Page 12 of Recklessly, Wildly Yours

I stare at the phone.

I don’t have any family.

I don’t even have a friend to call.

I meet his gaze again. “Thank you.”

He watches me for another moment before pushing his chair back. “I’m going to find my brother.”

After he leaves, I stare at his phone again while all my messy feelings twist and tangle some more. How did I get to this point in my life? I’m a twenty-seven-year-old woman with millions of fans around the world but not one person in my life who would be desperate to hear from me right now.

My heart sits heavy in my chest as I pick up the phone and call Leigh, my assistant. She actually may be desperate to hear from me but not in the way I wish.

When she says, “Dear God, Madeline, do you have any idea of the mess you are in right now?” I sigh. It’s time to get back to work.

5

Ethan

My brother, Hayden, spins Olivia on the dancefloor while I walk to Callan who’s standing a little away from the dancing, talking with a friend. Their conversation wraps up fast and as his friend walks away, my brother eyes me. “You came home.”

This is the first chance we’ve had to talk alone since I arrived and it’s safe to say it won’t be the easiest conversation we’ve ever had. I left the States fifteen months ago after we had a fallout and we’ve spoken less than five times since then. Callan’s not only my brother but also my best friend and I never imagined we’d ever go this long without seeing each other.

“You knew I would.”

His expression tells me he had his doubts. “Liv knew you would. All I knew was that you’ve shut me out for over a year and I wouldn’t have been surprised if you canceled on me.” He doesn’t sound bitter, just hurt.

“There’s no way I’d miss your wedding day.” I release a long breath. “I know I’ve let you down, and I know we’ve got a lot to work through, but can we let all that go for today so we can celebrate the fact you’re a married man now?”

It’s a weird fucking place to be when I can’t read my brother’s mind anymore. Callan and I were inseparable our entire lives up until our mid-twenties. We always knew what the other was doing and thinking. I was the idiot who let a woman come between us and I fucked everything up.

He takes a few moments contemplating what I said, and just when I wonder if he’s not going to run with me here, he nods. “Yeah, I don’t want to get into it tonight.” He looks at his wife who’s laughing with Hayden and Gage now. “You were right.”

“I’m always right.”

He arches a brow at me. “You’re rarely fucking right.”

I grin. “What was I right about this time?”

“I would have given highlining up for her if that’s what she needed. Growing old without her isn’t something I ever want to do.”

He’s referring to one of the only conversations we’ve had since I left. The one in which I told him to think about whether he’d be happy as an old man who’d had a lifetime of highlining but not a lifetime of Olivia. “You would have gotten to that decision without me.”

“Maybe. Probably. But I don’t ever want to be in that position again where I don’t have you to talk to.” He glances at Olivia once more, for a brief moment, before fixing his gaze back on me. “Don’t ever cut me out again, Ethan.”

Callan isn’t the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. With Olivia, yes, but not with anyone else. He doesn’t ask for help or admit he needs it. For him to be so raw with me right now is telling.

“I don’t plan on it.”

Olivia’s laugh draws our attention and we find her coming our way. She slides her arm around Callan’s waist when she reaches us and pulls his mouth to hers for a kiss before looking at me and asking, “Who did you pay to write that speech? It was a ten out of ten from me and I don’t recall any of your essays in school ever being that good.”

I chuckle. “Fiverr came through for me this one time.”

She laughs. “It was beautiful. Thank you.”

“I enjoyed going through our memories. It helped remind me of the things I’d left behind. Things I don’t want to leave behind anymore.”

Her eyes soften. “I’m glad. And please tell me this means you’re not traipsing off to another country any time soon.”

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