Wilde Forever (Wilde Women Book 1) Read online

  Something she said or did must have made a difference because in the next instant, the shop girl pulled out a phone and started texting like crazy. Every so often she would glare at Kate, then go back to the conversation. After what appeared to be several back and forth exchanges, the woman sighed and pocketed the phone.

  “She’s up at the house and has agreed to see you, but I must warn you Mrs. Merrill. If you do or say anything to upset her, well…”

  Kate smiled warmly and nodded. “Message received. And I promise you, I’m not here to upset Brynn.”

  A long, tense moment of silence unfolded before the shop girl pointed at the door. “Take the path on the left, behind the shop. It will lead you through the trees out back. Wilde House is in the clearing. Not that you can miss it.”

  “Thank you so much,” Kate assured her with another wide smile. “I’m going to leave my friend in the tearoom. She’ll eat anything you put in front of her so feel free to send over a million calories!”

  It didn’t take but a minute to locate the path and step through the tree line. The charming old house that came into view was everything she’d expected. Scurrying quickly up the path she bounded onto the porch and hurried to the door. Knocking a couple of times she waited and prayed she was doing the right thing.

  A cute brunette opened the door and motioned her in. Again, not Brynn, but she’d seen pictures of all the Wilde girls and realized this must be Rhiann, the middle sister.

  “Mrs. Merrill?” the girl asked. She detected a slight tone of warning that Kate took as intended. My goodness. She hadn’t expected yet another gatekeeper. Brynn was totally surrounded by protectors. She wasn’t stupid. The poor girl must really be in a state. She was going to give it to her son when she got home.

  “Why, you must be Rhiann,” she answered politely. “You look like your grandmother.” No handshake was offered so she didn’t try to force the issue.

  “Mmmm hmmm.” Rhiann stomped away with a harsh gesture indicating she should follow. Ouch. Friendly and welcoming apparently wasn’t on the agenda.

  At the entrance to the front parlor she stopped and motioned again. “She’s in there. Please don’t upset her Mrs. Merrill. She hasn’t uh…been well. Have I made myself clear?”

  “Oh, perfectly my dear but please don’t fret Rhiann. We women have to stick together, especially when the men in our lives behave like assholes.”

  That seemed to calm the tense situation because Rhiann pursed her lips but nodded and said, “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Her first glimpse of Brynn Baron-Wilde in the flesh pretty much confirmed everything her besotted son had said about her. Blond and pretty, she was nothing like the pictures she’d seen. In person, the young woman was beyond beautiful with eyes that were made to drive some poor man to his knees. In this case, that poor man was her son.

  “Ms. Wilde? I’m Kate Merrill. Thank you for seeing me.”

  “Why are you here, Mrs. Merrill?” Kate was concerned by the flat tone in Brynn’s voice. Something wasn’t right.

  “May I sit down?” she asked. When Brynn nodded she took the chair next to the sofa where the delicate blonde was huddled. Oh dear. This might be harder than she imagined. Upon closer inspection she could easily see that Brynn Wilde wasn’t exactly as robust as first thought. She had smudges under her eyes that suggested she wasn’t sleeping plus her lips looked like they were being constantly chewed. And then there were her hands. First of all, they were shaking and secondly, her nails, a lot like her lips, looked like they’d seen better days. Kate was busily adding up all the clues when the biggest one of all froze her to the spot. Brynn was protectively clutching a throw pillow that she’d hastily grabbed when Kate sat down and placed against her stomach. The two liter bottle of ginger ale and the half full glass next to her on the table had an invisible neon sign hanging over it that said ‘got it?’

  Mothers were an intuitive lot. It came with the territory. Quickly doing some math in her head she had to control the furious firestorm raging inside her when once again, one and one equaled two. If her suspicions were correct, Jackson Merrill wasted no time, a thought that made her want to give her son a good old fashioned talking to.

  “My dear,” she began gently. More than anything she wanted to give this poor girl a hug, but they were a long way from that happening. Just yet, anyway.

