Deceiving Lies
Page 70
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“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, running back to the store to use the one-hour print, and then back to my house to set them up. Kash wouldn’t be going back there between then and the party anyway, so he wouldn’t see it until we got home that night.
By the time we got back to Richard and Marcy’s, we were running around, trying to set up for the party and getting all the food ready. I had so much adrenaline running through me that the setup seemed to fly by, and by the time Kash’s extended family began showing up, I was already wanting it to be over. I was anxious to get Kash back to our place and see his reaction.
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 wanna come outside with me for a minute?”
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.”
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, running back to the store to use the one-hour print, and then back to my house to set them up. Kash wouldn’t be going back there between then and the party anyway, so he wouldn’t see it until we got home that night.
By the time we got back to Richard and Marcy’s, we were running around, trying to set up for the party and getting all the food ready. I had so much adrenaline running through me that the setup seemed to fly by, and by the time Kash’s extended family began showing up, I was already wanting it to be over. I was anxious to get Kash back to our place and see his reaction.
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 wanna come outside with me for a minute?”
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.”
