Page 59 of Wild Lies

Her jaw goes slack, and she shakes her head as if to clear it. “Hold up. You and Paul broke up a few weeks ago. A vacation fling is one thing, but moving to live with the guy is wild, Chloe.”

I lead the way into the living room, moving packing paraphernalia from the couch before taking a seat. Maya and I face each other, and she places the paper bag between us. I dive in, searching for the right words as I pull out the pastries.

“Okay, Chloe, I’m going to need you to speak now, just so I know you haven’t fully lost it.”

I chuckle, leaning back against the couch arm as I blow out a breath. “Well, you know I went to Montana for Rachel’s wedding.” Maya nods. “Well, the owner of the ranch found out I’m a photographer and asked for a meeting. She needs new shots of her ranch and someone to cover when her in-house photographer goes on maternity leave. It pays way better than Glow and I’d be a fool to say no.”

“And the guy?” Maya asks.

I look over the boxes strewn around the room. “He was a knight in shining armor, Maya. I met him on my first day and there was this almost instant connection, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. When I asked him to come with me to the wedding, he said yes. What started out as a fake date soon turned into a vacation fling, and then the more time we spent together, the more I knew that it was more than that. Like way more.”

“So, you’re packing up your life for him?”

Shaking my head, I reply, “Not for him. For me and the opportunity Maddie, the owner of the ranch, has offered me. Spending more time with Kade is a perk of staying, but getting to spend the next twelve months building my portfolio and doing something I want to do is the reason. The more time I spent in Coldwater, the less I wanted to come back here. I don’t have a job anymore, and the ones I’ve applied for—although there were very few—since I got laid off have either declined me or ignored me. There’s nothing here for me anymore.”

Maya rests her elbow on the back of the couch, her dark brown braids falling over her shoulders before she sets her head on her palm. “Aside from me, of course.”

The corners of my mouth lift in an almost sad smile. “Aside from you, who I will miss so much.”

“Fine, I guess I can support this crazy-ass move. But I do need to see what the guy looks like, and knowing you like I do, there’ll be pictures.”

I bite back my grin, standing as I hurry into my bedroom and grab my camera. I’m scrolling through the photos as I walk back, settling on the one I took of Kade on the porch of the cabin when he came to pick me up for the ranch tour. He’s smiling, his Stetson on the back of his head, a pair of faded blue jeans hugging his thighs and a white T-shirt molded to his body.

“Oh wow,” Maya exclaims, “I guess I could come out to Montana and visit. Maybe I’ll even find my own cowboy, especially if they all look like this guy.”

I nod excitedly, ignoring her teasing. “Yes, you’ll definitely have to come visit. I’ve rented an apartment, so you’ll always have a place to stay.”

She reaches out for my hand, squeezing it gently as we fall quiet. The only sound around us is the gentle ticking of the clock and the sound of the city outside. I’ll miss Seattle and the very few friends I’ve managed to keep after losing nearly everything, but this move to Montana is the right one for me. I just know it is.

“So, I guess we’re not having a chilled-out day if we’ve got packing to do?” Maya asks, giving me a knowing look that says she’s not going to question the impulsivity of my move, especially given that we both know that this is hugely out of character for me.

I sit up, shuffling a little closer as I flutter my lashes at her. “Well, here’s the thing.” She twists her mouth at me. “You remember when you moved out of Adam’s place?” Maya rolls her eyes as her lip curls in disgust at the mention of her ex. “Well, I’ve rented a truck to take everything to a storage unit, but I was hoping you’d help and be willing—for a cut, of course—to sell some of the bigger pieces of my furniture? I won’t need it at my new place, so it makes sense to get rid of it now rather than pay for a bigger unit.”

“You know I’ve got your back, Chloe. You don’t even need to ask. Besides, if this is my last few days with you for a while, helping you sort through your stuff and getting it packed up sounds like fun.” She pauses, looking around the room before continuing, “I should have bought stuff to sleep in.”

I shake my head before pulling her into my arms. “I’ve got you covered, and thank you.”

It feels less daunting having to tackle this with Maya by my side. Now, as I pack up my old life, the one that wasn’t ever really mine, I can focus on the future and what’s to come with Kade.

37

CHLOE

Excitement thrums through me. It’s been there ever since my plane took off in Seattle. My seatmate kept giving me sideways glances as my knee bounced from all the pent-up energy. The air might have been stale, but my need to get back to Coldwater and Kade wasn’t.

It’s been three days since I made the lonely drive from Coldwater to Bozeman. It felt like I was leaving my heart behind with Kade, but each night when he’d video-call me, I’d feel like I reclaimed a little of it.

Kade is waiting for me as I wheel my suitcase through the doors and out into the arrivals area. My suitcase is impossibly heavy, and I’m glad he wasn’t around to see me almost fall onto the conveyor and get taken around with the rest of the luggage.

I don’t bother to hide my grin as I close the distance between us. I’d run and jump into his arms, like they do in the romance films, but there’s no way I’m gathering any sort of speed with my bag in tow. It holds everything I cared about enough to bring, with the rest of my possessions either thrown out, left to be sold or in storage—at least until I get settled, and then I’ll need to figure out what to do with it all because I don’t really want to be paying for a storage unit for the next year. And I might never make it back to Seattle.

Coming to a stop in front of Kade, I exhale a long, heavy breath laden with relief. His presence is a comfort I’ve come to crave in the short time we’ve had together, and these past few days without it has been agony.

“Hey, handsome,” I say, suddenly nervous.

Kade reaches out, pulling me into his arms as he murmurs into my hair, “Hey, buttercup.”

It’s like the world falls away around us. The steady thump of his heart has the ghost of a smile playing on my lips as my entire body relaxes.