Till Summer Do Us Part(128)

He shrugs. “Yeah, was kind of good at the matchmaking thing in college, where I was studying kinesiology. That’s where I met Ellison. Found that I was pretty good at cooling down arguments after a night out at the bars and, well…went from there. Ellison hooks me up with couples she knows and, well…the rest is history.”

“Wait, you’re serious.”

He tosses the football in the air. “You don’t become the best by going to school and studying. You become the best by life experience.” He taps the side of his head. “Think on that.”

“Hold on, so you’ve been offering marriage counseling to couples without ever being certified.”

“You know, Wilder, lawyers always tell you to read the fine print for a reason.” He winks and then nods at me. “Go long.”

No fucking way.





Chapter Thirty





SCOTTIE

“Well, well, well, look who decided to show up,” Mika says as he places a napkin in front of me.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He smirks.

I roll my eyes.

Apart from spending so much time with Wilder, I’ve been busy at work. Strangely, everyone has worked harder since the camp. So I can definitely see how taking couples away for marriage enrichment produces greater productivity in the office. Chad has been more subdued, and we haven’t spoken about his marriage since coming back, but there’s definitely a better work environment now.

“I know you’ve been busy.” Mika winks. “With my brother.” He sets some pretzels in front of me and starts making me a drink.

“It’s not what you think.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“We haven’t been doing anything like that.”

He pauses midpour of tequila and says, “What do you mean, you haven’t been doing anything like that?”

“He’s, uh, he’s been holding out on me.”

“Who’s been holding out on you?” Denise asks as she takes a seat next to me at the bar and pulls me into a hug.

“My brother, apparently,” Mika says.

“What?” Denise asks. “He’s holding out on you? My God, I thought the reason you weren’t around all that much is because you’d been bopping up and down on Mika’s brother.”

“I wish,” I grumble as Mika hands me my drink. “That is not the case. He has only kissed me. I feel like I went back in time to when you’re celibate until your wedding night.”

“That’s depressing,” Denise says as I take a sip of my drink.

“What’s depressing?” a very familiar, deep voice says.

I nearly spit up my drink as Wilder takes a seat next to me.

“Hey, Pips,” he says and places a peck of a kiss on my cheek.

Pips. It’s taken me a while, but I now love the nickname. It’s said with such genuine affection.

“Speak of the devil,” Mika says with a smirk. Almost a knowing smirk.

“You guys talking about me?”

“No,” I say, just as Denise says, “Yes.”

Wilder picks up my drink and takes a sip, his eyes going wide. “Jesus, Mika, put enough tequila in this?”

“I should have put more given how horny our girl is because you won’t put out.”

“Oh my God, Mika,” I nearly shout as Wilder chuckles next to me.

He wraps his arm around my waist, and he whispers in my ear, sending chills up and down my arms and legs. “You hard up, babe?”

“What? No.” I nervously laugh. “No, I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Why aren’t you boning our friend?” Denise asks, leaning over the bar to look at him. “Because she wants it.”

His smile grows wider. “I know she does.” And his hand grips me tighter.

Dear God in heaven, why is this happening to me?

“So then what’s the holdup?”

He casually sips my drink again. “I’m trying to demonstrate her worth to her first.”

Denise leans back and brings her hand to her heart. “Can you teach Derek to talk to me like that?”

“I’ll work on it.” He pops a pretzel in his mouth and nods at Mika. “You good, brother?”

“Good,” Mika says. “Want me to get you a drink?”

“Nah, I’m leaving soon.”

“You are?” I ask, feeling sad, because he just got here, and I thought he would at least stay for a little while.

“Yeah, and you’re going with me.”

“I am?”

“Yup.” Wilder holds my drink out to me. “So drink up.”

Denise leans forward and whispers in my ear, “He has that look in his eyes. A look that says you’re about to get fucked.”





“So, um, we’re back at my apartment,” I say as I stare through the windshield of his Jeep.

“We are.” He reaches behind us and pulls up a duffel bag.

“Is that, uh, is that an overnight bag?”

“It is.” He moves around to my side, where he opens the door for me and holds out his hand.