Secrets and Lies

by Khardine Gray

“Baby, it’s not about trust. I trust you completely. We go way back, beyond the time that we’ve been together. Sometimes terrible things happen and it’s hard to physically talk about.” He was mostly referring to his past there, but it included his father too. “My dad isn’t the person he shows everyone. He’s not the esteemed state’s attorney everyone sees. And that is why we’re in this mess. One of my biggest fears is to become like him.”

  “You’re a good man, Wade,” she told him with a nod of affirmation.

  “I don’t know, Chloe. There’s…” He thought now about what Merissa said.

  Merissa really got to him in the worst way possible, because she was right. What decent man would put his pregnant girlfriend in a car and drive knowing he was practically stoned. He never should have driven like that. He should have said something. He should have…

  “Wade, what is it?”

  He shook his head. He couldn’t talk about that. “I…” His voice trailed off again.

  “There’s more you haven’t told me,” she observed. “About the past. I know when you’re thinking about it. You are now.” Her eyes never left his. She pressed her hand to his chest, just over his heart. “Was it that bad?”

  He nodded. “It was my fault,” he said just above a whisper. “I’ve never been able to tell anyone. I can’t even think about it.”

  “I hope that you can tell me one day. When you’re ready.”

  He hoped so too. He hoped it would be soon, too, but he knew that the minute he did, that would be the day that he lost her.

  Chloe

  Chloe felt like her head was going to explode.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a migraine. It was probably during her last year of college when she was stressed about exams. That was like a lifetime ago. Her head pounded as badly now as it did back then, and no amount of pain relief had eased it.

  It was the frustration, anxiety and fear. It was all of it and more mixed into one, which enhanced every time she thought about Taylor.

  She’d just been coping before when she was worried about Taylor making a recovery. Since learning the truth, she found herself deeply troubled.

  Someone had tried to kill Taylor. Taylor, her best friend. Chloe was still finding it difficult to comprehend and the whole thing, everything sounded so bizarre.

  What a mess.

  Wade had just fallen asleep. It was nearly three in the morning. He’d held her in his arms, keeping her close to his heart as they lay in bed. He was watching over her, but fell asleep in his efforts. It wasn’t surprising since he’d barely slept all week.

  Chloe appreciated the calmness he tried to exhibit, but she knew him so well that she could tell he was panicking, too, under the façade.

  She also knew there was a lot on his mind, and admittedly it worried her that some of that stuff was so bad he couldn’t talk about it.

  She wished he could have told her about his past earlier, but she understood why he couldn’t. Chloe just hoped that he really would be able to tell her one day.

  He stirred against her. His eyes opened when she looked up at him. The soft night light made them look glassy.

  “Go to sleep, sweetheart,” she whispered.

  “Sweetheart,” he said on the edge of a breath.

  “Sleep.” She reached up and touched his face. He went to say something else but sleep got him again.

  As she looked at the sharpness in his chiseled features she couldn’t help but be that girl again who used to stare endlessly at him wondering what it would be like to be with him. She didn’t realize that she’d loved him for a long time and just didn’t know.

  In her mind she could see them being this way forever. Everything had happened so fast, and it was probably too soon to think of the future, but she couldn’t imagine her future without him. Thinking of him eased her headache a little. Just enough for her to drift off to sleep.

  The next day he seemed even more protective of her. She didn’t think it was possible, but he did. As they got ready to go to the hospital he kept a close eye on her, hardly allowing her to go from one room to the next in the house.

  He also took the car again. He’d been driving the car a lot this week, as opposed to the bike, which surprisingly she missed.

  The poor guy then looked so anxious as he drove them to the hospital. She rested her hand on his lap as an attempt to calm him but he didn’t even notice. If he’d been himself he would have at least made some sexual comment.

  He put his arm around her as they proceeded to Taylor’s room; as they walked he continued that paranoid watchfulness.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him, resting her hands on his chest as they walked.

  He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “I’m fine, baby.”

  She motioned up to kiss him and he lowered to her lips. She loved the smile that played on his lips as he pulled back.

  She turned to look ahead, down the corridor to Taylor’s room, but stopped abruptly and gazed ahead at the quirky-looking man and woman who looked back at them with warm smiles on their faces.

  Her parents. Chloe’s heart leaped within her chest and she flew out of Wade’s arms and into theirs. Both of them. They both hugged her and she felt like such a big baby as her mother hugged her and she started crying.

  “Mom and Dad.” She’d always enjoyed her parents company way too much.

  She’d never been the child who rebelled, counting the days to leave home or anything like that. Her parents had been the free spirits who wanted the taste of adventure and new experiences. Whereas all Chloe had ever wanted to do was be Regina’s creative director, and be with Wade Vanderville. If only she could have had the chance to enjoy that both those wishes had come true.

  “I’m so glad you guys are here,” she cried.

  “Awww,” Kelly cooed. Chloe hadn’t even seen her come up.

