Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“It’s there if you need it. I can’t force you to use it.” I walked past her, needing to get away from her and out of the house before Thatcher came inside, bitching.
I would tell Sarah bye, explain I might be longer but that she would have Oakley, and leave.
“Wilder,” Oakley said quietly.
I paused, but didn’t turn to look back at her.
“Be careful,” she said. “Sarah needs you.”
Inhaling sharply, I nodded, then left the room before she said anything else.
Fifteen
Oakley
Three days, and not one call or text. I stared at my phone while chewing on my thumbnail, messing up my latest manicure.
Sarah had fallen asleep on the sofa, watching Christmas Vacation. I had thrown a blanket over her and left her there while I went to get a bath. Pretending like I wasn’t worried around her all day had progressively gotten harder. Every minute we continued not to hear from Wilder, the more concerned I got.
The first two days he had been gone, he’d called Sarah each afternoon at five. The last she had heard from him was a text three days ago, saying he was trying to get his work done so he could make it back for Thanksgiving. Then, nothing.
I wasn’t going to get any sleep if I didn’t know if Sarah’s father was alive.
The rumors people had told about the Kingston, Shephard, Salazar, and Jones families were exaggerated in our youth. Sebastian had assured me of that when we were dating. However, he had admitted that they had some business that could get dangerous. Possibly not always legal.
I stood, and Belladonna lifted her head and stared up at me.
“Stay,” I told her quietly, and then I snatched up my phone from the coffee table and dialed Wilder’s number for the first time in … well, nine years as I left the living room and headed for the kitchen. On the third ring, my heart started to race. One more ring, and the voice mail was going to answer.
“Is Sarah okay?” Wilder’s voice asked.
My first reaction was relief. Then, the anger took over. Was Sarah okay? Shouldn’t he have called HER to find out already?
“Yes,” I said through my clenched teeth. “Are YOU?”
Silence for a moment, and I almost asked if he was still there.
“Yeah, I’m fine. We’ve just had a busy couple of days. This is the first chance I’ve had to make a call out. Where we were … the reception wasn’t great.”
Where the hell had he been? Underground?! How could he not have found a location that had service? Even just to call for a couple of minutes?
“I’m glad you trust me enough not to call and check on Sarah, but she needs to hear from you.” And I need to know you’re alive.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
An apology. Damn him. That took the fight out of my sails. I had expected him to argue. At least snap at me and tell me I had no business telling him what to do.
He sounded tired, I realized. As if he hadn’t slept in three days.
“Are you okay?” I blurted before thinking that one through.
A deep sigh on the other end only added to the fatigue in his voice. “I’m good. Just tired. I need to get some sleep. I’ll call tomorrow evening. Tell her I called, would you? And that I love her and should be home by the time she wakes up on Thanksgiving morning. Don’t wait up for me. It’ll be late the night before when I get home.”
So, he wasn’t going to make me leave in the middle of the night. That was nice of him. I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have the energy to give him a snide response. The anxiety that had built when we didn’t hear from him zapped me of all snarkiness.
“The decorations look great. Thanks for that. It makes Sarah real happy.”
I frowned, staring at the garland and lights over the mantel. How did he know what they looked like? Was he talking about the decorations in the bags he’d brought inside? He thought they had looked great then?
“Just wait until you see them put up. They’re even better,” I replied, thinking that must be what he was saying.
“The red berries on the mantel are very festive,” he replied, and I swore I heard a trace of humor in his tone.
I hurried back to the living room and scanned the area. Was he here, punking me?
“You’re not gonna leave Sarah on the sofa all night, are you?” he asked.
I spun around in a circle, completely confused. Where was he?
“Wilder, this isn’t funny. If you are here, then come out,” I hissed into the phone.
A low chuckle came over the line then, making my body warm in a way it hadn’t been in a very long time.
“I’m not there, I swear.”