Page 32 of Anger Bang
Kade had no clue who was more shocked at her fiery response, him or Jackie, whose eyes had rounded to the size of dinner plates. Judging by the now-huge grin on the cameraperson’s face, though, there was at least one person absolutely thrilled with the way things were going.
He, however, didn’t give a shit at the moment about any of that.
“Whatever,” Jackie said with a huff, recovering before Kade did. “You two may be getting all the love on social because of your obvious play for attention at the party, but that doesn’t mean you can go diva. We are all here formywedding, and it’s time you two act like it.”
“You mean yours and Dex’s wedding,” Kade said.
He was dead set against this whole fiasco, but that didn’t mean that his brother was just some kind of prop for a Jackie Pope production.
Jackie turned her attention to him, her eyes narrowing into slits. “And your mom is looking for you. She says she has something to tell you.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. His mom had nothing to say that he wanted to hear. He crossed his arms and made a noncommittal grunt before he let the truth slip out in front of all of America that was watching the live stream.
Thea slipped her hand into his and gave him a squeeze. “We were on our way back anyway. Promise, pumpkin.”
Jackie’s pissed-off expression slipped for a second, revealing sisterly concern for all of half a second as she looked between them, and then the bridezilla returned. “Well, make sure you do. We cannot miss our little bonding time”—she slapped her hand over the mic clipped to her shirt—“unless you feel like paying the fifty-thousand-dollar penalty for failing to meet the sponsorship obligations.”
Then she slammed the closet door shut in their faces, much to the cameraperson’s audible disappointment.
“I guess we better get back,” he grumbled.
Thea lifted herself on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Maybe we can take the long way to the resort.”
Now that, he could make happen. If they got lucky, they’d run out of gas in the middle of nowhere and have to spend the night together—alone—under the stars.
Chapter Thirteen
Much to Kade’s disappointment, though, they did not run out of gas. Even worse? Jackie and her mom were waiting for them—along with Dex and their mom—in front of his RV. Mom looked so much like she had when he was a kid that for a second, he couldn’t stop the hope that filled his chest like helium, and he started to smile. That lasted all of two seconds before reality came at him like a dart, popping that hope like a kid’s birthday balloon.
“Fuck me,” he grumbled, settling his face into its usual snarl.
“You wanna turn around and go back to that closet?” Thea asked, the pity in her voice coming through loud and clear on the Bluetooth headphones in his helmet.
“Without a doubt,” he said.
Be alone with her in a space so small there was no waynotto touch her? That sounded like his version of heaven.
But it was too late, and they both knew it.
He parked the motorcycle next to the RV, and they took their time walking over to where their families were waiting. That’s when he spotted the producer and the camera operator off to the side, as unobtrusive as they could be while still being able to catch every moment of this unrelenting hell. Just fucking great.
Grimacing, Kade stopped and pivoted his body so he was looking his brother dead in the eyes without seeing his mom, even though she was right next to him.
Dex glared at him, obviously seeing what he was doing. Yeah, it was immature and stupid, but it was better than losing his shit in front of the cameras.
“Mom and I were going to grab lunch and wanted you to come,” Dex said, breaking the silence.
“No,” Kade replied without hesitation.
He didn’t see his mom deflate, but he would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that he could feel it as if there was still a part of him that was tied to her that he would never be able to completely destroy.
Dex cursed under his breath and shook his head in disgust. “That’s it?”
Kade shrugged, leaning full into his assholery. “No is a full sentence.”
How many years had he spent wishing for this kind of moment when his mom just wanted to hang out with him and Dex? Too many to even count. But he’d grown up. He’d learned. He’d finally understood. There was absolutely no reason to go back and do all of that again. Second chances were for people who still gave a shit. Kade didn’t.
His mom took a step forward, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her eyes pleading. “I know you’re angry with me still, Kade honey, but if we could just talk, I’m sure we could figure out a way forward.”
