Page 39 of Untamed Heart

Was it ridiculous that I was wondering if this was a good time for me to consider getting a dog?

I didn’t bother asking that question out loud because I feared what the answer would be.

“He really divorced the she-devil?” Remy asked, pulling my focus out of my head and back on the present. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither can I.” I turned back to the house to see that the biker moving company had made some serious progress, and the moving truck was nearly empty. That meant all that was left to do was for me to get my stuff from the inn and bring it here.

“And you haven’t seen her at all? Not even in passing?”

I shook my head, then remembered my sister couldn’t see me and answered, “Not once. No one’s even brought her up.”

“How are things with... you know,” she said, lowering her voice ominously like she was speaking of Lord Voldemort himself.

“Things are...” I heaved out a sigh to try and alleviate some of the weight sitting on my chest, but it was no use. “Messy as hell. I really screwed up, Rem.”

She sucked in a sharp gasp across the line. “Oh my god! You had sex with him, didn’t you?”

“How could you possibly know that?” I yelped in return.

“I didn’t,” she replied cheekily. “That was just me trying to get a rise out of you. But... are you serious, Kota?” she finished on a shout. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t, clearly,” I grumbled sullenly. “And my head’s been a fucked-up mess ever since. Rem, he has a daughter.”

She sucked in more air, to the point I was worried about her lung capacity. “No. Seriously?”

I glanced to the girl in question, who was currently skipping around the yard with what looked like a sparkly fairy wand, only the top had been broken off, and in its place was a paper cutout of a motorcycle.

“She’s beautiful, Remy. And just this giant ball of light. It’s impossible not to adore her. She’s the spitting image of Roe.”

“And her mom? Is she in the picture?” I explained what Roe had told me about his relationship with Cassi’s birth mother and was met with several seconds of silence after I finished. Then, “Wow. That’s... surprisingly progressive.”

“Tell me about it. And you’ll never guess what he named her.” It was meant with disbelief and bewilderment when I told my sister all about Cassi’s name and exactly what Roe had told be about his reason for picking it.

“Holy shit,” she practically shouted so loud I had to pull the phone from my ear. “Holyshit! That’s it, I’m definitely flying down there now.”

God, I loved my little sister. “You don’t have to do that, sis. I’m okay.”

“You’re not,” she insisted. “I can hear it in your voice. You’re stressed and panicked and probably feel like the ground beneath your feet in unstable.”

I let out a snort. “It’s like you’re a mind reader.”

“No, I just love you and know you better than most people. You’re struggling, Kota. I want to help. And... and I-I want to see for myself that he’s okay.” I certainly hadn’t been expecting that. “I didn’t think him being sick would bother me the way it has.”

“I get it,” I assured her. “It’s the same for me.”

“I’ve got a couple projects for work that I need to wrap up first, but I have a ton of vacation days stored up. As soon as I’m finished, I’m putting in for a couple weeks and flying there.”

I hated that she was throwing her life into upheaval for me, but the truth was, I’d be a lot more stable with her there. I hadn’t even told her about the pictures I was still getting with that creepyI see youmessages on them. I found a second envelope stuffed under my door the other day. All it succeeded in doing was making me want to knock Tolliver Brady’s head off his fucking shoulders.

“I’m not going to lie; it’ll be nice to have you here.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll text you the details when I get everything planned. I love you, sissy. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I love you too, and I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up the phone and shoved it into my pocket just as one of the bikers, a huge guy packed with muscle, scruffy dark hair, and tattoos that covered every visible inch of his skin headed in my direction.

“Just wanted to let you know we’re about done in there, Little Riley.”