Wylde Fire

by Sarah Robinson

  "Amelia, you have to tell me now. What is going on?" Sam insisted.

  She nibbled on the corner of her lip and then sighed. "Holly's sister had a stroke this morning. She's having surgery this afternoon to try and relieve some of the hemorrhaging in her brain. The prognosis doesn't look great."

  Sam immediately turned on his heels and headed for his car. Yelling over his shoulder, he called back to Amelia, "Thank you!"

  "Tell her I'll be back there shortly!" Amelia called out. "Just picking up our coffees!"

  He waved in understanding but didn't have time to respond because he was practically running to his car. All he knew was that he needed to get to Holly and he needed to get to her now. He'd already let her down enough, he wasn't about to do it again. The fact that she didn't feel like she could call him to be there with her during this crisis…it broke his heart. He felt like a piece of shit. Never again did he want to not be the person she turned to.

  He didn't know what he was going to do, but he was going to prove that he trusted her, and that, more importantly, she could trust him.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Holly glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was getting late in the afternoon, and she was wondering when they were going to get this process started. Nerves were getting the better of her, butterflies fluttering around in her belly as she watched the small hand flick by on the clock.

  "Ms. Glen?" An orderly stuck his head in the room. "How are you doing?"

  She squeezed Suzie's hand tighter. "About as well as I can be. What's going on?"

  "We're going to take your sister down to surgery now." Dr. Nealy walked in and explained what was happening, along with two nurses. "They're going to take you to the waiting area for families until the surgery is over."

  "Hold on." Holly was confused now. None of this was making sense. "I haven't met with the finance staff from the hospital yet. Am I supposed to meet with them now? How are we paying for this?"

  Dr. Nealy's brow furrowed and he looked at her as if she had a third eye. "What do you mean? Your husband already put up the deposit and has his card on file."

  Her eyes widened. "My what?"

  What in the world was going on here?

  "The guy in the hallway?" Dr. Nealy reiterated, as if it were obvious to everyone. "Your husband?"

  "Oh, right. My husband." Holly nodded along, like she knew exactly who he was talking about but made a beeline for the hall. She stopped short when she got out into the hall to find that the hallway wasn't full of just fake husbands, but entire families.

  "There she is!" Willie Lou Wylde pointed her out, standing up from a chair pushed against the wall.

  Sam was leaning next to her, one foot bent and positioned up against the wall. He glanced up to look at her, relief flooding his expression as soon as he saw her.

  "Oh my gosh, honey. Are you okay?" Grace Wylde came up to her and threw her arms around her. "Listen, I'm not just Sam's mother. I'm your mother now, too, okay? You call me when these things happen."

  Noah and Caleb both stood from where they had been seated on the floor and gave her a lighthearted wave.

  "You doing all right, sweetheart?" Noah asked.

  She nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat at the scene.

  Sam came up to her last, slowly making his way to her side and reaching for her hand. "I know this is cheating, but I brought you the best part of me…and that's my family."

  Holly shook her head, trying to stop the tears from threatening to spill. "It's amazing."

  "They're insane and overbearing, but they're so full of love and they'll hold your hand through every step of this day. You need family around you right now. We've got you. You're not alone." Sam squeezed her hand. "Holly, I know now isn't the time or place, but I'm so sorry for everything. I do trust you and I do love you with all my heart."

  That did it. Tears poured over her lashes and cascaded down her cheeks. She rubbed her cheek against her shoulder, but it did nothing to stop the puffy, crying expression she instantly had going on.

  "Kiss her, you idiot," Grandma Willie called out from behind them.

  "Kiss me, you idiot,” Holly finally managed to say with a small laugh.

  Sam grinned like a school boy as he leaned down and kissed her. She melted into his arms like she'd always dreamed she would after all these years.

  Epilogue

  "Here comes the bride, all dressed in pride!" Ruby held a rainbow flag up to her head and pretended to waltz down an aisle in the back offices of Wyldefire Whiskey.

  Holly smoothed out her wedding gown as she laughed at Ruby's wit. "You're going to make the perfect bride one day."

  "Or groom," Ruby said, her faithful bridesmaid.

  "Or groom," Holly agreed. "What time is it?"

  "For the tenth time—because you literally just asked me thirty seconds ago—it's two fifteen." Ruby showed her the time on her phone. "The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes."

  "We have plenty of time," Amelia agreed as she finished touching up Holly's makeup as her maid of honor.

  Holly's stomach somersaulted. She couldn't believe she was fifteen minutes away from getting married to the man she'd been in love with since high school. It seemed…surreal. Insane. Absolutely fantastical.

  "Stop telling yourself this is insane and just enjoy the moment," Ruby said, reading her mind. "Plus, you have maybe a minute until everyone descends on you, so enjoy the silence now."

  "Bracing myself now," Holly said, although the truth was, she was enjoying the Wylde family and everything that came along with their gatherings. The insanity of their functions only made it warmer and loving, and she missed every moment of that familial bond.

