Page 10 of Wild Obsession
December
Chapter Four
Dylan
I couldn’t believeI was back in this house.On New Year’s Eve.
Last time I was here, I’d been too busy surviving the occasion to notice much of anything.The Alexander home was big and warm.The kind of place that made it clear money wasn’t a problem.
Fuck, their holiday decorations alone probably cost more than my monthly mortgage.Every surface was dressed for the season, every light was on, and the furniture was clearly not the build-it-yourself kind.The whole place radiated a quiet, effortless wealth that made my two-bedroom ranch feel like a starter kit.
I planted myself near the front window with a drink, watching the room fill up and wondering, not for the first time, what the hell I was doing here.
“She’s not coming.”
I turned to find Caleb with a half-eaten plate of food in hand, leaning against the wall behind me, casual as hell.He was sixteen, Eric’s youngest brother, and had absolutely no business knowing my business.
I stared at him.“Who?”
“Chantel.”His expression made it clear he knew damn well I’d already figured that out.“In case you were wondering.”
“Why would I be wondering?”
He only smiled in that knowing way of his and then sauntered off toward the food table without another word.
The kid was either a mutant mind reader or just way more in the know than any teenager had a right to be.
But how the hell had he figured it out?
I hadn’t told anyone about my encounter with Chantel.Not even the guys at work.And I’d been wearing a scowl since before I’d walked through the door, so he sure as hell hadn’t read it on my face.
Yet he’d dropped her name like it was a gift, which was both creepy and, given she wasn’t coming, disappointing as fuck.
Seeing her again was half the reason I’d come.To hear her voice.To find a quiet corner and pick up where we’d left off.Or at least get a kiss at midnight.
Fuck.
It was the last day of the year, I was back in a place I’d promised myself to avoid, and my one shot at having a good time wouldn’t be here.
At least there was booze.Not that I’d be getting drunk—no way was I handing this family any ammunition—but having a drink in hand was a decent crutch.
And poor loser John and his annoying stalker of a wife weren’t here.Thank fuck.
Overall, being here wasn’t as bad as last time.I’d spent the last six months with my head down, working and hanging out with Hunter every chance I got.That alone made the rest of it easier to swallow.And Jamie and Eric hadn’t rushed to the altar the way I’d expected.Their wedding was still eight months away.
Two hundred and twenty-eight days, to be exact.
That gave me time.To either stop it or come to terms with it.I had no fucking idea which.
I was still turning it over in my head when I spotted Hunter working his way through the crowd.He moved toward me, elbows out, cutting a path through the adults with the focused determination of a kid on a mission.
“Dad, can I stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop?”His request reached me before he did, and I was willing to bet I wasn’t the first person he’d asked.
“Do you really think you’ll make it?”I raised an eyebrow.“I saw you covering your mouth earlier.It’s only nine o’clock and you’re already yawning.”
“I wasn’t yawning.I was trying not to spit out the food in my mouth.Caleb was making me laugh.”
“Nice excuse.”I smiled despite myself.“What did your mom say about staying up?”No way was I getting outmaneuvered by my eleven-year-old.Not again.
