Chapter 10
Emilia
“Powder room, now,” Claire whispers in my ear a second before grabbing my hand and yanking me out of the dining room.
I twist around to look for Haden, but he doesn’t make eye contact with me. He’s leaning over a massive set of blueprints with the rest of the bossy men who live in this mansion.
Dinner was relatively normal… No, it really wasn’t.
For one thing, Haden had his hand threaded with mine when we entered the room together.
We were the last to arrive, and every single person watched as he guided me to a seat, pulled it out for me, and then pushed me in and claimed the chair next to mine.
There was a hush in the room before all the women grinned and the men smirked. No one said a word, but they didn’t have to. Their body language spoke volumes.
Haden also filled my plate, put my napkin in my lap, and made sure my water glass remained full. When he was done eating, he turned slightly toward me, set his hand possessively on my thigh, and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Finish your meal, baby.”
He expected me to eat after that?
My stomach was flipping around as if there were a tsunami inside me, so it took me forever to finish the food on my plate, but I eventually managed. No thanks to his wandering, teasing thumb precariously close to my panties.
Meanwhile, the men started discussing what Haden has identified as the most urgent priorities in the mansion.
The only part that stood out to me was the fact that Haden intends to go from room to room tomorrow with tools to dislodge the windows.
I understand now that the fact that they are painted shut is a fire hazard. It’s his top priority. Makes sense.
There’s a sprinkler system in the house, but no one is sure when it was installed or how likely it is to work in an emergency.
Ensuring the smoke detectors are in working order and updating the sprinklers is Haden’s second item of business in the coming days.
Apparently, Haden’s third objective is to install roll-down ladders in every second-floor and third-floor room so everyone can climb down to safety in the event there is ever a fire.
As soon as everyone was finished with dessert, the men rose and moved to the other end of the enormous table to spread out the blueprints. They’re obsessed with those papers. So obsessed that I don’t think any of them notice as all five of us women slip from the room.
I giggle as Claire pulls me down the hallway. “Powder room? Who says that? Do we even have such a room?”
Claire waves a hand through the air. “Whatever. Any room.”
Reagan rushes ahead of us and starts opening doors before finally turning to face us. “In here.” She rushes inside.
Arianna and Melody follow her. Claire and I bring up the rear.
Suddenly, we’re in some sort of parlor. I don’t think I’ve explored this one.
It’s absurdly adorned like many other rooms with far too many decades-old, gaudy trinkets.
Like dozens of other rooms in this monstrosity, this one looks like it hasn’t been touched in half a century.
As if the occupants suddenly left and never returned.
Now that I know more about my family’s history, I suspect that’s almost exactly what happened. For some reason, all four of Amos’s sons left home soon after their mother died and never looked back. That was almost fifty years ago.
According to Gretchen—whose mother worked here before her—this place was bustling with activity when Old Man Wilde’s wife, Carolyn, was alive.
That would be my grandmother. The boys—my father and his brothers—were rambunctious and full of life.
Gretchen had just started working at the mansion when Carolyn passed, but she remembers listening to her mother talk about what this place was like in its heyday.
Not long after their mother’s death, all four Wilde boys moved away.
This old house has so much history, and it’s so evident in every room, including the one we’ve just entered.
“Start talking, sister,” Claire insists, crossing her arms.
The four of them gather in a U-shape around me, eyes wide, grinning.
I shrug like it’s no big deal.
“You started flirting with the man the moment he pulled onto the property yesterday,” Reagan says.
Arianna laughs. “I guess it was effective. How did he manage to stake a claim on you so quickly? None of us even saw the men today. They were dealing with the trailer for hours.”
Melody gives Arianna a playful shove. “As if Dallas didn’t march into the library and sweep you off your feet in like thirty seconds.”
Arianna giggles. “True.”
Claire shakes her head. “It’s baffling. Haden gets out of his truck, inhales the air near the mansion, and boom, he claims a woman.”
