Chapter 14
WILDER
When I woke up this morning, the sun had barely broken over the clouds and Cat was still asleep. Last night I watched her sleep peacefully through an entire movie, and another hour after that. I couldn’t get enough of the way her nostrils flared slightly with each breath. Or the way her lips moved subtly as if she were speaking in a dream before curving into a smile. I’m pretty sure my eyes were still on her when mine finally shut, too.
With her still on the couch, I went into the bedroom and got a blanket off the bed and covered her up before creeping out quietly to head to get a few things for breakfast. It’s hard to leave her, but after the night we had, I think she deserves someone to cook her a nice meal.
I pull up to the mini-mart and glance at the dash in my car to see that it’s only eight o’clock. It’s a rarity that I’m awake this early on a Saturday, unless it’s training season for football. But I couldn’t make myself go back to sleep once I saw her beautiful face. All I knew was I wanted to make her smile again, and I have an idea how I can do that.
Getting out of my car, I’m surprised to find that the mini-mart is packed. I guess it’s prime shopping time for the older generation.
After grabbing a cart, I hit the produce aisle and get some green peppers and onions before heading down the cold section where I get a few more things.
I’ve never grocery shopped before and it makes me feel mature in some really messed-up way. I push the cart with confidence, as if I’ve done this a hundred times.
“Cromwell,” I hear my name from behind me in the bread aisle and the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. I spin around and see Luke, Aiden, and none other than Rome. If anyone can see when I’m lying, it’s my twin brother.
Fuck my life.
I stand there, gripping the handle of the cart while hoping they’ll just turn and walk away, but there isn’t a chance in hell they’ll do that.
“Where the hell were you last night?” Luke howls from the end of the aisle as they make their way to me.
Shit. Luke’s party was last night. I’ve never missed a party with the guys and I need to come up with a damn good excuse before they get on my ass.
“What are you guys doing awake so early on Saturday morning?” Once I’m surrounded by them, I get a strong whiff of alcohol. All three of them look like hell. “Have you guys even slept yet?”
“Nope,” Luke says, popping the p while throwing a few chips in his mouth. Pretty sure he’s high, too. “Now answer the question.”
I scratch the back of my head, averting my gaze. “I, umm…had work to do. For my dad.”
Rome glowers at me. “Where at? Callan said you never came home last night.” Shit. I knew he would be able to tell it was a lie. Well, it’s not really a lie. I did need to work on stuff for Dad, but Cat and I just didn’t get to it, yet.
“None of your business,” I snap back, hoping if I’m firm he will leave it alone. “Does it really matter?”
Luke tips his chin, while Aiden rummages through the donut section, pulling out a box of powdered donut holes. “You’re holding out on us, man. Who is she?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask, playing it cool.
“You know exactly what he’s talking about,” Rome scoffs. “So answer the question. Who is she?”
"Yeah,” Aiden cuts in as he opens the box of donuts. “You know what he’s talking about. The girl in the video you posted last night.” He pops a donut hole in his mouth, waiting for a response as he chews it. Powder covers his lips and his eyebrows rise.
“Just some chick,” I tell them, confident that will satisfy their need to get in my business.
“Everyone’s talking. Your investigative followers are determined to find out who she is.” Rome tsks. “Might as well just give her up because some are even doing image searches of her ear.”
“Bullshit,” I growl as I reach in my pocket and pull out my phone. I immediately go to the app, then to the video and I gasp when I see that the video has went viral. Like hella viral. 1.6 million views in six hours. “Holy fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
I start scrolling through the comments, and it’s obvious people have made it their mission to find out who I was with last night. Some girls are even jealous, talking about how they are heartbroken that it’s not them. Then there are the ones who seem genuinely happy for me.
I keep scrolling, my eyes skimming for two specific words—Mrs. Jenkins. Fortunately, no one has suspected her, so I breathe a sigh of relief.
Rome throws an arm around my shoulders, walking me away from the guys. “Just tell me, bro. Was it her?”
“Who?” I scoff, playing dumb. We might not be near the guys, but this isn’t something I wanna talk about in a packed grocery store. Actually, it’s not something I wanna talk about at all. What I have with Cat is fragile. I need to be careful if it’s going to last. And fuck, I need it to last.
“You know who I’m talking about.” Rome’s voice is calm as he pleads with me. My brother and I have always been close, so it is hard not to confide in him. I just don’t know if I can trust him yet. “It’s me, Wilder. Just fucking tell me the truth.”
“Why?” I step out of his hold on me. “So you and Elodie can give me shit? So she can judge me and you can spread rumors like you always do?”
Rome shakes his head, disappointment in his gaze. But what did he expect?
“No, bro. So we can help you.”
“Yeah. Okay,” I sputter a sarcastic laugh. “Tell me why I’d need your help anyways. If anything, you all need my help.”
“What d’ya mean?”
I use this opportunity to tell Rome about Mayor Jenkins digging into their past, hoping to take the attention off of the girl in the video and where I was last night. Besides, he, Celia, and Dad deserve to know. “Troy Jenkins,” I spit out. “That’s what I mean.”
“He’s a shady politician. So what about him?”
The mention of the mayor seems to have sparked the interest of Luke and Aiden. Now, both eating the box of donuts, they listen keenly to our conversation.
Ignoring them, I look at Rome, that fury when I heard about what that fucker is doing returns. “He’s digging into your criminal record and wants to destroy Celia’s reputation for having the charges thrown out.”
Rome goes silent, which speaks volumes. His jaw tightens and his fists ball at his sides. “That son of a bitch.”
“Damn. Homeboy is ruthless,” Aiden squawks with a mouthful of food.
Luke throws in his two cents. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like she did anything illegal.”
