Page 69 of Wild Lies

So much of a mess that I can hear Kade calling my name even though I know that’s not possible. I don’t know how I’m going to cope if I’m haunted by the sound of him at the airport of all places.

Resting my forehead against the cool window, I wrap my arms around my body as I silently plead for the pounding in my head to go away.

“Chloe.”

I lightly knock my head against the glass as if doing so will rid me of the sound of his voice. This is going to be agony.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

I spin around when I realize he’s never said those particular words to me, which means he’s really here. The breath gets lodged in my chest as I whisper, “You have?”

He nods, shoving his hands into his pockets. Is this real? Or am I hallucinating?

Oh God, is this the start of my spiral into madness?

“I wanted to apologize.”

I search his eyes, the familiar blue and green hiding nothing from me.

Okay, yeah. I think I’m losing my mind. Who drives this far to apologize?

“You don’t need to.” I turn back to the window, resting my head against the glass as I close my eyes.

“Are you okay?” There’s an undercurrent of genuine concern in his voice, but I know that this is my brain—and probably heart—playing a cruel trick on me. I’ve barely slept, so it’s not out of the realms of possibility that I’m seeing things.

Mumbling under my breath, I reply, “Yeah, just waiting for you to go.” When I open my eyes, I catch him in the reflection of the glass. He’s still here. I rub my temples as I face him again. “Are you?” I pause, huffing out a breath even as I shake my head. “No.”

He reaches out, and I recoil when his warm and very real fingers touch my shoulder. Kade drops his arm to his side, hurt flashing across his features.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have…” His words trail off, and he runs a hand through his hair, tugging on the strands before continuing, “This isn’t how I imagined this would go.”

My mind is racing with questions. What is he doing here? Did Autumn tell him I left? Of course she did. He’s her family. How did he get past security?

“I bought a ticket.”

I touch my lips when I realize I asked the last one out loud. This isn’t my imagination. He’s really here. And he wanted to apologize. To me?

“I’m messing this up.” Kade’s chest expands when he pulls in a breath. “I was wrong to be mad at you for posting that picture. I never should have assumed that you did it on purpose. Chloe, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t have forced my hand. I never should have said that you did and if I could take it back, I would.

“The truth is, I shouldn’t have put my lie on your shoulders and then blamed you for the truth being exposed. I fucked us up.” He shakes his head, and when his eyes meet mine, I see the moisture pooling in them. “You shouldn’t forgive me. I was a dick for everything that happened after I found out the picture was shared, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t apologize and beg you to stay.”

I’m still focused on the hurt he left me with back in my apartment, which is why, instead of acknowledging what he’s saying now, I remind him of what he told me then. “You said that loving me was a mistake, Kade. How could you tell me that you loved me like that?” A tear slips free, tumbling unchecked down my cheek.

Kade steps forward, reaching out to wipe it away, but I step back. “Please don’t cry, buttercup. I should have told you sooner, but since the day I met you I’ve felt this deep connection to you, like I’ve known you my entire life and probably in lifetimes before this one. Loving you is the only good thing I’ve ever done. Better than any prize I could win or business deal I could negotiate. But I was a bull seeing red and not thinking straight. You didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of my anger. Especially when I was more angry with myself than you.”

I want to believe him, I really do, but those kinds of hurtful words don’t come from nowhere. My voice is barely a whisper when I say, “You said you never wanted to see me again.”

Kade drops to his knees, holding on to my hips as we draw stares from bystanders. I want to tell him to stand, but the words don’t come.

“I’m begging you not to go, Chlo. I didn’t mean anything I said. I was angry and hurt. It’s no excuse, I know, but I can’t lose you.”

The time in my apartment plays on repeat in my mind. “You refused to listen to me. Nothing I said was getting through to you. I made a mistake, Kade. I would never have intentionally done that to you, I tried to tell you that.”

“I know.”

Lifting my chin, I reply, “But, for a moment at least, you thought I did, and that’s just as bad.”

Panic flares in his eyes, his grip on my hips tightening as if he’s afraid to let me go. “I’m sorry. I should never have said that. I should have heard you out.”