Page 85 of Take My Kiss
Same facial features with the same hair and eye colors.
She snarls, then directs her attention back to the stage.
“I always said they looked almost identical since Bellamy’s hair didn’t grow out until she was four,” Mrs. Langston says, peeking around her daughter to speak to me. “If Bodie wasn’t always laughin’ and goofin’ off, I wouldn’t have been able to tell ’em apart.”
I chuckle at her implication that Bellamy’s the grumpy one out of the two.
“She was the bossy one, always darin’ Bodie to do dangerous tricks that’d get him hurt.”
“And he was the stupid one who fell for it every time,” Bellamy says, turning toward me and lowering her voice. “He wasn’t the smartest kid on the block.”
The way they tease each other reminds me of Samuel and the way we’d give each other a hard time. It was all in good fun, but you don’t realize how much you’ll miss it once it’s gone.
I wait for the show to end before stepping outside and calling Colton.
It rings five times before going to voicemail, so I leave him a message.
“Hey, it’s Amelia. My phone died, so I’m using Bellamy’s. We should be leavin’ soon, but just wanted to check in since I missed your call. Hope y’all are havin’ fun.”
When I hang up, an anxious bubble in my gut makes me worry that something’s wrong. Instead of calling again, I click on Bodie’s contact,The Ugly Twin.
I wonder if he has a rude name for her.
“Whaddya want, Spare Twin?”
Guess that answers my question.
“Uh…” I clear my throat. “It’s Amelia.”
“Oh, hey.” There’s shuffling in the background as if he’s moving around. “Did Colt get a hold of you?”
“No, my phone died, and he didn’t pick up just now. Is Sam alright?” I try not to panic since I trust them with my kids, but my son has proven how sneaky he can be.
“Yeah, he ran off before the bobcat attacked Remy.”
“What?” I shout. “What bobcat? Is Remy okay?”
“Oh, guess you didn’t know any of it. They were playin’ near the woods, and they came up on a bobcat with babies. Remy barked and tried to scare him off, but I’m guessin’ the movement of Sam runnin’ off made her react to Remy, and he got clawed. Colt rushed him to the animal hospital, and they took him into surgery right away. I’m waitin’ on an update.”
“Oh my God…” My mind’s spinning at what Colton must be going through. That dog is his whole world.
“I’ll ask Bellamy to drop me off there so I can wait with him,” I tell Bodie.
“That might be a good idea. I’m here with Sam, so he’s alone.”
That thought crushes me.
We hang up, and I quickly give Bellamy an update. She tells her mom, aunt, and Raven she’ll be back, then rushes me to the hospital thirty minutes away.
“Text me when you can,” she says. “Tell Colt I’m thinkin’ ’bout him and Remy.”
“Will do. Thanks for the ride.”
As soon as I walk in, I scan the waiting area for him, but he’s not here. Maybe he’s in the recovery room with him or somewhere in the back. His truck’s in the parking lot, so he hasn’t left.
“Excuse me, I’m lookin’ for Colton Langston. He brought in his dog, Remy. Is he here?”
“One moment…” She makes a quick phone call. “Follow me.”
