Page 35 of I Found You (Wilder #1)

Maeve

Wyatt had a plan. I didn’t know all of the details of this plan, but I knew it involved both Wes and Luke.

Basically, he wanted to come at those hoodlums from both sides.

Wes’s wall of muscles and perpetual scowl could make a grown man wet himself, which I was pretty sure was part of the plan.

And Luke’s law enforcement would see him taken away in cuffs.

Wyatt was feeling restless. He couldn’t seem to focus on work now that he had this new information, so rather than calling or texting Luke, he opted to track him down at the police station.

We both left the garage at the same time, Wyatt walking me to my car. I stopped by the back door and turned to him. I opened my mouth to ask him if he wanted to come by after work today, but he stopped me with a question of his own. “Are you driving, or am I?”

My mouth snapped closed, my brow furrowed. “What?”

“To the station. Do you want to drive, or do you want me to?” he asked, pulling Jane from my arms and opening the car door to get her strapped into her car seat .

“Oh, I didn’t realize we were all going.” I laughed nervously.

“I just got you talking to me again. I’m not letting you get away from me that fast,” he said with a wink.

I just stood there watching him wrestle Jane into her seat, which was becoming more difficult by the day.

When he was done, he closed the back door and opened the passenger door, gesturing for me to sit while he roamed my face, his eyes landing on my lips.

So I sat. I would do just about anything when that man looked at me like that.

Rounding the car, he got in on the driver’s side and adjusted the seat and mirrors.

He checked my seat belt with a quick look before he pulled out of the parking lot.

His hand found mine on the center console, and I wrapped my pinky around his pinky.

He let out a small grunt, pulling his hand away to adjust us so we could link all of our fingers together.

A fluttering sensation crept up from my belly, through my sternum, and surrounded my heart at the small gesture.

At the station, we were met by two people, one in uniform and one not.

“Wyatt, hey. What are you doing here?” the woman asked sweetly. Her red hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and freckles dotted her face, making her dark blue eyes pop. She was beautiful.

“Hey, Scarlett. Monroe,” he greeted them. “I need to see Luke. Is he here?”

Scarlett furrowed her brow, concern etched on her features. She looked back at the officer she was chatting with when we came in.

“Yeah, follow me,” he said. He opened the security door to the belly of the building, allowing Wyatt to pass. Officer Monroe looked at me as well, but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to follow or just wait for him out here.

When Wyatt noticed I wasn’t right behind him, he turned back. “You coming?”

“I’ll wait for you here,” I said, making the decision for him.

“Are you sure? You can come with me.”

“No, you go. I’m good.”

Wyatt nodded then followed Officer Monroe, the heavy door closing behind them.

“Hi, you must be Maeve,” the dispatcher said, a tentative smile gracing her face.

She reached out her hand to me, “I’m Scarlett.

Luke’s mentioned that Wyatt’s been spending a lot of time with you and the baby.

I hope he isn’t bothering you. Just let me know if he is. I’ll have Luke beat him up,” she joked.

A loud laugh burst out of me. “Wyatt’s been great. He’s actually been a huge help.” I could feel my cheeks pinkening. I just hoped she didn’t notice.

Giggling softly, she raised her eyebrows and, with a knowing grin, said, “I bet he has.” My breath caught in my lungs, and I started coughing. She was outright laughing at me now.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” she cringed.

“That’s okay. Are you and Luke close?” I asked.

Scarlett’s eyes visibly dimmed for a moment. Recovering quickly, she said, “Yeah, we’re friends,” leaving it at that.

We chatted easily for a few minutes when her phone dinged beside her. Nose crunching, she frowned as she read the message, typing something back quickly.

“Is everything alright?”

“Oh yeah, my sister is in town and we had an appointment tomorrow at Honey Lou’s, but she’s had to cancel. She’s a bit flaky, so it comes as no surprise.”

Honey Lou’s was the only luxury spa in town. Well, luxurious to us townies anyway.

“That’s too bad that she canceled. I’ve never been, but I heard all great things about it.”

“Do you want to come with me? Is that weird to ask?” she laughed. “I promise I’m not a crazy person. I just don’t want to go alone.”

“Seriously? I’ll ask Wyatt if he can watch Jane.

