Page 71 of Made for Wilde

My phone buzzes again. Sarah: “Well???”

I stare at the screen, unable to type the words that will make this even more real. Outside, I hear the familiar rumble of Koda’s truck coming up the drive. He’s home early.

I look down at the tests in my hand, then back at my phone, then toward the door where any minute, the father of my child will walk in.

Everything is about to change.

FIFTEEN

KODA

My muscles burnwith that good kind of ache as I pull up to the cabin. The afternoon training session still hums through my system. Five rounds of mitt work, seven clients, and a private session with Adrian have left my body pleasantly exhausted.

I cut the engine and notice Charlotte’s car parked in its usual spot beside the woodpile. Something in my chest loosens at the sight.

No matter how many times I come home to find her here, it still hits me like the first time. This is real. She’s really here. With me.

I grab my gym bag from the passenger seat, then reach back for the small gift bag I picked up after training. The fancy boutique wrapping feels almost too delicate in my calloused hands. I’d passed the shop on my way out of town and couldn’t resist stopping when something in the window caught my eye.

I head up the porch steps. The mountain air fills my lungs, cooler now as afternoon edges toward evening.

The door swings open easily. I drop my gym bag by the entrance with a dull thud, setting the gift bag carefully beside it. The cabin smells like home with hints of Charlotte’s vanilla perfume.

“Charlotte?” I call out and kick off my boots.

“In here.”

Her voice comes from the living room, something different in its tone. I round the corner and see her perched on the edge of the couch, dressed in one of my flannel shirts.

The red and black pattern swallows her small frame, the sleeves rolled up multiple times to free her hands. Her hair falls in loose waves around her shoulders, catching the late-afternoon light streaming through the windows.

I cross to her and bend down to kiss her forehead. “Hey, beautiful.”

Charlotte tilts her face up for another kiss, but I catch something in her expression. Excitement mixed with nerves. I kiss her hard anyway.

“How was your day?” She asks once we pull apart. “New kid improving?”

“Kid’s got potential.” I settle down onto the couch beside her. “Might actually survive a real match one day. How was lunch with your dad?”

Charlotte’s smile falters slightly.

“Fine. It was good to see him.”

Something in her tone makes me tense. “Did he suspect something?”

Charlotte shakes her head quickly.

“No, but I felt so guilty the entire time.”

“What did he want to talk about?”

A small smile plays at her lips.

“He actually told me that he’s dating someone. He was so nervous about it, too, like he thought I might be upset.”

I watch her face carefully. “And are you? Upset?”

“No.” Her expression softens. “I’m happy for him. He lit up when he talked about her. I haven’t seen him like that since before Mom died.”