Page 2 of Wild Card (Men of Action #4)

WILLOW

Save the Date

Rylee & Joseph Are Tying the Knot

Tears blur my eyes, and I suck in a deep breath to stop the impending meltdown. The pounding at my door jolts me out of my head and I swipe my cheeks, dropping the invitation.

“Lolo!”

The emotions dry up immediately at the sweet sound. I rush to the door and throw it open, bracing. My five-year-old nephew plows into my legs.

“Lolo,” he repeats.

“Wyatt!” I mirror his enthusiasm, sweeping him into my arms and planting kisses all over his chubby cheeks.

He bats me away, squirming to get down. “Where’s Wolf?”

At his name, my dog comes barreling in from the backyard, hopping wildly.

“Calm down, boy.”

“He’s fine.” My brother, Chase, crouches to greet Wolf. “Think you can take the boy outside and burn off some of this energy?”

“Did you ask my dog to babysit your son?”

“Yes, he keeps the kid entertained.”

“It’s cold outside.”

Chase looks up at me, his grin faltering as he gets to his feet. “Wyatt’s bundled up. And the yard is fenced. Let them go.”

I reluctantly put Wyatt down and watch them both run out back.

“Did we get here in time?” My grandma bustles through the door.

“I think we are too late,” Chase says solemnly, still studying me.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been crying.”

My eyes sting again at the humiliation creeping in. “No.”

“You’re a shit liar, Squeak.” He passes me and stops at my counter, his jaw going hard at the pile of mail. “She’s a fucking bitch.”

“Chase!” I shut the door and slice my eyes to Grandma.

“I have to agree with him on this one, Willow.” She unwraps her scarf and hangs it with her coat on the wall rack. “Let’s have some wine.”

All plans of a quiet night alone go up in smoke as she makes her way to the fridge.

“Not that I don’t love seeing y’all, but it’s a work night and I’ve had a crazy day.”

“Told you she’d try to blow us off.” Grandma hands Chase a beer and uncorks the bottle of wine I planned to finish by myself.

“Good thing we don’t care about being unwelcome.” He pops the cap off and takes a long swig. “She opened it.” He flicks the invitation across the counter.

“I opened my mail. That’s not a crime.”

“No, but this shit is wrong. I hoped to get it before you saw.”

“You can’t police my mail service. Besides, it’s not like we didn’t know this was coming.”

“I had hope that Rylee had one decent thing left in her. Sending you an invitation proves she’s lost all sense of class and decency.”

There’s a reason my brother’s nickname holds true. As hard as I try, I can’t stop the squeak that slips out. “Rylee? You’ve known her her whole life. When has she ever shown a shred of decency?”

“She’s your sister, and God knows I love my grandchildren with all my heart, but this is too much.”

“Not anymore.” Chase sets the bottle on the counter with more force than necessary. My stomach dives at the hatred burning in his eyes. “From this day forward, she’s no longer our sister.”

“Chase, don’t say this because of me.”

“I’m serious and you’re done dealing with her bullshit. Rylee has always been a spoiled, narcissistic, pretentious brat. But this takes the cake. Sending you an invitation to her wedding to the fucking loser who strung you along for over two years.”

“It’s technically a Save-the-Date.”

His pupils flame.

“Stacy probably sent it. Rylee may not even know I was on the list. Minute details were never her thing.”

“Well, that makes Mom a heartless bitch. She’s out of our lives, too.”

“That won’t be difficult, seeing as I haven’t spoken to her in almost a year.”

The last time I saw my mom flashes in my mind.

The way she stood next to Rylee, supporting her relationship with the man who I thought loved me.

We had recently broken up and in my heart, I knew it was for the best. But seeing him with my sister and learning they’d had an affair was too much.

If it wasn’t for my dad, I’m not sure what would have happened that day.

He got me out of the house and straight to Chase as my world crumbled.

Mom called me a few times afterward, trying to settle the peace, but the last straw was when she told me I was making her choose between her daughters.

Like I was the problem.

I informed her she no longer had to worry about making any choices, her statement said it all.

A glass of wine is placed in my hand and I shoot my grandma a grateful grin. “Thanks.”

“Chase is right. We’re all done. I’ll never understand how Sterling stands by this farce.”

“Dad moved out last week.”

Our heads both swing to my brother, who just dropped a bomb. “What?”

“He’s staying in the corporate apartment until he finds something else.”

“Why?”