If he can, then sure. I’m in,” I exclaimed, exchanging numbers with her so we could finalize the plans.

Over the past few weeks, Jackson hadn’t asked me for any money, not for the rent or food or gas for one of his buddies.

Spending that money on myself was such a foreign concept, but I found myself really looking forward to it.

The door that led into the station opened, and Wyatt strode out, followed by Luke. I couldn’t help but notice that Scarlett’s eyes kept drifting toward them but quickly averting away again while she busied herself with paperwork.

The brothers nodded to each other, a silent communication passing between them.

On the drive back to the garage, I asked Wyatt if he could watch Jane, but his hedging response made me backtrack my request.

“You don’t have to. I can ask Jackson,” I told him.

“I need Jackson with me tomorrow. But we can ask my dad. He’ll do it.”

“Wyatt, I am not asking your father to babysit for me,” I huffed at him. He looked at me in confusion, like he couldn’t comprehend why I thought that idea was crazy.

“Why not? He’d love it. Watch,” Wyatt said, using voice recognition to call his father on the spot.

“Wyatt!” I hissed. “He’s going to think I put you up to this. ”

He gave me a wink as his father answered the phone.

Without any preamble whatsoever, he asked him if he was free tomorrow afternoon and if he would be able to watch Jane.

And just like that, I had a child-free afternoon scheduled.

I immediately texted Scarlett to let her know I could make it, giddy at the idea of making a new friend.

I felt like I was in middle school with how excited I was.

* * *

Charlie Wilder opened the front door with a large grin plastered on his face.

He was a handsome man in his late fifties.

He had a great head of hair, albeit mostly gray.

His large frame filled the doorway, and I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in his build compared to Wyatt’s.

But besides the mess of hair—much like Wyatt’s—and his size and stature, I didn’t really see much of Wyatt in him.

Where Wyatt’s eyes were a soulful brown, Charlie’s were a mossy green.

Where Wyatt’s nose was straight with a button tip, Charlie’s was broader and buttonless.

He led me into the house, carrying the bags I’d brought with me.

Jane had almost never been away from me, except for that fateful night that ended in the emergency room.

I tried to think of everything that she might want or need, even though it was only going to be a few hours.

There was enough formula, diapers, wipes, and clothes to last a full week.

Charlie plucked Jane from my arms and ushered me out the door after I explained to him, in detail, how she liked her bottle made… for the fifth time. He assured me that they wo uld be just fine but agreed to text me every hour with an update.

Finding a parking spot in downtown Calla Bay was a nightmare this time of year, made even worse by it being a Saturday.

I ended up snagging a spot by the market, which meant that I had a six-block walk to get to the spa.

By the time I arrived, I had sweat in every crease of my body, of which there were many.

The spa’s air-conditioning felt like the most exquisite ice box.

Scarlett was sitting on the plush white couch, scrolling through her phone, when I walked in.

She looked up at the sound of the door and smiled with her whole face.

Some people smiled with just their mouths; other people’s smiles reached their eyes.

Scarlett was one of those people whose whole face lit up when she smiled.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m so glad you were able to make it. Who’s watching the baby?”

“Charlie, Wyatt’s father. But this is the first time, and I didn’t ask him to.

I asked Wyatt, and when he couldn’t, he just took it upon himself to ask his father.

” I didn’t want her to think that I expected other people to take care of Jane for me.

She was my responsibility, and I took that very seriously.

“Oh, that’s great. Charlie is the best. I can see him with a baby in his arms. He will probably spoil her rotten all day. It’ll be great for both of them.”

I wanted to ask her how she knew Charlie so well, but it wasn’t any of my business, and I had the distinct impression I would be stepping into something if I opened that door.

Calla Bay was a small town, and she did work with one of his sons.

But did she know all of her coworkers’ parents that well?

Or was it specific to Luke and the glances that she was giving him?

From what I saw, she would be setting herself up for heartache if she went there.

She may have been having a hard time keeping her eyes off him, but I didn’t see him even once glance in her direction. Then again, Luke was married.

They called us into a room where we spent the next sixty minutes being lavishly pampered with warm towels, hot stones, calming scents, and relaxing massages. By the time it was done, I felt so relaxed I could sleep for days.