Rome scrubs a hand over his face, sobering up really quick. “Just because she won’t be incriminated by law, doesn’t mean it won’t make her look really fucking bad.”
“So what are you gonna do?” Aiden asks him, and I’m curious myself. Whatever his plan is, I’m in. We can dig as far back as the day that asshole mayor was born and find whatever dirt we can on him if necessary.
“I’m gonna tell my dad,” Rome says with a snark to his tone. “There’s no way in hell he’ll lie down while this sneaky fuckwad tries to destroy his family's reputation.”
“And if he does?” I ask Rome, knowing that our dad is a pretty stand-up guy who prefers to err on the side of caution. He won’t believe us easily, and he definitely won’t react quick enough unless there is some solid proof.
Rome lifts a shoulder, a cocky grin on his face. “Then we’ll handle it for him.”
I hold out a fist and we bump knuckles. “Hell yeah, we will.”
I’d love nothing more than to take that abusive prick down, as long as Cat isn’t hurt in the process.
Luke looks in my cart, his eyebrow quirked. “Who the hell are you cooking breakfast for?”
“Like I said, it’s none of your business.” I look from one of them to the other. “I gotta go.”
I push the cart down the aisle, feeling three times my age as I walk away from my best friends. They were living it up last night like carefree teenagers while I was curled up on the couch with Cat. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat—every damn day.
“Your secrets aren’t safe,” I hear Luke call out as I approach the end of the aisle. “One way or another, we’ll find out who she is.”
Let’s hope like hell that doesn’t happen.
I get back to the guesthouse and I’m surprised to find that Cat is still sound asleep. She must’ve really needed a good night’s rest. I stop for a moment in the living room and take in her form. She’s got the blanket tugged up over her shoulder, sleeping on her side with her knees bent. She’s pure beauty and everything I never knew I needed in my life.
When she stirs a little bit, I continue into the kitchen with the bags of groceries and get started on breakfast. I don’t want her to wake up before the food is ready.
A few minutes later, the pan is sizzling and the small space fills with the aroma of bacon, eggs, and toast.
I’m cooking away when a shadowy figure to my left catches my eye. I turn my head and see Cat leaning against the doorframe with the blanket wrapped around her and a smile on her lips.
“Hey now,” I sing. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
She begins toward me. “How can I when it smells so good in here?”
I stir the fluffy eggs then set the wooden spoon down on a napkin beside the stove. “Come here,” I tell Cat and she leans her head against her shoulder, biting her lip. Jesus, this girl is killing me with all her sexiness. When she doesn’t move, I curl my fingers at her. “Come here,” I say again, my eyes hooded.
She giggles then strides toward me, dragging the blanket on the floor. When she’s about a foot away, I grab her by the waist and jerk her body against mine. Her arms surround me along with the blanket, wrapping us in our own little cocoon of warmth.
“Good morning,” I kiss her forehead softly.
“It certainly is.” She beams up at me, a smile so bright on her face my heart warms. I’ve never seen her glow the way she is now, and I want to ensure it never ends. “Did you go out and buy all of this?”
“Yep,” I say, standing tall and proud. “The fridge was empty, aside from a very suspicious-looking carton of milk.”
She chuckles. “You’re something else, Wilder Cromwell.” Her head nuzzles against my chest and I slide my hands beneath the blanket and wrap my arms around her warm body.
This feels surreal—me andMrs. Jenkins. It’s insane how quickly things have progressed between us, but I can’t imagine us not being here together.
Pulling back a tad, I peer down at her. “Why don’t you go get comfortable and I’ll finish up here? Then we can have breakfast. Together.”
Her nose scrunches as she steps out of my hold. “But I wanna help.” She heads over to the toaster that is still holding two pieces of toasted bread that I have yet to take out. She pulls them out and sets them down on a paper plate. Turning around, she lifts a brow. “Butter?”
“Shit,” I huff. “I knew I was forgetting something.”
“No worries,” she laughs. “Dry toast works for me. I still can’t believe you’re doing all this. You’re too good to me.” She peers around at the spread I have for her, a fog coming over her. I can’t imagine Troy does stuff like this for her, and that thought enrages me a bit. Cat is a woman who deserves love and happiness. She doesn't deserve to be afraid. I just need to keep reminding her of that and maybe one day she will trust me enough to tell me the truth.
“Cat.” I reach for her cheek, brushing my fingers over it as I peer down at her gorgeous blue eyes. “You deserve this, and more.” I flash her a wink before the strong smell of burning eggs fills my nostrils. “Dammit.” I spin back around, immediately turning off the stove. My nose scrunches up as I glance over my shoulder. “Burnt eggs work for you too?”
We both burst out in laughter as she says, “I’ll eat just about anything with you, Wilder.”
A strange sensation runs through me, as my heart squeezes. “Same, Mrs. J.”
Once we’ve both got a plate of food, we decide to sit on the bed because this was supposed to be breakfast in bed, after all.
We’re halfway through our meal when I decide to fill Cat in on my run-in with the guys at the grocery store. Not only that, but also the video.
“…so everyone is making assumptions about the video. It now has almost 2 million views since last night.”
Her face goes stark white. “Do we need to worry?”
“Nah.” I brush my hand through the air. “There’s no way anyone can figure out it was you. We’re good, baby.” At least I hope not. If anyone did say anything, there’s no proof anyway.
Finally, some color returns to her skin and she cracks a smile. “I believe you.”
I lean over and kiss her cheek. “I never wanna let you down, Cat. I mean it.”
We finish eating, then both decide it’s a good idea to head to our own homes and clean up for the day while alleviating any suspicion that we were together. The minute I walk out the door, I begin to miss her. The only thing keeping this smile on my face is knowing that in a few short hours, we’ll both be back here together.