Deceiving Lies

“He told us you overheard the conversation the night you came back. I hope you don’t think he doesn’t want to marry you, Rachel. He was confused and hurt, but he—”

“No, I don’t think he doesn’t want to marry me. I mean, I did . . . but, I don’t anymore.” I pressed the tips of my fingers into my temple and shook my head. “He and I already went through that, I understand all that now. But what I’m getting at today . . . is that I was kind of hoping you would help me. I think he’s waiting for me. Waiting for me to be ready, waiting for me to bring it up, just waiting for me to let him know I’m ready to move forward with our lives again.”

Marcy’s lips kept tilting up like she was trying to contain her smile, but she wasn’t saying anything yet.

“Will you help me think of a fun way to tell him I’m ready?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, of course I will!”

“Okay!” I straightened up and drummed my hands on the granite countertop. “I want some ideas from you, but I was wondering . . . while I was gone, did you ever go pick up my wedding dress, and do you have it here?”

Marcy’s face lit up with a massive smile before she turned and took off, leaving the kitchen.

I’ll take that as a yes to both.

We spent the next few hours thinking up ideas and taking pictures, ru

By the time we got back to Richard and Marcy’s, we were ru

After an hour and a half of the party and Kash’s fun-loving family—which had been graciously avoiding asking questions about my time away—my desire to get back home and my need to see Kash’s reaction . . . all faded away.

Kash walked into the living room, and after searching for me, he walked over to me with purpose, and the most scorching gaze I’ve ever seen from him as his eyes raked slowly over my body. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me close and pressed his lips firmly to mine for long seconds before giving me another quick kiss and leaning back.

“Well, hi,” I said breathily. For a second I wondered if he had gone back to the house and had already seen everything. But I still felt light-headed from what should have been a simple kiss, so I focused on breathing normally and the feel of his heart racing beneath my palm.

He toyed with his lip ring as he studied me. “I have something for you, sweetheart.”

“Do you now?”

“I do. You wa

I eyed him and asked softly, “Do you really have something for me outside, or is this your attempt to save me from your thousands of cousins?”

A loud, awkward laugh left him, and he kissed my forehead as he grabbed my hand. “Uh . . . you just need to see this.”

Vague. I let him lead me outside and smiled when I saw Mason standing out on the front lawn. “Wow, you’re giving me Mason? I’m pretty sure this is the best gift ever.”

Kash stopped walking and growled, and Mason burst out laughing. Elbowing Kash’s side, I urged him to keep walking, and rolled my eyes when he wouldn’t. “Oh, you know I’m joking. Show me whatever it is you brought me out here for.”

“Mase?” Kash prompted softly.

Mason pulled out his phone and made a call. As he did, Kash turned me toward him and brought me in for a lingering kiss.

“If you need anything, we’ll be right inside, okay?”

I pulled back and looked back and forth between him and Mason. Both wore matching looks of understanding mixed with fear. “Wait, what? Why are you leaving?”

“Trust me on this,” he crooned and ran a soothing hand up and down my back. “I need you to know, Rachel. No matter what happens, I just want you to be happy.”

“Happy? Kash, what’s going on?”

“Just know that I’ll always love you.”

As soon as he released me, Mason picked me up in a big hug before setting me back down and following Kash into the house. Leaving me out in the dark alone. There were dozens of people just inside the house, and tons of other houses on the street, but I suddenly felt very alone and terrified.

I didn’t understand Kash’s cryptic words. And now I was second-guessing the way he’d been acting this morning before he’d left.

My body stilled when I heard someone walking up the grass behind me, and when I turned to see who they’d left me with, I understood why Kash had taken me away from everyone. Because as soon as I saw him, I burst into tears and ran up to him, launching myself at his large frame.

Trent caught me easily, and held me close to him for long minutes before releasing me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked through my tears and grabbed his arm. I needed to know that he was actually here, that I wasn’t dreaming all this. “How did you get out of prison?”

“With your testimony, and with the help of your fiancé, his partner, and their chief, the charges against me were dropped.”

A sob broke free from my throat, and I slapped a hand over my mouth as I continued to cry. Trent reached forward and cupped my cheeks in his hands, his thumbs brushing away tears. “Are you serious?” I finally managed to ask.

“Yeah, Rach, I am.”

“I’m so happy for you! This is all I wanted for you . . . to have another chance at life.” Throwing myself into his arms again, I wrapped my arms around his waist and cried into his chest. “God, Trent, I’m so happy for you. I’ve missed you.” Remembering last night, I stepped back and tried to glare at him. It didn’t hold. “I wish I had my journal, I really wanted to slap you with it.”

His eyebrows pinched together, and he laughed softly. “Why?”

“I read your letter, Trent.” Understanding flashed through his eyes, and I continued. “I hate that you view yourself like that. You deserve everything, you have to know that. You deserve an amazing life, you deserve an amazing woman. And now you get to experience all that!”

Trent licked his lips, and his dark eyes searched my face, before looking up at the house. “That’s something I’m supposed to talk to you about, Rachel.” With a deep breath, he turned and pointed at a black SUV parked on the street. “That car is about to take me to my new life. I don’t know where I’m going, but Kash arranged for me to be completely protected when I got out.”

I frowned as I tried to understand what he was saying. “You’re going into witness protection?” I asked on a whisper. When he nodded, I felt like crying again. “Why can’t you stay here?”

“It’s not safe for me here, and you know that.”

I did know that. But now that he was out, I wasn’t ready for him to be gone . . . I knew when he left this time, there would be no seeing him again. I wasn’t ready for that.

“I shouldn’t have been allowed to come see you at all, but that was another thing Kash arranged.” Taking my hand, he pulled me close and looked at me for a long moment before speaking again. “Rachel, he’s giving you the choice to go with me.”

My brow furrowed, and I shook my head in confusion. “I don’t—like Kash and me go with you?” When Trent shook his head slowly, I grasped what he was saying . . . and my chest tore open. “Just me,” I stated. It was no longer a question.

Some small part of me hated that Kash was still questioning my feelings. My mind kept screaming, He just said last night he wouldn’t let me go for anything! But, if I was being honest with myself, I knew that wasn’t what this was . . . he was making sure I knew what I wanted . . . and giving me the option to have that.