Page 27 of Desk & Deception
I couldn’t believe the person who had defended me to my family was the same man I had walked away from. They’d been on their best behavior around Reid, but he’d still sat beside me through their subtle jabs and found ways to explain it away later when I brought it up. He’d encouraged me to give them grace and understand where they were coming from.
He’d never been mean about it, but he hadn’t protected me either. Until now. When it was already too late.
I stared down at the blush palette sitting open in my lap, but I wasn’t seeing it anymore. Not while shock swirled with something that felt a little too much like hope.
Being mad had been easier. But now confusion was creeping into all the places anger had filled over the last week.
“Lila?”
Mom’s voice pulled me back to our conversation. “What?”
“I asked if you were listening.”
“Sorry.” I pressed my fingers against my forehead. “I’ve had kind of a long week.”
“Well, I hope you’re happy.” She heaved a dramatic sigh. “Your father, Sienna, and I are all upset, and Reid has decided to act irrationally. If you hadn’t called off the engagement, this never would’ve happened.”
My heart was broken, but she was seriously lecturing me because they’d been a little embarrassed in a grocery store, where most likely nobody had been paying any attention to their conversation. Somehow, even after Reid had been so blunt with them, she still didn’t understand.
“Sorry, I have to go.”
“But—” she sputtered.
“I'll talk to you later.”
I ended the call before she could say anything else. The last thing I needed was more accusations, criticisms, and guilt trips. She didn’t care about what I was going through except for how it impacted her, Dad, and Sienna.
And I needed to come to terms with the new crack in my emotional wall. It was small but definitely there.
Someone had finally stood up for me. And it had been the same man whose choices had broken my heart. The contradiction left me feeling like the ground beneath me was shifting in ways I wasn’t prepared for.
I needed reinforcements.
Someone who actually gave a damn about my happiness.
I called Kinsley, and she answered on the first ring. “Okay, spill. What’d the jerk come up with to top the chicken salad smorgasbord?”
“You’re not going to believe this.”
I told her everything, glossing over the painful details since she already knew most of the story. I explained how Reid had confronted my family at Erewhon, how he had stood up for me when they started their usual routine of tearing me down.
“Wait, he actually went after your parents and Sienna? It’s about damn time someone did!” She let out a low whistle. “I wish I’d been there to see the look on your mom’s and sister’s faces. I’ve always wanted to see them put in their place. I bet they clutched their pearls so hard they left marks.”
“Oh, they absolutely did, judging by how she sounded during our call,” I agreed.
“I wonder who’s more shocked, us or them?” She giggled. “All this time, they’ve been thinking Reid is out of your league, and he’s the one to cut them down to size in an Erewhon of all places. I swear your mom only goes there for the status, like it’s a flex to pay twenty-five bucks for a glass bottle of hyper-oxygenated water.”
I found myself laughing softly with her. “She was pretty pissed that it happened there.”
“I only wish it’d been somewhere even more embarrassing for her.” Her voice softened but was still full of fire as she added, “You deserve a guy who’ll have your back no matter the situation, and it sounds like Reid is finally starting to figure that out.”
“Yeah, but it only makes all of this harder,” I admitted.
Kinsley’s tone grew gentler. “Nobody gets to tell you how fast you’re supposed to move through this. This doesn’t mean you have to run back to him. Just that he’s finally really seeing you. Maybe he pulled his head out of his ass too late, or maybe this will make a difference for you. Only you get to decide. Not Reid. And absolutely not your family.”
I wiped my eyes and took a shaky breath. “Thanks for helping me put all this in perspective.”
“That’s what friends are for.” Her tone lightened as she joked, “And I might as well put all those years of therapy to good use.”
