Wilde Magic (Wilde Women Book 3) (31 page)

Emphasizing the right hand, she continued. “Can’t have a reaction without … what?”

He said nothing.
Pfft.
His first smart move of the day.

Waving the fingers of her left hand, she gestured wildly. “Oh, that’s right! No reaction without an action happening first.”

Taking hold of her bags, she delivered her closing remarks. “This is on you, Mr. Tyler. All. You. Don’t like my reaction? Tough shit.”

She made it to the bedroom door before turning around for a final look. She’d been out of her damn mind to get sucked in to what she saw now was nothing more than a charming prince fantasy. Her Roman affair.

He was watching her with a twisted frown, his chest heaving. Maybe he actually did like her a little, which was why he looked so upset, but she couldn’t care about any of that. She hadn’t signed on for a threesome any more than she signed on for a man who could lie so easily.

“Karma’s a bitch, huh?”

And then she dragged her shit up the stairs, through the apartment, and out the front door, which she left open—little bit of
fuck you
dramatic flair tossed on the bonfire at the end.

And now here she was. Alone. Freaking out. And oh yeah—with cramps that made Charlie wish for death.

“Oh, sweetie! I can’t wait to see you. Jax is going to be thrilled that you’re coming home for our wedding. Sisters three!” Brynn chirped happily.

Charlie was crying. Tears streamed down her face. Hearing the joy and unbridled happiness in her oldest sister’s voice affected her deeply. Brynnie was the serious one. The big sis with all the responsibility and since Charlie and Rhiann were the wild ones, Brynn had her hands full.

Her sister’s first marriage, a dry-as-toast merger completely lacking in any emotion whatsoever, made Charlie wonder whether the eldest Baron-Wilde sister would ever find true love.

That question was apparently answered and in a surprising, but quite jubilant way.

“I’m going to be an auntie,” Charlie murmured. Brynn falling in love was one thing, but a baby? Holy shit! The endless possibilities for teasing her about being a baker with a bun in the oven were too, too precious. “Jeez sis, I had no idea Nana was so devious. I can’t stand that smarmy putz, y’know. Cousin Seth has always been jealous of us but jees-us. Bringing your ex-husband along to try and wrestle Wilde House away from you? Boy. Such a weasel. But the parents? What the hell were they thinking?”

Charlie wiped away some tears and smiled broadly when she heard her sister’s distinctive laugh. “They were thinking they wanted grandchildren, sweetie. But me getting knocked up and finding out I was pregnant while going through a bumpy patch wasn’t what they had in mind. Especially Dad.”

“Be careful what you wish for, hmm?”

“Exactly,” Brynn snickered. “But, whatever! Got a Christmas wedding to plan. Squee!”

Charlie chuckled. “Cut me a break Brynnie. You aren’t planning shit. Maybe making a thousand lists—yes. But Rhi got the planning gene. Even if you wanted to, she wouldn’t let you plan a walk around the block. That’s her thing.”

“Yeah, well—I believe Rhiann has another thing these days. A thing we’re not supposed to know about. Amy let something slip.”

“Hmm. Right. I forget that Rhi and Amy have some exclusive Ya-Ya bond going on. What are they up to? One of them designing a fashion line or something?”

“Pinky swear, Charlize and then I’ll tell you.”

The grin on her face almost hurt it was so big. “Pinky swear, Baron-Wilde style.”

“Okay then.” Brynn paused for dramatic flair. Seemed none of them fell far from the hereditary tree that was Bryanna Charles. Maybe the three of them should’ve followed Nana’s footsteps and gone into acting. “I think she’s writing.”

“No fucking way!” Charlie squealed. “For real, Brynnie?”

“Mm-hmm, though I can’t pry any real information from Amy. It’s killing me not knowing but I don’t want to ask. Rhiann’s got her hands full right now.”

“I heard. Liam Ashforth. Wow is all I can say.”

“She’s loved him since she was a teenager.”

“Mmmm.”

“And what about you? Did I hear correctly that you’re fooling around with some Italian guy?”

Damn. Really? Wouldn’t serve any purpose to pour out her broken heart to Brynn. What’s done is done. There’s a wedding happening and a baby on the way. At the end of the day, even a shitty one, she was still a Baron-Wilde and that was enough.

Careful to infuse her tone with mock humor, she drawled, “When in Rome, right?” The way her stomach bottomed out at the expression made her want to end the call quickly.

“Just don’t do anything foolish, okay? One shotgun wedding in the family is enough.”

Charlie chuckled. Well, at least she knew she wasn’t pregnant so there was that. “As if. Okay, listen sis, gotta ramble. Loads to do if I’m gonna come home.”

“Sweetie. Is this coming home thing for good? Being pregnant is some scary shit. I really need my sisters to be involved and by involved I mean nearby. Not on another continent.”

She’d already made her decision. It was time to go home. There was nothing for her here. When she looked back on her time in Italy, she’d remember it for all the great stuff she learned and the good times. Period.

“I’m coming home. I’ve already checked into what I need to drag my Master’s Degree to the finishing line and I can’t do it from here.”

Casting the finishing of her degree as the catalyst for going home made sense. Nobody would question the decision and she wouldn’t have to come up with a story to cover her heartbreak.

“I’m sending you a ticket, Charlie. First class.”

“Oh shit, Brynnie. You don’t have to do that! Mom and Dad already offered and Nana is trying to charter a damn jet to haul my ass back to the States.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I don’t care. You’re my sister. Jax says I can have anything I want and I want you here. Case closed. Don’t argue with the pregnant lady.”

“Love you bakery bitch.”

