Page 97 of Made for Wilde

“Our daughter deserves to be acknowledged. She deserves to have her grandfather in her life, and that can’t happen if we keep hiding.”

Pride swells in my chest at her courage.

“After your showcase, then.”

“I was thinking...” Charlotte bites her lower lip, the gesture drawing my attention to her mouth. “What if I asked him to lunch afterward? We could tell him then, with other people around. Might reduce the chances of him murdering you on the spot.”

The practicality of her suggestion pulls a laugh from me.

“Smart thinking.”

Charlotte pulls out her phone.

“I’ll text him now, before I lose my nerve.”

I watch from the corner of my eye as she types, then deletes, then types again. Finally, she hits send and puts the phone down.

“What did you say?”

“Asked if he wanted to meet for lunch after the showcase to catch up.” She watches her phone anxiously. “Nothing about you or the baby. Just lunch.”

The phone buzzes almost immediately, making us both jump. Charlotte reads the message, a small smile forming.

“He says he’d love to, and that he can’t wait to hear all about how it went.” She looks up at me, a mixture of hope and fear in her eyes. “This is really happening.”

“It is.” I take her hand again and bring it to rest on my thigh.

The rest of the drive passes in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts about the confrontation to come. The cabin appears around the final bend, windows dark against the night sky.

Charlotte’s hope might be enough for both of us, but I’m not sure anything can prepare me for the moment I have to look my best friend in the eye and tell him I’m madly in love with his daughter. That she’s carrying my child.

I just hope Jason’s friendship runs deep enough to forgive me.

Because I’m not sure I’d forgive myself if our positions were reversed.

TWENTY

CHARLOTTE

One Week Later

I wakeup to an empty bed, the sheets cold where Koda should be.

A piece of paper crinkles beneath my palm, and I blink awake, squinting at the folded note resting on Koda’s pillow.

My heart does a little skip as I recognize his bold handwriting across the cream-colored paper.

*Morning, Gorgeous. Had to go out for a bit this morning, but I’ll be back this afternoon. And when I get there, be ready at 8 to explore your wildest fantasies. Love, K*

I sit up, clutching the note to my chest as a grin spreads across my face.

Explore my wildest fantasies?

Butterflies burst in my stomach at the possibilities, my mind immediately racing to all the ways Koda might surprise me tonight. The man has already introduced me to pleasures I never knew existed.

That’s when I notice the elegant black box sitting on the nightstand, tied with a silver ribbon that catches the morninglight streaming through our bedroom windows. My fingers shake slightly as I reach for it.

The ribbon falls away easily, and I lift the lid to reveal tissue paper in the softest shade of blush pink. Nestled beneath is a gift certificate to the spa at Fit Mountain Resort. But it’s what lies underneath that makes my breath catch.