Chapter 26
Blaze
Victoria picks at her lunch, and I don’t blame her.
She’s in a panic about her stepmother arriving.
Sheila will be here in about thirty minutes.
I have a man following her. He watched her exit the terminal after her flight landed in the city, and then he stayed on her heels as she headed for the rental car lot.
She doesn’t even have luggage with her. Just an overnight bag.
I don’t know what the woman thinks she’s going to gain by this visit, but I have news for her. It’s not going to be what she’s picturing. She has no idea what she’s heading toward or how armed with information I am.
I take Victoria to one of the front parlors and stand her on her feet in front of one of the armchairs that’s probably seventy years old, based on the way my girl winces when she sees it. She cringes every time any of us uses the furniture. It’s cute.
As soon as she’s free to walk around for longer than a few minutes at a time, I’ll set her up with a laptop and let her join Dallas in the apparently orgasmic task of cataloging items in the mansion and determining their value.
Surprising her, instead of sitting on the chair, I get down on one knee in front of her.
She gasps, her eyes wide.
I pull a ring box out of my pocket and hold it out in front of her.
“I don’t have flowers or chocolates right now.
I’ll get those later. But I want my ring on your finger before your stepmother gets here.
I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind who you belong to.
Who will promise to take care of you for the rest of your life.
Who will treat you like spun gold and give you everything in the world.
Who will love you like you should have been loved all your life. ”
Tears run down her cheeks. “Blaze…”
“You’re mine, Victoria. Forever and always. As soon as you can stand long enough to enjoy our wedding, we’ll have a ceremony.”
She smiles through the tears. “And then you’ll finally fuck me?”
I chuckle. “Over and over until there’s no way for your eggs to avoid my sperm.”
She giggles. “And then you’ll be done? You won’t have sex with me after I’m pregnant?”
“Oh, baby. I’ll still fuck you night and day. Remember what I said about physical activity during pregnancy? Whatever you’re used to is safe to keep doing.”
Another giggle.
I open the ring box. “It turns out my grandmother has a very impressive jewelry collection. I snagged this from her stash. I think she’d be happy for this house to be filled with love and for all of the women who join this family to accept a piece of her jewelry.
For now, it will just be a placeholder on your hand.
I’ll buy you whatever ring you want in the city tomorrow. ”
I take her hand, kiss her knuckles, and slide the ring onto her finger. “Will you marry me, Victoria?”
“Yes,” she breathes out before throwing her body weight against me.
I chuckle as I pick her up and kiss her deeply, holding her aloft so her legs are dangling.
“I love you,” she whispers against my lips.
“I love you, too, Victoria.”
Someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn to see Ryder in the doorway. “She’s almost here, and she’s not coming alone. I just got a call from Sheriff Johnston. He’s following her.”
Frowning, I stand Victoria on her feet. “Why?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t say. Want me to have Stanford keep her at the gate? We could take a golf cart and meet her. Victoria doesn’t have to see her at all.”
I look to my future wife. “We could do that, baby.”
She shakes her head. “No. I want to face her.”
“You’re not likely to get the answers you’re hoping for,” I point out.
“I don’t care. I’ll get some sort of closure.”
“Okay.”
“Let me walk. I don’t want her to see me looking weak.”
“Of course.” I take her hand and guide her to the front entrance.
Ryder opens the huge double doors. I’m not surprised to see Brody, Haden, Dallas, and Tiago standing at the bottom of the front porch.
They look fit to kill, hands on their hips, expressions serious.
No one fucks with one of ours. I am slightly shocked to find all their wives present, however.
I guess when it comes down to it, all of the Wilde clan sticks together, not just the men.
It’s a distance to the gate, but I can see it as the car pulls up. Then the gate opens.
Victoria grips my hand tighter. She’s standing tall. It occurs to me that I need to keep her facing forward so her fucking stepmother doesn’t see the backs of her thighs. I don’t think Victoria is thinking about how red they are, but I’m aware. Everyone else is, too.
It was Tiago who came into the library and broke the spell of her timeout. He chuckled and asked, “Do you want me to paint this scene?” I don’t think Victoria found it as humorous as I did.
The dress she’s wearing is perfectly acceptable and modest. No, she doesn’t have on a bra, but I’m the only one who knows that.
The bodice is fitted and tight, with enough material to conceal her nipples.
The skirt is short, but that’s what everyone is wearing these days. She looks fucking gorgeous.
When I glance at Victoria, I find her biting her lip. “You’re mine.”
She takes a deep breath and smiles before wrapping her arm tighter around my elbow and leaning into my bicep.
Sheila parks the rental car and gets out. It’s a fucking Rolls-Royce. Why am I not surprised?
I shouldn’t be shocked by her appearance. She looks exactly like Victoria has described. Like she belongs on the set of Grease. Big hair, hot-pink miniskirt, matching pink heels, a white blouse that’s nearly see-through.
