Page 29 of I Found You (Wilder #1)

We rolled up in three cars, me and Reid in his truck, Luke and Seb in Luke’s SUV, and Wes by himself in his SUV, lining the street in front of their house.

Luke was smart enough to realize this could go south if not handled properly.

Even I could admit we made an intimidating crew.

Wes was a beast by himself, his long hair and full beard making his six-foot-six frame seem even larger.

He looked like he belonged on a mountain instead of by the ocean.

Seb’s arms were covered in tattoos, and he stood about as tall as me at six feet but broader.

Luke was even taller than Seb and me but not as tall as Wes.

He carried an air of authority everywhere he went, and one look at him would tell someone that he could lay down the law if needed.

Reid was the shortest of us Wilder boys, but his work as a handyman and carpenter kept him in great shape.

I stood next to Luke at the front door, my ball cap pulled low on my head and my beard, kept closer to my skin than Wes’s, obscuring the bottom half of my face.

Georgie, Kayleigh’s mother, opened the door to find us standing in front of her. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight of us, but otherwise, she looked completely unbothered by us. “Boys,” she said.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Ingram,” Luke said. “I hope you’ll forgive the intrusion, but I understand that your daughter has some items that belong to Reid. We’re here to get them back.”

“Seems quite the large group of men to grab a few sweatshirts and whatnot, no?” she asked sweetly.

“We were already together. Thought we’d help him out,” Seb supplied. Luke shot him a warning look. None of us needed this to devolve, but Luke had the most on the line if word got back to the station that he was being aggressive or threatening.

“I’ll go see if Kayleigh has his things together. She’s not home at the moment.” Her eyes met Reid’s standing in the back of the pack. She clearly felt bad for him.

“If it’s all the same to you, Georgie, I know what belongs to me, and I promise no one will touch anything of Kayleigh’s. We’re not here to make trouble. I just need my things,” Reid said.

“Well, no one else is home but me. Why don’t you and one of your brothers go upstairs. I have some lemonade and some chips and salsa for the rest of your group while they wait for you. I don’t feel right letting a bunch of men into her space, Reid.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

Reid walked to the front of the pack and put a hand on my shoulder as he passed. I followed him into the house wordlessly, nodding my appreciation to Georgie. Luke, Wes, and Seb were talking to her, declining the offer of food and drinks.

Kayleigh’s room was a disaster. I stopped Reid before he went any further into the space.

“We should take a before photo so that no one could say we trashed the place,” I suggested.

Reid huffed a small laugh. “It’s always like this. Tom and Georgie will know it has nothing to do with me. Hell, I was the only one that would ever clean it.”

Reid searched through the mess, collecting some clothes, video games, a bag of small tools.

He stooped to pick up a blanket that he had made with a photo of the two of them.

He held on to it with one hand, the other hand resting on Kayleigh’s bed for support.

I watched as he sank down to the floor, back against the bed, and cried quietly.

He was furious earlier. His tears then were equal parts sadness and anger, humiliation and confusion. This was more intense, more raw.

I continued to look around Kayleigh’s room for anything that might be Reid’s. I grabbed some cologne and a couple of travel mugs that I thought were his. If I was wrong, oh fucking well, she could buy a new cup.

“I’m sorry,” Reid said from behind me.

“For what? ”

He didn’t answer that question, but he didn’t need to. “It hurts so fucking much,” he said on a sob. I sat beside him on the floor and placed my hand on his back, rubbing circles like my mom used to do.

“I know. You’ll be alright though. I’m not saying it will be tomorrow, but you’ll get through this.”

We sat like that for a couple more minutes before Reid set his shoulders back and raised his chin up. “Let’s go. If I missed anything, she can keep it.”

We walked down the stairs and found all three of the guys on a single couch, side by side, squeezed in like sardines.

Glasses of lemonade were in front of each of them.

Wes’s and Luke’s cups looked untouched, and the men themselves looked like they were being held hostage.

Seb, on the other hand, was talking animatedly with Georgie about some reality television show, drinking his lemonade like he was at social hour, not a care in the world that he had less than a hair’s breadth of space.

We thanked Georgie for her hospitality and made to leave. She stopped Reid on his way out and gave him a firm hug, placing a motherly kiss to his cheek.

“Who’s up for some more beers?” Seb asked loudly.

I had a few more hours before Maeve would expect me. If Reid wanted to keep at this, I was game.

“Not to Harpoon’s. I don’t want to see anyone,” he said.

“We can pick up some drinks and go somewhere,” Luke said.

“Let’s meet at the beach by the docks,” I suggested.

We had been going there a lot, Maeve, Jane, and me.

It was a nice spot, and it was always quiet.

Most people used the beaches on the other side of town.

They were prettier and had some amenities like food trucks and bathrooms. The docks were working docks for fishermen, lobstermen, and the like.

“Drop me off at the beach first,” Reid said quietly. “You guys can get the beers and meet me there.”

Luke and Seb went off to buy the alcohol while Wes, Reid, and I made our way over to the beach.

My truck had a few camping chairs stashed in it, but I didn’t have my truck.

Reid only had a blanket, but I was pretty sure it was the same blanket he’d used on Saturday when he proposed.

Wasn’t about to break that out. Luckily, Wes had a few chairs in his SUV.

And Luke came equipped for every scenario, so I knew he would have some too.

The sun was hidden behind some gloomy-looking clouds, and the humidity was making me feel like I was sweating when I was standing still. The guys came back with a couple cases of beers and a few rounds of nips for each of us.

We worked our way through all of it. We all told stories about our respective love lives, four out of five of us now single.

“Oh, Luke’s the only one of us in a relationship?” Seb laughed loudly. “Bullshit, dude.”

“What? Me?” I asked. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“Does Maeve know that?” Wes’s low voice rumbled.

“Oh, she does. The way I heard it Wyatt here told her she’s not good enough for him,” Luke piped up, brows raised at me.

“Fuck that. I never said that. Who told you that?”

“That’s not what I said,” Reid slurred. “I said that you told her she wasn’t your type.”

“She’s not. She’s way too good for me.”

Luke quickly agreed, “Fuck yeah, she is. But I don’t think she cares about that. Not going by the way she was looking at you at dinner that night. ”

“Until she heard him in the kitchen. Fuck, I felt so bad for her.”

“We’re just friends,” I said lamely. We were, right? We never crossed that line. Besides when she was sleeping, she never made a move or any indication she wanted me to make a move.

I looked around at how dark it had gotten while we were shooting the shit.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I checked the time.

Nine-thirty. We had been at this all fucking day, on top of the drinking we did earlier at the restaurant.

Apparently, Maeve had left me a few messages, and my heart beat harder as I looked at her name.

Wes offered to take Reid home when I mentioned that I wanted to head out. Wes wasn’t one to overindulge, a holdover from an alcoholic father. He would drink socially but never to excess. I gave Reid a one-arm hug before I left. He was looking better, at least for the moment.

I debated about taking Reid’s truck and going home, but I’d had a bit too much to drink. And Maeve’s house was right up the street. I was just going to stop in and ask to crash on her couch. It was just because I probably shouldn’t be driving, I told myself. No other reason.