Chapter 19
W itnessing Chloe away from the office was something.
The way she got excited over the simplest things—like the view of the mountains or catching sight of a bookstore or the smell of a bakery—was so endearing that I had the strongest urge to take her to dozens of cities within dozens of states just to see her reactions to every downtown area.
Then there was the seemingly natural way she complimented everyone she spoke to, and how strangers responded to her—visibly brightening after being met with the human version of the sun. Not to mention the free things people tried giving her because they were just so enamored by someone as kind and joyful as her, even though she politely refused nearly every time.
When I’d asked what made her choose to accept some of the items, she’d just shrugged, then found someone else to gift those items to as we’d walked past shops and restaurants. “I could tell it would’ve genuinely hurt them if I would’ve said no.”
That answer and the way she hadn’t kept anything for herself, always saying, “From a friend down the street,” as she’d regifted the items, to ensure she wouldn’t get credit for them, had me falling more and more for the little threat by my side.
But it wasn’t just me falling for her.
As with the pilots, Chloe had a way of capturing the attention of men without even trying. But for every man who had stopped or slowed to stare at Chloe, there were the handful she’d flashed that endless smile at or offered a cheerful “Hello” to in that subtle, southern drawl of hers. From the way their intrigue had shifted to something more in an instant, you would’ve thought she’d purposefully focused on them and done everything to win them over instead of just being her normal, adorable self as she’d passed them by.
It was no wonder Owen Vance had chosen her.
It had all bothered me more than I expected it to. Not that I’d been surprised by my reaction to Chloe anymore, it’d just been the intensity of it that had thrown me off. The overwhelming frustration that people would check her out when I’d been right there with her...that I hadn’t been able to give into the possession pounding through my veins, demanding I stake my claim on a girl who wasn’t mine.
So, instead, I’d stayed just to the side and a step behind her, glaring at every man who’d gotten trapped up in her beauty or that veil of sunshine. All while Chloe had practically bounced ahead, utterly oblivious to the affect she had on the men.
On me.
But even though she’d been bright smiles and sunshine for everyone we passed and interacted with, she’d been different with me.
Quieter. More reserved.
I’d hurt her.
Which, considering the things I’d said and accused her of during the pseudo interrogations, I was surprised I’d hurt her today of all days. Or maybe it was just that I’d gotten so close to who she really was, and that scared her.
Either way, I didn’t like it. It left me uncomfortable in my own skin knowing that I’d pushed her so far that she couldn’t even look at me anymore.
“This isn’t gonna work,” I told her as I put the SUV in park in front of my parents’ house. “My family’s gonna notice you won’t look at me and know something’s wrong.”
“That’s fine,” she said as she pressed her clenched fists to her lap. “I already decided I couldn’t do it anyway. The pretending thing.” Before I could ask, she explained, “The more I thought about it, the worse it made me feel. So, I’m gonna tell them the truth.”
Something between frustration and amusement left me. “Already told you, you don’t know my family.”
“I’m about to,” she said with a determined nod, then quickly exited the SUV.
“No, no, wait,” I quickly said, trying to stop her, but she was already shutting the door and opening the back door to grab her bags.
Once we were standing at the front of the car, bags and muffin boxes in hand, I told her, “You don’t understand. They aren’t gonna believe you.”
She gave me a look like that was absurd, all while averting her eyes so they never landed on me. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because that’s just how they are.”
Chloe’s eyes rolled, but she just stepped onto the pathway. “I get why they don’t want to fall in love with people who don’t end up staying in their family, and I won’t do that to them. So, I’ll make sure they know I’m not going to be part of their family,” she said as if it were so simple, and I just watched her walk away for a moment, my head slowly shaking because this was about to be a disaster.
Jogging up the pathway after her, I reached her just as she stepped onto the porch?—
And the front door swung open to reveal my older brother.
Here we go.
“Hi, I’m Chloe,” Chloe said as cheerfully as ever—as if she wasn’t dreading this as much as I was.
Then again, I had a feeling she genuinely thought she could walk right into that house and make them all believe we weren’t together.
“Is that right?” Sam asked as he leaned against the doorframe and kept the door in his grasp, a wicked grin covering his face as his eyes bounced between me and Chloe. “I see you forgot a key piece of information when you said you were coming home.”
Even though he’d been talking to me, Chloe was quick to dispel his thoughts. “It isn’t what you think,” she said with a dismissive wave. “Adam and I just work together. I was more-or-less kidnapped by him to come here, instead of Aruba, because a mafia family apparently has me on their radar.”
I had a feeling if Sam weren’t happily married, he would already be well on his way to falling in love with Chloe Whitlock, given the way he was looking at her like she’d just brightened all of Colorado with a statement as ridiculous as that.
“That’s funny—she’s funny,” he told me as he pushed from the doorframe. “Well, come on in, Chloe .” He stood back, letting us in, and my eyes rolled at the knowing look he sent me once Chloe had stepped past him.
