Chapter Nineteen
Amelia
“I can’t believe you talked me into this!” I shout at Bellamy over the music.
It’s so loud, I can barely hear my own thoughts.
Raven’s on the other side of me, jumping in her seat and waving around singles.
I haven’t had the chance to ask her about staying at Bodie’s last night, but I have a feeling she wouldn’t tell me anyway.
She’s always been tight-lipped, but considering she’s been nosy about my sex life, she owes me an update.
“Aren’t they so hot?” Bellamy beams, then screams for them even louder. Her mom and Aunt JoJo join in on the excitement. “The one dressed as a cowboy has been starin’ at you the whole show. I think he likes you.”
I look up to where she points, wondering if she’s serious or just messing with me. Either way, I’m not interested.
My heart’s taken by another cowboy.
Although Bellamy doesn’t know the status of Colton’s and my relationship, she definitely suspects something’s going on between us. We haven’t shown any kind of PDA around the kids or his family, but that’s because we were trying not to cross the line, but I don’t regret that we did.
I only regret that it has to be temporary.
When my phone vibrates on the table, Colton’s name and photo pop up, but I’ll never be able to hear him inside.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Bellamy.
“No, you can’t go! Your admirer is ’bout to rip off his chaps!”
I snort at her enthusiasm, shaking my head. “Hard pass.”
“Wait, can you get me another drink?” Raven asks, handing me her empty glass.
“Sure, no problem.”
She hasn’t let this loose in a long time, so it’s nice to see her enjoying herself.
After getting a restraining order on her abusive ex while she was pregnant, she hid out to avoid him finding her, and then ended up kidnapping her anyway.
If it wasn’t for Delilah delivering her baby, she would’ve had to do it on her own, and they could’ve both died.
Walking to the bar, I get Raven her refill and then check my phone to see if he left a message or sent a text. But then I realize my battery’s about to die.
Shit. I never plugged it in last night after Colton carried me to bed. I was so exhausted, I didn’t even think about it.
Once I bring Raven her drink, I shoot him a text.
Amelia
Phone’s on red, but we’re at the strip club. Everything okay?
Before I can hit send, my phone shuts down.
Well, fuck.
“Can I borrow your phone to call Colt? Mine died.”
“Sure, he’s under Brother No. 2.”
I snicker. “Wow, how personable.”
She shrugs, sipping on her water. “Bodie is under The Ugly Twin.”
“That’s awful.” I laugh. “Especially since he’s good-lookin’.”
He has a full sleeve, similar to Colton’s, but it’s covered in more ink. Dark facial hair, muscular body, and a white smile. He’s not bad to look at.
“Ew, never say that to me ever again.”
“You know you’re twins, right?”
“So we shared a womb, big deal.”
“And y’all look alike.”
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.”
My heart pounds as she leads me down a hallway in the back, then abruptly stops in front of a closed door.
“They’re in here. Take as long as you need.”
“Thanks,” I say hesitantly since I’m not sure what’s going on or walking in on.
I knock, then turn the handle and peek inside.
“Colt?”
He’s on the floor next to Remy, who’s lying on a blanket.
When Colton looks over his shoulder, his face red and blotchy, I nearly collapse.
Closing the door behind me, I kneel beside him and pull him into my arms.
“His heart stopped durin’ surgery, but they were able to bring him back,” he murmurs. “He still hasn’t woken up from the anesthesia.”
“I’m so sorry, Colt.” I tighten my hold. “He’s a strong boy. He’s gonna pull through.”
I force myself to believe the words because I don’t want to think of the alternative.
He’s silent as he drenches my shirt in tears, but I don’t let him go. I want to keep him as close to me as possible and take away all his pain.
“Sam’s gonna be so upset if he doesn’t make it,” he murmurs. “We had such an amazin’ day and—”
He chokes up before finishing his words.
Sam will be devastated, no doubt, but it’s Colton I’m most worried about. He’s raised Remy since he was eight weeks old. They have a bond that only a dog owner could understand, but it’s evident in the way Remy stayed glued to my kids that they also share something special.
For the next hour, I sit with Colton, resting my head on his shoulder and holding his hand while he holds Remy’s paw. There’s a large bandage wrapped around his neck with black and brown fur sticking out, and another around his leg where they inserted the IV.
When he twitches, his eyes slowly open and roll back.
Colton pets his head and clears his throat. “Hey, buddy.”
Tears fill my eyes at how quickly Remy relaxes when he hears Colton’s voice.
It takes another forty minutes before he fully wakes.
The vet checks his heart and lungs. They want to keep him overnight for observation, but since he’s breathing on his own and taking the pain meds well, they predict he’ll be fine to go home tomorrow.
Since there’s always a risk for infection and he’ll have some discomfort, he’ll be on medication for a few weeks and be restricted to limited activity while his wound heals.
“Are you ready?” I ask once he reassures Remy that he’ll be back to pick him up tomorrow.
“Actually, would you mind givin’ me a few minutes alone before we go?”
“Of course, take as long as you need.”
He presses his lips to mine before I slip out of the room.
Moments later, Colton comes out and grabs my hand.
It’s dinnertime when we reach his house. Neither of us talked on the way home, but he kept his fingers intertwined with mine the whole drive.
