Page 52 of I Found You (Wilder #1)

Seven months later

“She’s just a baby. I don’t think she’ll really care.” Maeve gave Jackson an irritated scowl.

“She’s not a baby anymore. She’s officially a toddler now. And it’s a birthday party, Jackson. You’re supposed to wrap the presents for a birthday party, especially a kids party.”

“Seriously? It’s not like she can unwrap it. At least this way, she’ll be able to open this present on her own,” Jackson said. He thought he was making a smart argument; I could see it on his face. Before he riled Maeve up even more, I stepped in.

“Take my dad’s stuff out of his gift bag and just use that.”

“ What ! No. Absolutely not. Charlie is not going to look like he couldn’t be bothered to put a gift together when, in reality, it was Jackson. He’ll just have to look like a fool.” She shot him another glare.

I nodded at Jackson, essentially releasing him from Maeve’s wrath so he could put his gift bag together. He wasn’t wrong, in my opinion. But I wasn’t about to say that to her.

“My father wrapped all of the presents and then put the wrapped packages into a gift bag. Fancy paper stuff and all.”

“Tissue paper,” Maeve responded, eyes shining like I’d just told her my father had rescued a litter of puppies from a burning building. Hormones were making her emotions go wild.

I chucked quietly and wrapped my arms around her middle from behind. We were standing on the back porch of our yard. The sun was shining brightly over the small party we were throwing for Jane’s first birthday.

“I can’t believe she’s already one year old.”

“I can’t believe she’s almost ours,” I replied. The adoption hearing was scheduled for later this week. A little behind schedule from what we were hoping for, but otherwise, it was pretty smooth so far.

“Should we talk about her name?” Maeve asked.

“Yeah. I was thinking she should take my name. That way, when you take my name, we wouldn’t have to go back to change her name again.

” We had been talking about the future, about marriage, for a while.

I still hadn’t put a ring on it, but that was going to change. Today. She just didn’t know that yet.

“I meant her first name.”

“Why would we change the name Jane?”

“Because you hate that name. Right from the beginning, you told me that her name wasn’t Jane because she didn’t even look like a Jane.”

Faking outrage, I lied, “What are you even talking about? I would never say that. Of course she’s Jane.”

Maeve spun around, mouth agape at my blatant lie. I remembered when I told her that. I’d meant it at the time. But now… now I couldn’t picture a better name for her. She was Jane. My Jane. Plus, I hadn’t expected Maeve to remember that.

I placed a quick kiss on her forehead. She was just so damn cute. “Seriously though. Do you want to keep her name?”

“Yeah. Not only because she already knows her name and I don’t want to confuse her but also because it’s just who she is. She’s Jane Sunshine, soon to be Wilder.”

I held back my groan at that. Maeve wanted to keep a nod to her origins. Something about not erasing where she came from. I understood that, even though I really did hate that name. If Maeve wanted it, that was fine with me.

On the other side of the yard, Reid was sulking alone. Across from me, Luke must have noticed, too, because we both started making our way toward him at the same time.

I handed him the can of soda I brought over. With a raised brow, he looked at the can and then back to me. “You got anything stronger?”

“Nope. It’s a fucking baby’s birthday party. We didn’t exactly break out the hard liquor.”

“I’m not in the fucking mood, Wyatt,” he grumbled.

“Stop sulking at your niece’s birthday party,” Luke said. “Put a smile on your face and just pretend for one afternoon. We know you hurt that she’s gone. But she was only here temporarily to work on the Delano Library project. You knew she wasn’t here for the long term.”

“Fuck off, Luke. Just because your marriage is shit doesn’t mean we can all ‘just pretend,’” Reid spat out. “Go find your wife and be miserable with her. Just leave me alone.”

“Watch yourself,” I said at the same time Luke said, “Fuck you,” and walked toward the table where the food was laid out.

We stood there for a beat, and I scrubbed at the scruff on my face.

“What?” Reid said, a little too much attitude in his voice. I quirked my head at him and shot him a look. “Sorry,” he sighed. “I know. I’ll apologize to him.”

“That was pretty out of line,” I told him.

“But that’s not what I was going to talk to you about.

” I turned outward so we were shoulder to shoulder, looking over the party from the back fence.

Luke had made a plate and offered it to Juliet, but her nose scrunched up in disgust, and she shook her head.

Luke took his plate and sauntered off to one of the folding tables we had set up, and it just happened to be the same table that Scarlett was sitting at with a plate of her own.

Relationships were hard, which brought me back to what I wanted to talk to Reid about.

“I know it’s probably not the best time for you, but I’m going to propose to Maeve today. Here, at the party.”

“No fucking way, brother. That’s awesome. It’s about damn time.”

When I turned my head to him, he had a genuine smile on his face. Heartbreak was tough, and this kid’s heart had been through the wringer in the past year, but he was still a romantic at heart.

My eyes swiped through the party, seeking Maeve.

She was standing with Wes and Jackson, talking wildly while the other two stood there silently.

On the other side of the yard, Josie held Jane on her lap, watching as she tried to pick up her finger food and get it into her mouth, laughing with Sheila.

My dad was at the grill, surveying the party, same as me.

Our eyes met, and he nodded in appreciation of what we had put together.

The only thing missing was Lydia. She couldn’t make it down this weekend with her work schedule.

Some big gallery opening or something. She was still off doing big things over in the big city.

Maeve had broken off from Wes and Jackson and was heading my way.

She was a fucking vision, every goddamn day.

Today, her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her dress was a dark red color and ruffly, hitting just below her knees, and had long sleeves.

I hadn’t even noticed that I moved until I met her halfway across the yard.

I rubbed her growing belly before I pulled her toward me for a kiss.

“Mhhm,” she sighed into my mouth. “Do you think it’s time for cake yet?”

“Is that what it’s going to take to get all these people out of our yard and you upstairs?”

She laughed like I was kidding.

We set up a smash cake for Jane, because apparently that was the thing to do, and had a regular birthday cake to serve.

Josie must have taken a hundred pictures of Jane’s little fists demolishing the small cake in front of her and her crying hysterically at the Happy Birthday song. Turns out, she was not a fan of people shouting in unison at her.

Maeve went inside to clean up. While she was gone, I gathered Jane in my arms and pulled out the ring. When she came back out, I was waiting for her. Kneeling on the grass at the bottom of the back deck, I balanced Jane on my leg with one hand and held the ring box open with the other.

“Maeve,” I started. She was already nodding her head, tears leaking down her face, and I hadn’t even asked the question yet.

“A year ago, I had no idea that my life was about to be flipped upside down. Finding Jane that night changed everything for me. Not just because I fell in love with her, but because of her, I found you. I’ve never known love like this.

The kind of love that is equal parts terrifying and intoxicating.

You soothe my soul in a way I didn’t even know I needed.

I want to make our family official. You, me, Jane, whatever boy or girl you’ve got brewing inside.

” She threw her head back laughing, tears streaking down her cheeks.

“And however many more you want. I want it all. And I only want it with you. Will you marry me?”

Maeve’s enthusiastic yes sent cheers up from around the yard.

I hurried to stand as she ran into my arms. Someone plucked Jane from me—I wasn’t even sure who—but it freed me up to wrap myself around Maeve and spin her around.

I tangled my fingers in her hair, and she captured my face in her hands.

Our mouths met in a searing kiss. If I didn’t have all these fuckers in my yard, I would take her upstairs right now, but as it was, we were going to have to wait until later.

I could deal with that, though, because we had the rest of our lives for me to show her just how much I loved her.

Thank you for reading I Found You!