  She gave her a hopeful look. When Chloe spoke to her last night Kelly had cried the whole time. They both cried. If not for the extra security Wade had arranged for Kelly, Chloe would have gone straight back to her. Chloe’s heart went out to her friend as she looked at her blotchy skin that normally looked so flawless and her puffy eyes.

  She left her parents and moved over to Kelly to give her a hug. “You okay?” Chloe asked her.

  “I’m trying,” Kelly replied.

  “Wade, look at you,” her mother said to Wade and glanced over at Chloe, giving her a knowing look. It was then it occurred to her that they must have seen her kissing Wade.

  She hadn’t said anything about him to her parents yet. They were in for quite a surprise considering that when last they checked she was supposed to hate him to no end and wanted nothing to do with him.

  She was definitely going to have quite a story to tell.

  Chloe was ecstatic to see her parents but Regina completely outdid her.

  When she tried to call her parents first she knew Regina would need them. They always worked well together and Chloe was glad she was right. She was glad they’d come because she felt that their strength was needed now more than ever.

  Her mom spoke to Taylor and Chloe hoped that she’d have the same reaction as when Wes came, but there was nothing. Taylor still lay motionless in that bed. She looked no different than when she first arrived. If anything, her skin looked paler and her face gaunt.

  It was the same as every day.

  In the evening, Chloe went to dinner with her mom. Her father stayed with Regina and Brian. Wade stayed too.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Chloe said reaching across the table to take her mother’s hand.

  Her mother pushed her blonde curls behind her ear and smiled. Her skin was perfectly tanned and it made her brown eyes look brighter.

  “I’m sorry you couldn’t reach us,” her mother apologized.

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, because there was an emergency and no one could contact us. Your father and I need to get our acts together.”

&nbs
p; Chloe laughed. It felt good to laugh.

  “It’s true, Chloe. We roam around like we’re teenagers without a care in the world. Feasting on poems and sculptures.” She winced and pouted.

  That was no joke. That was exactly what they did. Her mother was her father’s muse. To date, her father had written 180 poems about her mother. Last year he published a collection and called it Messages to Felicity.

  Her mother was just as bad, but he was perhaps worse. When Chloe was younger they used to get on her nerves. She didn’t understand how two people could always act like they’d just gotten married when they’d been married for so many years.

  She’d ended up thinking that it was cooler to act like Regina and Ben, who showed no public displays of affection like her parents, and basically no affection whatsoever.

  She didn’t realize that she had it wrong. What her parents had was the real deal. It was priceless and beautiful and something few people ever had.

  “It’s nice, Mom. Feasting on poems and sculptures is nice.” She smiled.

  Her mother gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “How are you doing kid?”

  Chloe shook her head. “Not good, Mom.”

  Her parents had been filled in on what was going on, of course they were worried.

  “How about coming back with us for a while, to France. You’ll be safe there.”

  “No.” She didn’t even have to think about her answer. She wasn’t leaving. She couldn’t leave.

  Her mother smiled. “You didn’t even consider it.”

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

  “Is that because of a certain young man?”

  Again she’d forgotten that she hadn’t spoken about Wade. “Mom, I… Yes and no. It’s everything.”

  “Okay. Sooo, Wade. When did that happen?”

  Chloe detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice and hoped she wasn’t going to say anything against Wade.

  “Recently. I know he’s got a colorful past but he’s not like that anymore.”

  Her mother didn’t look convinced. “I kind of always thought you’d be with Wes. He’s such a good boy, and so talented in every way. You two—”

  “Mom, I love Wade,” she interrupted.

  Her mother hadn’t done it in a while, not for a very, very long time, but she was about to launch into one of the tactics Chloe didn’t like. The one where she would talk something or someone up to make them seem better than what Chloe had chosen.

  The last time she did it was when Chloe just started working for Regina. She couldn’t understand why she’d want to take a fashion assistant job when she could work somewhere else and get to the position she wanted quicker. Her mother had harped on for months on end about how it would be difficult to work for Regina and then she made Sassy Magazine, of all the magazines to choose, sound like it was the best place in the world to work for.

  Thank God Chloe hadn’t listened.

  “You love Wade?” She widened her eyes.

  “Yes. I do. Wes is my very best friend. He is the same to me as Taylor and that is all. I know he’s good, and we get on, but that’s all there is to us.”

  “Did you try for there to be more? I mean, I get the whole bad boy image most girls go for in Wade. I get it, but sweetie you always have to think of the future when it comes to relationships.”

  This was turning into one of those conversations she feared. She didn’t need this right now.

  “I have,” Chloe said confidently.

  “Does he love you too?” Concern filled her eyes.

  “Yes. He asked me to move in with him, so I did.”

  Her mother widened her eyes even more. “Chloe.”

  “What? Mom, please give me a break here, and don’t pretend you didn’t know how I’ve always felt about him.” She must have known.

  In fact, there was no way that she couldn’t have known. Before her crazy embarrassing eighteen-year-old stunt, Chloe was always talking about Wade. Always finding some excuse to see him if they didn’t visit one weekend. And she’d hated when they travelled up to Wisconsin in the holidays to see her grandparents because that meant she’d have to go the entire time without seeing Wade.