She plasters on a huge fake smile. “Vicky… There you are. I was so worried about you.” She hurries toward us, glancing at the other ten people who clearly intend to create a circle around her.
Sheriff Johnston pulls up and parks next to Sheila’s rental, but she doesn’t look over her shoulder.
“My parents named me Victoria,” my woman says, her voice strong. “Stop calling me by that stupid nickname.”
Sheila hesitates for only a moment before pasting on a bigger smile. She shrugs. “I always thought it was a cute name.”
“You thought wrong. And you didn’t ask me.”
Sheila waves a dismissive hand through the air. “What are you doing here?”
“The question is, what are you doing here?” I say. “Why did you have a tracking device on my fiancée’s car, and why are you following her?”
“Oh, that.” Another flippant hand wave. “Wait, did you say fiancée?”
“I did.”
Sheila’s eyes widen as she shifts her attention to Victoria. “You can’t get married. What are you thinking, girl?”
Her tone grates on my nerves.
She shifts her attention back to me. “Vicky is far too young for you. And how do you two even know each other?”
“Her name is Victoria, and that’s none of your business. She’s a grown woman. She can marry whoever she wants.” I’m aware of the sheriff standing a few yards behind Sheila, hands on his hips. He’s letting this play out, but I’m wondering what he knows that I don’t.
“She’s a spoiled girl, and she needs to come home now.” Sheila holds out a hand as if to beckon Victoria out of my arms.
I have news for her.
Sheila looks up and down my woman’s frame. “Since when do you wear dresses?”
“Since I chose my own clothes instead of you. Since I realized you’ve always done everything in your power to make sure I was a wallflower, and you were the one who stood out.”
Ironic since Victoria did not select this dress or any of the others I’ve bought her, but I like how she’s standing up for herself. I’m also rather pleased to know that I’ve paid close enough attention to my girl to know what her style would be if she were choosing her own clothes.
Sheila winces. “And what have you done with your hair? It’s a wild mess.”
I’m close to strangling her.
Victoria ignores her. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you and bring you home. You didn’t even tell me before you left town. That was very rude. And you walked out on your date. What were you thinking? David is a nice man. You’re lucky he agreed to go out with you. Girls like you can’t be picky.”
“Sheila,” I bark. “I’m two seconds from kicking you off my property. The only reason I haven’t done so yet is because you need to know a few things.”
The woman has the audacity to gasp. “I don’t have to listen to you.”
“Yes, you do. I have a list. One, you should look for a job as fast as possible because your days of mooching off Victoria are over. The jig is up. The account you’ve been stealing from is now frozen.
Two, you won’t be able to get back into the house when you get home because the locks have been changed.
Three, if you think David is a nice man—and you must, since you’ve been fucking him—how about you marry him?
Maybe you can get jobs together in fast food. ”
Sheila stumbles backward, nearly colliding with the sheriff. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Sheriff Johnston pulls out a set of cuffs. “Let me add to that list.” He grabs Sheila’s hands and slaps the cuffs on them so fast even I’m surprised. “Sheila Mahoney, you’re under arrest for credit card fraud and identity theft. Anything you say, can and will be used against you…”
As he continues reading her rights, dragging her toward his car, she starts shouting. “What are you talking about? You can’t arrest me! I have rights.”
Johnston tucks her into the back seat and shuts the door, silencing her protests from our ears. He takes a few strides toward us. “Sorry about the surprise. I didn’t have a lot of notice. Apparently, she’s had credit cards open in Victoria’s name for years. Lots of them.”
Victoria’s breath hitches. “I’ve never even had a credit card. She told me I wouldn’t qualify for one until I had a decent job.”
Johnston winces. “Sorry, ma’am. She’s been lying to you. Stealing from you and lying. I’ll be turning her over to the State of Oregon to prosecute. If you have any questions, Thomas McAndrews has all the details. The PI he hired uncovered her numerous crimes.”
“Thank you,” I tell the sheriff. Thank goodness there are good people working in this town. They’ve been selflessly giving to Wilde for decades with little to no thanks from my grandfather. That’s all changing now.
As soon as Johnston’s car is no longer in sight, Victoria nearly collapses against me. He’ll send someone to get Sheila’s rental later today. A rental she paid for with Victoria’s inheritance.
“Please tell me that’s over,” she mutters.
I swing her into my arms and turn to enter the house as the rest of my family disperses. They never had to get involved, but I’m grateful for their intimidating presence. We are family. We protect our own.
Victoria is mine. She’s a member of our family now.
I kiss her forehead as I jog up the ornate front stairs to the second floor. “That’s over,” I promise her. “The State of Oregon will handle it. We’ll meet with McAndrews when you’re ready and the dust is settled. He’ll explain your options.”
She wraps her arms tighter around my neck. “We should make love to celebrate.”
I chuckle. “Nice try, baby.”