Page 18 of I Found You (Wilder #1)

Maeve

“Who’s the prettiest girl in the whole wide world?” I asked Jane. She chewed on her fingers, getting drool all over them. I grabbed a clean dishrag off the counter and wiped them down. She was just going to put them right back in her mouth, but at least I tried. “You are!”

She was strapped to my chest in the front carrier Wyatt had bought while I did the dishes. It didn’t leave me much room to reach, but I was making it work. The rumble of Wyatt’s truck sounded out front, and I immediately got butterflies in my belly.

Calm down, Maeve.

I wiped my hands on the dishrag and looked down at my dress.

I had thrown on a basic summer sundress earlier.

It wasn’t my most flattering dress. Maybe I could change really fast. No, that was dumb.

He isn’t here for you, Maeve. He doesn’t care what you’re wearing.

Plus, I didn’t really have time to change. He knocked on my door a second later.

“Hey,” I said, opening the door for him.

His smile lit up his face, and he reached out to brush Jane’s head.

“Hey. Did you already make yourself dinner? I know I’m a little later than usual.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Not yet, but I can whip something together if you’re hungry.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he said, shaking his head. “I picked up some food on my way home from work.” So, he didn’t want me to make us dinner? Why did that leave me a little disappointed? “Why don’t you and Jane come to the beach with me. I have enough for both of us.”

Oh. That fluttering sensation was back.

“Like a picnic?”

“Sure, we can make it a picnic.” He shrugged. “Do you have a blanket though? I don’t have one in my truck.”

“I’ll go grab one. Hold on.”

“Let me take Jane off your hands while you get some things together. I’ve got food and drinks covered, as long as you like seltzer waters.”

“That’s perfect,” I told him, unstrapping Jane’s carrier and handing her over to Wyatt. “Give me five minutes.”

“What do you need me to do?” He strapped Jane to his chest and walked into the house.

“Nothing. I’ll get some things together for Jane and grab us a blanket to use.”

I scurried around collecting the diapers, wipes, an extra outfit, and a little sweater for Jane, just in case it cooled down while we were out.

Then I ran to the spare bedroom and pulled the comforter off the bed, folding it up as best as possible.

It was thick and bulky, especially folded like it was, and I lugged it out to the living room, the diaper bag still on my arm.

Wyatt took the blanket from me and held it under his arm. “ I made Jane a bottle in case she gets hungry. Is that alright?”

“Yeah,” I replied as I watched Wyatt finish packing Jane’s bag with her fresh bottle, the comforter under his arm, Jane strapped to his chest. This man.

He was already stunning just to look at, and now he was here packing us up for a picnic at the beach, making sure Jane had something to eat while we were out.

He was making my head spin with ideas. Ideas I needed to keep tamped down before I ended up hurting myself.

“You ready?” he asked.

I nodded back, not trusting myself to talk right now. I was pretty sure if I opened my mouth, I was going to end up drooling over him.

The walk to the shore was only about five minutes.

Most people thought that property this close to the water would cost a fortune, but this side of town was an old fishermen’s village.

The houses were still mostly run-down—not unlike mine—and the beaches were rockier than the opposite side of town.

The tourists tended to stay away from this neighborhood in favor of our historical downtown with cobblestone streets or the east side of Calla Bay, where the shore protected the beaches from the rocks and seaweed.

Wyatt had carried the drinks, blankets, and, of course, Jane. He seemed to always have her in his arms when he was around. I had the takeout food and the diaper bag.

The sun was shining bright, albeit a bit lower in the sky.

It was past 6:00 p.m., but dusk wouldn’t hit for another couple of hours.

The wind was stronger on the water, the salty air flowing around us.

Wyatt and I worked together to get everything in place, holding the corners of the blanket down with the waters on one side and Jane on the other.

Going by the giggly smile on her face, she didn’t mind being used to anchor the blanket for a minute.

“This is the first time I’ve taken Jane down here. I wonder how she’ll react to the sand.”

“Let’s find out.” Wyatt picked Jane up and stood her on the beach so her toes were touching the sand. She kicked her legs wildly, smiling widely, while Wyatt held her.

I took Jane as Wyatt set out our containers.

When he showed up at my door, I thought he had bought himself dinner and was willing to share it, like a pizza or something.

But he had picked up meals for both of us, intentionally.

He had two orders of steak tips and two sides of mashed potatoes and green beans.

