Chapter 5
Tiago
Our hike was the longest hike in the history of hikes. We stopped fifty times to have serious discussions. It was perfect. I had Reagan’s undivided attention, and I made huge strides toward making sure she knew my intentions.
When we get back to the car, she says, “I should go home.”
I drop the backpack in the back seat and pin her to the car, my hands on the roof on either side of her. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I need to think. You’re smothering me.”
“Think about what, baby?” I know I’m pressuring her. I don’t want to part from her. I dread it even happening later today. I know I eventually have to let her go home, but it’s way too soon. It’s not happening now. It’s not even lunchtime.
“Think about the million things you said and ponder how serious you might be.”
“I’m serious about everything I’ve said.”
“Well, my grandfather is expecting me.”
“Is he? Or are you just saying that?”
She sighs.
“Let’s stop by your house. I’d like to meet him. We can take him some lunch.”
“Lord, no.” She shakes her head. “Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“I haven’t even mentioned you to him yet.”
I shrug. “So? He’ll find out about me when we get there. Text him and tell him we’re bringing sandwiches. We’ll stop at the bakery and pick some up. Roy Kennett makes incredible sandwiches.”
She stares at me.
I’ve got her. I keep talking to drive home my point. “Reagan, I’m not joking about anything I’ve said today. If I’m honest, I knew you were it for me the moment I walked into the bakery and saw you standing at the counter. You knew it, too.” I lift a brow.
She sighs. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
“Totally.”
“I don’t think so. Sometimes, you just meet someone and know.
I’ve never met a single woman who made me take notice like you did that afternoon.
It’s like everything clicked into place.
Now I get it. You’re mine. I’m not wasting time tiptoeing around that fact.
I want everyone to know you’re mine. We’ll start with your grandfather, then we’ll torment Greg at the grocery store, and after that, we’ll go back to the estate so you can meet everyone and pick out a room. ”
“Pick out a room?” Her voice rises an octave. “What kind of room?”
“The kind we’re going to sleep in for now until we decide whether to move into another house in town or stay.”
Her eyes widen. “Did you not just tell me you were not going to pressure me to have sex with you?”
“I will never pressure you to have sex with me, baby. It’s not even on the table. No matter how hard you beg me, I will not take my pants off until our wedding night.”
“Beg you!” Her voice is shrill. “Tiago, this is madness. Why would we need a room in the house if we aren’t going to have sex?” She narrows her gaze as though she’s caught me lying.
“Baby, the mansion is huge and strange. Wait until you see it. Ryder and Claire have claimed two rooms. When Dallas arrived, he picked one. I’ve been using one off and on, but I don’t care about room décor.
I’d rather let you pick ours. Plus, it will give us a place to have some privacy.
Just because I said I’m not going to have sex with you doesn’t mean I’m not going to make you so hot and bothered that you end up begging me to. ”
Reagan’s eyes are going to bug out if she opens them any wider. “Tiago, my brain is broken.”
I grin. “One thing at a time. Text your grandfather. Tell him we’ll be there in half an hour.”
“You don’t even know where I live.”
I lift a brow. “Baby…”
She groans. “Of course you know where I live…”
“I even have your landline number.” I pull my phone out of my back pocket. “Would you like me to call him myself?”
She reaches out to grab my wrist as I lift my phone high in the air. “Don’t you dare!”
I lower it but keep it close to my chest. “I’ll count to ten. If you haven’t called or texted him by then, I’m going to.”
She growls at me, muttering, “So bossy,” as she pulls out her phone. She hesitates one more time, looking at me. “Do you mind?”
“Mind what?”
She shoves at my chest futilely. “Give me some space.”
I shake my head. “Never.”
She sighs, and I watch her send off a quick text.
I’m bringing sandwiches for lunch. I’ll be there soon.
I chuckle. “Not going to tell him about me until we arrive?”
“I was kind of hoping I could secretly shake you before it got that far.”
I pocket my phone and pat my other pocket. “I have your car keys.”
Reagan is fidgeting and nervous as I pull into her driveway. She lives in a small ranch home close to town. She told me her grandfather has lived there for forty years. Apparently, her grandmother passed from cancer before Reagan was born. Her grandfather never remarried.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she grumbles as we get out of the car. She shoots me a narrow-eyed glare. “Be good.”
I chuckle. “Baby, I’m angelic.”
I follow her to the front door and hold it open so she can pass under my arm. The bag of sandwiches is in my other hand.
“Pop?”
“I’m in the kitchen, Ray,” he calls out. “What’s the special occasion? Did you get a big tip from that Wilde guy?”
She winces.
I smirk inside as I follow her to the kitchen. At least she told her grandfather she would be with me this morning.
She glances at me over her shoulder and hisses, “Stop smirking.”
I chuckle. She already knows me well enough to guess my expression without looking. We’re practically an old married couple.
A man about my father’s age is sitting at the kitchen table, but when he glances up and sees me, he quickly shoves his chair back and rises to his feet. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were with someone, Ray.” I love his nickname for her. It’s sweet.
I set the bag of sandwiches on the table and extend a hand. “Tiago Wilde, sir. Nice to meet you.”
His handshake is firm. He’s not old and decrepit. He’s a fit man of about seventy. “Dwane Clegg.” After releasing my hand, he hurries to collect the newspaper from the table. “Please, sit. Would you like coffee or a soda? Beer?”
“Water is fine, sir. Thank you.”