  “I came because I needed to see that you were alright. You see, I’ve just become aware that my son may have had his head where the sun doesn’t shine when he left here. I realize he was in crisis but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. Men,” she shrugged with a sly smile. “Apparently my Jackson is an idiot. I may be his mama but I’m not blind to his faults.”

  Brynn twitched and pulled on her lip. Yeah, her son was in for an ass-kicking, southern mama style. “Is he okay?” the blonde asked.

  Kate was considering all the things she wanted to rail at her son when Brynn’s first instinct had been to ask about Jax. Here she was, clearly in dire straits and yet her concern was for her son. She must love him very much, she thought. Finding a way to bring the two back together, especially with what she suspected, was her only priority.

  “As it happens dear, he’s had a rather rough time of it. At first he escaped whatever thunderbolt hit him by sleeping. And I mean, dead to the world sleeping. Must have done him some good though because once he came back he was ready to battle the demons. Mostly, he spends his day at a Veteran’s Outreach Program, group sessions with others dealing with similar problems. And an awful lot of in-depth work with his counselor. His father and I are so proud of how Jax faces each challenge sent his way. And you’d know that if he wasn’t trying so bloody hard to protect you from what he sees as his failings.” Kate softened her tone and smiled. “He loves you very much you see, but he’s been through the wringer. May I call you Brynn?” she asked.

  The jerky nod she got tore at Kate’s heartstrings as she thought for the hundredth time, oh this poor girl.

  “It took a long time after he came home from the war for Jax to find his way. Those were difficult days for everyone, him especially. I’m sure he’s told you all this Brynn but there are some things I wanted to share with you that I hope help you understand why my son acts the way he does.”

  “I don’t blame him, Mrs. Merrill. Not at all. Actually, I even understand why he went away. Please don’t imagine for even a second that this is about me. I’m a big girl. I knew what I was doing when, well…when we got involved. I just need to know that he’s alright.”

  Kate shuffled to the sofa and sat next to Brynn, taking one of her hands and offering a reassuring squeeze. “Darlin’, he’s gonna be just fine.” Removing the pillow out of her lap, she tossed it aside and put her arm about Brynn’s shoulders. “His darkest days are behind him and while I don’t know the particulars about what triggered this latest crisis, I do know that he’s lucky to have the love of so fine a woman as you, my dear. He’s behaved like an ass and yet all you seem to care about is him. That tells a mother an awful lot. Something I think you’ll be finding out one day yourself.” Brynn shot surprised eyes her way.

  “Jax was always so protective. He took care of his younger brother and even as a boy felt like he had some responsibility for making sure our whole family was happy and safe. I think that’s why he wanted to be a doctor. Taking care of people is just what he does. Is any of this making sense?”

  Brynn nodded and she felt her shoulders relax a bit. Good. She was winning the girl’s trust.

  “Going in the military speaks to the sort of man my son is. He sacrificed a lot to serve his country with honor and distinction, but that experience was a cruel wake-up call. It tortured him that he couldn’t save everybody. All those caring and protective impulses weren’t enough and a piece of his soul got crushed by the experience. Truthfully, I wasn’t even a tiny bit surprised when he decided the medical profession wasn’t in his future. There are some wake-up calls that are just too brutal and real. Whatever went
on between you two is rooted in his defensive nature. Thank God he’s got a better handle on what set him off, and has good people he trusts helping him. Does what I’m telling you help any?”

  “Yeah. It does, actually.”

  “Brynn, darlin’—he doesn’t know I’m here. Actually,” she admitted with a chuckle, “even my husband is in the dark. They think I’m off in Philadelphia visiting a museum with my best friend. But I had to come. It’s a woman thing. Had to see that you were all right. You see, Jax speaks quite highly of you. He has no problem telling everyone who will listen that he loves you but he’s a man, and we both know what that means!”

