Page 142 of Wild

He stares at me, waiting for more.

“I came back because … because frankly, sir, I can’t stay away from your daughter. I love her, I’minlove with her, and I don’t see that changing … ever. I’m going to marry her one day. You can hate me all you want, but I’m not leaving her. Not again. I shouldn’t have left at all, but I didn’t want to stand in between her and her family.” The words tumble out of me like verbal vomit—it’s not how I intended to say all this, but nerves have turned me into a babbling fool.

He stares at me, mulling over what I’ve said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever like you Hollis, not with my daughter, but I do accept the truth in your words and I believe you love her.”

“I do,” I breathe. “So much it scares me.”

He cracks a small smile. “That’s how you know it’s real.”

I rub my hands over my jeans, palms still sweaty. “I needed to come here before I see her. I wanted you to know this wasn’t, and isn’t, some fling to me. It’s end game.”

“Well,” he sighs, holding out his hand, “I’ll see you in the studio after the holidays then. I’ll get the guys flown back out here on the next flight.”

I take his hand, shaking it with a grin. “Really?”

“Don’t fuck this up,” he warns me. “I don’t give second chances lightly.”

“Meaning … if I hurt Mia no more contract?”

He shakes his head. “The contract stays no matter what. I was … pissed beyond belief before and not thinking rationally. But if you hurt her, as a father, I’ll beat you to a pulp. It’s a promise.”

“One you’ll never have to fulfill.”

“I hope you’re right,” he chuckles.

I say my goodbyes and head out to the waiting taxi.

Time to get my girl back.

CHAPTER35

MIA

He’s not coming back.

That certainty feels like a cinderblock tied around my ankle pulling me under.

He’s been gone a week, gone back to L.A., back to a life which doesn’t include me.

I work, going through the motions, with Kira at my side. But my head and my heart is somewhere else—withsomeone else.

She keeps telling me one day it won’t hurt so much—but she doesn’t realize that’s what I’m afraid of. I’m terrified of one day waking up and my first thought not being of his whiskey-colored eyes or rain shower smell. I’m scared of moving on, for the feeling of not having him to become normal.

I’ve read the card he left for my birthday more times than I care to admit. His written words proof of how real what we had was—is. How he can walk away from it, from me, makes no sense in my muddled brain. If I left him, it would feel akin to losing a limb. He’s become such a vital piece of my life. Ilovehim and he loves me, it’s a truth that can’t be denied. No matter what was said and done it can’t erase our love like it’s insubstantial. Love doesn’t work like that—it’s the most powerful emotion to exist and can’t be brushed aside like a pathetic falling feather.

“Can you stop frowning?” Kira begs. “You’re going to get wrinkles.”

“I don’t care.”

Sadly, I don’t care about much of anything at the moment.

She huffs out a sigh and doesn’t say much more.

I’m sure she’s getting irritated with me, but it’s only been a week and I need more time to move on. A week can’t erase everything I felt and experienced with him.

I still can’t believe he’s actually gone. Pathetically, I keep expecting him to walk in the door and order a sub, or to show up at my place with French fries, and every time he doesn’t, I hurt even more.

I hate this hurting. I hate the aching.

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