  "CAN WE SEE NOW?" a voice shouted from the other side of the door.

  Ruby pointed to the door. "Didn't I warn you? Speak of the demons now."

  "Oh, I'm getting out of the way," Amelia said, packing up her makeup and scurrying to the corner of the room.

  Holly grinned. "Let them in. Let them in!"

  Ruby, the ever-faithful bridesmaid, opened the door for the Wylde family, who practically fell into the room face-first all stumbling to be the first one to enter the room.

  "Your boobs in that dress," Grandma Willie exclaimed. "Amazing. I wish my tits still pointed up like that."

  "Mom!" Grace said, swatting her mother on the arm. "You can't always say whatever is on your mind."

  "The hell I can't. At my age, I've earned free speech." Willie shrugged her shoulders. "Plus, my tits point south now, see?" She motioned to her breasts.

  "Grandma!" Ruby exclaimed this time, but she was laughing.

  "You look gorgeous, darling," Grace told Holly, trying to brush past everyone else. "Ignore the rest of these crazy people. Are you ready for the ceremony to begin?"

  "I can't wait!" Holly said, because, truthfully, she had been waiting for this day for far too long. She honestly didn't know why they hadn't just eloped at this point. She was just dying to be married to the man she loved.

  "It's going to be a beautiful ceremony and reception. You did an amazing job. I saw out there already and the decorations and all that," Grandma Willie said. "Gorgeous. Breathtaking, really. Very country chic. Rustic regal."

  Holly laughed. "I've never heard that term before, but I'll take it."

  "All right, we're going to go take our seats now, but good luck!" Grace told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  Everyone filed out of the office one by one, even the bridesmaids briefly, leaving her alone for a brief moment.

  A quick knock sounded on the door, disturbing her silence.

  "Come in!" she called, hoping it wasn't Sam since she didn't want him to see her in her wedding dress before the wedding.

  The office door opened and in walked Noah and Caleb.

  "Hey, Holly," Noah greeted her, his hands shoved in his suit pocket. He looked sheepish and shy, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on because Caleb looked just as nervous as he d
id.

  "Hey, guys," she greeted them.

  "You look amazing," Caleb told her.

  "Breathtaking," Noah agreed. "Sam is going to freak out."

  She smiled, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. "Thank you. What's up?"

  "We were wondering—" Noah glanced at Caleb and then looked at her. "Well, we were wondering if you had anyone to walk you down the aisle, and if you didn't…would you like us to?"

  Holly put a hand to her heart. If that wasn't the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. "I would be absolutely honored."

  Caleb grinned and he and Noah gave her a huge bear hug like the big brothers she had never had.

  "You're squishing me!" she exclaimed.

  "Good!" Noah teased.

  Another knock on the door sounded and Ruby stuck her head in. "You guys ready? It's time!"

  Holly felt the nerves from earlier start to dissipate, and be replaced by a calm excitement and comfort as she found herself surrounded by people who loved her and supported her and really only wanted the best for her. She couldn't believe that only a few months ago…all of this had been fake.

  All of this had been a lie.

  Now it was the furthest thing from that.

  She loved Sam with all her heart and he loved her. They were pledging their lives to one another.

  "Oh, shit. Wait," Noah said, reaching into his pocket. "I almost forgot. Sam told me to give you this before the wedding."

  He opened his hand and a small necklace lay across his palm. It was a beautiful silver locket on a chain in the shape of a heart. Holly carefully picked it up and opened the locket to find a picture of Suzie inside on one side and her parents on the other.

  "He wanted you to wear it at the wedding so they'll be here with us in spirit," Noah said.

  Tears sprang to Holly's eyes at the images. The last few weeks had been incredibly hard since Suzie's passing and every time she thought of her sister, she started crying. Hell, she'd almost canceled the wedding entirely, but she knew her sister wouldn't have wanted that. Sam had been incredibly supportive every step of the way with everything she'd needed—not just financially, but emotionally and lovingly.

  "Thank you, Noah." Holly sniffed back tears as she fastened it around her neck with his assistance. "This is very sweet."

  "It's all your man's doing, not mine," he assured her. "I'm just the delivery boy."

  Holly chuckled. "Well, let's go on out there, because I have my man to thank."

  In many senses, she was saying goodbye to one life and hello to another, and the meaning was not lost on her. She cherished every moment of her past and every moment that led her to walking down the aisle toward Sam, but she also couldn't wait to start her life with him.

  With Noah on one arm and Caleb on the other, they entered the rickyard surrounded by hundreds of candles and flowers and everyone in town, every influencer for miles, and barrels on barrels of the finest Wyldefire Whiskey. This wasn't just their wedding, it was their launch and coming out party. It was their celebration with the world that they were one and their whiskey was finally unleashed on the public.

  She couldn't be prouder of all the work Sam had done to make his dream a reality, and she couldn't be more honored to be walking toward him about to become his wife.

