Page 30 of Wild Hearts

“Of course you can.” Tarshia smiles as she carefully passes the baby into my sister’s waiting arms, sans towel. “This is your sister, Theo,” she says in a soft voice. “Her name is Ivy.”

I roll my eyes.Please. Like he even knows what she’s saying.Theo immediately starts laughing and poking Ivy in the face, and I can see her softening as she presses her face to the top of his head and takes a deep breath.

“He’s just like you two were.” Dad grins, making my stomach churn. “He loves the ocean, can’t get enough of it. I think we have another champion surfer in the making.”

His words cut through me like a knife.Anotherchampion like he and Tarshia were. I never made it. I wiped out during TropSets after being too distracted over finding out my hero was a cheater.

“Can I get you anything, Brady?” Tarshia turns to me. “Water, coffee, beer?”

I shake my head and return to the window. I can still see Ivy and Theo in the reflection. Tarshia moves to stand next to where our father is sitting, running her hand through his hair. He grins, nuzzling against the side of her stomach. I swallow the bile rising up the back of my throat. This is fucked up beyond all measure.

“Why are we here?” I ask. Dad and Tarshia exchange glances.

“It can wait until after dinner,” Dad finally says. “Why don’t you just spend some time with your brother, and we can talk then.”

“Half,” I say, turning back around to face the room.

“Sorry?” His eyebrows crinkle in confusion.

“He’s my half-brother,” I clarify.

Ivy’s head snaps up. “Brady! God, can you just get over yourself for five minutes? This is not his fault. I mean, this is awkward enough without you acting like a bloody jackass.” Her cheeks redden and she glances over at Dad. “Sorry.”

So much for a united front.

“I’m not here to play happy family, Ivy,” I snap.

Tarshia’s smile drops, and she moves to take Theo from Ivy. “You guys need to talk,” she says. “I think I’ll go feed Theo and put him to bed.” Her eyes trained to the ground as she leaves the room.

Ivy shoots me a look, but I just shrug. I’m done beating around the bush. I just want to know why we’ve been summoned so we can leave.

“I know you’re mad at me, s–Brady.” He catches himself this time. He’s not going to make the mistake of calling me ‘son’ again. “But there’s no need to take it out on Tarshia or Theo.”

“Isn’t there?” I mutter under my breath. A little louder, I say, “Just say what you need to say so we can leave.”

He blows out a breath, and I can tell I’m starting to get under his skin. It’s probably lucky that Tarshia took Theo from the room. His eyes bore into mine and I stare right back in a silent challenge. Though when he breaks our standoff and waves at the couch, I don’t feel any satisfaction. I just feel empty. “Can you at least take a seat so we can have a respectable adult conversation?”

I let out a snort, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m good here.”

Ivy looks back and forth between the two of us. She shakes her head before sitting on the couch. “Let’s just get this over with,” she mutters. At this point, I don’t know who she’s mad at anymore.

“Well...” Dad squirms in his seat. “There’s no easy way to say this.” He scratches the back of his head. “The reason we’ve invited you here tonight is...”

“Just spit it out.” My nerves are stretched thin and vibrating like a fucking rubber band about to snap.

“Tarshia’s pregnant.”

Ivy gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth.

Shit.I feel like a wave just knocked the wind out of me. The image of them in bed together makes me nauseous.

“And we’re also going to be organising a Baptism for Theo at the end of April. The twenty-ninth.”

Two weeks after Ivy’s birthday. Is she never going to catch a break? First, he walks out on us a week before her eighteenth birthday, and now he wants us to celebrate the result of his affair two weeks after her nineteenth.Way to rub it in, Dad.

“It would mean a lot to me and Tarsh if the two of you would come.”

The blows keep coming. The temperature has spiked, making me feel dizzy. There’s a ringing in my ears. I tug on the neck of my T-shirt. It feels like it’s choking me. I glance over at Ivy who is sitting pale and frozen. I move over to her side and place my hand on her shoulder, worried she’s going to faint. She flinches under my touch. The urge to punch my old man in the face grows stronger. I need to get out before I do something I’ll regret.

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