Chapter 7
KADE
I can feel the tension rolling off Chloe as we walk down the makeshift aisle to our seats, her hand looped through my arm.
In the buggy on the way down to the lake, Chloe explained that she’s not in the wedding party, despite this being her only sister’s wedding.
I didn’t want to press her on the reason, but I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t curious as to why.
People mingle on the grass to the side of where the chairs have been set up for the ceremony.
The wooden white foldable chairs that have pink bows attached to them face the lake and mountains that stretch out in the distance.
An arch—where I assume the couple will say their vows—matches the style of the chairs, but instead of the pink bows, there are what look to be pink peonies twined around it.
This isn’t something we’d ever do at Wild Heartlands—affectionately called Heartlands for the backdrop of Montana you get from every vantage point—no matter how much Gracie keeps pushing for it.
Each time she’s raised it, we’ve unanimously voted against the idea, and while I can appreciate the beauty of what they’ve done with the place, I much prefer the peace and quiet we get over at Heartlands.
We’re moving slowly through the crowd of people when Chloe’s grip tightens on my bicep. I look down at her as she shifts her body behind me. Confusion rushes through me, and I scan the crowd, on high alert for whatever caused her reaction, thinking it might be a bear or a wild horse.
“What did you see?” I ask, my voice low and urgent. Just because we’re on a ranch, it doesn’t mean the wildlife will stay up in the mountains or in the wooded area to our right.
“My parents,” Chloe replies in a hushed tone.
I chuckle, the sound vibrating in my chest as my body relaxes. “And they’re who you’re hiding from?”
Well, she did say there would be a lot of drama today.
Chloe’s focus is on a woman flapping her arms about as she talks to the minister up ahead. There’s a man standing next to her with a serious look on his face, and for a moment, I wonder how these two people made someone like Chloe.
“Just wait until you meet them, and then you’ll understand,” she whispers as if she can hear my thoughts.
Placing my hand over hers, I reply, “I’m the parent whisperer. They’re gonna love me.” Although, looking at them, I’m not sure how true that is.
Chloe mutters something under her breath that gets lost on the gentle breeze. But, in truth, I’m too distracted by the feeling of uncertainty colliding with the need for Chloe’s people to like me. For reasons I can’t put my finger on, meeting Chloe’s parents feels more significant than it should.
“Chloe, darling.” The woman approaches, her arms outstretched, with what I would assume is a couple of hundred thousand dollars in diamonds around her neck.
Chloe lets go of my arm, and the loss hits like a punch to the gut. As if she doesn’t need me and can fend for herself. Right then, I want to reach out and touch her, to remind her that I’m here if she needs me, and the thought catches me off guard.
Shoving my hands into my pockets for something else to do—I’ve been doing that a lot lately when it comes to her—I watch the interaction taking place in front of me.
Chloe hugs her mom first and then her dad.
The interaction feels forced, like strangers meeting for the first time at an event, not parents and a child coming together.
Stepping back to stand beside me, Chloe says, “Mom, Dad, this is Kade Wilde.”
I hold my hand out to her mom, but she embraces me, drowning me in a cloud of musky floral perfume as she air-kisses my cheeks. “You must be the boyfriend.”
For reasons I cannot fathom, I find myself replying, “Yes, ma’am.”
At the same time that Chloe starts to reply, “He’s no—”
The sound of her snapping her mouth shut is audible, but I ignore it, shaking her father’s hand before moving back to my place beside Chloe.
I wrap an arm around her waist, settling my hand on her hip as if it’s the most natural thing to do, and we’ve known each other for more than three days.
She fits against me a little too easily.
I don’t miss the way her mom’s gaze drops to my hand before darting around the field. She seems flustered when she speaks. “The ceremony will be starting soon, but it would be nice to have dinner soon, Chloe.” She pauses before looking me up and down and adding, “Just the three of us.”
Chloe doesn’t respond, but I can feel the tension from earlier go up a notch. She reminds me of an uncertain colt, wanting to be anywhere but here, and ready to bolt at any moment.