Either he thought he was hungrier than he was when he ordered, or he bought two of everything because of me.

I was trying hard not to read into it, but it was basically impossible.

Was this a date? The three of us having a picnic on the beach with the dinner that Wyatt brought? It felt like a date.

“Jackson hung around at the garage today. His truck needs some work, a good amount of work, but it’ll be worth it. It was a good buy on his part,” Wyatt said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Thanks again for letting him keep it there. I hope he wasn’t in your way all day.”

“Not at all. I helped give him my assessment of the work it needs, showed him a few things, but other than that, he was quiet.” He glanced away, and I got the impression he was keeping something back.

“That was really nice of you. You didn’t have to do that. But thank you.”

“It’s not a big deal, doll. This is what I do.” He was right. That was just what he did. He was always helping someone. First Jane, then me, now Jackson.

I had Jane on my lap while we ate, but as soon as Wyatt finished, he scooped her back up, letting her play in the sand.

“Should we see if she likes to put her toes in the water?” he asked. He had this playful grin that made him look boyish. He was so excited to be part of this, and I found myself glad that I hadn’t thought to bring Jane down here on my own before.

“Absolutely!” I finished my last bite and stored my to-go container in the bag with Wyatt’s.

He got to his feet and reached down to lend me his hand, Jane on his waist. He pulled me up, but he didn’t let go right away.

I traced his features with my eyes, taking in his dark, soulful eyes and straight nose, his manly scruff that covered his cheeks and jaw, and those lips.

They were perfectly bow-shaped, full, and soft-looking. Would they feel soft on mine?

One side of his mouth tipped up in a grin. My gaze shot to his. His brow rose, and he looked like he was trying to hold back his smile. Shoot . He definitely caught me staring. I glanced away quickly. My face felt warm to me; I could only imagine how red I was to him.

“Come on,” he laughed, tugging on my hand before letting it drop.

We walked to the end of the pier rather than where the water met the beach. I was barefoot, having only been in sandals, which I took off when we sat down to eat, but Wyatt was in work boots.

We sat on the decking, my toes in the water. Wyatt held Jane out in front of him and looked back to me. “Ready?”

“Ready when you are,” I laughed. “Actually, hold on.” I dug for my phone so I could take a picture. I snapped one of Wyatt holding Jane above the water and then another dozen or so when he finally dipped her feet in the ocean.

“She loves it. I knew she would.” Wyatt looked so proud of her. He picked her up and dipped her into the water over and over again. Jane really did love it, but I was pretty sure Jane loved everything Wyatt did with her.

He passed Jane to me so that I could play with her in the water too. I was making funny faces at her and reveling in her little baby laugh. Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I turned to look. Wyatt had his phone out, capturing it all on video.

We stayed for a few minutes, but Jane’s attention span was pretty short, and she started getting fussy. “Let’s head back to the blanket. I think Jane needs her bottle. She’s starting to get hungry.”

I held Jane to me on the walk back, tickling her neck.

It was a good method to keep her fussiness at bay, for a little while at least. Wyatt wasn’t beside me, so I turned back to see if he had stopped or something, but I found him a couple of steps behind us, watching us, his expression soft. “Keep going. I’m right behind you.”

Wyatt insisted on feeding her, so I handed Jane back to him along with her bottle.

“If you’re not busy on Thursday, my dad’s having a dinner at his house.

You should come. Although, fair warning, my brothers and their ladies will be there too.

” My heart stuttered, uncertainly whirling within me.

Wyatt must have been able to tell because he hurried to add, “It’s not like I’m looking for a date to my dad’s.

I remembered you saying that you didn’t really have the whole family dinner thing, so I thought you might want to see what it’s all about.

You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. ”

“Do I just show up, like, on my own?” My hands knotted together, then unknotted. The wind was blowing my hair around my face, distracting me, so I tucked it behind my ear.

Wyatt just chuckled and watched me fidget like a nervous schoolgirl. In fairness, that was exactly what I felt like. “No. I can pick you up after I get out of work.”

“We’d have to take my car for the car seat.” He knew that Jane and I were a package, right? “And I would have Jane with me. Is that alright?”

“Yes, doll. Jane is invited too.”

A Wilder family dinner. That was definitely not a date. Of course it wasn’t. He probably just wanted everyone to meet Jane, and I was a necessary add-on.