Chapter Thirty-Three
The Greatest Adventure
Ingrid
“I can’t believe how many of us are sleeping in this house,” Wilder says between kisses in the shower. “There’s no alone time.”
Cramped. It’s been really cramped.
I know we shouldn’t be doing this right now. Sex. Shower. Thin walls.
But his fingers are slipping dangerously low and I don’t know if I can resist the look in his green eyes.
Like I’m everything he’s ever dreamed of.
“Do you remember,” he mutters against my ear as his fingers stroke my inner thigh, “the first time we had sex?”
Yep. I’m done for.
“Your room,” I sigh. “On the bed.”
Wilder’s free hand finds the back of my neck and he kisses me. Hard. Teeth gnash and tongues twist and our bodies slide against each other, soap and water making it slippery.
It’s been a year since we made that Lonely Summer Bucket List. And now? Now, we’re moving to New York. I just… I can’t believe that Fanny Allred made all this happen.
That she framed Jason, convinced Cash to go backpacking in Europe and helped me see the truth.
I love Wilder.
Maybe some part of me always has.
“I love you,” I say between kisses.
“I love you, too,” he returns as his hands find my hips.
But we’re interrupted by a bang on the door.
“I need to pee!” Cash hollers.
“Ugh,” Wilder groans. “That guy is really ruining the mood.”
“We can finish at Jason and Jill’s.” I give him a teasing wink.
“We can’t,” he grumbles as I run my hand along his toned stomach. “I picked up a few shifts at the lumberyard to try and help pay for school.”
I cup his handsome face in my hand. “You don’t have to take Cash’s money. We will figure it out.”
“I don’t think I really have a choice.”
“He wants to do something nice for you,” I offer. “It’s one semester.” Okay two. But for now, Wilder only agreed to one.
“That’s basically what he owes me in rent for sharing my room.”
“Do you know how much I love you?” I say to him.
Wilder exhales, content. “Enough to rearrange your whole life for me.”
I don’t say anything. Because I’m not rearranging my whole life for him. I’m building a life with him.
“I have to give my notice,” I say as my arms find his neck. “Pierre is going to flip.”
“Maybe he’ll come visit us.”
“He better!” I jokingly yell.
“I have to pee!” Cash’s muffled voice reminds us on the other side of the door. “Can’t you two do it somewhere else?”
“There’s a whole backyard!” Wilder hollers. “Pick a tree.”
“You know I can’t pee in public, Wild!”
Cash and his fear of public peeing. So inconvenient.
Wilder grabs towels as I turn off the shower.
He wraps me in one, pulling me close.
“We haven’t tried backyard sex yet, have we?”
I laugh. “No, but I have a sneaky feeling it might happen soon.”
“Stop flirting!” Cash whines. “I really need to go.”
Once we’re both covered, Wilder unlocks the bathroom door. Cash rushes in past us, tugging down his pajama pants as Wilder quickly shuts the door behind us.
“I can’t believe that’s the guy you used to wear a mini skirt for.” Wilder playfully shakes his head at me.
“I had unmet needs that I hoped he could meet,” I defend myself. “So sue me.”
Wilder grins as he shuts the bedroom door. “I plan on meeting those needs right now.”
“But Cash…” I trail off as Wilder locks the bedroom door.
“He can wait in the hall, Blondie. Right now, I have some unmet needs of yours to meet.”
I grin as he tugs the towel off me and motions to the bed.
“Get on it, Blondie.”
Yes, please!
“You never told me your sister was absolutely diabolical.” Pierre cocks an eyebrow as he stares at his nails, bored.
“She’s something,” I say in return.
“So.” He waggles his thick eyebrows at me. “How was the road trip with the former and current lover?”
“Insane,” I reply, deciding to mess with him. Just a little. “Things got dramatic in Albuquerque.”
Pierre gasps. “Dramatic how?”
I shrug innocently. “Maybe Wilder, Cash and I finally told each other the truth.”
Pierre nearly chokes. “Did it end in a fist fight?”
“Nope,” I say.
Pierre rolls his shoulder. “This is a small town, Ingrid. We all live for the drama.”
He has a point.
“Nothing crazy happened,” I say.
“I can’t believe you guys are still friends after spending all that time confined to a car.” Pierre sighs.
“I know,” I laugh. “I thought for sure Wilder and Cash would have a friendship breakup at some point.”
Pierre blinks. “I’m just glad you’re back. Your sister… she’s….”
“Diabolical?”
He shudders. “The only person who rivals her special brand of madness is Fanny Allred.”
“Speaking of Fanny,” I whisper as Pierre leans in conspiratorially. “She’s on the run.”
“Can you believe that?” Pierre scoffs. “That woman is like a damn ghost. Here one second, then—poof—gone the next.”
I smile. I’m really going to miss him.
“I have some… news,” I say delicately.
Pierre screams. “You’re pregnant?”
“No.” I frown. Why does everyone keep thinking that? “Wilder got accepted into film school at NYU. We’re moving in August to New York.”
“Please tell me you are lying.”
“I’m not,” I reply.
He places a hand over his heart. “I am so jealous.”
“You’ll visit, right?”
“At least once a month,” he responds, his voice high-pitched. “You’ll have a couch I can stay on, right?”
“I will,” I say.
He reaches for me, hugging me tight. “I never thought we’d end up best friends.”
Best friend? I have a best friend.
Yeah, seems fitting.
“Listen, bestie,” I say as we pull apart. “I would like to work up until we leave. Do you think Loretta will be good with that?”
“As long as Isla is out of the picture, she’ll be thrilled.”
“Speaking of Isla,” I groan. “Have you seen her?”
