Page 4 of A Wilde Christmas

“Here we go.” Cam groaned good-naturedly. He was always good-natured—the stable peacemaker in a family of stubborn hotheads.

“Hey, kid.” Vaughn pushed to his feet and came around the couch. Even in his late sixties, he was as fit as a man half his age, and Davey swore his vertebrae rearranged themselves in the powerful hug. Vaughn was an intense man who intimidated most people, but under that gruff outer shell was a tender heart that loved deeply. He doted on his wife, Lark, and kids, Fiona and Griffin. He protected everyone in his family with asometimes zealous single-mindedness—brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews included.

Of his four uncles, Davey was closest to Vaughn. They were both SEALs and shared all the experiences and brotherhood that came with it.

Vaughn set him back at arm’s length and scanned him from head to toe. “You good?”

“I’m good.”

Vaughn nodded and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Vixen,” he called across the room to his wife. “Look. It’s my favorite nephew.”

All the male cousins in the room groaned. Someone threw a handful of popcorn that Luka promptly vacuumed up.

Lark and Fiona both glanced over.

“You’re not supposed to pick favorites,” Lark said.

“That’s only with our kids. Nephews are fair game.” He smirked at everyone else in the room. “Look at my other options. Slim pickings.”

Weston threw the football. Vaughn caught it and lobbed it back. The ball bounced off Weston’s thumb and hit the tree.

“Dammit, Jude!” Mom shouted from the kitchen.

Dad, still seated on the couch, held up his hands. “It wasn’t me! Why does she always assume it’s me?”

“Because it usually is,” Cam said and smacked his youngest brother on the back of the head. Then he pinned his youngest son with a glare. “Weston, knock it off.”

“What?” West retrieved the ball from the tree and brushed stray pine needles off his shirt. “Uncle V started it.”

Lark laughed. Her smile was as warm as her hug. “Welcome home to the madhouse, Davey. Did you miss us?”

“Always.” He hugged her back. She wore a cloud-like white top and smelled like her favorite perfume’s soft, faintly vanilla scent. She’d stopped dyeing her hair since the last time he’d seenher, but she possessed the kind of timeless beauty that made silver hair look chic. Her daughter was a copy/paste version of her, but that was where the similarities ended. Lark was open and inviting, with a wicked sense of humor and a no-nonsense attitude. Fiona was as cold and prickly as an icicle.

Something flashed in Fiona’s eyes at the sight of him before she hid it with a sip from her wine glass. “Hi, Davey.”

Whatever was going down tonight, she had to know. She had replaced Mom as WSW’s head counsel, and they didn’t do anything without her legal stamp of approval. But when he tried to talk to her, she slipped away, and he got dragged into a conversation with Dad, Vaughn, Lark, Cam, and his wife, Eva.

By the time he cornered Fiona again, she was at the bar pouring herself another glass of wine.

“Fi, wait.” He caught her arm and dragged her over to the shimmering tree, out of earshot of the others. “What’s going on? Dad’s acting weird.”

“Your dad’s always weird.”

“Weirder than normal. Uncle Vam, too.”

“Don’t call them that. They hate it.” Graceful as a cat, she slipped out of his grip. “And no. I’m not telling you anything. Attorney-client privilege.”

“Don’t give me that?—”

“Then don’t ask questions I can’t answer,” she said. “Have you seen Cade’s daughter yet?” She lifted her wine glass toward their cousin and the newest member of the Wilde family, deftly changing topics. “She’s cute, as far as crotch gremlins go.”

Davey looked at the pair. He and Cade had once been as tight as brothers, but a long and rocky history had driven a wedge between them, so he’d been trying to avoid the guy all evening. But the baby was cute with a crown of dark ringlets and big blue eyes that probably got her whatever her little heart desired. Nova was a month shy of her first birthday and just learninghow to walk. Cade held her pudgy hands and walked with her, an adoring grin on his rugged face as she toddled around in her sparkly red dress and matching slippers.

Davey shook his head. “Still can’t believe he’s a dad now.”

“A single one at that.” Fi slid him a calculating glance. “You should go talk to him. Bury the hatchet.”

Davey didn’t quite manage to hide his wince. Father or not, Cade was still a hard-ass who didn’t forgive easily. Maybe even more so now that he had Nova. “I’m trying to avoid bloodshed this Christmas.”