Chapter 5
Blaze
I’m not fond of my girl’s tiny car. I feel like I’m inside a toy, but that’s the only vehicle we have right now, so I’m driving her Corolla to the mansion.
Kinsley gave her some Tylenol, and she’s already looking a bit more lucid, but I’m equally certain she’s going to crash hard when I tuck her into bed.
My bed.
When I arrived at the Wilde mansion, I quickly learned that there are dozens of rooms, and everyone claims a few when they arrive. The place truly is a monstrosity. It lives up to its name.
Ryder’s wife, Claire, has taken on the role of woman of the manor, so to speak.
She gave me a tour of the second floor, made some suggestions, and set me up with not one but two rooms next to each other.
When I asked her why the hell I would need more than one room, she simply laughed and patted my shoulder.
It didn’t take me long to realize what the second room is for. Everyone has two. Some of my cousins have three if they need an office space. The spare is for the babies everyone is pregnant with.
A normal person—which apparently I am not—would have run from the mansion and never looked back. Who would believe such a ridiculous superstition? People don’t meet someone and marry them immediately, getting them pregnant five seconds after that.
Except that’s what happens at the Wilde estate. And I’ve secretly been waiting for my turn, perhaps not too patiently. Apparently, that’s today.
Vicky would probably have a heart attack if I filled her in on my thinking right now. I won’t. But she’s about to have a bit of a shock, and I do need to inform her about where we’re headed.
As I pull out of the parking lot, I grab her hand. “Did you arrive in Wilde yesterday before you went hiking?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you aware of how the town was founded or its history?”
“No.”
“Then you need a crash course while I drive.”
“Okay.” She twists to look at me. “You’re acting strange. Should I be worried that you are the axe murderer?”
I chuckle. “No, baby. Not even close. I don’t own an axe.” I give her hand a squeeze. “I’m going to give you the very abridged version. The town was founded by a family with the last name Wilde.”
She giggles. “Fitting.”
“True. It was over a hundred years ago. Fast forward to now. The last patriarch of the family was Amos Wilde. He died several months ago at ninety-five. There had been a rift in the family about fifty years ago when his wife, Carolyn, died. His four sons moved away and never returned.”
“That’s so sad.”
“It is.” I glance at her before making a turn.
“Anyway, Old Man Wilde had a sizable mansion and owned most of the town, and he left all of it in his will to his grandchildren, whom he had never met. The catch is any grandkid who wants to claim their piece of the inheritance has to come live in Wilde and manage the town and estate for ten years.”
“That’s kind of odd.”
“I suspect odd doesn’t even begin to describe Amos Wilde.”
“Interesting family history,” she comments.
I glance at her again.
Suddenly, her dark brown eyes pop wide and her mouth drops open. “Oh, wait. You’re one of the grandkids.”
“Exactly. I moved here two weeks ago from Chicago. I’m the sixth grandchild to arrive.”
“Is that where you’re taking me? To the mansion?”
“Yes. I didn’t want you to freak out when we arrived.
Keep in mind my cousins and I are regular folks who have gotten swept up in this madness.
What we’ve learned is that our grandfather was a very strange, eccentric old fart who hoarded his money while letting the house and town fall into disrepair.
The six of us have taken on the task of renovating the mansion and the businesses in town to help return Wilde to its heyday. ”
“That’s awesome.”
I smile at her, thinking that went well, as I pull onto the road that leads to the estate. “We’re almost there.”
“I feel like I’m intruding. Your cousins are not going to want you bringing a stranger into the family home.”
I chuckle. “Baby, my cousins are going to be elated. Trust me.” I roll down the window and wave to Stanford, the guard at the gates. After he opens them for me, I pull through and round to the back of the mansion to park.
“Holy fuck, Blaze,” Vicky mumbles, sitting taller in her seat, her head bent to peer out the window.
I pull up alongside my truck and shut off the engine before turning to face her. “There’s one more thing you should know before we go inside.”
Her eyes are wide. She’s gripping the door handle so tight her knuckles are white.
I draw in a deep breath, uncertain how she’s going to take my next piece of information. “My cousins all arrived here single. They have met and married their wives in Wilde.”
“I thought you said your grandfather died a few months ago.”
“He did.”
She narrows her eyes.
Trying to lighten the crazy, I grin. “The joke is that there’s either something in the water or the paint that makes all who live here…hmmm…” I’m not sure how to tell her. “…I think the best word is desperate.”
“Desperate to what?”
“Find a significant other, get them to the altar, and reproduce.”
Vicky’s breath hitches. Can I blame her? “That’s ridiculous. There can’t be something in the water or air to cause that. Like an aphrodisiac?”
I shrug. “Judge for yourself. I’m just warning you.”
“Warning me?” Her voice rises.
After lifting her hand to my lips, I kiss her knuckles.
I wonder if she can feel the pull between us as strongly as I can.
There’s no way for her to grasp what I’ve told her because it’s not believable until one experiences it.
I, on the other hand, have left the house every day fully expecting to meet the woman of my dreams. I’ve been rather surprised that it has taken as long as it has.
But I found her. She’s sitting next to me. She just doesn’t know it yet because who the fuck would believe such a thing?
“Ready to go inside?”
She twists to look at the back of the mansion. “Maybe you should take me back to the ravine. I bet I could survive another night. Someone else would have found me eventually,” she jokes. Her voice is a bit shaky.
I laugh. “It’s too late, baby. You’re here now. And don’t take this the wrong way, but there’s no escaping.”
She jerks her gaze back to me. “Pardon?”
Perhaps I shouldn’t have worded it that way. I shrug. “I don’t mean you can’t leave. Of course, you can leave. Anytime you want. It’s just that you won’t want to.”
She swallows.
“Everyone knows we’re here, Vicky. For one thing, the woman who was leading that hiking group—Reagan—is the wife of one of my cousins. I’m sure she texted the other wives in a group chat before I even carried you up to the path. For another thing, I let my cousins know we would be arriving.”
“I think I must have hit my head when I fell. In fact, maybe I’m still lying at the base of that ravine, hallucinating.”
I smile at her. “You’re not. You’re safe now. Hold tight. I’m coming around to get you.” I stare at her for a few seconds longer before opening my door.
The rest of my life starts now.