Page 78 of Wicked Scandal

Part of me wants him to say no, to turn the car around and take us back to our happy place at the hotel in Wyoming. It was beautiful there. We could have a happy life.

Then there’s the other part of me who knows this is the right thing to do. Eventually the law would catch up to us and staying away makes it look like we have something to hide. When, in reality, we’re not hiding anything other than finding a dead body and not telling anyone about it.

I understand why Wilder took me away so quickly now. He thought it was me. Wilder was protecting me like he promised he would. He hasn’t let me down yet, and I don’t expect him to anytime soon.

“I’m sure,” he says with a nod. “My dad will be on our side. He’s seen the video of what Troy did to you and he’s going to understand. Just let me do the talking and we’ll be off that suspect list by nightfall.”

I chew nervously on my nail as we draw closer to Wilder’s house. Coming out that we’re in a relationship creates its own anxiety, but explaining all of this is a whole new level of panic. Especially to his family.

Fortunately, we went over what we’re going to say a hundred times on this long drive, and our plan is foolproof. Hopefully.

Wilder brings his car to a stop in front of the house and shifts into park. His hands reach across the center console and he grabs mine, weaving our fingers together. “I’ve got you, Cat. I promise.”

I force a smile on my face. “I know you do.”

Sensing my unease, he tips my chin. “Hey,” he whispers before leaning over and kissing my lips. “I love you.”

My eyes pop wide open at his admission. I wasn’t expecting, nor did I know Wilder was in love with me. I mean, I’ve felt it for a while now, but I was afraid to say anything out of fear of pushing him away. Or worse, making him feel like he had to stay.

I grab his face and look deep into his eyes, this smile real and genuine. “I love you, too.”

He kisses me again before saying, “Let’s get this over with so we can book a motel in town and forget about it all.”

I told Wilder I didn’t want to stay at my house anymore. I hate that house and the memories inside it. If I’m going to have a new start, it begins with me leaving everything Troy touched behind, including the pain he caused me inside those four walls.

For now, I’m going to stay at the small motel here in Willow Creek. Over the next couple days, once things settle down a bit, I plan to meet with a realtor, sell the house, and buy something smaller.

But before I can even think about any of that, we have to face the music. The music being Wilder’s family, the police, and the fact that my husband was murdered.

Wilder opens his door and I do the same. The first foot on the driveway feels like the ground is going to give out beneath me. The second feels like it’s going to just swallow me whole.

Then Wilder comes to my side, takes my hand, and I no longer feel like I’m sinking. I look at him, a feeling of comfort settling over me.

The minute we walk through the door, we’re ambushed. There is shouting, crying, and a few dry humor jokes from Wilder’s brother, Callan.

Grant doesn’t even say anything; he just nods his head sternly to the left and Wilder leads me to where we have to go.

We step into a room that I take to be Grant’s office, and Wilder closes the door behind us, still holding my hand.

“You two have some serious explaining to do,” Grant says with a bite of indignation in his tone. “Where in God’s name have you two been?”

“I took her away, Dad,” Wilder begins, telling the story we came up with. “After graduation, I knew Troy was going to hurt her again, so I went to her house and picked her up in the driveway before her husband got home.”

“We’re so sorry,” I add, playing the part. “We had no idea what was going on until we saw a news article, then we came straight home. I know disappearing like that had to have scared you and I told Wilder to reach out because we knew we had to come back.”

“I see,” Grant says as he strokes his mouth with his thumb and index finger. “So you’re aware of what happened?”

I nod. “I am now. And I can’t say I’m surprised. Troy told me if I ever left him he would take his own life. I just never thought he’d actually do it. I had to get away. You don’t understand how horrible he was to me.” My voice shakes, in no way am I acting when it comes to this. Troy was a man born of the most wicked of nightmares.

When we planned to come back, Wilder called Rome and he and Elodie told us they did everything they could to make the crime scene look like a suicide. The only thing they forgot was my purse, but that lines up with Wilder coming to pick me up before Troy got home. I left my stuff and everything behind because I didn’t want to be tracked by my abusive husband.

“What you’ve had to endure is tragic, Catherine.” Grant looks at me with sympathy, and I’m slightly taken aback by the fact that he isn’t calling me out on anything. But I guess he feels bad enough for me that he’s willing not to hate me for loving his kid, even though the whole situation is unconventional.

Grant walks around his desk, taking a softer approach. I can see how tired he is, the worry is clear as day and I am so thankful Wilder has someone in his life to worry about him, care for him, the way his family does.

“No one should have to go through such abuse. I’m just glad you two are safe now.” Grant looks down at our clenched hands. “Care to explain what this is all about?”

I told Wilder I wanted to answer this, and if his family has a problem, we can take things slow. But I want the sneaking around to stop. “I know it’s unorthodox given I was Wilder’s teacher, but your son saved me in more ways than one and in the process, I fell for him.” I look up at Wilder, cracking a smile. “And I think he fell for me, too.”

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