  He smiled at her from the top of the aisle, grinning like a goofy school boy, and she couldn't help but smile back. Her cheeks almost started to hurt from smiling so hard. All she wanted more than anything in the world was to take off at a run and leap into his arms, but she planted herself firmly in Caleb and Noah's embrace and made the steady procession down the aisle.

  When they reached the end of the aisle, the men traditionally handed Holly over to Sam. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

  The minister said a few words and they said a few words and everything went by in a whirlwind that she couldn't quite keep up with. It seemed like only minutes passed before she was saying "I do" and the minister was saying "kiss the bride" and Sam was pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her and kissing her and everything was exactly the way it should be.

  They laughed and ran down the aisle together, and she tossed the bouquet over her shoulder as they went.

  Bonus Epilogue

  Five Years Later

  "Lila!" Holly called down the hallway for her three-year-old daughter as she finished applying the last bits of her makeup and tucking the rest away in her makeup bag.

  The tiny brunette came bouncing down the hallway at her beckoning. "Yes, Mommy?"

  "It's time to go to the church, baby. Did you put on the dress I laid out for you?" Holly glanced over, relieved to find she had. "Oh, good. You look adorable."

  "Where's Daddy?" Lila reached up toward the kitchen counter, trying to grab a cup of water she wanted.

  Holly picked it up for her, refilled it halfway, and then handed it to her. "He's getting his tuxedo on. Daddy has a very special job today. He's the best man."

  "What's that?" the little girl asked.

  "It means your uncle likes him the best out of everyone," Holly said with a laugh, picking up her daughter and spinning her around. "Just like I like you the best out of everyone."

  "I'm your best man?" she asked.

  "You're my best girl," Holly confirmed.

  Sam entered the kitchen, dressed to the nines. "You're both my best girls." He kissed Holly then kissed Lila on the forehead.

  "Are we ready to go?" Holly asked.

  "Did you remember the basket and flowers?" Sam asked.

  "They're in the car," she told him. "Lila, do you remember what you need to do?"

  She nodded and held up two fingers, counting off as she talked. "Throw the flowers and walk."

  Sam grinned. "That's my girl. Succinct. I like it."

  "I still can't believe he is getting married," Holly said, placing Lila on her hip and grabbing her purse to head toward the car. "Out of all the people, I never thought he'd settle down. He's such a playboy."

  "I know. I can't believe it either," Sam agreed, shutting the front door behind them and locking the house. He followed her out to the car and climbed into the driver's seat as Holly buckled Lila into her car seat. "It makes sense if you think about it though."

  "True," Holly agreed, getting into the passenger seat of the car after she finished making sure Lila was safe and sound. "I mean…the bride is pregnant."

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  Excerpt from Misadventures in the Cage

  A Misadventures Romance

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  Chapter One

  “Oh my God…Josie? Josie Gray?” A young African American woman with short black hair and a vibrantly metallic dress on sidled up to her at the bar. “Can I please get a picture with you?”

  Josie shot back the glass of tequila and then sucked on the lime, hissing as it hit her stomach hard. She was already four shots in and each one was helping her forget the giant rejection letter she was carrying around in her purse.

  We regret to inform you that the position of sous chef is no longer available blah blah blah.

  She got the point. She was never going to be a chef. Every job application she’d sent in over the last year had been turned down.

  Not that she was even allowed to be one anyway.

  “Sure,” she replied, finally turning to the woman and putting on her best fake smile.

  The woman held up her iPhone, turning the camera around
to face them and put on her best duck face as she posed for the camera next to Josie.

  Josie just smiled and then turned back to the bar as soon as the photo was done.

  “Another one,” she indicated to the bartender, but when she lifted her hand to motion, she knocked over her glass. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter, but it made a loud ass noise as it clattered against the bar.

  The bartender shook his head, casting her a pitying look. God, she hated that. “Miss Gray, I think you’ve had enough. Why don’t I call you a cab?”

  “No,” she sighed loudly. Admittedly, she was getting tired and had probably had enough. Plus, she couldn’t really afford TMZ to find her and write an article about how the reality television star was wasted and falling all over herself at a local bar. Hell, it was the entire reason she’d come to this place off the strip to begin with—anonymity. So much for that. “I’ll order a Lyft. Thank you, though.”

  She paid her check and then pulled out her phone, ordering a ride through the ride share app. Honestly, she wasn’t normally like this. She didn’t regularly go get drunk by herself at a bar off the Las Vegas strip in a seedy part of town.

  Hell, this entire town was a seedy part of town depending on how you looked at it.

  She’d spent her entire life living in Las Vegas though, so it was home to her. She was comfortable with its antics and qualms. Something about it…she could handle. At least, that’s what she told herself.

  Pulling her sweater up around her shoulders, she grabbed her purse and decided to wait for her Lyft out front. She could really use the still, night air to sober up before getting in a lurching car ride. God forbid she puke in the back of someone else’s car.