Page 34 of Wilder

“Not really. I lived rurally in Maine, so it wasn’t like I came from a big city.”

Lexi heard barking and watched as a little dog came bounding into the kitchen with Amelia hot on its tail. Its ears flopped forward as it came to a stop, looking around. As soon as it saw Lee, it ran over to him and sat at his feet.

“She wants a treat, Uncle Lee,” Amelia said, then smiled when she spotted Lexi. She gestured to the dog. “This is Elsa. She’s Uncle Lee’s dog, but we all love her.”

Lexi could see why. The dog was really adorable.

“Can I give her a treat?” Amelia asked, looking up at her uncle. “She’s sitting pretty.”

Lee chuckled. “Of course she is. Maybe put some foot in her bowl so she can eat while we do.”

Amelia hurried off toward a doorway in the kitchen, then disappeared inside. After a moment, she popped back out with a cup full of dog food in her hand.

Elsa hurried over to where Amelia was emptying it into a small bowl. She immediately sat, her tail sweeping the floor while she watched Amelia closely.

“What type of dog is she?” Lexi asked.

“Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.”

“She’s very cute.” Lexi had never considered getting a pet. She hadn’t felt it would be fair to the animal because she was so busy with other things in her life.

“You should get one,” Amelia said. “Dogs are the best.”

“We’re still not getting one, Berry,” Blake said, running his hand over her hair as he walked by.

“But if Uncle Lee moves out, we’re going to be so lonely.”

“There are enough of us here. I don’t think you’ll be lonely,” Blake assured her.

Amelia crossed her arms. “Maybe he should leave Elsa here.She’dbe lonely without me and Layla.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Lexi was intrigued by the interactions within the family. What would it have been like as a little girl to grow up with aunts and uncles around?

Her dad had always said that his family and her mom’s were the wrong sort of people. What Lexi had only recently discovered, thanks to her mom, was that her dad had distanced himself from his impoverished family when he’d started to earnmore money. And when her mom’s wealthy family had made it clear they didn’t think he was worthy of their daughter, he’d forced her mom to cut them off, too.

Turns out, they’d been right.

In the one conversation she’d had with her dad following his arrest, he’d been adamant that he’d done what he had in order to make sure that their family always had money. And once she’d heard from her mom about her dad’s growing-up years, she understood a bit more—even though she still didn’t accept it—why he’d done what he had.

Unfortunately, he’d also said he’d stolen money from those people in order to fund her skating career. It left Lexi feeling guilty and angry. She didn’t want to bear any responsibility for what he’d done, but it was hard not to. She had definitely benefitted from the wealth he’d accumulated through nefarious means.

“Let’s pray,” Blake said once everyone had gathered in the kitchen.

Wilder came to stand next to her, offering her a quick smile.

Lexi bowed her head, knowing that was expected when someone prayed. She wasn’t a stranger to faith and prayer. Her mom had a strong faith, and she’d insisted that Lexi go to church with her. At one point, when Lexi had been seven years old, her mom had led her to the Lord, however, she’d never been as devoted to the church as her mom was.

Her dad had supported her mom’s faith. Even insisting they go to church each Sunday as a family. They’d attended a large church in a nearby town, and her mom had been involved with the ministries there.

Her dad hadn’t gone there because of his desire to be a good Christian, however. He had thought being a church-goer would make it easier for people to trust him. It had been a smokescreen persona to hide his true personality and his actions. In the end, he’d swindled people at the church too.

Since her dad’s arrest, Lexi hadn’t set foot in a church. Part of that decision had been the shame she’d felt over what her dad had done. But a bigger part had been her own struggle with her faith when confronted by the realization that she couldn’t take anyone—even Christians—at face value.

When she’d accepted Alexander’s offer to work at the rink, she hadn’t thought she’d end up surrounded by people who were Christians, involved in their church the way her family had been. But here she was.

Once the prayer was over, the kids were quickly served. Then Wilder handed Lexi a plate and motioned for her to go ahead of him.

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