He waves a hand through the air. “Please, call me Dwane.”
I nod and set a hand on Reagan’s shoulder. Possessively.
Dwane’s eyes widen, and for a moment he stands very still, holding the partially folded newspaper. Finally, he glances at Reagan, and a slow smile appears.
I release a careful breath. This is going well.
“When did you say you met Mr. Wilde?” Dwane asks.
“Please, it’s just Tiago,” I say.
He nods.
I release Reagan’s shoulder, pull out a chair for her, and push it in when she sits. “A few weeks ago, at the bakery,” she tells him.
I sit next to her and open the bag of sandwiches and chips.
Dwane fills three glasses with ice water and joins us at the table. “And then?” he asks Reagan.
Her cheeks are red, and she has her hands fisted in her lap, so I step in.
“I knew I was interested in Reagan the moment I saw her in the bakery, but my life has been chaotic for the past few weeks. I didn’t reach out to her until yesterday.
She was kind enough to spend the morning with me.
” I set a hand on her back and stare at her. “She’s an amazing woman.”
Her grandfather clears his throat. “Uh, yes, she is.”
“I’ve asked her to spend the day with me. I wanted to meet you first, then we’ll go up to the estate so she can meet my brother and cousin.”
“Oh.” Dwane’s eyes are wide. He rubs his chin. “What do you do, Tiago?”
“I’m a painter. Canvases, not homes. I mostly paint nature settings. Sometimes portraits. I have work displayed in galleries all over the country. I’m not world-famous or anything, but I make a good living.”
“And now you have your inheritance.”
I nod. “Sort of. There are a lot of stipulations in the will. Apparently, my grandfather was an unusual man.”
Dwane snickers. “You could say that. Which of Amos’s sons is your father?”
“William.”
“Ah, yes. I knew William. We’re the same age. Seventy. When the four boys left town, they never looked back. I had no idea where any of them went.”
“My father moved to Upstate New York, met my mother, and they had three kids. I’m the oldest, next is Ryder, then our sister, Lydia.”
Dwane nods thoughtfully. “And you’re planning to stay?”
“I’ve been a nomad for several years, traveling around the country in my RV.
” I glance at Reagan. “Now…” I smooth my hand up her back, feeling the tension in her body.
She’s very nervous about everything I’m sharing with her grandfather.
I understand, but I’d rather lay my cards on the table than pretend I’m less interested in her than I am.
“Now?” Dwane asks, one brow raised high as he glances back and forth between me and Reagan.
I face him head-on. “It may sound crazy, but I know in my gut I’m going to spend my life with your granddaughter. If she wants to stay in Wilde, that’s what we’ll do. If she wants to leave, I will follow her.”
Reagan’s breath hitches and her cheeks are bright pink. She looks at me with wide eyes and then shifts her attention to her grandfather.
Dwane gives a slow smile. “Well, I’ll be.”
I slide my hand up to Reagan’s neck and give a gentle squeeze. She’s so anxious.
Reagan clears her throat. “Tiago is a bit cocky and sure of himself.”
Dwane chuckles, his entire body jiggling. “Sometimes that’s not a bad thing. You could use a man in your life who knows what he wants.”
She rolls her eyes. “Let’s not get carried away.” She leans forward, reaches back for my hand, and tugs it off her neck, shooting me a glare.
Dwane continues laughing. “You’re a lot like your grandmother, Ray. I wish you could have known her.”
“How’s that?” I ask. I want to hear how Dwane sees his granddaughter.
Dwane looks at me. “Reagan is a strong woman who knows her mind and isn’t afraid to share it.
She’s smart and tenacious. She managed to put herself through college totally online and built a business for herself at the same time.
I’ve always known it would take a very strong man to go head-to-head with Reagan.
I’ve only known you a few minutes, but so far, it seems to me like you’ve got what it takes. ”
Reagan waves a hand through the air between us. “Hello? I’m right here. How about you two not discuss me like I’m a prized racehorse being sold at auction.”
I laugh and grab her hand, squeezing it on top of her thigh. “Your grandfather is just warning me you’re not a pushover. I already know that.”
She tugs her hand free again and glares at me. “You’re bossy and controlling.”
I nod. “Yep. But I will never force you to do anything you don’t already want to do. I might prod you in the direction I know is best, but decisions about your life goals will always be made by you. Like I said, I’m flexible. I’ll follow you anywhere.”
She narrows her gaze. “You’re maddeningly confusing.”
I chuckle. “Probably.”
She throws up her hands. “One minute, I’m in charge and you’ll follow me anywhere. The next minute, you want to drag me up to the estate so I can pick out rooms for the ten kids you’ve already got planned for us.”
I laugh. So does her grandfather.
Dwane reaches for a sandwich. “Yeah, you’ve met your match, Ray.
I know you’re strong and independent, but you’ve always wanted marriage and a family.
You certainly weren’t going to find that from any man in this town.
I’ve thought you should leave Wilde for a long time.
Lucky for you, it looks like the perfect man came to town to find you. ”
I’m intrigued to hear that Reagan has always wanted marriage and kids. At least I won’t have to con her into them. I reach for a sandwich, slide it in front of my woman, and open it for her before claiming the last one for myself.
“Eat, baby. You have to be starving after that long hike.”
She shoots me another narrow-eyed look. “I don’t need you to tell me that I’m hungry.”
I lift a brow.
She hurrumphs dramatically and takes a big bite out of her sandwich.
Yep, this went well.