Page 96 of Wild Side
The heavy weight of realizingI’mthe one who failed her is unbearable.
For the first time since my sister’s death, I cry.
CHAPTER 32
RHYS
I’m notsure when I decided to go from pining for Tabitha silently to pining for her out loud. But here I am, exhausting myself and traveling for almost twenty-four hours straight just to surprise her for the few days I have off.
I should be practicing. Training.Working.
But I’m not myself right now. Anxiety about the tension with Anthony and his demands have me seeking comfort. And that leaves me thinking about only one person.
Tabitha.
I’m not who I used to be. Something has shifted, and I can’t ignore it.
I cut the engine, tug my bag from the back seat, and duck out of the small rental car—the only one left at the last minute from the airport. I slam the door before heading up to our house. Well, Tabitha’s house.
It’s dark already. The sun has long disappeared behind the jagged peaks that tower over Rose Hill. It’s cold out, the grass stiff with frost as I head toward the front door. My strides cover more ground than usual, but I refuse to admit that I’m rushing to see her. I know she had today off, so there’s a chance she fellasleep with Milo already. Even just peeking in on them might make me feel better.
When I reach the front door, it’s unlocked. “For fuck’s sake, Tabby,” I mutter, entering the house and kicking off my boots. Lights are on in each room, giving the house a cozy glow that my place in Florida couldn’t achieve on its best day.
That house is sterile. This house feels like a home.
“Tabby?” I whisper-shout, not wanting to wake Milo, as I wander through the living room toward the kitchen at the back of the house. When Cleo comes running for me, weaving herself through my legs and purring, I crouch down to give her a scratch under her chin—her favorite spot. “Go downstairs. I’ll be there soon.”
She doesn’t listen, but I continue through the house, searching for Tabitha anyway. It smells like the citronella cleaning spray she likes to use, and the entire place isspotless. I hope she hasn’t spent her day off cleaning.
I pop my head up the stairwell but decide against taking that direction when it’s black at the top. She’s not in the kitchen, but I catch sight of her form on the back porch, sitting on her usual love seat beneath the patio lanterns.
My lips tug at the sight of her, and my feet carry me in her direction.
I start explaining my presence before I’ve even fully opened the door. “Okay, just hear me out?—”
But I draw up short when her head snaps to attention and I’m met with blotchy cheeks, red-rimmed eyes, and wet lashes.
“Tabby, what’s wrong?” My eyes search the space for the cause of her distress. She’s seated cross-legged, with a heavy blanket wrapped around her shoulders. There are leather-bound notepads scattered around her and a plain cardboard box at her feet. “Is Milo okay?”
Tears glisten on the apples of her cheeks, and her dark irises are flat—devoid of her usual sparkle. Her hands sit limply over her knees, left ring finger wrapped in my gold metal band.
The ever-present instinctual pull to her yanks on me, hard, and I’m out the door and across the deck in mere seconds. I drop to my knees at her feet. “Tell me what’s going on,” I murmur as I reach for her.
She flinches and draws away, looking stricken. Her gaze falls to my hands when I hold them up to either side as a show of backing off. “He’s camping with my parents. What are you doing here? You saidweeks.” Her voice cracks on the last word, and a jagged line splinters through my chest as I watch another three tears roll from her lashes, each one a shot of pain to my heart.
I’ve been through some shit in my life.
But having to watch Tabitha cry might be the worst of it.
I don’t hesitate to tell her the truth this time. Hands up in surrender, I confess what I never thought I’d be able to let myself admit out loud. “I missed you.”
Beats of silence pass between us, her eyes searching my face as my hands lower slowly, dropping to grip the edge of the couch mere inches from her knees.
She stares at me, silent tears slipping over her full lips. “You lied to me.”
Fuck. I suck in a harsh breath and freeze, lungs full to bursting as I watch her.
“You didn’t evict Erika.”
