Page 164 of Irresistibly Wild

“How do you know what I’m doing?” I ask.

“I hate-follow you on Instagram from a burner account. I’m the person who always comments: ‘You’re not that pretty’ and ‘Get over yourself.’”

“Good to know.” I smile. “I would say that it’s nice seeing you after all these years, but honestly—”

“It’s not.”

“Agreed.” I walk to the door. “Best of luck finding a roommate who doesn’t hate you.”

“Thank you.” I step out, and she slams the door behind me.

I turn around and stare straight ahead.

If I were sane, I would walk away now, forget this place existed, and move the hell on. There’s no way that living with the woman who’s related to the man who still owns my heart is a good idea.

I’m so close to going twelve hours a day without thinking about him.

So damn close…

Then again, there’s no other apartment in this city that I’ve loved at first sight, and we managed to room together in the past without killing each other, so—

The door swings open again, and I can’t help but blurt out, “I really need a place to stay, and I can pay for the first ten months in advance.”

Penelope sighs and ushers me inside.

She asks me a few questions, and I answer them on autopilot, too caught off guard by the huge picture hanging over her fireplace.

It’s her standing with Travis in a hospital room. She’s holding balloons in her hand while he smiles, and there’s a colorful banner above them that reads, “I Proved All the Doctors Wrong. I’m Walking Again, Soon to be Skating Again!”

“That’s my older brother, Travis,” Penelope says. “He’s a fighter in the UFC. He doesn’t come into town too often, now that I’m better, but whenever he has a match in Vegas, he flies me out to watch it.”

“Has he ever mentioned me?” The words fall from my lips before I can stop them.

“You?” She tilts her head to the side. “He banned me from bringing you up in our conversations at one point.”

“What?” I try not to look too eager for an explanation. “Why would he do that?”

“He had his reasons.” She pauses. “I used to talk shit about you all the time when we competed, and he got tired of it. He shut me down before I could even start.”

I have no idea how to react to that, and a part of me can’t help but wonder if this is the universe throwing me a fresh chance or playing another twisted joke.

“It’s crazy,” she says, shaking her head. “Talking about my opponents never bothered him until you came along. Like, if I ever said a word that sounded similar to your name, he would glare at me as if it was personal.”

I nod, still speechless.

“Maybe he thought we’d eventually see each other again and be okay.”

“Maybe.”

“Want to grab a coffee?” she asks, suddenly looking sheepish. “I meant what I said about not having any friends outside of Hayden.”

“I don’t have any friends either,” I say. “I’d love to…”

FORTY-THREE

PRESENT DAY

TRAVIS

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