Page 77 of Wilder Heart

Under his arm, Annalise stirred.

“Hey, wild thing, your mom’s back,” Wilder murmured.

She raised her head. “Momma?”

“Yeah, baby girl. I’m here.”

“Oh, Momma!” She flew from Wilder’s side, boots clomping across the tile until she was at her mother’s side, gripping her hand tight and beaming up at her. “My brothers?”

“They’ll be here soon. The nurses are taking good care of them.”

“Yay!” Annalise gently reached out and patted Mary-Beth’s stomach. “Your belly is gone.”

Mary-Beth chuckled. “For the most part, yeah.”

“Be gentle, now,” Emily chided.

“I am,” Annalise said with a pout.

“Yes, she’s fine, Mother,” Mary-Beth said. “Did you have fun with Grandpa and Uncle Wilder?”

“Yes!” She launched into a tale about her honeybun and the phone call with Lain and teaching Wilder about Doc McStuffins.

Mary-Beth’s eyes flickered between Wilder and Robert. “And did Grandpa and Uncle Wilder get along?”

Robert harrumphed, and Wilder shot her a rakish smile. “We’re the best of friends.”

Mary-Beth’s eyes twinkled with weary mirth. She opened her mouth to reply when the door opened, and they all turned expectantly. As though summoned, Lain stepped into the room, his gaze bouncing around the small space before landing on his wife. His smile was one of immense relief, and he rushed toward her, gathering Annalise into a hug and then leaning over to kiss Mary-Beth gently.

“I’m so sorry, we came as quickly as we could. How are you? How are the babies? Did everything go okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, they’re fine, everybody’s fine.”

Wilder stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. He had no idea what to do now.

An arm caught the door before it could swing shut, and Cash stepped into the room, tipping his hat at Mary-Beth. Relief shook through Wilder, and maybe Cash noticed, because he stepped the rest of the way into the room, clapping a hand on Wilder’s shoulder and pulling him against his side in a way that looked friendly but felt like much more.

While Mary-Beth regaled Lain with the night’s events, interspersed with exclamations from Annalise, Cash leaned his head in close to Wilder.

“How areyoudoing?”

He sagged. “I was not cut out for being the supportive, responsible one. I’m glad you guys are here.”

Cash smiled, his eyes tracing the lines of Wilder’s face like he could read his stress there. “Seems like you’ve done just fine.”

It didn’t really feel that way, but they all made it through. That was the important thing.

Robert cleared his throat and drew himself up to his full height. “Lain, we need to have a talk.”

Lain blinked at his father-in-law, his smile fading. “About what?”

“Dad, please, not right now,” Mary-Beth said. “They’re going to bring the boys any minute?—”

“All the more reason to do this now,” Robert said, pinning Lain with a glare. “I always knew your priorities were skewed, but I never thought you’d endanger my daughter and granddaughter likethis.”

Lain shook his head in confusion. “What are you talking about? Endanger them how?”

“I can’t believe you’d even let this man back on your property, let alone leave him in charge of helping our Mary-Bethget to the hospital while she was vulnerable!” He jabbed a finger at Wilder, who somehow wanted to disappear and hit something at the same time, leaving him with hunched shoulders and a ticking jaw.

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