A Wilde Christmas Ch. 04

On the ride back to the ranch, Liberty pestered Wynter about her hookup, but Wynter was sparse with details. Wynter knew Liberty would not judge her for sleeping with a random guy, but she didn't know if she could explain how she was feeling. She had a great time with Jack, but it was also liberating and gave her a boost of esteem she didn't know she was missing. One of the reasons she stayed stagnant for the past 8 months is she no longer trusted herself to make the right decisions regarding her life. Even before her ex's betrayal, she never felt confident enough to do something risky or reckless, and she always thought about what her family or boyfriend would think before she did anything. Last night, she didn't second guess herself or ask anyone's opinion- she merely did what she felt like doing. So many things could have gone wrong, but the worst thing that happened was she had protected sex with a guy she may or may not know his real name. Her newfound sense of freedom, confidence, and two orgasms was a fair tradeoff for sleeping with a stranger, so she didn't feel ashamed or regret her actions. Instead, it empowered her to focus on her future and start making decisions for herself. It made sense in Wynter's mind, but she didn't feel like trying to explain that to anyone else.

Once Liberty dropped her off at their great aunt Amira's house, Wynter went into her room and unpacked her bag, before grabbing her camera. After uploading all her weekend photos, she began working on Valentina's restaurant. When she first moved in with her great aunt Amira in April, Amira allowed her to wallow in self-pity for two weeks before making her get up and out of bed. First, it was house chores, then she made her assist her grandfather Elliot and Grace with taking care of the horses. Sick and tired of cleaning stables, Wynter pretended she was helping but wandered around and took pictures of Grace and Grandpa instead. Eventually, her grandpa let her take one of the ATVs out to take more pictures of the ranch and surrounding woods. She also explored the Kingston farm that was owned by Liberty's paternal family, Valentina's new restaurant that was close to the lake, and the lodge and resort owned by the Davidsons that Aunt Amira's best friend managed. One day, Amira caught her on one of her secret photography day trips, but instead of forcing her back to the stables, she tasked her with taking more pictures of her friend's resort and uploading them to the company website.

Wynter quickly agreed to get her Aunt off her back, but after reviewing the website, she saw how desperately it needed an overhaul, not just updated photos. Wynter worked with her Aunt's best friend Samantha to update the design and layout of the website. Samantha loved the finished website and told everyone what a great job Wynter did. Amira began to get steady inquiries for Wynter to work with other local businesses. Wynter was hesitant at first. She had a degree in graphic design, but after graduating college, she moved to Austin to be with her ex-boyfriend Michael. She was in Austin for less than 3 months before finding out about his affair. She hadn't done anything with her degree besides the resort website, so she turned down all other offers until Valentina asked her for help with her website.

She couldn't say no to Val, so she started brainstorming with her about what she imagined for the restaurant brand. Valentina knew the restaurant name and vibe she was going for but wasn't sure how that translated into a visual design. After numerous conversations, going over the menu, and the restaurant space, they came up with a logo, design, layout, and color scheme for the website. Wynter had limited experience with building websites, so she reached out for help to Chase, one of her best friends from college who was a web designer. It was the first time she reached out to anyone from Houston since she moved back to Lucky. Her ex-Michael was never comfortable with her being super close to any straight male, so after she graduated, her friendship with Chase tapered from talking every single day to sometimes commenting on each other's social media. Most of her friends were mutual friends with Michael, and because Wynter went scorched earth on him when she found out about his cheating, it burnt most of her friendships too. Chase never made her feel like a shitty friend, and when she reached out for his help, they reconnected like nothing happened. He and his girlfriend Tamia were her only true friends outside her family. With Chase's assistance, she had a full functioning website for the restaurant. Wynter also decided to design the menu, takeout container, and signage and she wanted to finish it all before presenting it to Val. Wynter wasn't sure what they were doing that evening, but she wanted everything done so she could show Valentina.

After spending a couple of hours perfecting her designs, Wynter was surprised to see it was already 4 pm. Her aunt was always calling on friends after church, so she wasn't shocked she hadn't made it home yet. She was surprised she hadn't heard from her cousins about plans for that evening. She found her phone and quickly realized the group chat was blowing up. Wynter still had her phone on silent from the night before and missed the notifications. Val had texted they were all set for the Disney movie night at her apartment. Disney movie nights have been a tradition that Grace and Wynter adored since they were little girls. Liberty was never a musical girl and Valentina grew out of all things 'childish' by the age of 10. Wynter was ecstatic they were bringing back the tradition for her birthday week.

Grace: I'll be headed over around 4; I gotta run a few errands for Grandpa

Val: Take your time! I'm still prepping for the party tomorrow.

Libby: I should be done in a few hours. Does it have to be Disney? Hallmark drinking game sounds good to me 🍸 🍷 🍾 🥂

Grace: Idk what makes me sicker: All the shots we have to take watching Hallmark Christmas movies or the unrealistic sappy endings 🤮

Libby: Lighten up! It's supposed to be a sappy, feel-good Christmas romance you Grinch.