I shrug. “Do you think I should be concerned that it was me because no other single women were around?” I’m joking, but perhaps there’s some truth to that if we’re going to get superstitious.
Reagan holds up a hand. “What I want to know is if you’ve done the dirty already. You looked very well-fucked when you arrived at dinner.”
My face heats. These women are so blunt. I’m used to it. I’ve been listening to them overshare for weeks, but I’ve never been the subject matter.
“Did you?” Melody asks, her voice rising.
I shake my head. “No. He just… We, uh…” I’m not going to tell these women about Haden going down on me. No way. I can’t get the words out of my mouth. It doesn’t matter that they’re basically my sisters. I just can’t.
Claire leans in conspiratorially. “He got you off, didn’t he?”
I bite my bottom lip and nod, my face heating further.
“Are you still thinking about going to graduate school?” Arianna asks.
I sigh. “That seems unlikely now.”
“Yeah, it does,” Melody teases. “You’ll be married and pregnant by the end of the week.”
Reagan rolls her eyes, grinning. “Not all of us got married quite that fast, Speedy Gonzales. If we’re placing bets, I’d say ten days.”
I gasp. “You can’t bet on me!”
Arianna holds up nine fingers. “I’m going with nine.”
Claire shakes her head. “I choose thirteen, then.”
“Seriously!” I exclaim. “You can’t bet on my wedding day. That’s just wrong. Besides, all of those dates are too soon. Just because all of you got married within weeks of meeting your husbands doesn’t mean I have to. We don’t even know if Haden wants to get married. He hasn’t mentioned the M word.”
“Really?” two or three of them shout at once.
I shrug. It’s true. Should that concern me? The man made it clear that he intended to knock me up the first opportunity he got, but he didn’t say he was going to marry me. Hmmm.
“He will,” Arianna starts. “Dallas and Brody would kick his ass if he thought he could play house with you without dragging you to the altar.”
They have a point. Getting married is so…permanent. I haven’t considered that side of this madness. I knew Haden was coming to Wilde. I’ve been waiting for him to arrive for weeks. But my only thought had been to flirt with him and maybe get lucky. I’ve never pondered what might happen next.
Married…
To Haden? He just got here yesterday. But that fact means nothing to these four women. They had similar whirlwind relationships.
It seems like I’ve barely had a full conversation with Haden since he arrived.
There was the grunting he did yesterday while I gave him a tour.
A lot of one-word answers and muttering to himself.
There was the bossy man who told me he wasn’t right for me last night and then spanked me.
Then there was the bossier man who took my cup of coffee from me and told me he intended to knock me up.
Perhaps he and I need to have a few more real-life conversations in the near future. Clamping my thigh with his palm while whispering in my ear that I needed to clean my plate at dinner does not mean he intends to marry me. Nor does it mean I should want to do anything of the sort either.
I did like the way he gripped my leg, though. He settled his hand under the hem of my skirt and let his thumb graze my inner thigh almost absentmindedly while I ate. I’m certain he was completely aware of every single touch, but he pretended it was no big deal.
The door suddenly opens, and we all turn to see who’s coming in.
It’s Dallas. He has a brow raised as he leans into the room. “If your last name is Wilde, you’d better get your bottom upstairs. It’s time to wrap up this gossip session.”
Arianna groans. “We aren’t gossiping. No one has said a word that isn’t a fact. And everyone in here’s last name is Wilde.”
He smirks. “Exactly my point.” He opens the door wider. “Chop, chop.”
A low grumbling sound fills the room as we all file out as though we’ve been reprimanded and are in trouble. For the first time since I arrived, I know for a fact I’m in the same predicament as everyone else.
Haden is relaxing against the wall with the other men when I exit the parlor. He holds out a hand, and I go to him. Is this how things will be from now on? Me submitting to this man morning, noon, and night?
Probably.
I have questions. Lots of them.
But I kind of like thinking I might become a member of the Wilde wives club. The idea is growing on me.