Page 29 of Beautifully Reckless

Taking in some shuddering breaths, Ringo holds me tighter like he’s grounding himself in my presence.

I nuzzle into his neck, inhaling his spicy, masculine scent.

“JD killed the man.” His voice is quiet but unshakable, rumbling through his chest. “And I…”

Pulling back just enough to see his defeated expression, I take in his nearly empty eyes.

“You don’t have to say anymore, Ringo.” I offer him an out. A lifeline. A chance to tuck his nightmare back away.

But he doesn’t take it.

“She couldn’t live, Abs. Kylie was still breathing, barely. But I just couldn’t risk someone saving her after what she allowed to happen, so I…”

He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.

I already know.

He killed her.

I don’t know if I feel relief or horror.

Maybe both.

Maybe neither.

Maybe… I don’t care.

I already know what kind of man Ringo is. I know he’s killed before. They were people who deserved it.

And Kylie?

Right now, it feels like she deserved it.

Ringo swallows hard, his voice raw as he speaks.

“Afterwards, I used my knife to sever the umbilical cord, and bundled up my baby girl.” His eyes meet mine, pain swallowing every trace of light in them. “There’s no record of her birth, or her death. But I named her Hope.”

Hope.

My breath catches in my throat.

“That’s a beautiful name, Ringo,” I whisper past my tears.

Reaching out, Ringo swipes at my falling tears with his thumb.

“I named her Hope because for a short time, while she was growing inside Kylie’s belly, she was the only thing that gave me hope of a different future.”

Shit.

Fuck.

My heart shatters into a million pieces.

“Her name is even more beautiful now that I know the meaning behind it,” I manage to say between sobs, and a slight tug pulls at the corner of his mouth as he nods in agreement.

This is so heartbreaking. The pain he’s suffered is unthinkable. I can’t imagine it. I don’t want to either.

“I buried Hope under the Jacaranda tree on my property,” he rasps, his voice so thick with emotion it barely escapes, “and ever since I’ve forced myself to forget that Kylie ever existed.”

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