Page 134 of Love Without Demands

“I think Mont spotted them too,” I said, watching as he got out of line and walked slowly in their direction. The woman handed off the leash to the man and crossed a patch of grass, hands clasped in front of her waist.She looks nervous, I thought vaguely.

My brother’s steps faltered, and all of a sudden, he took off at a dead run toward the woman. “What the hell is he doing?” I muttered, seeing the pets’ owner running toward him as well. As soon as they neared each other, she jumped, and Monty caught her. The woman’s legs wrapped around his waist, and my hackles instantly rose.

“Oh my god,” Kassie whispered beside me.

“What the fuck?” I barked, anger spiking inside me as Monty spun the woman around and embraced her. Had he been having some kind of online affair with this woman or something? No, surely not. He adored his wife.

But this shit was difficult to watch, especially when Kassie sank to her knees in the grass, wailing like someone had just died. I fell onto the cool grass beside her, wrapping myself around her and pressing her face against my shoulder so she didn’t have to witness… whatever this bullshit was.

But she fought me, yanking her head back to stare at the spectacle across the way as tears streamed down her face and landed with wet plops against her pink top. It broke my heart to see.

“Kass, sweetheart, just don’t look. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m about to kick my brother’s ass all over this park for treating you like this.”

“No,” she croaked. “No.”

“Shhh,” I soothed, trying to keep my fury at bay for the time.Who is that woman? Some old girlfriend or something?“Let meget you home. I’ll call Lehra to come sit with you, and then I’ll take care of it.”

I had no idea what I was going to do besides punch Monty Bouvier right in the mouth. How fucking dare he do this in front of his pregnant wife?

“No,” Kass said again, her voice stronger this time. “You don’t understand.”

Well, that’s the fucking understatement of the century.

“Explain it to me. Do you… do you know that woman?”

She nodded, focusing her gaze on the hugging duo. Then Kassie bowed forward, her body curling over her pregnant belly as she wept.

“That’s his…”

I couldn’t understand the last part of that through her heart-rending sobs.

At a loss, I rubbed a hand up and down her back, attempting to soothe her. “Who, Kassie? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.”

She lifted her reddened eyes to mine, tears streaming down her face as her lips curved into the hint of a sad smile.

“That’s his sister.” As I attempted to process her words, she turned her attention back to the pair and lifted a shaky hand to point. Her next words were clear as day and shook me to my core.

“Evie Bouvier is alive.”

NOT QUITE THE END