  Her mother sat back and slumped against her chair.

  “I thought you may have grown out of it; for a while you couldn’t stand him.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her the reason for that and shock her but Chloe held back.

  “We had our disagreements in the past and it’s in the past now. He makes me happy, Mom.” Wade made her feel like she couldn’t live without him. It may not sound healthy, but that was how much she loved him. Every day her feelings deepened and she had no control over them.

  She inclined her head to the side and smiled.

  “Okay…” she sighed and bit the inside of her lip. “I guess if he makes you happy then that is all anyone can ask for,” she stated tentatively.

  “He does. I’m happy with him,” Chloe told her confidently.

  She nodded and smiled. “He must be pretty special to you for you to defend him like that.”

  “He is.” When she thought of how protective he was of her, and how he showed her he loved her, she was in awe. She didn’t think there was anything Wade wouldn’t do for her.

  “Then I’m sorry to have questioned your relationship,” her mother offered, although she still looked uncertain. It was fine. Chloe could accept that, and she supposed she could understand where her mother was coming from. Wade had a really colorful past that everyone knew about.

  While she would love for her mother to accept and be happy that she was with Wade, she couldn’t allow her opinion to bother her. It shouldn’t matter what she thought. Chloe had seen enough and knew enough to understand that she couldn’t let her parents choose who she was with. “I’m good with whoever makes my girl happy.”

  “Thanks.” It was good that she was at least trying.

  “Just promise me you’ll be careful.” Wes said the same thing.

  “I promise.”

  When she promised Wes she’d be careful she couldn’t really think of what she had to be careful of, except for falling in love with Wade. That had seemed absurd at the time.

  That was only weeks ago. Since then she’d learned of this psycho who was after the Vandervilles, and now she was tied up in it because she was with Wade. It wasn’t his fault, but she was beginning to see why everyone was giving her this warning. She just hoped that the police would catch whoever it was that was doing this before someone else got hurt.

  When she thought of Taylor her heart ached to no end and she just couldn’t believe that something like that had happened to her best friend.

  This week had been terrible. Chloe couldn’t imagine another week like it. Filled with worry and fear.

  Chapter 8

  Taylor

  The fresh cool breeze caressed her skin like a soft soothing whisper. It lifted her hair and Taylor watched the white-blonde strands dance about the edges of her elbows.

  Closing her eyes, she breathed the air deep into her lungs and pressed her toes into the cushion of the crystal sand on the beach.

  She always loved it here. Matira Beach was beautiful. She thought it was the best beach on Bora Bora Island. She loved the calmness about the place and the natural beauty that created that tranquil feeling of transcendence that she could get lost in forever.

  The crystal clear blue waters of the sea greeted her when she opened her eyes, along with the love of her life.

  Richard walked towards her with a bright smile on his face. He was so handsome. Like always, she found it hard to take her eyes off him. She moved to him, too, eager to be in his arms.

  His smile widened and his eyes sparkled with that love she appreciated so much. She couldn’t wait to feel his arms around her, but just before she reached him he disappeared. Just like that, he disappeared into thin air. As if he was never there.

  Taylor stopped in her tracks and looked around the empty beach
.

  Where did he go?

  She turned around at the sound of laughter. About a hundred meters away from her a dark-haired man played on the beach with a little blonde girl while they made sandcastles.

  When she looked closer, she smiled to herself as she realized that the man was Brian, and the little girl was her.

  This was a dream. A nice dream mixed with a memory of when her mom and Brian took her and Wade to the beach when they were kids.

  “I wish it would stay like this forever,” she saw her younger self say to Brian.

  She must have been nine.

  “How about we take a picture and then we’ll remember it exactly like this forever,” Brian said.

  She watched herself nod with the excitement of using the camera. Brian took it out and took a picture of her standing next to the sandcastle.

  Then he said something, but his words sounded muffled. When he spoke again his voice sounded strained.

  “My daughter, please wake up.”

  A hand covered hers and squeezed gently.

  “Dad?” The scenery around her faded into darkness and she forced her eyes open.

  It felt like her lids had been glued shut.

  “Taylor?”

  “Dad.” Her throat felt dry and sore.

  Bright lights beamed down at her, blinding her.

  She forced her eyes open again and saw Brian standing over her. “Brian.” Taylor tried to smile but her face hurt. Instead she took his hand and squeezed it.

  “You’re awake,” he cried, tears running down his cheeks.

  She gazed up into his bright green eyes and found herself absorbed within the warmth that beamed from him.

  “Brian, are we still on the beach?” She didn’t understand what was going on. She was looking around at the bright lights and the plain surroundings but couldn’t work out where she was.

  “No, sweet girl.”

  She focused on him because he was the only thing she recognized, and she was starting to feel a little anxious. Her body felt weird, her mind felt even weirder, and she couldn’t place what time she was in, where she was, or what was happening.