Page 53 of Pretty Lethal
I simply shrug my shoulders. “I can’t help it if it’s true,” I say with a wink before untangling myself from him and going to make sure Kai definitely put the rails up for Wilder and me.
Game number two commences, and thanks to the help of the rails, all four of us are neck and neck. I can practically feel the anger radiating from Hawk, and he grows more and more tense as the game goes on. Kai and Wilder tease him to no end, until he’s so worked up that his ball ends up in the gutter on the final round.
“Assholes,” he hisses, rounding on the two of them with steam practically pouring from his ears. “You did that deliberately!”
“Dude, you make itwaytoo easy,” Wilder informs him.
“It’s not like you were going to win anyway,” Kai points out, gesturing to the scoreboard. Kai, of course, is in the lead. As Hawk has grown more and more frustrated, his game has gotten worse, which puts me solidly in second place. Although, Hawk was right on my tail, and if he had gotten a strike with this shot, he would have beaten me.
Ignoring his hissy fit, I prance with my ball toward the aisle, swinging my arm back before propelling it forward. My face contorts in a grimace as the ball goes straight for the rail at the side, bouncing off it before careening to the other side of the lane. By the time it hits the pins, I’m not expecting much, so when all of them end up falling down, it takes me a second to realize.
“Strike!” I yell, bouncing up and down with my hands in the air as I turn to face them.
“Well done, baby girl!” Kai says with an easy-going smile. He was still miles ahead of me on the scoreboard so it’s not like I’ve beaten him. Still, it’s my only strike of the day, so I’ll take the win.
Hawk still looks pissed, but he smiles and claps his hands, happy for me despite his loss. Wilder hoots like a lunatic, drawing the eyes of the other families around us.
When we’re finished, Hawk challenges Kai to a duel, and Wilder and I roll our eyes, kicking off our bowling shoes and getting comfy in the plastic seats as the two of them set up to go head-to-head.
While the two of them go at it, I notice Wilder staring at the families around us with a slight frown on his face. “Is everything okay?” I ask, giving his shoulder a slight nudge.
He tears his gaze away from the little kid in the lane beside us, whose dad is teaching him how to properly throw the ball and then tossing him up in the air as though he got a strike when he only managed to knock down one pin.
“I never had anything like that growing up,” he says, indicating the happy family beside us. “My father only paid me attention if I was of use to him. More often than not, he was gone on business, which suited me just fine. Most people I knew, their parents were the same, so I never felt like I was missing out on much, ya know?” His gaze is pulled back to the family, as though he can’t help but watch them as they joke and laugh with one another. The mom pulls her little girl in for a hug, kissing a boo-boo on her finger while the father watches them with doting eyes.
As I watch them, I realize what they have… that’s life goals. Not having a high-flying career or earning boatloads of money. Not working so hard that you neglect your family at home or forgo having one altogether. Not emotionally locking yourself away so you aren’t even open to the possibility of loving someone unconditionally.
Having someone look at you the way he’s staring at his wife—as though she’s his entire universe. Having kids you can dote on and who fill your heart with pride. Having a family you can come home to at the end of a hard day and who will instantly make you feel better and remind you how insignificant everything else is in comparison.
That’swhat life is all about.
“But being in places like this makes me realize that the cold, isolated childhood I had isn’t the norm. It’s not how it should be, and it sure as hell isn’t what I want for my kids.”
I rip my eyes away from the family to stare at Wilder. Other than Kai mentioning he wanted kids with me one day, none of us have talked about children. Obviously, I know I want them, and I feel like Kai is probably on the same page as me. Hawk could probably be convinced, but Wilder is, well, a wild card. It’s impossible to know what he wants in life. I didn’t think he even knew what he wanted or had given it much thought. “Your kids? You want kids?”
When he looks at me, his eyes burn with an unhinged sort of intensity that only Wilder is capable of. The kind that makes me feel like a rabbit caught in a trap, the big bad wolf looming over me and ready to devour every scrap of my soul. However, it’s not a trap I want to escape, because Iknowhe doesn’t plan on eating me whole. All Wilder really wants is to not feel alone. He wants what that family has—to be accepted and feel like you belong somewhere, with people who get you and want to spend time with you.
“I wantyourkids.Ourkids. I don’t care if they have Hawk’s awful temper or Kai’s ridiculous Henry Cavil looks—although, I do think a little brown-haired, brown-eyed Wilder junior would be the perfect addition to our family.” He smirks, utterly oblivious to my ovaries waving a white flag and screamingyes, yes, yes!“However, so long as you’re their mom and we’re together, I want as many kids as you can give me.
Chapter16
EMILIA
Kai beats Hawk’s ass for the third time, claiming the title ofBowling Champion, and we have to drag Hawk out of the bowling alley after he demands a rematch. The idiot would stay there all day just for the opportunity to beat Kai.
The four of us head to a nearby diner to grab some food, filling up on milkshakes and burgers while the guys talked smack to one another. We spitball ideas for our next date day—Kai suggested a camping trip, and Wilder sourced a place nearby where you can do ax-throwing that the rest of us immediately shot down, only because of the impossibility of Wilder holding an ax and there not being any bloodshed. Hawk, who seems determined to beat Kai at whatever we do next, suggested a visit to some underground fighting ring he knows of.
Out of those options, I voted for the camping trip.
Overall, it’s been a great day, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the guys get along and joke at one another’s expense.
By the time we walk back into the brownstone that evening, the grin on my face is so wide, you can probably see it from Mars.
“What are you smiling at?” Kai asks, noticing it as he comes closer and pulls me in against his chest.
I wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m just happy. I had so much fun today.”
“Me too,” he says sincerely, his eyes roaming my face as though he can’t look away. The heat of his hands on my back burns through my clothing, and chasing the feel of them, I push onto my toes to cover his lips with mine. I don’t hold back as I slide my tongue into his mouth and tighten my arms around his neck until I’m flush with every hard ridge of his chest and abdomen. I can feel his strong thighs pressed against mine as his hands slide up my back, making me feel so small and breakable in his firm hold.
