He gave a small nod, glancing sideways at me again. I could see hope in his gaze, and it made me brave. “I finish my classes at the end of July, so it might be cutting it a little close. But I could transfer my credits to a school over there… if that’s something you want.” I shrugged again, not knowing what else to do with myself. I felt so exposed.
He was silent until we were parked in the market parking lot. Then he looked at me, steel gray eyes full of delight. “That’s something I really, really want,” he said in a guttural tone.
My heart pounded in my chest, my breathing ragged. I was going to do something I’d never imagined I would do for anyone. I was going to trust and move and live with someone I was falling in love with.
When we finally got out of the car after kissing for who knew how long, my heart was fuller than it had ever been. I felt joy—true joy. No more daunting future. No more wondering what the heck was going to happen. I was going to live with him, we would have the babies together, and we would be a family of sorts. Mia could still come stay with me for the couple months before I moved there, just in case. It would work out perfect.
We walked around the store together, piling the cart full of things we didn't really need. I suddenly had an appetite for everything, so he was determined to get me anything I thought I might eat.
When we were looking for a not-so-long checkout line, I realized we’d forgotten the one thing we came for. “Peanut butter!” I exclaimed.
He laughed. “I’ll go grab it. You wait here.”
He headed off, and that was when I noticed the person who’d been walking in front of us staring at me. My heart stopped, my blood running cold.
She came a little closer and tilted her head, saying, “Chloe Dumont? Is that you?” Her Louisiana accent was so thick, that blonde hair and fake smile so familiar. The sound of my real name on her lips made me want to shrivel up and die. Of all the places to see someone from my past, it had to be here, had to be this day of all days over the last three years.
“I think you’re mistaken,” I said through gritted teeth, taking a step back from my cart. I bumped into Kai, who’d returned from getting peanut butter. He caught me with a hand on my hip.
A glance back showed him giving Rita a confused look, which had me hoping he hadn’t heard the first part. “Who’s this?” He gestured toward her.
“I’m Rita Sinclair, sugar.” She winked at him, as if he should know her. “Miss Louisiana of 2015.” So she had won the crown after all. But she hadn’t won the Miss USA title.
I wanted to die inside. This couldn’t be happening. Skin tingling, nausea rolled through me, but I could get through this. It would be okay.
“I don’t know her,” I told him with wide eyes, grabbing his hand to go in the opposite direction, our cart of groceries be damned.
But she grabbed my wrist, pulling me to face her. She was so close I could see the clumps of her mascara, the fake mole she drew above her lip. My stomach curdled.
“That isn’t very polite,” she pointed out, and I about snarled, yanking my wrist from her grasp. “I know it’s you, Chloe Dumont.” She’d lowered her voice, but I was certain Kai could hear her, though he just stared at her with a creased brow, jaw twitching. People were staring, making my palms sweat, my heart race. “You gave your mama such a fright disappearing like you did right before the pageant was through. I heard Jared is still lookin’ for you. But look at you.” She flicked a wrist at my belly with a sympathetic bat of her lashes. “All knocked up. Bless your heart. Though, I have to say, if this is the daddy, he’s a bright shade better-lookin’ than Jared.” Her smile was pure evil.
My eyes were surely about to pop out of my head.
“What the hell is she talking about, Kate?” Kai demanded in a low growl, yanking his hand from mine. My soul ripped in two. But I couldn’t give in, couldn’t let this bitch ruin this part of my life.
“I don’t know who the hell you are, you psychopath,” I snarled at her, ignoring Kai’s question.
Her smile morphed into bared teeth. “I’m sorry for the mistake, sugar,” she said.
Right when I grabbed Kai’s hand again and went to leave, I heard the fake click of a phone camera. My heart dropped to my ass at the sight of her smirking with her phone raised. I couldn’t think or process anything. Fleeing would only make me look guilty, but she had taken my picture. Demanding she delete it, beating the hell out of her, vomiting all over the floor, every single thing I wanted to do would only cause more of a scene.
So I did what I was good at.
Leaving our cart behind, I made a beeline for the exit. I was pretty sure Kai was cussing and calling my name—my fake name. There was only blood rushing through my ears as my mind chanted, She has my picture, she has my picture, she has my picture.
By the time I got into the car, I was shaking. Actually shaking. Kai didn’t get in, just stood outside the car smoking. I almost honked the horn so he would get in and we could get the hell out of there, but I could only rest my head on the dashboard, breathing deeply. The babies wiggled and swam while I sat there.
Such a despicable person. I was bringing babies into the world,
