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Back Walk on the Wilder Side Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. Epilogue
  43. Excerpt from Wilder With You
  44. Also by Serena Bell
  45. Acknowledgments
  46. About the Author

And then my brother, big lug that he is, proceeds to cover his face and make improbably goofy noises at Justin.

We’re joined a moment later by Clark, Easton, and Kane.

Kane is the only Wilder brother I can’t quite figure out. He’s just as gorgeous as his siblings—hair streaked with a hundred shades of brown and gold, pale blue eyes, and the Wilder traffic-stopping physique. But Kane has always struck me as a misfit among his energetic, adventurous brothers, more of a boy-next-door than a bear-in-the-woods type. Like he’s not really a Wilder but the good looking pretty boy actor who plays one on TV.

And he always looks faintly sad to me, even more so than Clark, who lost his wife a year ago.

Kane scoops Justin out of my arms and kisses him all over his face. “Hey, buddy,” he tells the baby, who is chortling with delight. His brothers join in on the Justin worship.

Gabe, too. He comes around the corner and makes a beeline for Justin.

“Jusssss!” he roars, somehow managing not to scare the crap out of the baby. He ruffles his nephew’s hair.

I have to remember to tell my mother that I finally found the ultimate cure for heartbreak: watching the Wilder men make googly eyes at the world’s cutest baby.

And then I look up and see the grief on Brody’s face, a crack running through a beloved piece of pottery, and I forget all about that.

22

Brody

Rachel has Justin on her lap again. She looks like a seasoned pro, managing somehow to eat pizza and carry on a laughing conversation with Amanda and Lucy while also keeping Justin from getting ahold of her pizza and shoving it in his face. She has not, however, succeeded in preventing him from wiping pizza on her hair or her shirt.

You’d think that would be gross, but I find it charming.

I love watching Rachel with him. I love the way she murmurs to him, explaining stuff he can’t possibly understand about everything that’s happening. I love the way she played pat-a-cake with him earlier, holding up her own hand so he could whap his small, fat one against it. I love the way she is unconsciously bouncing one leg under him.

I know I have to tell my family about Justin not really being mine sooner rather than later. But it feels like I’ll be disappointing them, too, if I take Justin away from them. It was hard to see all my brothers making a stink over him, realizing that they’re going to be hurt and sad when they find out the truth.