Page 48 of On the Wild Side

“That’s it, baby. Let go.”

She buries her face in a pillow and cries out, pushing against me as I grip her hips and come with her, unable to hold back any longer.

This time, after we clean up and collapse back onto the bed, we fall asleep almost immediately.

Abbi’sstill asleep as I creep into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and find my phone in last night’s trousers. It’s not quite seven, but that means that it’s nine on the East Coast, and I need to make a call.

The same call that I make every year, on the morning of New Year’s Day.

After pouring a cup of the brew, I sit on the couch and pressdial.Two rings later, she answers.

“Happy New Year, Brady.”

“Hey, Amy. Happy New Year. Were you guys up too late last night like the rest of the world?”

“No,” she says with a laugh. “I slept through the ball dropping. Sierra spent the night with some friends. How are things in Montana?”

I glance out the window and see that we got about six new inches of snow last night.

“It’s white,” I tell her with a grin. “And cold. And how about North Carolina?”

“No snow here, and the ocean looks pretty calm right now.” After her husband passed, Amy moved herself and Sierra back to her hometown in North Carolina. “Brady, I have some news that I need to share with you, and I don’t want you to be upset.”

I narrow my eyes, still watching the snow. “Okay. What’s up?”

“I’m getting married. I got engaged on Christmas Day.”

Well, that hits like a punch to the gut, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Amy is young and beautiful, and she shouldn’t be alone forever.

“Congratulations.”

She’s quiet for a moment.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” I ask, trying to lighten the tension that’s suddenly between us.

“His name is Hugh. He’s a real estate agent here in town, and I met him through friends. He’s a good man, Brady. You and Dirks would have liked him. He thinks the world of Sierra, and she loves him, too.”

“Good.” I clear my throat, nodding even though she can’t see me. “That’s good, Amy. Dirks would want this for both of you.”

She sniffles on the other end. “I know, but that doesn’t make me feel like I’m betraying him any less. Even though my therapist has told me over and over again that I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“You’re not,” I agree gently. “Honey, he’s been gone for more than six years. We’ll always miss him, but you can’t stay where you were six years ago. You can’t live in that grief for the rest of your life. You deserve so much better than that.”

“Shit, I should have paid you instead of a therapist.”

I laugh at that and wish that I could give her a hug. “I hope I get an invitation.”

“Duh. Actually, you know my daddy passed away a few years ago, and I don’t have any brothers. Brady, would you walk me down the aisle?”

Well, hell. I didn’t havegetting choked upon my Bingo card for today, but here we are.

“Of course. You name the time and place, and I’ll be there. I’m honored you asked me. Plus, it’s time I saw my goddaughter. Two years have gone by fast.”

“She’ll love it.” Now she has a smile in her voice. “And, you know, if you have a date to bring…”

I chuckle and glance down the hall toward the bedroom. “Actually, I just might.”

“Brady Wild, you’re holding out on me!”

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