  Brynn laughed and a bit of shine finally appeared in her eyes. Kate was relieved. There was still hope this mess could be cleaned up. Considering what she imagined was going on with the girl’s health, the clock was ticking and time was a wasting. She desperately wanted to ask, wanted to know if the beautiful blonde and her shithead son were expecting a baby, but she knew Brynn wouldn’t answer. Clearly the sister knew, probably the shop girl as well. It was high time for Jackson to get his ass back here so they could work things out. She had no doubt Brynn Wilde adored her son. The next person she told about a baby had to be him.

  “Well my dear, I’ve said my peace. Thank you for listening. We women have to stick together. Even my Adam, after thirty-six years of marriage, can be a butthead at times. It’s been a pleasure meeting you Brynn. You’re everything a mama hopes for when a son falls in love. You have every right to nail his hide to a tree, but I hope my coming here and trying to set your mind at ease has helped.”

  “Mrs. Merrill, will you do something for me?”

  “Of course my dear. Anything.”

  Brynn paused and seemed to be considering something. “Will you tell Jax that I don’t like the tile in the master en suite? It looks like a restaurant bathroom. Too busy.”

  Kate tossed back her head and laughed. “You want me to tell him the tile is ugly? Really? That’s the message you want me to pass along?”

  Finally, the girl smiled. “Yep. The tile sucks.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Mmmm, nope. Think that about covers it.”

  Kate stood up and beamed at the woman in whose hands her son’s entire future lay. She swiftly bent and pressed a motherly kiss to Brynn’s forehead. “I like you Wilde woman. Just like your grandmother. Jax better get his act together if he expects to keep up with you.”

  JAX WAS THROWING STUFF IN a suitcase when he heard a commotion brewing in the family room. It was highly unusual to hear his dad with a raised voice so he bolted for his bedroom door and peeked his head out to try and figure out what was going on.

  “Are you out of your mind, woman?” he heard Adam Merrill shout followed quickly by his mother’s southern belle twang.

  “Get a grip darlin’. He didn’t really leave me any choice. That poor girl was hanging by a thread and instead of growling like a bear you should be thanking me.”

  “For what exactly? Meddling in your son’s personal life?”

  “Yes. I meddled. So shoot me. What in blazes did you think I was going to do while he moped around here, dragging his feet and making a complete mess out of the best thing that’s happened to him in years. It’s a mama’s right to interfere. And I’m damn glad I did.”

  What the fuck? Was he hearing right? Bolting from his room like his ass was on fire Jax cleared the steps in one leap and landed at the bottom with a mighty thud. “What the hell’s going on?” he thundered when both parents startled at his noisy entrance. “What did you do, Mom?”

  With a cocky wink and a sly smile she answered with a saccharine sweetness that hit Jax square between the eyes.

  “While you were wringing your hands and behaving like a damn fool, I paid Brynn a visit.”

  “Oh my God, Mom. Why would you do that?”

  “I believe we’ve already covered the why son. You treated that poor girl like an afterthought. I’m still astonished that you imagined for even a minute that not including her in what was happening here was a smart move. How exactly did you expect to build a life with her going forward while your damn head was up your butt?”

  Oh fuck. Mom logic. There wasn’t any arguing with that. And she was right of course. He’d been a dick. What was happening to him involved Brynn. He should have kept her in the loop instead of going all macho-man and trying to take care of things on his own.

  Immediately backtracking, Jax became soft-spoken and turned worried eyes on his mom. “Is she all right?”

  Kate Merrill smiled, her eyes full of love and understanding. He noticed the delicate crinkles that gave lie to a face he thought was ageless and thanked his lucky stars for a mother who, even when she interfered, was one in a million.

  Moving to him, she pushed his hair away from his face and laid her palm against his cheek. “My sweet boy, you just made my heart burst with hope.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  She sighed and turned to look at her husband, nodded and then went to stand by his side, her arm wrapped through his.

  “Because you and your lady are of the same mind. You want to know if she’s all right? Well…that was her first question as well. Even after all you’ve put her through—Brynn’s only thought was of you. Says a lot don’t you think?”

