout him.
He grins back. “The one and only.”
I jab him in the side with my elbow.
“And this,” Wilder hoarsely gets out as he clutches his ribs, “is my girlfriend, Ingrid.”
The hostess laughs quietly, obviously amused by our little exchange. “This way.”
We're seated by the window as the sunset glows rose gold against the summer sky. Candles and chandeliers light the dining area. White tablecloths, emerald cloth napkins, and gold plates cover the tables.
A gentleman in a tux sits at a piano by the window as glasses clink and conversation fills the air.
“This is...” I bite my lip. “Beautiful, Wilder. Thank you.”
He reaches across the table, his dark hair falling across his forehead, and grabs my hand. As his thumb strokes the promise ring on my finger, he says, “It's been a year. A year since we sat in your car and made that bucket list.”
My heart thumps as I swallow hard. I completely forgot. “It's our anniversary.”
“Yeah.” Wilder smiles. “We never really talked about a specific date, so I chose this one. I hope that's okay.”
Underneath all that charm and sarcasm, he’s ridiculously sentimental. Who would have guessed?
“It is.”
“I know I'm not big on the whole expressing my feelings thing,” he swallows hard, “but this has been the best year of my life.”
“Mine, too,” I say, flipping my hand over and sliding my palm into his.
“Happy anniversary,” he continues, but then his smile falters as he tilts his head to the side. “What in the...”
I twist in my seat. Two tables over sit the unmistakable Archibald Allred and his latest summer fling.
Felicia.
Six-weeks-pregnant Felicia.
“Just a water for me,” I hear her say to the waiter.
Guess she wasn't lying about being pregnant with Archibald's child.
“No.” Wilder drops his head into his hands. “Not again.”
I let out a weighty exhale. “I found out this morning. I was going to tell you, but I wanted tonight to be about us.”
Honestly, I hoped it wasn’t true.