Chase cuts his eyes to me in repulsion. “Because he finally put his foot down. Asked them to hold off on the wedding, to really think this through. Rylee ignored him. Then he demanded Rylee and Joe attend pre-marital counseling. They refused. Mom went behind his back and is lying to the world about this sham. He gave her a choice. She chose wrong. Siding with Rylee.”

“What does this mean? Is he divorcing her?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Why now? Rylee and Joey came out publicly over a year ago.”

“He was holding out hope. Joe Wynn is a motherfucking piece of shit. Add in his reputation as a cheater, and it was only a matter of time. Cheaters always cheat. He figured it would happen before they went through with the wedding.”

“Dad was hoping Joseph would cheat on Rylee?”

“Or vice versa. Rylee wasn’t innocent. One of them was bound to revert back to their ways.”

“Wow, now I’m responsible for a broken home because they remained faithful?”

“That’s shit and you know it. You’re not responsible for how anyone in this situation acted. Don’t know how you walked away with such class.”

“My dignity is all I had left.”

“That’s bullshit, too. You had us. You’ll always have us.”

“I know that now, but in those few months, I was humiliated.”

“I should beat his ass again for that.” Chase tosses his beer in the trash and gets another.

“Enough of this. Those people don’t get another second of our time tonight. Let’s talk about dinner. Grandpa wants barbeque, but I told him it was Willow’s decision. He’ll pick it up on his way over.”

I grin into my glass. My grandpa’s love for barbeque is in line with his love for family. He jokes that I cut my teeth on baby back ribs. “That sounds good.”

“Psst, don’t agree because you have a soft spot for him. You’re always too giving. How about that fancy Italian restaurant?”

“Had my fill of Italian this week.” This is partly true. I had lasagna last night, even if it was a microwave dinner. But even the temptation of my favorite restaurant doesn’t appeal.

“Chinese? Thai? Burger and fries?” she tries again.

I shake my head, raising my almost empty glass. “The only thing I’m in the mood for is the rest of this bottle.”

Her gaze fills with sympathy and she scoots to my side. “We should have gotten here earlier.”

“Believe it or not, the announcement doesn’t bother me. It just drummed up memories of that stupid, na?ve girl who didn’t stick up for herself and have a voice.”

“I’m not sure you’ve found that voice yet. How many hours did you put in this week?” Chase quirks an eyebrow in question.

“Not as many as last week,” I counter.

“And how many people have you covered for?”

“Does it matter? Every minute of experience is invaluable. I’m a few months away from boards.”

“You’ll ace that like you do everything. What about having a life?”

“I have a life! Last weekend I went out with friends.”

“Did this outing involve studying?”

“No, smartass. We went to a charity softball event and then to a bar.”

“A bar, huh? Did it serve alcohol or those frou-frou coffee drinks?”

“Alcohol.”

Grandma wiggles at my side, squealing. “Any cute guys?”

The memory of the gorgeous stranger floods my mind. The way his body surrounded mine protectively, the heat in his touch, the husky deep voice whispering against my lips.

The eyes… God, those eyes.

Lashes thick and lush, highlighting the most exquisite color I’ve ever seen.

Blue-gray rimmed with a darker shade of something unique. Whatever the hue—green, cobalt—it was captivating.

Strong jawline, covered with a stubble so soft.

The swipe of his tongue, curling around mine as his fingers pressed against my scalp gently.

“Think the answer is yes, Grams.” Chase chuckles.

“I hate you,” I mumble, earning a lop-sided smirk.

“This is definitely a turn of events. Tell me everything.”

“Nothing to tell. It was a typical bar with a ton of testosterone and the normal cocky crowd. We left after a few drinks.”

She studies me, her glare reading right through my lie. But she drops it and nods. “Okay, let’s call your grandpa. He’s probably crawling the walls without me.”

“This is true.” I reach for my phone.

“And tell him to bring decent alcohol. The wine isn’t cutting it.”

“Don’t worry, that was first on my list.”

Bex walks by again, shoulders back, head and eyes forward, not sparing a glance. It’s been like this for the last hour. While it’s been nice to finish up my notes, the silence is unnerving.

“How about I make us dinner?”

She side-eyes my way, dropping in her chair. Her computer monitor comes alive as she pounds furiously on the keyboard.

“Pesto chicken?” I play my cards, knowing she never turns down my homemade pesto sauce.

“Your bribery is useless here. I’m still not talking to you.”

“May I point out that you just indeed spoke?”