Page 8 of A Wilde Christmas

“What can I do? I signed the papers. Can’t back out now.” He sucked in a fortifying breath and pushed to his feet. “I’ll handle Cade.”

“Uh-huh,” Elliot said doubtfully and raised a brow at Dom. “You want popcorn for this disaster flick?”

“You know it,” Dom said. “And a front-row seat.”

“We better grab some rain ponchos for the bloodshed.”

“Ah, good idea. And maybe our kevlar in case of stray bullets.”

“And a trauma kit.”

“Think Davey left us anything good in his will?” Dom wondered, making Elliot snort a laugh.

Davey pushed between them. “I hate you both.”

five

When the news dropped,everyone offered cheers and well wishes.

Everyone except Cade.

He went deadly silent. The calm before the cat-5 hurricane. He handed his daughter to his brother and calmly walked across the room.

Davey met him halfway. “Cade, man, I know this is a blow. You’ve been with WSW forever and?—”

Cade slammed his fist into Davey’s jaw. He hadn’t seen it coming, and it rang his bell hard. He staggered into the tree. It tipped and crashed to the floor, its ornaments scattering across the hardwood.

The room plummeted into a stunned silence.

Nova started to cry.

“Cade Hudson Wilde!” Eva snapped, pulling out her mom voice. As a tough-as-nails detective with nearly forty years of experience dealing with the worst criminals humanity had to offer, her mom voice sounded a hell of a lot more intimidating than most. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Cade ignored his mom, took the baby from Weston, and walked out, snagging a tactical diaper bag from the floor as he left.

Eva whirled on her husband. “You knew about this and didn’t warn him?”

Hands on hips, Cam stared at the ceiling. “I couldn’t. I was locked into an NDA.”

“That was my doing, Aunt Evie,” Fiona said. “We didn’t want the news leaking before we were ready to announce.”

Eva glowered at her. “It’s afamilycompany. He should’ve been able to tellus.” She turned her glare back to her husband. “NDA or not, youshould’vetold us.” Then, she stormed out after her son and granddaughter.

Cam exhaled a curse and chased after them.

Davey tasted blood on his tongue. He touched his lip, and his fingers came away red. Mom rushed to his side with a cold pack wrapped in a washcloth. As a kid, he always thought she was magic because she instantly appeared out of nowhere with first aid supplies. Now he knew she was just paranoid and well-prepared because her boys—husband included—were constantly banging themselves up. She fussed over him until he took the ice pack and gently nudged her away.

“I’m okay, Mom. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” she fumed, and tears flooded her eyes. “Oh, that Cade and his goddamn temper!”

He set the ice pack down and pulled her into his arms. “Mom, I’m okay. I’ve taken harder hits.”

She started shaking, and he realized too late that had been the wrong thing to say. She wasn’t only angry about the punch. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have fazed her. Between her sons and her husband and his brothers, she was used to the occasional fistfight breaking out. But she’d kept sucha tight lid on all of her fear and anger since he was injured, and the seal was cracking. That punch had been the last straw.

He didn’t know what to do as she sobbed into his chest and desperately looked over her head to his father for help.

Jude peeled her away and held her with the ease of a man used to comforting his wife. “C’mon, sweetheart. You’ve been on your feet all day cooking. Let’s go lay down for a bit.”

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