Page 96 of Wilder

“A bunch of my family went to cut down trees on Friday.”

“Cut down trees?”

“They went to a nearby Christmas tree farm, and they got a couple of trees. One for our house, and one for Jay and Misha’s place. The kids had a blast, and they got to see Santa.”

“I’ve never done that.” Lexi had actually thought stuff like that only happened to Instagram people or in Hallmark movies.

“I used to love it as a kid, but my schedule hasn’t worked out for me to go in recent years. I did get to decorate with them over the weekend, though. That was a blast.”

Lexi really liked how much Wilder seemed to enjoy hanging out with his nieces and nephews. Her dad hadn’t had anything to do with children that weren’t his. Really, he hadn’t had a whole lot to do with her, either. Even though he came to her competitions, when he was home, he was busy with work. Or stealing… whatever it was he did.

“Did I tell you that Janessa announced her pregnancy on Thanksgiving?”

“Oh wow. That’s amazing.”

“It is,” he agreed. “It’s great that my siblings are making sure the next generation is plentiful.”

“Given how many people are in your family, even if each one only produced one kid, it would still be plentiful,” Lexi pointed out.

Wilder laughed. “This is true. So far, Charli and Blake have three. Jay and Misha have two, and Gareth and Aria have one. Janessa and Will’s baby will make grandbaby number seven for my parents.”

“Have I met Gareth and Aria?”

“I don’t think so, but you’ve probably seen Gareth. He plays the drums at church most Sundays.”

Lexi had watched another livestream Sunday evening, but she couldn’t recall what the drummer had looked like. She’d have to pay closer attention next time.

She still wasn’t sure about going to church yet. The change in her schedule meant that work wouldn’t keep her from attending, though training might.

This change would lead to a schedule similar to what they’d kept before, but Lexi sensed an impatience and intolerance in Mik and Irina this time. They weren’t happy about her working and had tried to subtly get her to quit before moving on to more pointed suggestions that she was being selfish by continuing to work.

So far, she’d managed to ignore them, but no doubt they’d think they’d succeeded in wearing her down when she let them know that she wasn’t needed at the rink anymore. But just because she wasn’t working anymore, Lexi wasn’t going to let them take over her life.

And maybe church should be the first stand she took with regards to that. She’d tell them that, just like before, she’d be taking off Sunday morning and early afternoon. Since they should have a day where they let their bodies rest a bit, it might as well be Sunday.

“I meant to ask you,” Wilder said, shifting on his feet as he reached out to grasp the boards. “Is it still okay that I’m showing up to watch you guys rehearse?”

“It doesn’t bother me.” In fact, she rather liked that he was so interested in her skating that he kept showing up. “I have no idea—nor do I care—how Mik and Irina feel. Okay, that’s not entirely true. They’ve asked why you keep showing up. However, it’s none of their business.”

“Good, because I’ve really enjoyed the glimpse behind the scenes. I can see how much the two of you are improving. It’s like you’re gelling. You’re more in sync than you were at the start.”

Lexi nodded. “I think we are, too. Mik had to adjust to skating with me again, and I think he’s done that.”

“Is it that difficult to switch partners?”

“Not for the singles elements. But his previous partner was a couple of inches taller and a little heavier, so he made adjustments for throws and spins with her. Now that he’s back with me, he needs to make those adjustments again.”

Wilder lifted his hand to the back of his neck before dropping it as he cleared his throat. “Is Mik… uh… trying to revive your personal relationship, too?”

“He made the suggestion once,” she said. “But when I shot him down, he let it go.”

“Shot him down with an ice arrow?”

Lexi couldn’t help but laugh. “You know it.”

Several people came into the rink, their laughter filling the space. Wilder turned to look at them, then said, “Looks like they’re making the rounds. Some of them were on the slopes earlier.”

Lexi thought about making a comment about spoiled rich kids, but then realized that to someone like Wilder,shewas a spoiled rich kid. Or at least she had been.

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