Page 41 of Untamed
So I was wrong, but in the right way.
“Was he the man banging on your door this morning?”
Ruth’s body stiffens a little in my arms as her eyes drop to her lap. Her head barely shakes. “No. But I’m sure it was someone he sent.”
I’m pretty confident there’s no Mafia in Willow Bend, but who else would send men out to threaten people like that? And not just people, a woman on her own who has absolutely no one to rely on. No one to protect her.
As far as they knew.
“What does he want?” My stomach bottoms out as I come up with the answer to my own question. “Birdie.”
No wonder Ruth was willing to extort me. I see why she’s trying to move across the country. The reason behind actions thatadmittedly worked out in my favor, even if most people would consider them questionable at best.
But Ruth doesn’t immediately confirm my suspicions. She rubs her lips together, considering for a minute. “I don’t know exactly what he wants, and I don’t necessarily want to find out.”
That… Doesn’t make a lot of sense. “He hasn’t told you what he wants?”
“At one point he did, but that option is no longer available.”
She pulls in a deep breath, eyes darting around and widening a little when she seems to realize where she is. Before I can even attempt to help, Ruth is scooting off my lap, her dismount wobbly and a little off-balance as she worms her way to her feet. Her eyes don’t meet mine as she smooths out her clothes and shifts the conversation. “Your brother seems nice.”
I know I should be grateful I got anything out of her at all, but I’m not quite ready to abandon our conversation. Not when there’s still so much not adding up. “He is.”
Calling Titus nice is probably the biggest understatement I’ve ever heard, but she doesn’t really know him yet. If she did, she would know my oldest brother is one of the best humans out there. Has been through more than someone as good as he is should have to withstand.
“Is he enjoying being a dad?” There’s a weird pitch to her voice. An odd strain to the question.
“More than anyone in the history of the universe.” I smile, thinking about the way fate finally tried to right its wrongs by dropping Mariah into my brother’s life. “You’re lucky you got to see him without at least one of the babies attached to his hip. That doesn’t happen often.”
With the exception of the single day Mariah forces him to come to the office, my brother always has his kids close by. Near enough to remind him they’re safe. Healthy. Happy. After whathappened to his first child, I can’t imagine what goes through his mind when he’s away from them.
And I don’t want to. There’s already enough fucking my head up as it is.
Ruth tilts her head, eyes narrowing the tiniest bit. Like she doesn’t believe me. “That’s cool.”
I study her, trying to come up with a way for everything I’ve learned about her to fit together and complete a picture. But there still seems like so much is missing.
She’s on her own, that much I know. I was the only person she could call when she needed rescuing.
I also know the guy who contributed to Birdie's creation is a piece of shit who sends other men to do his dirty work. If Ruth doesn’t know what he genuinely wants, that also means he doesn’t help her out in any sort of way—financial or otherwise.
Circling me right back to how Ruth is completely on her own.
Wascompletely on her own.
I know I’m not a permanent fixture in her and her daughter’s life—and I don’t want to be—but at least for the time she’s here, I can give her the break she desperately needs. A minute to breathe. A tiny scrap of time where everything isn’t pressing on her shoulders alone.
That’s why, when I hear the sound of Birdie's little voice carrying down the stairs, I quickly stand, following Ruth up to the guest room where her daughter’s been napping. I make a mental note to order one of those walkie-talkie monitor things. That way she can keep an eye on Birdie from wherever she is in the house.
I unhook the gate and pull it out of the doorway so Ruth doesn’t have to attempt to step over it. I’m certainly not opposed to having my hands on her again, but I’m not sure Ruth finds it as enjoyable of an experience as I do. There’s a certainamount of contact our agreement requires, but I need to be careful about anything that goes beyond that. I don’t want Ruth to be uncomfortable around me. I want her to feel safe.
Especially since it doesn’t seem like that’s a common occurrence for her.
Propped against the doorway, I watch as she scoops Birdie up, quietly talking to the rumpled looking toddler as she smooths down her curly hair. The moment is calm and comforting. A glimpse of peace in an otherwise chaotic—and likely scary—day.
One quick diaper change later, Ruth emerges from the room. Birdie gives me a grin as soon as she sees me, her sleep flushed cheeks bunching up from how wide she smiles.
I’ve enjoyed spending time with Marybeth and Mitchell, but they're still young enough they don’t interact a whole lot. Being around Birdie is a totally different experience. She can say a few words, making it possible to communicate with her. She can feed herself, even if it is a little messy. She plays with toys, runs around, and makes messes.
