Page 1 of Wilder

CHAPTER ONE

Wilder Halverson shifted in his seat, grateful that, for whatever reason, the airline had upgraded him from economy to first class for his flight from Reykjavik, Iceland to Spokane, Washington. He’d traveled enough in economy, with his knees bumping the seat in front of him, to appreciate the times he was blessed with an upgrade.

“Heading home?”

He looked at the older woman seated beside him. She was probably about his parents’ age. But while his mom tended to choose more comfortable clothes when she traveled, this woman was dressed in a dark blue pantsuit with a paisley scarf. Her short silver hair was styled elegantly, and she wore several pieces of jewelry that Wilder was sure cost a fortune.

When he traveled, he opted for comfort over style, like his mom. Which meant he was dressed in a pair of black joggers, a long sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of Converse sneakers.

At first, he’d assumed the woman was a bit of a snob, because she’d spent most of the flight working on her laptop. Wilder had also spent his time working, though he’d been on his tablet.

“Yes. My family lives in northern Idaho.” He smiled at her. “And you?”

“I’m meeting some friends for a girls’ weekend near Serenity Point. Do you know the place?”

“I do,” Wilder said with a nod. “It’s my hometown.”

“I’ve never been to this part of the US before,” she said. “What’s it like?”

Wilder had no problem giving her the run-down on the area. After all, he knew it very well, plus he was used to sharing the highlights of a place when he did his travel videos. It was a nice reminder of all the things he loved about his hometown, and why he was eager to get back to Serenity.

When the announcement came that they were beginning their descent into Spokane International Airport, Wilder turned to look out the window. The sun had set about an hour earlier, so there wasn’t much to see beyond a scattering of lights across the dark landscape.

But they were lights that represented home.

His time away from Serenity seemed longer than it had in the past, though that hadn’t actually been the case. In fact, he was coming home a little earlier in the year than he usually did. He wasn’t usually so glad to be back, but he was.

In the past, he’d always been happy to be back in Serenity and to see his family, but this time, it felt like more than that. It was a sense of relief that he hadn’t ever experienced before, which made no sense. Especially since he’d seen his parents only two weeks earlier.

His parents had been with him at the orphanage in Thailand until they’d had headed home while he’d flown to Iceland to film a collaboration that he’d had scheduled with a travel company there. He’d enjoyed spending time with his parents in a ministry setting, and he’d been proud of how they’d thrown themselves into the work there.

Once the plane was on the ground, the woman next to him exhaled audibly. “Flying is not my favorite thing.”

“It is always good to get back on land,” Wilder agreed, though he didn’t really mind flying. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to live life the way he wanted.

Because they were in first class, they were among the first to disembark. Wilder thought the woman might walk with him, but she took off, walking quickly up the jetway.

Wilder followed at a more leisurely pace, knowing that he’d still have to wait for his luggage at the baggage claim. As he neared the area, he looked around, curious to see who was there to pick him up.

Once he’d had his flight information, he’d dropped it in the family chat and trusted that someone would be there to pick him up. It was how he’d done it the last few years whenever he’d returned to Serenity Point.

He grinned when he spotted his brother, Lee. “Did you draw the short straw?”

Lee pulled him in for a hug, pounding him lightly on the back. “Nah. I volunteered.”

Wilder hadn’t seen much of his older brother in the last few years, since Lee hadn’t lived in Serenity. They’d usually seen each other for Christmas, and that was about it.

“So, I hear you’re settling down,” Wilder said as they stood at the baggage claim conveyor.

A smile grew on Lee’s face as he crossed his arms. “You heard right. New job. New love. It’s been a bit of a journey, but I’m happy here.”

“Never thought I’d see the day, honestly,” Wilder said as he thumped him on the shoulder. “You seemed very happy in Chicago.”

“I was,” Lee agreed. “But circumstances change, you know.”

“Your breakup?”

“No. I would have stayed there after that, but then I was laid off.”

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