“Hey Bev.” Beverly jumps at my voice, dropping her spoon and I laugh as she scowls at me.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you always doing that?”
I palm the top of her head, walking past her. “Maybe you’re just oblivious to your surroundings.”
“Maybe you’re just an asshat.” She throws her spoon into the sink and it clangs around as she glowers at me.
“Probably.” I grin at her over my shoulder before heading toward Remy’s office.
“Why are you harassing my wife?”
I shut the door behind me, leaning against it while I wait for Remy to look up at me. “Because it’s entertaining.”
He hums but doesn’t comment.
“Where is Delaney?” I decide to just ask instead of trying to dig for information.
“Not here.”
“No fucking shit. Where the fuck is she Remy?” I walk up to his desk and set my palms on his desk, looking down at him.
He leans back in his chair with an unamused expression on his face. “Dead.”
I scoff at his bullshit, taking his drink off the desk and downing it. “I know she isn’t dead. I know she was here last. So where is she?”
“And why would I tell you that?”
“She sold her fucking horses Remy. She left everything including her phone. What did you do to her? Why would she leave like that?”
He folds his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing on me. I’d love to punch the look right off his fucking face.
“What did I do? You think I’m the reason she’s gone?” He stands, hands on his desk, mimicking my pose to yell in my face. “You. You fucking prick. You and fucking Wolf are the reason she’s gone.”
My heart pounds at his accusation, my chest tightening with anger. “How did I make her leave? She knows how much I love her. She was with me before she came here and she was fine.”
“She should have let you die, you fucking moron.”
He sits back in his seat and I scowl at him. “If you wanted me dead, you would have shot me in the head. Admit you’re happy I’m here already so we can move the fuck on.”
“There is no moving on, Donatello.” He rubs his hand over his mouth, eyes leaving my face. “My sister is gone for the unforeseeable future. She won’t be here for holidays, she isn’t coming to the girl’s birthday parties, she isn’t going to be calling to give updates. She’s missing out on her family because she thought she had no other choice.”
I look at the open space on my finger, the ring I know she took with her. “Tell me where she is. I can make her come home.”
“And that…” He shifts in his seat, propping his chin on his fist. “Is exactly why she came to me. If she wants to stay gone, then she will. Her secret dies with me, Donatello.”
“You’re just fine with this? Fine with her not being here?” I can feel myself slipping. The growing panic. She can’t just be gone.
“No, I’m not fucking fine with it.” He snaps at me, his own anger rising.
“Then why did you let her leave? Why not just tell her no?” We could have made our shit work. I know we could have. Why would she just leave?
“It wasn’t my choice to make. She wanted to leave because she was tired of being stepped on. Tired of being told what to do. Who am I to dictate how her life goes?” He scrubs a hand down his face, sighing into his palm. “I’ve done that her entire life and look how that turned out.”
“She’s my fucking life, Remy. I can’t live without her.”
He shakes his head, eyes shifting over my face. “Find a new one. She did.”
“I’ll find her.” I say it through my fingers with a hand over my mouth in an attempt to stop myself from being sick.
“And do the one thing she doesn’t want? For once just fucking let her be.” He stands, grabbing a glass from the bar to pour whiskey into. “You have a baby to focus on anyway, Donatello.”
My face scrunches at the reminder, poking at the barely healed scab. “I don’t want anything to do with that woman or her baby.”
Remy turns to face me, slapping down a glass filled to the brim. “Your baby. That’s your baby, Donatello. It’s your responsibility to step up and take care of it and Olivia whether you want to or not.” He takes a swig straight from the bottle while looking at me. “You’ve lost your title, you’ve lost my sister. There’s no reason you can’t step into that role. You have nothing else.”
I down my glass while he watches.
“Treat Olivia how she should be treated and be a good dad. Maybe you’ll eventually feel something for her. You obviously liked her enough to sleep with her, so at least you’ll have that.” He raises his brow when he says it, taking another drink of the bottle. I don’t find the humor in the statement. “You don’t have a choice, Donatello. This is your life now, deal with it.”
I stare at him, not able to come up with anything to say. He’s right. I know he is. But how can I just accept Vita Mia is gone like that?
“Have you found out what you’re having?”
I frown into my glass, my rings clinking on the glass. “I never asked.” Because I don’t care. Olivia and that baby were one of the final pushes to ruining everything I’ve ever loved.
“You should. Maybe you’ll start feeling more attached if you do.” I doubt it. I know he’s trying to be helpful, but I wish he wasn’t.
“It’s been like three weeks since I found out, Remy. Three weeks since you shot me. Three weeks