Her mom seems satisfied when Chloe finally nods, and then, as quickly as they came, her parents are gone, walking off to talk to other guests.
I can’t help but compare that interaction with how my mom and I are.
It’s polar opposites, and a sadness creeps into my chest at the thought that Chloe has only ever known this.
We move to the front row, finding the little cards with Chloe’s name on them before taking our seats. She looks around, no doubt checking that nobody is within hearing distance, before murmuring, “You didn’t have to do that.”
When I don’t speak, she adds, “You didn’t have to lie about being my boyfriend.” There’s a sense of urgency to her tone, but none of the annoyance I expected at having declared myself her boyfriend. Instead, it’s like I did her a favor and she’s grateful for it.
Taking her hand on the pretense of looking like we’re together, I move my thumb over the back of her hand, her skin probably the softest thing I’ve ever touched.
“It felt like the right thing to do. Besides, I won’t see your parents again after today, and I think we can play pretend just this once, right? ”
She looks up at me, her gaze jumping around my face as if she’s trying to decipher what I’m saying, but there’s no hidden agenda here.
I just want to help her and if I get to make believe—for one day—that she’s mine, then that’s just the cherry on top of the cake.
She’s not going to be here forever, so I’ll take any opportunity I can to spend time with her.
There’s a hint of awe in her tone when she asks, “You’d do that? For me?”
“Yeah, I would.” It’s said without hesitation because the more time I spend with Chloe, the more I realize just how much I like her company and her as a person. Getting to spend an entire day faking that she’s mine and touching her—even to just hold hands—sounds like perfection.
“Should we make some ground rules?” she whispers, her eyes flicking over to where her parents are still talking to guests.
I tilt my head, a half-smile tugging at my lips. “Like what?”
She lifts a shoulder before letting it fall. “I don’t know.” She pauses, looking around us before leaning in closer and saying, “Like maybe no kissing or something. Just so the line doesn’t get blurred.”
I remove my Stetson, resting it on my knee as I close the gap between us. Our mouths are inches apart, and for a moment I wonder if this was such a good idea. I meant to tease her, but now that I’m here, teasing her is the last thing on my mind. All I want is to taste her.
“Chloe, is that you?”
Chloe’s the first to move, jumping back as if she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. She recovers quicker than I do, standing to hug the woman who interrupted whatever the fuck was about to happen as I slump back in my chair before righting myself and following her.
“Aunt Liz. It’s so good to see you,” she gushes.
The woman reminds me of Chloe, with a welcoming air about her that tells me she’d feel much more at home in the wilderness than the big city. “Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you. It’s been far too long.” She shifts her attention to me and asks, “Who’s this handsome cowboy?”
Chloe turns to me, a smile on her face, before she wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest. She’s holding on to me like it’s second nature, like we’ve done this a hundred times before. “This is Kade, my boyfriend.”
A giddiness I refuse to let sink in flits through me before I hold a hand out, leaving the other to rest on Chloe’s lower back like it belongs there. Apparently, I’m a sucker for torture. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Liz waves a hand between us. “Oh, please, don’t call me ma’am. Liz is fine.” We shake hands before she turns to Chloe. “How long have you two been together?”
Chloe’s mouth opens and closes as she looks up at me with wide eyes.
I interlock our fingers, holding them against my chest. “Not long, but when you know, you know.” I wink, and Liz blushes, clearly flustered.
She fans her face before looking at Chloe and gushing about what she’s been up to over the last few years. From what I can gather, Liz left to travel the world nearly eight years ago and hasn’t seen anyone in their family for a very long time.
I half-listen to their conversation while trying to figure out exactly how to not make a fool of myself with Chloe today.
We might be faking it for one day, but the way her hand is still gripped in mine, it doesn’t feel very temporary at all.
Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea to put some ground rules in place.
I can feel myself slipping awfully quick into something I can’t quite name but know I’ve never felt before.