“Can’t believe you didn’t warn anyone,” he breathed as if Chloe couldn’t still hear him.
I didn’t bother telling him that Chloe hadn’t been lying, I just anxiously glanced toward the rest of the house before asking, “Are the girls here yet?”
Amusement left him on a snort. “No. And they’re gonna be mad they missed Mom and Dad’s reactions to this,” he said, gesturing between me and the girl watching our conversation.
“We really aren’t together,” Chloe told him as if needing to make that clear from the beginning.
Sam’s amusement deepened as he gave me an I approve look before his attention shifted to Chloe. “I think you’ll fit in just fine around here.”
“But—”
“Babe,” he yelled into the house, cutting off Chloe’s argument, and I just focused on drawing in deep breaths before turning my attention on the walking sunshine beside me—her eyes wide and bemused as she watched Sam go hunt down his wife.
“I told him,” she mumbled, clearly baffled by the short exchange.
“I told you ,” I countered. “You don’t know my family.”
She blinked those hazel eyes at me, trying to make sense of something that was only about to get worse.
“Chloe, you don’t get it,” I began softly as I closed the distance between us. “Most of us turned eighteen when we were still in high school. If we had a group project for school, it couldn’t be done here because that meant a girl or guy came to the house with one of us. That’s how serious my parents were about this.”
Her shoulders sagged as stunned realization dawned on her beautiful face.
“We don’t bring people home unless they mean something,” I told her soberly.
“But I don’t mean anything.”
She meant more than I ever wanted her to.
Before that traitorous thought could slip from me, I caught sight of my sister-in-law’s shocked expression as she stole a peek at us before running off to where my parents must have been.
“We better go,” I said with a nod in that direction. “My parents have been informed.”
Chloe’s head bobbed before fiercely shaking. “I’m still telling them the truth.”
I shrugged because I knew it wouldn’t make a difference but held back my sigh when I said, “Then tell them the truth.”
After leaving our bags and the boxes of muffins in the entryway, I tried settling the guilt gnawing at me as we wound through the house until we made it to where my parents, Sam, and his wife were huddled together. But the second my mom saw us, she swatted at all of them and pushed her way through, all but running up to us to wrap Chloe in a hug.
“ Oh ,” Chloe said on a breathless laugh, seeming to forget her worries from just seconds before.
“Mom,” I murmured, that guilt nearly consuming me when she released Chloe to wipe furiously at the tears falling from her eyes because that right there was the main reason this trip had been eating at me.
I’d already known my family wouldn’t see this as anything other than me bringing home someone I wanted to spend my life with. But long ago, I’d told my parents I would never bring anyone home, and why. They’d tried to be understanding, all while urging me to go to the therapy Briggs had already forced me into, and asking if I’d met someone yet.
The hope that the next time would be the time I brought someone home had died a little more each time I’d come alone. My mom hadn’t even bothered asking when I’d called her last night to let her know I was coming back.
This was everything she wanted for me.
Not just to find someone ...but for me to battle my demons enough to let someone in .
And it wasn’t real.
As if sensing the meaning behind the tears, Chloe hurriedly said, “Oh, no. No, no. I’m not—we’re—wait, hi. Hi, I’m Chloe, and it’s so great to meet y’all; but I’m not dating your son.” She gestured to me before continuing her ramble. “We just work together, and he—very unfortunately—got stuck protecting me for the next week from some mafia family back in Dallas.”
My dad watched as I finished translating and was the first to react—tipping his head back with a scratchy laugh that was quickly echoed by my mom’s.
“Oh, you’re darling,” Mom said adoringly, signing reflexively, even though my dad was behind her.
“But it’s true,” Chloe maintained, looking to me for help, her brow furrowing as her eyes narrowed on my moving hands.
“Co-workers at best. Think friends would even be a stretch,” I confirmed and watched as understanding and mortification washed over Chloe’s features before she could fix her mask back into place. “Briggs demanded I bring her here because we needed to split up the people who were being targeted.”
My mom scoffed and muttered, “Why she puts up with you, I have no idea,” in Spanish as she stomped over to smack the back of my head before pulling me in to kiss my cheek. “But I’m thankful.”
“Mom,” I began, trying to get her to listen to me, but she’d already turned back to Chloe and added in English, “You have no idea how long we’ve hoped and waited for you.”
Chloe’s mask faltered, and Sam burst out laughing, continuing even after his wife smacked his chest.
“Really, I don’t—” Chloe began, only to cut off when my dad picked her up in a bear hug.
When he set her down, I spoke softly as he signed, “ Welcome to the family .”
My chest ached, but I just met Chloe’s helpless stare when she looked back at me.
I’d told her. I’d warned her.
There would be no convincing my family this wasn’t real, and it would destroy them when they were finally forced to realize it the next time I came alone.
Then again, after half a day of arguing and watching her mask of joy fully change every stranger she encountered, I had a feeling it would destroy me the next time I came home without my little threat too.