Page 43 of Wilde About You

"So how about you? What did you have to do to get grounded? I'll bet it was more than an eye roll."

Colin looked around at the untamed landscape. "We wouldn't be grounded mostly because Dad always liked us out of the house. Especially when he had a new girlfriend, which happened about every week. Ronan and I used to set up camp right over there by that tree when we knew it was time to get out of his way. One night it rained so hard, all of our stuff washed away. We had to lash ourselves to that tree to keep from being washed away with it. Zander had been staying with friends because he was getting out of Dad's way, too. He knew we were camping out. He came home and found us clinging to the branches." Colin rested the reins on the horse's neck and reached up high above his head. "Hanging like two monkeys while we watched this wild creek of water roll under us. I'd never seen that much rain, and I've spent a lot of time in Ireland. But Zander marched through the water. It came up to his thighs. He plucked us both down like we were low hanging fruit and got us to higher ground."

"He took care of his little brothers, didn't he?"

Colin grew quiet for a second. "None of us would have survived if not for Z. Dad never even knew we'd almost been washed away."

"So, there is definitely a very uncool side to Finnegan Wilde," I said.

Colin shoulders dropped. "You could say that."

"Sorry, this topic seems to be a bad one," I said. "I saw the Irish flag, and obviously the names, Colin and Ronan, and you mentioned Ireland. I guess I'm not going too far out on the limb to guess that you are Irish."

Three doves took off from a nearby bush causing Toby to startle. He darted sideways, but Colin pulled his head around to keep him from taking off.

"Something tells me if that guy decides to run, there will be little to stop him," I said.

Colin nodded. "Yeah, Nate, my youngest brother, decided to take him for a ride after Toby had just gotten here. A hawk flew down too close to the trail, and Toby took off like he was heading to Mexico and never coming back. Nate's a good rider though. He hung on. And yeah, Ronan and I, our mom is from Ireland. Dad spotted her singing in an Irish pub. They fell in love. My dad did that a lot. He also fell quickly out of love, and so did all his wives, our mom included. The Finnegan Wilde charm is strong, explosive but short-lived."

"At least he has charm. My dad has to be the most charmless person on the planet. I don't know how he stays so successful. He's no doubt stomping around the house right now, yelling at everyone because he's mad at me."

We reached a pond, surrounded by trees and tall grass. A tire swing dangled from an oak tree branch over the murky gray water, and a crudely built pier jutted a few feet into the pond. The horses instantly dropped their heads to drink as if we'd just ridden them through the Sahara Desert.

"Right, dudes, cuz we rode you so hard," Colin quipped.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air. It was laced with the earthy pungent scent coming off the surrounding landscape and the tang of algae from the pond. Ranger moved his dripping wet muzzle to the nearby patch of grass, and Toby decided to do the same. Colin and I dropped down from the saddles and sat next to the shore.

"I'll bet there were a lot of parties down at this pond," I said.

"Yeah, this was a summer hangout for all of us. Definitely had some good times out here." Colin picked up a stone and tossed it into the water. A ripple of concentric circles followed. "When we were kids, this pond felt like a lake, one you could race across. We'd take a running start with that tire swing and see how far out we could jump. It seemed never-ending, as if we had our own private ocean. Now it looks puny and—" He crinkled his nose. "Kind of gross, now that I look at it. Shit, I'm turning into a testy old man."

I wrapped my arm around his. "Maybe a little."

"You were supposed to say, 'oh no you're not, Colin.'" He pulled me into his lap. "'You're a hot, incredible lover.'"

I put my arms around his neck. "Oh, Colin, you hot, incredible lover." I kissed him hard on the mouth. "There. Better?"

"Yep. I have to warn you, we Wildes need our egos stroked at least once a day."

"I'll try to remember that."

He gazed at me and it felt as if my heart was melting inside my chest. It wasn't just his looks. There was something about the way he looked at me, the way he held me that made this whole thing feel really significant. I'd been all over the world, and I grew up in privilege, but I'd never felt at home … not ever. But I felt at home in his arms.

"Colin, thanks for everything. I really needed a friend, and there you were suddenly."

"Well, my sweatshirt and I are very glad you found us."

I tucked myself against him. "I do love that sweatshirt. The boy I stole it from is all right, too."

twenty-two

. . .

Colin

Asliver of pink light slipped between the slats on the blinds. Dad's ornery rooster, Dickface, his actual name, crowed somewhere in the distance, and the trillion birds we had living in the trees and shrubs started their songs. It was weird being back in our old bedroom. Ronan had lived in and out of Dad's house for years, but I'd managed to scrape enough together early on in my snowboarding career, with extra jobs and a few gutsy sponsors willing to take on a kid named Wilde who was reckless but also talented, to have my own place. That lucky streak was over, at least where careers and a decent living were concerned. I'd always had luck with women too, but never like this.

Just enough early morning light crept past the blinds for me to see my bed partner clearly. We'd shoved the beds together and put the new setup to good use all night. Sadie's long black lashes fluttered as she slept. Her lips were slightly parted, and her short white hair stood up in every direction. She stole my breath away just looking at her, even fast asleep.