Page 40 of Wild Lies

“Can you take me to The Wildflower?” I ask, a pleading hint in my tone.

He nods, stepping back and taking my hand in his as he leads me to the truck.

Behind me, I hear my mom call, “If you leave with him, Chloe, you will never hear from us again. I mean it.”

As if that isn’t what I just told them in the restaurant. All I can say to that is good riddance, because if you can’t accept me for who I am, then I’m better off without you.

Without looking at them, I climb into Kade’s truck, a sense of relief flooding my body. I’m finally done with them.

23

KADE

As we walk into The Wildflower, Chloe makes a beeline for a seat at the end of the bar, the spot where we had our first full conversation on the day she arrived in town. She’s wearing a black and white polka dot dress that couldn’t be further from all the outfits I’ve seen her wear since she arrived in town and although she still looks beautiful, I can tell she’s uncomfortable. It’s clear in the way she can’t sit still and how her posture is stiff.

The look on her face when she walked out of the restaurant hit me worse than a sucker-punch and she has had a cloud over her the entire silent car ride over from Westbrook. I haven’t wanted to press her for answers, or even try to bring up the possibility of her staying. Now isn’t the time. Not with her mom’s words hanging over us like a heavy cloud. They don’t know we were only pretending or that if she chose me, I’d worship the ground she walks on and make sure that I did whatever I needed to protect her.

When she’s ready to talk, I’ll be here for her.

It’s a Friday night, so The Wildflower is busy. The low hum of chatter mixes with a country tune playing over the speakers.

“What you having?” I ask as I slide onto the stool next to Chloe.

She exhales a heavy breath and, without looking up, replies, “A two-finger pour of whiskey, please.”

I want to reach out and touch her, but I don’t know if she’d welcome it right now, so instead, I ask, “That bad of a night, huh?”

Titan approaches, and I place the orders, watching him as he pours out Chloe’s whiskey and uncaps a bottle of beer for me.

She lets out a sigh as she shifts in her seat, turning toward me as Titan sets down our drinks before walking away. “It was a garbage night. Thank you for basically saving me from having to figure out how to get back here, but I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, so don’t feel like you have to stay.” There’s so much weight and sadness to her tone that all I want to do is offer her some sort of comfort, to make everything alright.

Sliding my beer onto the bar top, I angle my body toward hers, bracketing her knees with mine. I wipe the condensation from holding the bottle onto my jeans before placing my hands on her bare thighs. Her skin is warm under my palms, the heat seeping into me like the midday sun.

Right now, it feels like she needs the contact more than I do, and even though the warmth of her skin grounds me, it’s the way she visibly relaxes in front of me that tells me it was the right move. I like to imagine that I have the same effect on her that she has on me.

Waiting for her to meet my gaze, I say, “One. I’d rather be hanging out with you. And two. I don’t think it’s possible for you to be a Debbie Downer. You’re full of way too much sunshine and light for that, buttercup.”

The corner of her mouth twitches in some semblance of a smile. “I think you’re wrong about number two. At least right now, anyway. I don’t feel very full of sunshine and light.”

I shrug. “I’m never wrong about anything. Tell me about dinner. Why did it end so early?”

Chloe pulls in a breath, her chest expanding with the size of it before it deflates on her exhale. She picks up her whiskey and tips it back before signaling to Titan for another.

“Tonight just affirmed why I haven’t spoken to them in seven years. I might have only lasted fifteen minutes in the restaurant, but it was a constant barrage of insults from the second they picked me up. Nothing I ever do is right, including fake dating you. They said you weren’t good enough, which is laughable because, hello, I’m an actual trainwreck. Badmouthing you when you weren’t there to defend yourself was my last straw.” She looks down to where my hand rests on her thigh before looking up at me. “I told them they were wrong about you. And that if anyone wasn’t good enough for the other, it was me for you.”

The muscles in my chest contract, like the vulnerability in her words has my heart clenched in its fist. “You know you’re wrong about that, right? I’m the lucky one here.” In our fake relationship, that doesn’t feel very fake anymore. “Your parents just want what’s best for you, but sometimes that might not be them.”

“I told them to call me when they’ve pulled the stick out of their asses, Kade. That’s not like me at all, but I was just so done with all their pressure, their insults, their controlling bullshit. And when they insulted you, I felt like I took some of your confidence and channeled it into finally giving them a piece of my mind. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I get it. More than most.”

“Of course you do.” She shakes her head before looking around the room. “I’m sorry.”

I offer up a sad smile before forcing the crushing weight of other people’s expectations off my chest. “Enough of this funk, buttercup. I’m making it my mission tonight to cheer you up.”

Chloe chuckles, the sound hitting me right in the chest. “Oh yeah? And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

There’s a commotion on the other side of the bar, reminding me of our very public setting. It’s quickly shut down by one of the older ranch hands but it’s a reminder nonetheless that we aren’t alone.