Although I didn’t have a pet growing up and couldn’t afford one as an adult, I feel Colton’s concern.
For the past nine days, Remy’s been a part of my life, and quickly made his way into my heart.
I watched how patient he was with my kids as they played around him, built their Legos on him, and even dressed him up in a tiara and tutu.
Most nights, he slept in the kids’ bed with them, and I felt safer knowing he was there.
He’s the perfect guard dog.
“I told Bodie not to say anythin’ to Sam and Lily, so he has no idea ’bout his condition,” Colton says once we park in the driveway.
“I can take Sam into his room and talk to him,” I offer so he doesn’t have to relive everything.
“No, I think we should do it together.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” He nods, chewing his bottom lip. “He called me Dad today.”
“Oh.”
I’ve always felt guilty that he didn’t grow up with a father, and seeing how close he’s getting to Colton is going to make it even harder when we leave.
“He understands I’m not his real dad, but says I protect him like dads are supposed to.”
“He adores you a lot, Colt.”
I mean, who can blame him? Colton stepped up the moment we walked in the door. Most men run in the other direction as soon as I mention having kids.
“Feels like I’ve let him down already,” he mutters. “He loves playin’ with Remy.”
“Welcome to being a parent,” I say half-heartedly. “It never gets easier, and you worry nonstop.”
He pulls me in for a hug and kisses my hair. “Thanks for being there. I’m glad you came.”
“Of course.”
We hold hands as we walk up the stairs, and I hold my breath as we approach the door. Sam’s never been good with his emotions and will hyperfixate on what happened.
“I got the cameras and deadbolt installed before everythin’ happened.” He doesn’t move to walk inside. “Should’ve kept a closer watch on ’em.”
“It’s not your fault, Colt. You couldn’t have known a Bobcat was nearby.”
“I knew Remy wandered, but he always came back when I called for him, so he was never far. Bodie and I were outside with ’em and were within earshot of where they were. But then the damn WiFi wasn’t connectin’ to the doorbell app, and I got side-tracked tryin’ to reset it.”
I force Colton to look at me before he gets lost in his thoughts.
“When Sam was three, I took him to the park and ended up spillin’ his ice cream he couldn’t finish on myself.
I glanced away for twenty seconds to dig out some baby wipes, and by the time I checked on him again, he was no longer in the sandbox.
I called his name, looked everywhere on the playset, and still couldn’t find him.
It wasn’t the first time I panic-searched for him ’cause he’s wandered off or wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
Luckily, another mom found him on the other playground and brought him back to me.
“Sam can know the rules and say he understands ’em, but he gets easily distracted and is impulsive.
He’s been that way his whole life and was even tested for ADHD when he was in first grade.
When I met Wilder at the shelter, Sam roamed off while I was changin’ Lily in the bathroom, and although I’d warned him to stay put, he was so excited to see him and took off.
So, if Remy was leadin’ ’em, Sam probably followed just to see where he’d take him ’cause he was curious and forgot he was supposed to stay close. ”
“I’m torn between feelin’ grateful Remy stepped up to protect Sam when he needed it and upset with myself that I didn’t prevent it.”
“I know,” I whisper, squeezing his hand again.
We quietly walk through the door, and for a split-second, I anticipate Remy greeting us in the entryway.
“Mom!” Sam squeals the moment we go into the kitchen.
He’s eating at the table with Lily, Bodie, and Raven. There’s a wooden rocking horse next to Lily’s chair that wasn’t here this morning, so it must be new.
“Hey, sweetie.” I kiss the top of his head when he pushes out of his chair.
“Where’s Remy?” He looks between Colton and me. “Bodie said he was at the hospital.”
I kneel down to his level and exhale slowly. “Remy had to stay with the vet.”
“Why?” His eyes water, and he sniffs. “I want him here with me.”
“He needed surgery to get better, “ I explain.
Tears flood his cheeks, and I pull him into my arms while he cries.
“It’s my fault he got hurt,” he murmurs against my shoulder. “I screamed and scared the Bobcat.”
Colton kneels next to me. “No, buddy. It’s not. Remy knew it was a predator who could harm you, and he took his job to protect you very seriously.”
Sam pulls back, frowning. “And the Bobcat was protectin’ her babies.”
“That’s right,” Colton says. “It was unfortunate circumstances. But before we left the hospital, I told Remy how proud of him I was for makin’ sure you got away safely. He knows how much you love him and loves you just as much.”
Sam nods before crashing into Colton’s chest, hugging him tightly. When I glance over at Lily, Bodie’s next to her, also teary-eyed.
“When can he come home?” Sam asks.
“Hopefully, tomorrow. But he’s gotta rest a lot for the next few weeks so he can heal faster.”
Sam wipes his face and smiles. “I’ll help take care of him.”
“Me too, me too!” Lily squeals.
Colton reaches over and squeezes her hand. “He’ll love that.”
“That means we can’t go home until he’s better. Right, Mom?”
Sam’s big eyes land on mine, and I don’t have the heart to disagree. “Of course, sweetie.”
Raven arches a brow toward me. There’s still a lot I haven’t told her, but now isn’t the time.