Wilde Heart (Wilde Women Book 2)
Wilde Heart
Copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Halliday
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by an means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
ISBN 978–0-9904309–9-5
This book is meant for mature readers who are 18+. It contains explicit language, and graphic sexual content.
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Book Cover Design by Sommer Stein of
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Table of Contents
Other Books by
Suzanne Halliday
Family Justice
Wilde Women
This book is dedicated to
The drive-thru Starbucks near our temporary home in the great southwest
Specifically for the Venti Classic Chai Tea Latte or the Early Grey Latte
Without which I’d still be throwing words out
And
Ella and Beau
Who make every day an adventure
“K
ISS! KISS!” CRIED THE CROWD of happy partygoers, as they tapped glasses and encouraged the smiling couple at the center of attention to lock lips. Obliging their well-wishers, the grinning man in the perfect tuxedo dipped his beautiful partner dressed in a clinging white off-the-shoulder gown in a dramatic dancer’s pose then snatched her upward quickly and into his arms for a ravenous kiss that was met with a chorus of sighing, “Awwws.”
A pudgy man dressed in a suit that appeared to be a size too large waved everyone to their seats then started addressing the crowd in an overly loud voice that suggested he’d had his fair share of cocktails.
“Before my illustrious mother-in-law comes up here and takes the stage, I’d like to propose a toast to my brother-in-law, Bob, and his wife, Darcy,” he slurred as he held his glass aloft. “Thirty years is a long time to put up with each other, but you two have certainly shown all of us that it’s possible.”
As far as toasts went, it wasn’t a very good one, but the man doing the talking wasn’t expected to do much more than take up space. All families have a groan-worthy relative or two, and judging by the crowd’s reaction, he was one of them.
A tall older woman with elaborately coifed silver-grey hair, dressed to the nines and more or less dripping in expensive-looking jewelry, strode confidently forward, fixing the inebriated man with a cold stare. When he dropped like a stone into his chair looking both sheepish and morose, she paused ever so slightly until he had the sense to hang his head.
The DJ hired to handle the festive occasion rushed at her, handing off a microphone that she waved away with a snort. “Young man,” she bit out, even though he wasn’t young by any stretch of the imagination. “I am fairly confident that, even at my advanced age, I still know how to project my voice as to be heard by all present.”
Sitting at the table closest to the couple being honored, three beautiful young women snickered with undisguised delight, then quickly coughed and cleared their throats, straightening up in their chairs when the grand dame in the spotlight looked their way.
Having been summarily put in his place, the DJ plastered a tense smile upon his face and lifted the microphone as he spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for the mother of the groom, the incomparable Bryanna Charles Baron-Wilde.”
Raucous applause burst upon the gathering with all the men present rising politely to their feet while several of the younger guests, including the three women, hooted and hollered, “You go, Nana!”
The older woman stood there with a sly smile on her beautifully made-up face as if she was accepting a congratulatory curtain call—something that wasn’t all that far from the truth.
Eventually waving away the acknowledgment, she waited until everyone was seated and the room perfectly quiet before beginning to speak.
“Thirty years ago, our family was blessed when my beloved son, Robert,” she said with a beaming smile as she turned and nodded in his direction, “was lucky enough to convince Darcy Abbott to take him on as a husband.”
The three women seated together reached for each other’s hands in a sisterly connection that spoke volumes about their relationship.
“It sounds lovely now, but at the time, my husband and I weren’t so sure these two would ever make it to the altar.”
A titter of amusement traveled around the room while, at the head table, the anniversary couple elbowed each other playfully. Although his hair was now shot with grey, Robert Baron-Wilde was still a devastatingly handsome man and the woman he looked at with such love and longing, his beautiful wife, Darcy, looked more bride than middle-aged mother.
“The Baron-Wilde family has always been an interesting lot, to say the least,” the older woman stated emphatically. “As most of you know, I led my dear Anthony on quite the adventure before he managed to haul me in front of a preacher!”
The three young women giggled as she spoke.
“It was pretty amusing to watch many years later when young Darcy did the same thing.” Smiling broadly and casting the woman in bridal white a conspiratorial wink, she let the laughter die down before continuing.
“In honor of this momentous occasion celebrating their thirty years of marriage, I’m going to add a new chapter to the Baron-Wilde family lore and let you all in on a little known fact about Robert and Darcy’s journey.”
If her statement meant to grab everyone’s attention, she succeeded. Almost the second those words left her mouth, every pair of eyes in the room blinked and grew wide.
“As you know, my Robert was something of a bonehead all those years ago. After several years of dating and even after they were living together, he seemed incapable of sealing the deal. Poor Darcy,” Bryanna mocked while giving her son a pointed look. “She really did put up with his nonsense much longer than I would have. Anthony and I made a bet one night that if he didn’t, as they say, shit or get off the pot.” This comment was met with a ripple of good-natured laughs. “That we were sure Darcy would haul butt in the other direction. A little like I did,” she added with a flourish.
“Now, I may or may not have had a hand in what happened next, but sure as we predicted, the day came when my son was handed his hat after Darcy packed her bags and went off to London to pursue the dreams she’d put on hold while Robert dragged his feet.”
“Idiot,” someone in the gathering shouted. “What an ass,” cried another.
Grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat, she nodded her head dramatically in agreement.
“Anthony was sure his son would immediately come to his senses and track her down but I disagreed, so we set up a friendly wager.”
Gently fingering a long necklace hung with a diamond-encrusted owl showing emerald eyes, she smiled and sighed softly.
“I knew Robert would hem and haw so we bet on a timeframe. Since almost three months passed before someone,” she sniped with a raised eyebrow, “finally dusted off his passport, I won the bet! This necklace was my prize. Anthony thought the owl was fitting because I had clearly demonstrated knowledge of our son’s foolishness that he hadn’t seen.”
Stopping to remove the necklace, Bryanna walked over to where Darcy sat, leaned in and kissed her affectionately on the cheek, then straightened and placed the glittering jeweled owl around her daughter-in-law’s neck.
“This is where it belongs now,” she told her with a knowing smile. “Mothers always know, yes?”
“Mom,” Robert choked out in a voice brimming with undisguised emotion.
Bryanna stroked his face lovingly and put her palm on his cheek. “This woman has stood by you, given you three beautiful children, and put up with a family that is sometimes hard to deal with. I love her like she’s my own child and am proud to call her my daughter.”
The three women sniffled and reached for their purses to extract tissues as they watched their parents and grandmother embrace. It was a lovely moment that they would remember forever.
