Page 40 of Wild Hearts

I shake my head. “No, the next day. I saw Dad and Tarshia together in January at TropSets.”

“Shit.”

“I couldn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want it to be real. I was hoping it was just a one off.”

Jordan shakes his head. “Does Ivy know?”

“I think she suspects, but I haven’t confirmed it.”

“Yeah, of course, man. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

I wave him off. I didn’t tell anyone - except Wren. I hadn’tneededto tell anyone else. She listened to me on the phone night after night, as I tried to figure out what to do. I tried a few times to confront my dad, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe if I had confronted him, he wouldn’t have knocked up Tarshia, and maybe he wouldn’t have walked out on us. I drop my head into my hands. It was those thoughts that led to me confronting Wren at my sister’s birthday, begging her to stop the secrecy and tell people about us.

“We’re going to get caught,” she said with a laugh as I furtively pushed her down the hallway. I led her away from the music and people packed into the backyard to celebrate Ivy’s eighteenth birthday.

“You know I don’t care about that.” Although I still glanced over my shoulder before opening the door to my bedroom and guiding her in.

Her eyes danced around the room, her jaw dropping as she took in the half-ripped surf posters on my wall, the tub of trophies shoved beside my desk. I swallowed down the urge to tell her the truth – that my dad wasn’t away on some surf trip like my mum and Ivy were telling everyone. He’d left us.

But fuck him. I wasn’t wasting another goddamn second on that bastard. Wren was here, and I desperately needed to forget. I needed her.

I stepped into her space, loving the little gasp that escaped her as her hands fisted the front of my shirt, and then my lips were on hers. She tasted like cherries and sunshine, and I grinned as I backed her toward my bed. Her legs hit the bed and we laughed as we tumbled onto the mattress.

“I missed you.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her nose.

“I missed you, too,” she sighed. Her eyes dart to the torn-up photographs of me and my dad on my desk. “But Brady, what’s going on?”

I cursed myself, realising it hadn’t been a good move to bring her into my bedroom. My life was a fucking mess.

“Nothing,” I said with a shake of my head. Needing to distract her from the mess, I tilted her chin up and captured her lips in mine. When her mouth parted for me and I got the first taste of her, the tension in my body relaxed. I needed her this past month, the phone calls weren’t enough.

I rolled over her, careful to keep my weight on my arms as I showed her how much I missed her. I peppered kisses along her jaw, pausing only long enough to slide the strap of her white dress off her shoulder.

“Brady,” Wren murmured, tugging on my hair until I looked up. “Please talk to me.”

I groaned and rolled away, turning my back to her. I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to forget. She sat up and tried to pull me around to face her.

“Please tell me what’s going on.”

I climbed off the bed and walked to my desk, still unable to bring myself to look at her. “This is killing me,” I deflected. “Not being able to tell everyone we’re together.”

The words burned my throat as they spilled out of me. They weren’t a lie, but I knew this conversation was going to end in one of us getting hurt. I knew that, but I still couldn’t stop myself.

She blew out a deep breath as her head dropped into her hands. “Brady–”

I closed my eyes. “I’m sick of the secrets.”

“It’s only a few more months.”

“It’sninemore months!”

There was that magic number again. Nine months. The amount of time it takes to ruin a family.

“What are you saying?” She bit her bottom lip.

I started pacing the room. I needed to know how much I meant to her. I needed to know if she wanted me as much as I wanted her. “Why don’t you want to tell anyone about us?” My hand tugged at my hair. “Why are you so hellbent on keeping us a secret? Is this all a game to you?”

She reeled back like I’d slapped her. “You know that’s not true.” Her eyes shone with tears.

---