Page 112 of Wildcat
“Nope. Radio silence. She probably blocked me again.”
“Highly doubtful. She said that she needed space not to fuck off and die.” He kicks up his feet on the coffee table. “Have you reached out?”
“I haven’t figured out what to say. Nothing has changed. I’m still me. How do I ask her to be with me, knowing what that means for her?”
“I don’t know.” He finishes off his beer and stands. “God, we’re pathetic. Come on.”
“Another run?” I ask hopefully. Three to five miles ought to clear my head again.
“Fuck no. We’re going out.”
Before I can protest, he adds, “You’re going.”
We meet up with Declan, Maverick, and Tyler at Wild’s.
“He’s alive,” Declan says when he sees us. “How are you?”
“Breathing.” I slump into the seat across from him.
“He hasn’t heard from Scarlett all week,” Ash says. “He’s shit. Hence the need for forced fun.”
My buddy pours himself and then me a beer.
“You need a plan,” Maverick says. “Do you have a plan?”
“If he did, he wouldn’t be here.” Tyler lifts a brow, begging me to argue.
“What’s the problem?” Declan asks. “The news has died down. You stayed out of jail. Though I’m a little disappointed you didn’t have mug shots taken. Can you imagine how awful those would have been? A normal person can’t take a good one of those.”
I flip him off but can’t help but smile. It eases a little of the hurt in my chest. These guys are like my own little dysfunctional family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“She deserves more than being called a slut every time she’s seen out with me or watching me get carted off to jail and leaving her alone on our date.”
“Fuck that noise,” Declan says, tone hard as he sits forward.
We all stare at him. He’s so chill and quiet most of the time that when he gets riled up about something, he has our undivided attention.
“You did the same thing any one of us would have. You protected your girl.”
The guys all nod.
“And she still left.” To protect me. I can’t even wrap my brain around the endless loop of that fuckery.
“Then go after her. Swallow your damn pride.” This comes from Tyler.
“What is it with you two?” I ask of the quietest two members of our team. All of a sudden they’re fired up on my behalf?
Tyler shakes his head. “She’s your dream girl?”
“Yeah.” I let out a breath.
“I had one of those, and I let her go for the same sort of bullshit reason. I regret it every single day.”
I can hear the genuine regret in his voice, and I nod. “Sorry, man.”
“It’s too late for me, but not you.”
“You know what that means then?” Maverick asks as he rubs his hands together.
