They both have the same eyes and coloring, but it pretty much ends there. Wilder must have taken up all the space in the uterus, not giving Natalie much room to grow. I’m short myself, but I'm still taller than her. She reminds me of a tiny fairy.
“Don’t be fooled. I’m the sweet one.” She smirks at Wilder, who only glares back, and they seem to have some kind of unspoken conversation. Must be some twin thing that I might never understand.
“She only came by to get some things for Evie.” Wilder grabs a bag off the counter, setting it on the island in front of his sister.
“Is the storm starting to die down?” I ask, trying to break through whatever this tension is.
“A little.” Natalie makes no move to go anywhere and looks between Wilder and me like crazy.
“You shouldn’t be out in this,” Wilder scolds her, and she rolls her eyes.
“I’m fine out there. Besides, when a pregnant woman is having cravings, you get her those foods.”
“Then maybe you should take them to her.” He pushes the bag toward Natalie.
“Speaking of babies, when do you guys think you’ll start trying?”
“Nat,” Wilder growls at his sister, making her laugh.
“I’m only teasing.” She snatches the bag up from the counter. “I suppose I should leave you newlyweds alone.”
“Newlyweds?” I repeat.
“I’ll see you out.” Wilder grabs his sister by the arm, guiding her out through the side door.
She jerks her arm, elbowing him in the side, but he doesn’t let go. They whisper-fight at each other all the way outside.
I plop down into one of the chairs at the kitchen island as I search my mind for what I recall of Natalie. I knew her face the second I saw it, and her name was just there. How weird.
Feeling chilled, I head back to the bedroom to find some pants to put on. I peek out the window to see the snow is still coming down but not as hard.
Natalie and Wilder talk animatedly back and forth, and I think they are fighting. I strain to listen, and I make out my name a few times before Natalie shouts and I catch every word.
“You need to come clean or you’ll end up losing your new wife.” The way she says “new wife” has my heart dropping. Natalie throws her hands up then turns to hop onto her four-wheeler. Wilder drops his head, looking down at the snow as she takes off.
Unease starts to rise inside of me as I move away from the window. I don’t want Wilder to bust me listening in on their spat. A few moments later, I hear a door open and close then Wilder’s heavy footsteps moving through the house toward me.
He pauses in the doorway of the bedroom when he sees me standing there. “I need pants,” I say after a long second goes by. I guess he’s not going to tell me whatever it is Natalie wanted him to.
“Do I have any in here?” I ask, opening one of the dresser drawers, only to see his stuff. I try another drawer and then another, but still nothing. “Do you hog all the drawers?” I try to tease him, walking over to the door that has to be the closet.
When I open it, all I see are his things, which is strange. Turning back around, I see Wilder is still standing in the doorway of the bedroom with a worried expression on his face. He still hasn’t said a word. When I finally look around the bedroom and really take everything in, something occurs to me. While the cabin is beautiful, it’s also kind of bare, and there are no feminine touches anywhere.
“Bri.” He says my name gently, as if trying not to spook me.
What’s freaking me out more than anything is how he’s gone from so lovely and sweet to cold and distant. A familiar ache starts to rise in my chest, and it’s one that’s filled with sorrow and loneliness.
“Are we separated?” I ask. My mind is starting to put things together because I can tell a woman doesn’t live here. “That’s why you don’t wear your ring!” I shout, then wince, regretting my outburst. My hand goes to my head, and I touch the spot there.
“Shit.” He rushes over to me, finally trying to comfort me, but I step back away from him. He freezes, and his eyes widen a fraction.
“Is it something more? How come I’m wearing my ring and you’re not?” I hold my hand up. “Did you leave me? Kick me out?” I start to spout off possibilities, but it’s telling if I’m still wearing my ring and he’s not. “You cheated!”
A range of emotions explode through me, and I pull the ring off my finger and throw it at him. He catches it and places it down on the dresser next to him, but my eyes dart to the door.
“You’ll never make it,” he says, but I don’t listen. I try to rush past him, but he snags me around the waist instead. My feet leave the ground as he lifts me, and the next thing I know, I’m pinned to the bed beneath him.
Chapter Ten
WILDER
“Calm down, Bri, before you hurt yourself.”
She struggles against my hands, but after only a few seconds, she gives up and goes limp on the mattress.
“Tell me what’s going on, Wilder. I’m all over the place, and I can’t remember anything about us.” Her chin quivers a little, and my heart nearly breaks in half.
“Baby—”
“I know that I love you,” she says, and the words take me by surprise. “When I look at you I see the man that holds my heart. But I feel lost.”
There are so many things I want to tell her and even more that I need to tell her. “Bri, I love you too.”
Before I can say anything else, she breathes a sigh of relief and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she looks calm. “If you love me then everything else will be okay.”
I nod, because no matter what happens after this, that’s the most honest thing I’ve ever said in my life. Leaning down, I touch my lips to hers, and she opens for me. The sweet release of still having her, still holding her, overwhelms me.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her when I brush my thumb over her cheek. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe with me, and there’s never been another woman I’ve wanted besides you. There’s only ever been you.”
“Am I always this jealous?” She smiles, and I kiss her again.
“Not as much as I am,” I tease and kiss down her neck.
Her legs fall open, and I hook my hand underneath one, opening her up and spreading her wide. I grind against her, and she moans into my mouth.
“Will you make love to me?” she asks softly as I push her shirt up and play with her nipple.
“Not yet, baby.”
The cute sound of frustration she makes has me smiling as I move down her body and shove her shirt up the rest of the way. I kiss her bare breasts then suck on each nipple until the hard peaks are pebbled and tight. I love the feel of them against my cheek, and she moans when I rub my beard over them too. I love having her scent all over me, and the more I do it, the more I crave it.
I tug at the boxer briefs I left for her to put on and then push them down her legs. She’s bare underneath, and she spreads her legs wide the moment she’s free of them.
“That’s my good girl,” I praise, moving between her open knees.