Page 33 of Wilde About You

I flopped on the couch and looked around the apartment. It was sparsely decorated as more than one female visitor had pointed out. That was great. It meant one or two loads in a truck, and I'd be clear of the place. My foot tapped something under the coffee table. I leaned down and picked it up. It was a burner phone, a dead burner phone. I had no way of even communicating with Sadie if I wanted to, and I wanted to. I wanted her to be sitting on the couch right next to me being funny and sarcastic and smart and beautiful and sexy. She was fucking hot. It had been short, but I wasn't sure I'd ever top my time with Sadie. And as if he could see into my thoughts, Ace sent a text.

Hey man, sorry I had to do that, but you understand. You'd get it if you had a sister.

If I had a sister, I'd be a much cooler brother than you. You've been a complete dick. Is she safe at home?

My mom texted that Sadie was there. She's agreed to hand over the picture and the negative, and she's staying there for protection. My parents' place is surrounded by cameras.

It almost felt as if he added that last bit just to remind me not to go near her. I'd been to his parents' place, and I knew all about their elaborate security system because his dad had shown me around the place. I was fairly certain that tour also had an ulterior motive. He knew all about my dad and my family.

Yeah, well, I'm glad she's safe.

So, are we still buds? I've got some hot girls coming over tonight.

You've got to be fucking kidding me right now. You cost me my most important sponsor. Far as I'm concerned, you can lose my number.

I dropped my phone on the couch and thought about what Ace had said. It was hard to believe that Sadie was handing over that picture. It was also hard to believe that Ace thought just like that he could be a complete prick, and I'd forgive him and crawl right back into his social circle. I wanted nothing to do with him. His sister was another matter altogether. I hadn't stopped thinking about Sadie since she walked out the door.

A text came through. I reluctantly picked up my phone. It was Ace.

Just stay the fuck away from my sister. There, now I'll lose your number.

"Asshole." I dropped the phone again. I stared at the blank television screen for a second and spotted my own reflection staring back at me. I looked fucking pathetic and beat down, and I hated what I saw. When I was feeling like shit there was only one person I wanted to talk to. We'd been together since the womb, and while we were different in so many ways, Ronan was still my main mate, the person I felt most connected to. It had been quite the adjustment after Rachel came into his life. At first, I was jealous, envious, hurt, all the stupid emotions I let myself fall into, then I realized our connection could never be broken. He had far less time for me, and he didn't need me as much as he used to, but we were still each other's closest friend.

I picked up the phone and dialed him. I was expecting to leave a message, but he answered. "Hey, bro, what's up?"

"Feeling like shit, so I figured hey, I'll call Ro and pile all my crap on him."

"Well buddy, I'm here to absorb the crap. What's going on? Ace still being an asshole? Did you lose more sponsors?"

"Not so far, but now that I told Ace to fuck off for good, who knows when the next hammer will drop."

"Yeah, I never liked that guy."

"I know. I just figured it was because I always spent a lot of time with him, but I guess you saw through his bullshit. Anyway, that's not why I'm feeling like a pathetic loser."

"Hey, Wildes are never pathetic losers." There were children laughing and screaming in the background.

"See, that's what I've been trying to tell myself but can't shake that feeling."

Ronan pulled the phone from his ear. "Hey, Jack, wait your turn."

"You're out with Jack? I won't keep you."

"We're at the park, so he doesn't even know I exist right now. But I'm getting vibes through the phone. This is about the girl. This is about Ace's sister. She's way cooler than Ace, and she's the real deal. Ace is a phony."

I got up and walked to the window. A few clouds had rolled in to blot out the sun. My plump apartment supervisor was zipping around in his golf cart picking up litter with a long pincher. "Part of the deal for me to hang on to the other sponsors was that I had to stay away from Sadie. But I'm starting to think, fuck the sponsors. And mostly, fuck Ace. Sadie is the first interesting woman, first interesting person, I've met in a long time. Can't stop thinking about her."

Ronan chuckled. "Well, there it is. The four words I said to myself a dozen times after I met Rachel. Bro, you've been bitten by the love match bug."

I laughed. "The love match bug?"

"Hey, if you had to sit through as many cartoons as me, you'd be saying the same lame crap. And now here's my advice. That's what you were looking for, right?"

It was funny to have Ronan on the side of advisor. He'd always been the wild, reckless one, and I'd been the person to let him know when he was going off the deep end. Instant fatherhood had changed him a lot.

"Sure, lay it on me."

"Fuck Ace. Fuck the sponsors. Go after the girl."