Page 16 of Wild Lies

“Are you not going to give me any details?”

I lift a shoulder, mumbling, “There’s not much to tell.”

We’ve never been the type of sisters to gossip about our love lives, so I don’t know why she thinks I’d start now.

“Now that I don’t believe. But we should all go to dinner while we’re in town. I’d love to get to know him, Chloe.”

I’m about to agree when the door is pushed open with force, the wood knocking against a chair behind it. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I know exactly who it is before she speaks.

“Ah, there you are, Rachel. Your husband has been looking for you,” my mom admonishes, as if it’s somehow a crime that Ollie couldn’t find her.

“I’m just catching up with Chloe and resting my feet.”

I turn just in time to catch the sneer on my mom’s face before she corrects herself. “I told you not to wear those shoes, but you had to have it your way.”

When Mom takes a sip of her drink, Rachel and I share a look. We’ve been on the receiving end of Mom’s snark one too many times, but we know good and well that she doesn’t need us to respond.

I step in the direction of the door, ready to go back to Kade. I’m too tipsy to hold my tongue, and I won’t take the chance of ruining Rachel’s big day.

“And you.” Mom points at me, her eyes narrowed and tone scathing. “You do a stupid degree in photography despite mine and your father’s objections, and then you couldn’t even be bothered to volunteer to take pictures at Rachel’s wedding. Your only sister’s wedding.”

She’s had a few drinks, that much is clear from her slurred speech and pink cheeks.

I press my lips together to keep from snapping back. Heat fills my chest, working its way up my neck and into my cheeks. This is exactly why I’ve stayed away for so long. Apparently, my mom was never taught that if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.

“Mom,” Rachel exclaims, moving to stand between us.

She’s ignored. Mom’s eyes are locked on me, and there’s no getting away from whatever tangent she’s about to go on. Sidestepping Rachel, her lip curls as she looks me up and down. “You show up here, acting like you belong. We never should have invited you. You’re a disgrace to this family.”

My head rears back. This isn’t the first time my mom has said cruel things to me. It’s usually when she’s been drinking, and I always end up in her line of fire. She wouldn’t dare speak to Rachel like this, and although I put up with it for years before I cut them out of my life, it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“Chloe?” Kade steps through the open door, his brows pulled low and concern filling his gaze.

When he sees me, he crosses the room, uncaring of who else is in here. He comes to a stop in front of me, blocking my body from my mom’s view, and runs a hand down each of my arms. It’s ridiculous how something as small as his touch can wipe away the chaos swirling inside me.

For the first time since coming in here, I finally feel like I can breathe. There he goes again, being my knight in shining armor. I look up at Kade, and he nods, answering the question I haven’t voiced. A muscle ticks in his jaw, and if I wasn’t standing so close to him, I’d have missed it.

He turns toward my mom and Rachel, tucking me into his side. Rachel’s eyes are wide, and there’s a slight smile on my lips as Kade bites out, like it’s not what he wants to say, “Thank you for inviting us. It’s been a long day, so we’re going to get out of here.”

“Congratulations on a beautiful day,” I say to Rachel.

She mouths, “I’m sorry. I’ll text you,” as we walk out, her glow slightly dimmed.

With his arm wrapped around my waist and my head resting on his chest, I allow Kade to guide me away from the toxicity of my mom. I think I might be in big trouble with this man but right now, I couldn’t care less.

11

KADE

Today might have been a mistake. It was fun getting to play Chloe’s doting boyfriend. Now I want her in the most intimate kind of way, but given the way her family have been toward her, I don’t want to add to her stress.

Right now, it’s hard to tell the difference between reality and our lie. The line is so blurred from how we’ve been playing our parts to perfection. I think I’m overdue for a long, very cold, shower.

The buggy is quiet, the slight squeak of the suspension mingling with the music still blasting from the party behind us. The summer nights always have a slight chill to the air once the sun has dipped below the horizon, so Chloe is snuggled into my side with a blanket the driver handed her wrapped around her shoulders.

I tip the driver when we arrive at the cabin before offering Chloe a hand as she climbs from the vehicle. We’re left with the sound of nature surrounding us as the driver leaves us standing in the light from the front porch. It gives off enough of a glow—along with the moon and stars—to light our path to the cabin.

When we reach the top of the steps, I look out at the view of the main house as Chloe unlocks the front door. It’s lit up like a Christmas tree.