Page 33 of Wilder

Kayleigh had offered to spring for supper for everyone since it was a meeting pertaining to something at the resort. Alexandra hadn’t been entirely sold on having the meeting at Charli and Janessa’s, but since they wanted Charli’s help, it was the best place. She had responsibilities at home, so it made sense for them to go to her, instead of her having to leave everything to Blake to come to them.

The apartment building he pulled up in front of was familiar, since it was where Jay had lived prior to marrying Misha and moving into the home they’d bought together. It was one of the nicer buildings in Serenity, and it had great security, which was good since Alexandra was on her own.

Once he’d parked at the curb in front of the building, Wilder sent a text to Alexandra to let her know he was there. It was only a couple of minutes later when she appeared, and for a moment, Wilder just stared.

He was so used to seeing her in her workout clothes with her hair up. That evening, she had on a black cropped jacket over a purple shirt and slim-fitting jeans tucked into a pair of knee-high boots. Her hair lay in loose waves over her shoulders, glossy in the fading daylight.

Wilder got out and went around the car to open the door for her. “Ready for some chaos?”

Alexandra lifted her brows. “Chaos?”

“Well, there will be quite a few of us there, besides the girls and the baby.” He smiled as she slid into the seat. “You’ll see.”

Sure enough, the minute they walked into the house, they were greeted by loud conversation and a crying baby, along with aroma of rich spicy food.

“I hope you like Indian food,” Wilder said. “I didn’t think to ask you ahead of time. I’m sorry.”

“I can’t say I’ve had it very often, but I’m sure it will be fine.”

Wilder hoped so. Since he knew how restrictive her diet was, he should have checked with her first.

“Hey there, Alexandra,” Kayleigh said as they walked into the kitchen. She stood at the counter with several bags in front of her, and she and Janessa were pulling containers of food out of them and putting them on the counter. “Hope you’re hungry.”

Wilder guided Alexandra over to his sisters, then searched out Charli. She was by the pantry, taking paper plates out of a large plastic bag.

“What can I do?” he asked as Kayleigh engaged Alexandra in conversation.

“Do you think these are sturdy enough to use buffet style?” she asked as she handed him one of the paper plates. “They usually work for pizza, but I’m not sure about this. We don’t need a repeat of the bean incident.”

Wilder grinned, remembering the time his mom had used paper plates for a barbecue that weren’t quite sturdy enough. More than one of them had ended up with the plates bending and spilling baked beans, potato salad, and burgers on the ground. Jay had been standing behind their dad when his plate had folded, dumping beans all down the back of the man.

It had been hilarious for everyone but Jay and their parents.

“These will be fine,” he said.

“I hope so. We don’t need Alexandra thinking we’re complete idiots for serving food on weak plates.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

He had no idea what Alexandra thought about their family, and he was fairly certain she wouldn’t tell him the truth if he asked. Especially if that truth was that they were too noisy and overwhelming for her.

He wouldn’t want his family to change, however. Their gatherings were always lively and fun, and he hoped Alexandra would come to appreciate that, since they were probably going to be spending a bunch of time together over the next few weeks.

CHAPTER NINE

Lexi didn’t know if she was supposed to offer to help, but it seemed that everyone had things under control. The food smelled delicious, so she hoped she liked it.

She hadn’t been altogether truthful when she’d told Wilder she hadn’t had much Indian food in her life. The fact was, she’d never had any, so she was about to get her first introduction to it.

“Hi, Lexi.” The soft voice had her turning to see that Lee and his girlfriend, Rori, had joined them in the kitchen.

Lexi smiled, hoping it disguised how out of place she felt. “Hi. How are you?”

Rori’s smile grew. “I’m good. How about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“How are you finding life in Serenity?” Lee asked. “Is it different from where you lived before?”

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