Page 8 of I Found You (Wilder #1)

I stampeded down my stairs, each foot hitting the stair treads so fast it sounded like a herd of elephants.

I ran to the living room, expecting to see a sleeping baby on the floor mat or even a passed-out Wyatt on the sofa.

When that room came up empty, I turned to the spare bedroom.

Maybe Wyatt had brought Jane in there for a nap or something?

Oh God. That room was empty too. I really didn’t have a very large house.

There wasn’t anywhere to hide. The bathroom door was open, so I knew no one was in there.

The kitchen and living room area were all one open space.

Unless Wyatt was currently crouched in my cabinets, it was safe to say he wasn’t in the house.

And neither was Jane. I was going to vomit, that sick feeling starting in my belly, working its way up my throat.

I could feel my heart beating wildly against my ribs, like a bird was flapping around in my chest cavity and was trying to make its way out of my body.

I flew up the stairs to check my bedroom again, needing to be sure I didn’t miss baby Jane just lying on the bed or something.

Obviously, I came up empty. I walked back downstairs, this time at a funeral procession pace.

That’s what this felt like. I couldn’t believe I let some random man into my home, handed over a helpless baby to him, and let my guard down enough to fall asleep.

I gripped the edge of the kitchen island counter, steadying myself.

Shock. I was in shock right now. I needed to call the police. I needed to get in touch with Kara. I needed to look for my phone. But I couldn’t move. My feet were glued to the floor, and I wasn’t sure if I could stand on my legs if I let go of this counter.

The sound of footsteps coming from the back porch broke through my stupor. I ran to the opposite side of the living room where the back door was and flung it wide open. Wyatt, holding Jane in a front-facing-in baby carrier, had his arm outstretched like he was reaching for the doorknob.

His lips turned up in a smirk when he saw me. “Hey, how’d you sleep?” he asked innocently.

“Give her to me. Give me the baby.” I frantically tried to get her out of the baby carrier while it was still attached to his chest.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. What’s got you so riled up?”

“Seriously!” I screamed. “You need to give me that baby right now. I’m not kidding, Wyatt. Right this very second.” Tears started to leak from my eyes, but I couldn’t be bothered to wipe them away.

“Okay. Let’s go inside. This contraption is going to take me a second, and it’s hot as balls out here.”

I stepped aside and ushered him into the house.

While Wyatt was untangling Jane from the carrier, I paced back and forth in the living room.

“What the hell happened? Where did you go? Where did this carrier even come from? What, you just happened to have one on you? In case you needed to do a quick kidnapping?”

“Relax. You fell asleep, and it looked like you could really use it, so I took Baby Girl for a walk.”

“Oh wow, thanks, it looked like I really needed sleep. Real polite,” I said sarcastically. Honestly, he was right. I needed that nap more than I realized. But I wasn’t about to thank the guy for basically kidnapping the baby that I was responsible for .

“I carried you to your room and thought it would be nice to get Baby Girl out of your hair for a bit.” He continued as if I didn’t say anything. “I don’t know why you’re freaking out. And don’t say that I kidnapped her. We went for a walk. I told you.”

“You carried me?” My voice hit an octave so high I was surprised glasses didn’t start shattering.

My hands came to my face, covering my mouth.

I was mortified. My weight had always been a struggle for me.

My mom was ultra-thin, probably from the stimulants she seemed to like so much.

The revolving door of men that trampled through my childhood would often comment about how much I didn’t take after her in body type.

It never even occurred to me to question how I ended up in my bedroom when I must have fallen asleep on the sofa, but knowing that Wyatt now had an intimate understanding of my size was humiliating.

I needed to get my baby back and send him on his way.

Wyatt at least had the decency to look sheepish.

He had Jane cradled on his chest again, finally out of the baby carrier.

“Yeah. I was going to leave you on the couch, but you tried to roll over and almost fell off. I figured a bed would be a safer bet. It’s not a big deal.

I don’t know why you’re so upset. I came over to see Baby Girl and helped you get some rest in the process.

I feel like I should be looking like the good guy right now, but you’re making me feel like some creepy dude. ”

“You came into my bedroom uninvited. You basically kidnapped my foster child. And her name is Jane!” I yelled.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, okay?” He threw up his hand that wasn’t holding the baby as if he were surrendering.

“I thought I was doing something good. Apparently not. I get it. Are you calm enough for me to hand Jane back to you, or should I just put her down on the carpet?” He spat the name Jane out with venom.

His bicep was bunched where he held her, and I could see the strain in his neck muscles.

No longer the relaxed, carefree guy that was at my back door minutes ago, he was visibly frustrated. Well, get in line. Me too.

“Just give her to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice even before he started calling me hysterical.

He gave her a quick kiss to the side of her head and leaned in to get a good sniff of her baby head smell before he passed her to me.

I took Jane into my arms and immediately felt a sense of relief, which was ridiculous because I knew she was safe and unharmed as soon as they came back.

But something about physically holding her made my entire body sigh with contentment.

Wyatt stormed toward the front door without a word.

“You can take your baby carrier with you,” I called to him.

“Keep it. I bought it for you anyway,” he responded in a flat voice without turning around. He didn’t slam the door when he left, but he radiated irritation. His truck started up with a rumble, and he pulled away from my house.

I wasn’t in the wrong here. He could make it seem like I was freaking out for no reason all he wanted, but he was the one who took Jane out of the house without my knowledge.

And he wanted to storm out all righteous?

That was fine. I was responsible for this little girl, and he’d scared the crap out of me when I woke up to find her missing. That was not an unreasonable reaction.

As unexpected and panic-inducing as today was, it wasn’t all bad.

Wyatt was certainly nice to look at by himself, but put a baby in his arms, and I could stare at him all day.

Jane certainly liked being in his arms, too.

I don’t think she cried at all while she was in his arms. I went to sleep that night with images of Wyatt floating around my head.

My breathing increased and my core tingled just thinking about him.

It wasn’t until I reached to turn off my nightstand light that I saw the note written in a messy scrawl.

Bringing Baby for a walk. Get some rest.

Welp, crap.