Page 36 of Maggie

Chapter 11

Wylder

The voice of a snake sounded from behind him. “Thank you all so much for coming to my wedding.”

Wylder suppressed a shudder. They were adults now, and this woman had no control in his life anymore. Still, years of ingrained childhood emotions screamed at him to get away from her.

“It’s all been beautiful, Frieda,” his mother said.

A spark of mischief flashed in Maggie’s eyes when she realized who the voice came from and she turned to face Frieda. She said, “Ah, Frieda. Thanks for having me at your wedding. I’m having a wonderful time.”

Confusion crossed Frieda’s perfectly applied face. “I’m sorry. Have we met?”

“Oh, sorry.” Maggie would’ve looked apologetic to any onlookers, but Wylder could see the insincerity. “I forget that not everyone knows me. I’m Maggie Simmons. Wylder’s girlfriend.”

Frieda’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? People know you?”

Kelsey interrupted, “Maggie is part of the rock band Lovely Oblivion. She’s famous. How cool is that? People keep taking pictures of her and coming over to talk. Have you heard of her?”

God, he loved that kid. That was perfect. Leave it to his niece to pour salt in the wound — not only was a celebrity at Frieda’s wedding, people were taking pictures of her and drawing attention away from the bride.

Frieda’s mouth opened and closed a few times like she was speechless, but then she pushed it aside and said, “I have. Very nice to meet you, Maggie. Thank you for taking time to come to my wedding.”

“Oh sure. It’s a pleasure. I love to spend any time with Wylder that I can.” Maggie reached her hand over to cup Wylder’s cheek and smiled lovingly at him. It stole Wylder’s breath. Logically, he knew Maggie was beautiful, but having her full attention and getting that look from her... He’d been wrong. Maggie wasn’t beautiful; she was stunning. Wylder met her gaze and they stared into each others’ eyes.

“How long have you two known each other?” Frieda asked.

“Years,” Maggie replied. Her thumb stroked Wylder’s cheek. His heart beat a little faster with her touch... He enjoyed it. Her gaze didn’t waver. “He gave me my first tattoo.”

Insane jealousy shot through him at the possibility that someone else might have marked her. He growled. “I’d better be the only person who’s tattooed you.”

Maggie’s eyes twinkled with amusement and she laughed. “He gave me my only tattoo,” she corrected. “We lost touch then but we recently reconnected. We’ve been together since. Kismet.”

“Kismet,” he repeated.

“Oh, how nice,” Frieda said. “How do you like our little town? Wylder never intends to leave.”

Maggie ignored the concealed insult to Wylder. “I love it here. Once Lovely Oblivion stops touring, I might even move here. It’s a great place to raise a family. After all, look how great Kelsey turned out.”

Maggie broke her gaze with Wylder and turned it to Frieda, basically issuing a dare to say anything bad about his niece.

“She did. Luckily, nothing like her uncle.”

Shit. Shots fired. Wylder was used to it and could ignore Frieda, but Maggie’s eyes widened with rage. Wylder quickly wrapped his arms around Maggie in a hug, which barely kept her from leaping from her chair.

“Whoa, Frieda, that’s uncalled for,” Wylder’s dad said.

When Maggie realized she was physically restrained, Maggie drew a deep breath and released it. She visibly composed herself. Once the tension faded from her body and she relaxed, Wylder released his grip on her. She plastered a smile across her face and turned back to Frieda. She took his hand.

Maggie said, “I hope Kelsey turns out exactly like Wylder. He’s artistic and talented, and he’s made a successful business out of that. Plus, have you met him? He’s a gem. Best guy out there.”

Did she really feel like that?

A tight smile crossed Frieda’s face. She acted like she was about to respond but her gaze flicked around the table. Suddenly, she acted like she saw someone calling her, which Wylder was sure was pretend. She said, “Thank you for coming to my wedding. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” Quickly, she left.

They turned back to the table to find his family watching them.

“Why didn’t you tell us she treats you like that?” his mom demanded.

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