Page 45 of Wild Hearts

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Brady

ISLAM THE DOOR TOmy bedroom. I don’t know why I thought going over to Wren’s would be a good idea. I only went over to apologise for my behaviour the other day, but once I started I couldn’t stop. I blurted out everything that’s been on my mind since Dad dropped the baby and the Baptism bombshell. And I hadn’t just stopped there. When she’d held my hands, I felt the shock course through my body and from the look on her face, she’d felt it, too. It’s still there. If it hadn’t been for Jordan calling, I have a strong feeling she would have let me kiss her.

Fuck!I toss my crutches on the floor with a satisfying clunk and drop down onto my desk chair. When I called Jordan back, he asked if I wanted to go to a party on campus tonight. It took everything I had not to toss my phone on the ground and stomp on it. No, I don’t want to go to a party on campus tonight. All I want to do is win Wren back. And as much as she tries to fight it and deny it, I know she still feels something for me, too.

A knock on my door interrupts my brooding. “Go away,” I growl. Ignoring me as usual, Ivy strolls in and perches on the end of my bed.

“What’s with all the banging and crashing?” She raises her eyebrows at me.

“Pretty sure ‘go away’ means the exact opposite of ‘come in and make yourself comfortable’,” I grumble, but my sister just rolls her eyes at my surliness. “Thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“What crawled up your ass and died?”

I press my lips together and choose to ignore her. I pick up my phone and consider sending a text to Wren, but what would I even say? I open up our thread. I’ve kept every message, hanging on to the past with everything I have. I was never ready to let her go. I wish I hadn’t ruined everything.

“Should I askwho’scrawled up your ass?” Ivy corrects, her fiery green eyes boring into me. “Some beach bimbo not giving you the time of day? Poor Brady.”

If only she knew who she was actually talking about right now. I toss my phone on my bed and cover my face with my arm. “What do you want?” I’m not in the mood for my sister’s intervention bullshit.

“I’m just letting you know that Wren and I are going to Dad’s tomorrow. I’m meeting them for lunch and going shopping for a dress for the Baptism. I’ve decided I’m going to be Theo’s godmother.”

I wasnotexpecting that. I feel like I’ve just been sucker punched in the gut. “What did you say?” I sit up and stare at my sister like she just announced she’s getting a tattoo of Lachy’s face on her ass. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

The veins in my head are pulsing and I blink to keep the room in focus. After everything I just told her, Wren’s going behind my back to go see my dad. What the hell? I know exactly what I want to say to her right now and I pick up my phone and angrily tap out my feelings.

Brady: Way to kick a guy when he’s down. You’re seriously going behind my back to see that asshole after listening to me tell you how I feel about him? You couldn’t even tell me to my face? That’s cold.

“Who was that to?” Ivy asks, narrowing her eyes.

“Who do you think?” I snarl.

“Why? It’s not her fault. Why do you even care?”

“I–” WhydoI care so much? It’s not like she cares about me anymore. I shake my head to clear it. “Why are you entertaining him?” I deflect. “You were there, he just up and left. He chose her over us. Why do you want to be a part of that?”

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