“She takes her lunch breaks at the Three Hole Donut,” Pierre says with a flourish.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I say.
“I can’t wait to have you answering the phones again,” he says, exasperated.
I leave and walk across the street. The Three Hole Donut has a very… interesting logo. Three donut holes placed in weird… places. I ignore the suggestive orange sign and head inside.
Isla’s in the corner, chowing down on what appears to be an apple fritter.
“Hey,” I greet her as I slide into the booth.
She turns, pretending to ignore me.
“We’re too old for this,” I say to her as I cross my arms over my chest.
“You’ve stolen my baby’s room,” she accuses. “You’re dead to me.”
“You stole my room first,” I snap. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you,” Isla gasps, offended.
“Then why would you take my bedroom?” I ask her. “Why remove all my things? Why kick me to the curb? It’s not my fault you got pregnant. It’s not even my fault you had an affair with your professor.”
She swallows hard, a chunk of apple stuck to her cheek. “He said I was too much.”
Don’t they all?
“So?”
“He said I needed to grow up,” she continues. “And then he called me a… a…”
“What did he call you?” I ask her.
“A bitch,” she quietly mutters.
Listen, I know who my sister is. She’s made my life a living hell years. But no one—and I mean no one—is allowed to call her names.
Except for me.
And people who do call my sister names? They get to deal with revenge.
From me.
I pull out my phone and scour the internet until I find what I’m looking for.
. I sign him up for a monthly subscription to The Flaccid Phallus club.
The first of every month, Harvey will receive a magazine with a limp dick on the front delivered to his office on campus, a box containing sample products that will definitely not help him in that area, and a reminder that he messed with the wrong sister.
“There,” I say to her as I show her the package I’ve subscribed to for a very reasonable fee of $19.99/month.
Isla wipes the tears from her cheeks. “You did that for me?”
I nod. “No one messes with my sister.”
You know, except for me.
“It’s hard,” Isla begins. “Mom and Dad like you more. Everyone likes you more. You dated Cash Allred for years. The town Golden Boy. Then, you somehow managed to make the town Bad Boy fall in love with you. I just… want what you have, Ingrid.”
I frown. “What do I have that you don’t?”
She exhales. “People actually want to be around you.”
I don’t know what to say.
“Mom and Dad told me I’ve been really selfish,” she confesses. “Maybe they’re right.”
Maybe they are.
But maybe Isla is just selfish and self-serving. Maybe Motherhood will change her.
“Mom said you have a baby appointment tomorrow afternoon. I’d like to go with you.”
She perks up. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“That’s really sweet of you.”
“I’m also moving to New York in August,” I divulge. “So, I won’t be here when the baby’s born.”
“Mom told me.”
“You can use my room,” I say to her. “But don’t erase me from the space, okay?”
She bites her lower lip. “I start therapy next week.”
I smile. “Yeah?”
“Mom said if I want to continue living with them, I have to go.”
“Maybe it’ll be good for you.”
She shrugs. “This is my life now. Pregnant and alone.”
“At least you’re not Naked and Afraid,” I joke. She stares at me. “Like the TV show?”
“Never heard of it.”
I decide to change the subject. “Are you okay with me taking my job back?”
“I’m so glad I won’t have to deal with Pierre anymore,” she exhales. “He’s so mean.”
I stifle a laugh. “That sounds like Pierre.”
“He told me I better be nice to customers and if I wasn’t, he’d put a curse on me that his great-grandmother taught him. He’s only used it once. The guy he used it on had terrible luck for seven years.”
“That’s awful,” I say, even though I know Pierre was only joking.
“I can’t wait to get my final paycheck,” Isla says. “Then, I’m going on a shopping spree.”
“For maternity clothes?” I ask.
She scoffs. “I would never wear maternity clothes.”
Hopefully she doesn’t have to eat those words in eight months.
“Well,” I say. “I have to go. I’m meeting Wilder, Cash and Elowyn at the creek.”
“You guys are so lame.”
Well, at least I’m leaving.
“I’ll see you at home,” I say.
She doesn’t bother saying goodbye. Just returns to her apple fritter.
My sister is something else.
But she’s mine.
I look back at her before pushing open the door.
Wilder is leaning against my car when I reach it.
“Ma’am,” he says, serious and low. “You do realize you’re parked in fire lane, don’t you?”
“Oh no, Officer,” I play along. “I had no idea.”
“I’m going to have to write you a ticket,” he continues as we both smile at each other.
“Is there any way I can get out of it,” I say as my fingers find his chest.
“I have a few ideas,” he laughs as I kiss him.
“You ready to teach Elowyn how to jump out of the tree at the creek?” I ask him as his hands settle on my hips.
“She’s fearless,” he says. “Like you. She’ll be fine.”
“I’m not fearless.”
Wilder grins. “You’re the bravest person I know, Ingrid.”
I doubt it, but I’m not going to argue.
“I can’t believe we’re moving to New York at the end of the summer,” I sigh.
“I can’t believe Cash is going with us,” Wilder chuckles.
“Maybe he’ll find his way back to pediatrics.”
“Or he’ll become a politician,” Wilder muses.
“Or run a hedge fund.”
“Or give guided tours of New York City.”
“Or become your assistant.”
“Maybe he’ll try modeling.”
I exhale, the sound content and real. “I love you, Wilder Cox. I love you so much that I can’t wait to start building a life with you.”
His thumb strokes my cheek. “We’ve already started building, Blondie. This is just the next step.”
We get in my car and head toward the creek, hands twined together, windows rolled down, the future stretching before us like a wide, open road.
I can only say this.
Wilder Cox is the greatest adventure I’ve ever been on.
And I hope it never ends.