Val: 😂😂😂 I vote for the Grinch- Jim Carey's version

Grace: It's Wynter's week- she has the final choice... if she responds 🙃

Libby: Her ass is probably sleep right now.... Tired from all her hoing

Val: HO HO HO 🤶🏽🤶🏽🤶🏽

Wynter laughed and texted a response

Wynter: Hell no to Hallmark and the Grinch! Thank you Grace- we are watching Frozen- these two cold-hearted bitches will love it lol

Grace: 🤣Great choice 💙❄️🥶

Val: 🙄

Libby: My bro took my car so he can HO HO HO. Can you pick me up at the church Wyn? We can head to Val's place from there

Wynter: On my way

Wynter got up and changed into comfortable leggings and a hoodie. She put a snowflake beanie over her cornrows. She figured there was no point installing a wig for a movie night with her girls. She packed an overnight bag before heading to her car. She drove the 10 minutes into town and headed for the church. She couldn't remember the last time she had been to church- maybe one Easter in college when she and Michael were on a break. She typically spent holidays with his family to escape hers in Houston, so she came down to Lucky instead. Wynter didn't have the best relationship with God, but she did believe. She hoped her mother was in a better place, watching over her.

She parked at the front of the church, noticing the parking lot was mostly empty. Church service ended hours ago, so she had no idea what Liberty was doing. When she texted her, Liberty told her she was in the office waiting on Ms. Abrams, the choir director, so she could finalize the itinerary for the tree trimming and she was welcome to come in and wait. After 10 long minutes of waiting, Wynter looked over her casual outfit and decided to go in. Maybe her pitiful look would encourage them to wrap it up. Wynter went into the empty church and was headed to the back when she heard a thump from the stairs. She assumed the office was towards the kitchen and dining area, but she decided to follow the noise instead. She headed down the stairs that led to a dark hallway.

"Libby?" Wynter called out. There was no response, but she heard something that sounded like boxes being shuffled around. It would be like Libby to try to pull a prank, so Wynter decided to one-up her.

"All my life has been a series of doors in my face. And then suddenly, I bump into you." Wynter sang loudly, as she followed the noises. Liberty hated all musicals, but Disney's with a passion. Wynter spent numerous nights trying to coax her into a duet, so she sang one of her favorite duets from Frozen.

"Love is an open door." Wynter continued singing, loudly, popping around a corner, thinking she would see Liberty. No Liberty in the storage area, but she did see a light coming from a door. She headed in that direction, still singing.

"I mean it's crazy. We finish each other's-" Wynter sang, bursting through the door.

"Sandwiches?" A deep voice finished the lyrics behind her, way too deep to be Liberty. Wynter jumped, alarmed as she turned, preparing herself to face Pastor Murphy. She was horrified with having to explain why she was creeping around his church basement, singing Disney tunes. Another type of terror filled her when it wasn't Pastor Murphy, but another familiar face. Honey-colored eyes, warm brown skin, full lips that she spent the night kissing...

"Jack?" Wynter sputtered, taking a step away from him. "How... Why...What are you doing here?"

"This is my grandfather's church. Who are you?" He said, looking as puzzled and disturbed as she felt.

"I'm Wynter... you don't remember last night?" Wynter flushed a mixture of mortification and anger.

"I remember. Who are you, for real?" He continued to interrogate her, narrowing his eyes at her like she was the suspicious one.

"I'm a Wilde! Wynter Wilde! My ancestor founded this town! Who the hell are you?" Wynter said, sternly, placing her hand on her hips, trying to exert power and control.

He smirked at her before another voice interrupted them.

"Miss Wilde, I know it has been too long since you've been to church, but you know betta than to use that language anywhere, especially in the house of God!" Pastor Murphy boomed at her. It may have been a while since she had been to church, but she remembered Pastor Murphy had one mood: authoritarian. Her dad was the same way. They both were the type of men that didn't talk to you, but at you. She knew a lecture was coming, and she shrank into herself, waiting for it to end.

"We're having a private conversation, Pastor. Can you excuse us?" Jack spoke up, the half smile falling off his face as he turned to face him.

"I will not. This is my church son, if you need privacy, then you can leave." He barked in return.

"Ok, we're out." He said, grabbing hold of Wynter's elbow and leading her towards the stairs.

"Ezekiel, get back here-"

Wynter heard Pastor calling after him, but "Jack" kept moving. He didn't stop until they were outside the church.

"Ezekiel?" She said, accusatory.

"Jackson. Ezekiel Jackson." He explained, simply. "Your name is really Wynter?"

"Of course, I don't go by an alias." Wynter quipped.

"It's not an alias. It's my last name." He responded.

"Jackson is your last name. You told me your name was Jack. Jack Jackson." Wynter argued.

"I did not. You asked me for my last name, not my government name." He countered.

"You know what I meant!" Wynter huffed, frustrated.

"No, I didn't. My ancestors weren't founders of the great town of Lucky, so I tell people what I prefer to be called, not my title and rank." Jack chuckled, revealing his dimple.

His dimple recalled unwanted memories of her kissing all over his face the night before, and she wanted to both strangle and straddle him. She ended the conversation instead, marching to her car.

Liberty was outside her car, waiting for her with a curious expression on her face.

"Do you know that guy?" Wynter asked through gritted teeth as she got in the car, slamming the door.

"Yeah, that's the pastor's grandson. Ezekiel Jackson." Liberty answered after she got into the car as well.

"Does he go by Ezekiel or Zeke?" Wynter pressed, starting the car.

"Neither, everyone calls him by his last name Jackson. Or Jack. I think the pastor is the only one that calls him Ezekiel-" Liberty replied until it hit her. "Jack Jackson?!?" She gasped, before bursting out into laughter. "Bitch, you did not fuck the pastor's grandson!"

Liberty laughed even harder when she saw the look of dismay on Wynter's face.