  A hundred images flashed in his mind. Brynn on that first day when he’d put his foot in his mouth and the way her eyes shot sparks at him. Her laughing as they tried to out burp each other. The way she bit her lip when she was concentrating. How beautiful she looked by candlelight. The expression of heart-melting lust she gave him when he pushed her to her knees in a parking lot. He had been a fool for keeping her at arm’s length while he figured out how to deal with his issues. It was her right to be by his side—even if from a distance. She was the woman he intended to marry as soon as he’d convinced her that there really was a chance for a happily ever after. God. He had a lot of ground to make up.

  “You haven’t answered, Mom. Is she all right?”

  His mother’s pause made anxiety tingle along his nerves. Something was up. He could sense it. Oh shit. Had his leaving pushed Brynn too far? Jonas hadn’t indicated anything was amiss, but he only saw her briefly each morning when he got the key to the house. He realized belatedly that she’d never give anything away to him. She was too private for that.

  “Mom?” Jax swallowed hard as his heart began thumping.

  “Jackson. I love you, but you are an ass. That girl adores you, and no she didn’t say so, but it was written all over her face. Since I don’t know Brynn and have nothing to compare to, I’ll only say that she’s fine from a stranger’s viewpoint. That doesn’t mean that I found a happy, vibrant woman. You need to get back there darlin’ and soon.”

  “I am, Mom. Actually, I was starting to pack when I heard you and Dad arguing.”

  “Well, good. I don’t care how strong and independent a woman seems, mostly that’s window dressing.”

  His dad snorted in amused agreement and nudged his wife with a sly smile.

  “A woman in love needs constant reassurance Jax and you, well…you sort of dropped the ball on that, wouldn’t you agree?”

  He hung his head and shifted on his feet. Dropped the ball? Fuck. He’d done more than just drop it.

  “She asked me to give you a message.”

  Jax’s head shot up. Piercing his mother’s artless gaze with a fierce look he probed, “What message?”

  “I’m to tell you that she hates the tile in the en suite. Something about it being too busy. A restaurant bathroom I believe was the expression she used.”

  Huh? “Excuse me?” he asked incredulously.

  “You heard me,” she answered sweetly. “The tile sucks.”

  “The tile sucks,” he repeated, shaking his head. Had he heard her correctly? Judging by the shit-eating grin on his mom’s face, he had.

  “So,” she drawled. “When will you be leaving?”

  “Brynn Marie
Baron-Wilde! What in the hell is this?”

  Brynn looked up and pressed pause on the game controller, a look of confusion and surprise on her face. It wasn’t like Rhi to spit out her full name like a stern and forbidding parent who’d just discovered a crumpled pack of cigarettes stashed in the sock drawer.

  “Whaaaaat?” she asked. And then she saw what Rhiann had in her hands. Oh boy. Shit was about to get interesting.

  “I found these stuffed in a velvet pouch in the downstairs bath while I was cleaning up. Holy fuck Brynn. Are these real?”

  Dangling from her sister’s finger was the sapphire and diamond necklace while in her upturned palm the dazzling matching earrings twinkled in the light. She sighed. That night when she’d worn them seemed like a lifetime ago. So did the following morning when her world fell apart.

  “Yeah, real.” She shrugged. “They’re pretty aren’t they?”

  “Pretty?” Rhi mocked. “They’re more than pretty, sis. These must have cost a fortune.”

  “Mmmmm.”

  Rhiann placed the beautiful jewelry back in the pouch and sat next to her on the sofa. “You have some ‘splaining to do Brynnie. Suddenly I’m not so sure having Jax’s ass stuffed and mounted is quite in order. Bling like that doesn’t happen for no reason.”

  Brynn slumped back against the sofa and turned her head toward her sister. Now that she was feeling better, thanks to Rhi’s overactive nurturing routine, she was thinking straighter. The visit from Mrs. Merrill had helped too. She’d never lost faith in Jax—not for a second. She had, though, doubted herself in a million ways. Having it confirmed that she was pregnant gave her some breathing room and enabled her to see that hormones were probably responsible for much of her fears. Her life wasn’t a fairy tale. Nobody’s was. Problems, conflicts, uncertainty—those were things in every couple’s landscape. It was time to put on her grown-up knickers and get real.