“Love you too baby bitch.”

“This is me being speechless. I figured you were in love with this woman the last time we talked but then Mom told me you went home after fucking things up. Jesus Christ, Jax.”

“Oh God. Fucked up is an understatement. Had an episode, man. A bad one. And well, Brynn she got caught in the crossfire. Almost hurt her. Going home was the only thing I could do at the time.”

“Duuude.”

“Pfft. I know.”

Cal was without coherent words. Jax. Getting married. And a baby on the way. Not only that, their parents conspired with his woman’s folks to get them together. Wow.

“Listen Caleb. I’m not doing this without you, bro. Need you to be my best man. How much begging and bribing do I have to do to get your butt back to the States?”

Cal thought back over the last week. His life was in shambles. After threatening to sue the fucking shit out of Crepuscolo for the stunt Claudia pulled, they’d wisely backed down and even threw money at the problem to settle the contract dispute and wash their hands of him.

Every attempt to communicate with ‘tessa failed. He knew first-hand that she didn’t answer her phone, like ever. And leaving messages was futile.

The whole thing was slowly killing him.

He’d fucked up. Plain and simple. No, he hadn’t invited what happened with Claudia, but that didn’t excuse him from the rest of it. The fresh-faced girl fascinated him from the first second he laid eyes on her. Manipulating the situation so she was forced to take him on as a client didn’t exactly make him an upstanding guy. Cal wanted the blonde hippie—knew he was taking advantage of the young girl—and played dirty to get her.

And get her he most certainly had. ‘tessa, in all her virginal glory was simply put, the only woman he’d ever been authentic with, but he’d played too many games, including hiding behind a manufactured identity for there to be much hope beyond a few weeks of hot sex.

Hot sex.
Ugh
. He didn’t like the term. He’d made passionate love to the quirky girl and was falling for her in a big way when it all turned to shit. Cal got what he deserved.

What was the point in hanging around Italy any longer? Seemed kind of pathetic. And though going back to the states with his emotional tail between his legs wasn’t how he envisioned returning home, he was sick to death of Cal Tyler.

“No bribery necessary, old man. My Italian adventure has reached its expiration date. Time for some changes.”

“So what’s that mean? Trading in your passport for Mom’s home cooking or just making a cameo?”

A tremor of reluctance from throwing in the towel on making things right with ‘tessa gave him pause. Being indecisive wasn’t his thing, so he closed his eyes and jumped head first.

“Let’s get you married, Jackson. Don’t want your kid asking later what took you so long. And then we’ll talk, okay? About the future. I’ve been thinking about that idea you had for the cluster of tiny homes. Twenty-first-century families connected on a single property. It’s genius, dude.”

Jax laughed. “Fucking A, it’s genius. Gave it a lot of thought. Start with a parcel of land. Figure three to five tiny homes placed strategically around the property with a communal building in the center. Something big enough for a family table with seating for everyone. The gathering place. I was thinking the center should have a playground with park benches and tables. Think about it. The whole thing could be green and tiny homes can be way more family functional than people think.”

“Don’t have to sell me. We’ll talk. First things first, though. It’ll take me awhile to wrap things up here. Stuff to ship home and what have you. So realistically, I’m thinking you can expect me to parachute in at the last minute. If you need hand holding before then, Dad can do the honors.” Cal laughed. “Still can’t believe he wanted you and Brynn hooked up so bad he and his old friend concocted an elaborate ruse. Bet they didn’t figure on you getting that poor woman pregnant the first damn chance you got.”

He heard the distinct sound of Jax clearing his throat and wanted to high five his big brother. Oh! So that’s the way it is, huh? Sounded to Cal like the first damn chance was rather spontaneous and right out of the gate. Priceless!

And then a sobering thought smacked him upside his head. When you find your best self in someone else, you fall fast and hard. Like Jax and Brynn.

‘‘tessa. Shit. That’s how he felt about ‘tessa. She was the one and he’d fucked it up. Suddenly, he couldn’t run away from Italy fast enough and he didn’t give a flying fuck what that said about him. He was a runner. Ran after Harve died. And here he was running again. Should be old hat by now.

“Yeah well,” Jax was saying, “please don’t say anything like that around her family, okay? She’s got a bunch of sisters and the middle one has quite a mouth on her! Brynn’s the oldest so us getting caught with our pants down is way embarrassing.”

Holy cow. His brother’s life was changing fast. In-laws. Yikes.

“Understood. Look Jax. I’m overjoyed for you. Seriously, man. You deserve nothing but happiness. You’re my hero, bro. Always have been and I respect the shit out of you after everything you’ve been through. I know I’m gonna love Brynn. Her loving you means we have something in common.”

“Thanks, Caleb. And I’m really glad you’re coming home. I’ve … I’ve missed you, ya’ little prick. I think maybe it’s time for both of us to let go of the past. Focus on the future. You come home, bro. And get ready to put on your uncle hat. I’m counting on you to bring the mayhem cause I’m pretty sure my lady and I are gonna be overprotective and uptight parents.”

Cal roared. Yeah. Mayhem. He was good at fucking with Jax. “So what you’re saying is, a drum set for Christmas when he’s five?”

Jax howled with laughter. “What if it’s a daughter? Think I’d like a little girl to spoil. Then what?”

He thought for a second and then drawled mockingly, “Shotgun. Teach the little lady how to shoot. Yep, yep. Shotgun.”

It felt damn good to break apart laughing with his brother. Jax was right. Letting go of the past was best for both of them. Going home wasn’t a second-place win. He belonged there.

Caleb Merrill belonged there.