Page 105 of Wilder

Though previous Friday nights had included games or singing, that night it ended up just being eating and talking. He hoped Lexi wasn’t bored, but she didn’t appear to be.

Wilder had a feeling that Lexi knew how to converse with people, even if she wasn’t interested in what they were saying. She was a professional and a public figure, after all.

Finally, people began to leave, and Lexi said she needed to go as well.

“Can you come out to my car for a minute?” she asked as they walked to the foyer after saying goodbye to the others.

“Sure.” Wilder opened the closet and pulled both their jackets out. “Is there something wrong with it?”

“No. I just want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?” That sounded promising… or ominous. He wasn’t sure which.

The air was crisp as they stepped out of the house onto the porch. It had continued to snow off and on since the first snowfall that had stuck around. The slopes were in great condition and ready for the influx of skiers who would come in over the next several weeks.

He got into the passenger side seat while Lexi slid behind the wheel and started up the car. It didn’t take long for warm air to flow from the vents. It definitely heated up more quickly than his car did, and apparently, it had heated seats.

“So, what’s up?” he asked, angling himself toward her.

Though it was dark, the streetlight cast a bit of light into the car, allowing him to see her fairly clearly.

“I hope I didn’t do something wrong,” she said as she stared out the front windshield.

Wilder frowned. “What do you mean?’

“Well, earlier at the rink, I told Charli that I thought Amelia had good potential as a figure skater, probably even better than Layla.” She paused, her brow furrowing. “Then when I was speaking with Amelia earlier, she referred to Charli as Layla’s mom. And now I’m confused, especially because Charli seemed to not be happy while we ate.”

Wilder mulled over her words. “It’s true, Amelia isn’t Charli’s daughter in the biological sense. Not the way she is Layla’s. Amelia is Blake’s daughter from another relationship. However, he is Layla’s father.”

Lexi turned to look at him. “I’m confused.”

Wilder gave a huff of laughter. “Yeah. It’s a bit complicated. Blake and Charli dated back when they were in college, and she got pregnant. He didn’t know because he’d left her and joined the military. Fast forward, he came back to town last year with Amelia, and somehow, they managed to sort things out and fell in love again.”

“And Shiloh?”

“She’s adopted. They got her just a couple of months after they were married earlier this year.”

“So do you think Charli’s upset that I said that Amelia was a better skater than Layla?”

Wilder shook his head. “If anything, I think she might be more upset that Amelia called her Layla’s mom.”

“Do they not have a good relationship?”

“I would say that it’s… okay. It’s not like they fight or anything like that. Amelia just always goes to Blake when she needs something. And she never calls Charli Mom.”

“Does Layla call Blake Dad?”

“She didn’t at first,” Wilder said. “But Lee told me that a couple of months ago, she started referring to him more consistently as her dad.”

“That’s probably hard for Charli to see,” Lexi said. “Especially since she seems to really love and care for Amelia.”

“She does,” Wilder agreed. “She loves and cares for all kids. It’s why she’s a teacher.”

“I hope I didn’t do anything to complicate the situation.” Lexi sighed. “I don’t always know how to approach people with stuff like this.”

“You’re doing just fine,” Wilder assured her. “And this isn’t of your making. Honestly, I think Charli was happy to hear that Amelia is excelling at skating, even if she’s doing better than Layla.”

“How do you navigate so many relationships?” Lexi asked. “Do you just go around like a bulldozer, not caring? Or do you have to walk around on eggshells?”

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