Page 109 of Wilder

It would give him something to do, because he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be spending much—if any—time with Lexi in the days and weeks ahead. The thought made him sad, but at the same time, it was probably for the best.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lexi finished curling her hair, then checked to make sure the partial updo she’d created would hold for skating. She was used to securing her hair for competitions, but she usually put it all up. This time, though, she’d left part of it down, and she’d found a Christmassy headband, so she slipped that on and fastened it in place so it wouldn’t fall off as she skated.

Her outfit was in a garment bag, ready to go. She planned to get dressed closer to the time of the fundraiser, just in case she needed to help out beforehand.

Once she had everything she needed, she left the apartment. As soon as she turned on the car, Christmas music poured out of the speakers. Even though she hadn’t really been in the mood for Christmas, the fundraiser had helped shift her attitude. So now she had the music of the season playing whenever she was in the car.

She spotted Wilder’s car when she pulled into the parking lot, and his parting words from the night before came to mind. Not that they’d ever really gone away.

It had been a moment that had left her speechless with her heart thudding heavily in her chest. This man…

He’d brought her so much joy that she’d never realized was missing in her life. He never took himself too seriously, which meant that even though he knew that she had a very talented skating partner in Mik, he had no problem partnering with her for the fundraiser.

Some men might have been intimidated by her and Mik’s abilities, but Wilder had no problem accepting his own skill level and having fun with it. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ableto be that carefree, but today would definitely be a step in that direction.

With butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her stomach, Lexi got out of the car and retrieved her stuff from the backseat. Snow crunched beneath her feet as she walked to the door of the rink. They had cleared most of the snow, but it looked like a bit more had fallen overnight.

Though the rink was usually kept a bit on the cold side, it still wrapped her in warmth as she stepped inside. Christmas music and conversation greeted her.

“Hey there,” Wilder called out when he spotted her. He immediately walked in her direction, a broad smile on his face, making his warm brown eyes sparkle. “Ready for a great day?”

“I am.” Her smile came more easily than it ever had before. It wasn’t the smile that she gave when she was in the kiss and cry area or talking to reporters. This was the smile she gave her mom, and now, it was the one Wilder seemed to draw from her with little effort.

“So am I.” He motioned to the tables that had been set up the day before. “We have a lot of baked goods to sell, and I think the auction items are going to bring in a lot of money.”

“That’s great.”

Together, they walked toward the area where most of the things had been set up. Lexi briefly detoured to her office to drop off her bags.

“Good morning, Lexi,” Wilder’s mom said as they joined her and Wilder’s dad at one of the tables.

“Good morning.”

“This is going to be so exciting,” she said, her smile rivaling her son’s.

“We’re in charge of the silent auction,” her husband said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the generosity of everyone. I know they’re going to come through.”

Lexi could see where Wilder got his optimism. When she’d first met his parents, she’d been surprised at how friendly they’d been toward her. She was sure that Wilder had told them about her past, but it didn’t seem to matter to them.

Mrs. Halverson’s gaze moved past Lexi, and her smile grew. Turning, Lexi spotted Kayleigh coming towards them with Hudson and Alexander. Now that she knew they were father and son, she could see the similarity between them. It was so strong that she was surprised that she hadn’t picked up on it herself.

She was used to seeing both men in suits, but that day, they were each wearing jeans and thick sweaters under their jackets. Kayleigh was also in jeans that she’d paired with an oversized sweater. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She didn’t look like the polished manager of the resort.

Mrs. Halverson greeted them each with a smile and a hug—even Alexander. While Mr. Halverson shook hands with the men and hugged his daughter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

As she watched the two interact, Lexi felt a pulse of pain in her heart. She missed her dad. Not the man who had stolen from people. Not the arrogant businessman.

She missed the man who’d gone to all her competitions. Who, even though he’d been busy a lot of time, had hugged her and kissed her when he’d been around. He’d been the one to help make her dreams come true.

But it was all gone.

And she had to wonder if any of it had been real. He’d said that everything he’d done had been for her and her mom. As ifplacing the responsibility for his theft on them made it better. All it did was increase her guilt.

Thankfully, she’d had money of her own earned through endorsements so that she hadn’t been left completely destitute. Her mom had had plenty of money because she’d inherited a large sum of money when her grandfather had passed away. So they’d been okay financially.

But Lexi had lost her dad, and her mom had lost her husband because of his actions.

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