Page 35 of Wild Side
I lift a hand and give him a push. Right on his bruise. “Are you taking him with you tomorrow?” I ask, not sure I want to hear the answer.
“No.”
His one-word answer is enough for me. I hop off the counter and shove past him to pour myself a fresh cup of coffee. Then I march outside like I wanted to do before his naked torso walked into the kitchen and fucked everything up.
But it’s not as relaxing as I anticipated. I’m angry and horny, and I feel like Rhys is watching me through the glass doors. But I refuse to check in case he sees and gets satisfaction out of thinking I care.
The next day, he leaves, and we don’t see each other or say goodbye.
The weird part is, I feel guilty about it.
CHAPTER 14
RHYS
Rhys:
Checking in. How are you?
Tabby:
You’re not here. So… poor and happy, I guess?
“Do you guys own guns?”
West, Ford, and Bash stare back at me like I’ve grown a second head. Okay, not Bash. He looks at me like you look at gum that’s stuck to the bottom of your shoe before responding with, “I have a hunting rifle. It stays in a locked cabinet in the basement. Why?”
I shrug. It’s been another two weeks since I was last here, and all I did was worry about Tabitha and Milo while I was away. It’s fucking insane.
I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night questioning if they were safe. Wondering if Tabitha’s burned hand is okay. The only saving grace is that she texted me photos of Milo. Nevermany words, though. Which means I know they’re alive, but not how they’re doing.
Not that I should expect much else after the way I left things.
Flaunting my money and saying shit I shouldn’t have while keeping her completely in the dark was a real dick move. But hashing things out is not my forte. I’m well aware that I’m no open book. Sharing things about myself is a quality that people drummed out of me many, many years ago. And the truth is, I don’t know what to do about Milo and the guardianship.
It’s clear I’m not needed. Yet, I feel contractually bound. And what’s worse is that, for some unknown reason, I’m eager to get back to them. As long and inconvenient as the trip to Rose Hill may be, I’m always relieved when I see Tabitha roll her eyes at me and hear Milo’s tiny footfalls running my way.
I think deep down I dread the thought of never seeing them again—adding them to the list of families I was never welcome to join.
So I keep coming back. However, this time my relief at walking up to that front door got overshadowed by finding it unlocked.Again.
Which turned into another clash between Tabitha and me.
I pride myself on being cool, calm, and collected—even if I have a scrappy streak. But she just… she fires me up.
What are you going to do? Punish me? Bend me over…
I swallow and brush the memory aside.
“Tabitha is always leaving her door open,” I say.
“Stupid,” Bash mumbles, reaching for his pint while shaking his head.
“See? You get it.”
West looks more confused. “Like open-open? Aren’t bugs an issue?”
“No, intruders are, you idiot.” Bash takes the words right out of my mouth.
