Page 52 of Wild Dreams

"Good luck," I called after him.

He waved me off. "I can handle my wife."

A few seconds later, Scarlett slipped out and sat next to me. "Where'd you go?"

"I wanted to let you and your mom have a moment."

The boys were tossing a chew toy to Oakley.

Scarlett smiled. "It was nice."

"For what it's worth, I've always thought your mom was proud of you, whether you got good grades or participated in after school activities." I'd always envied her for having the ability to fight with her mom. My parents weren't present for me to have normal teenage moments.

I was usually so desperate for their attention; I never would have purposely acted out to get it. I thought if I was more organized, got better grades, studied what they wanted, they'd love me for me. But that never happened. I was never good enough.

Scarlett sighed. "Maybe. I don't know."

"I think it's hard for us to see our own family's clearly." I'd always been on the outside of Scarlett's, so I was familiar with the dynamic.

Scarlett pursed her lips, then looked over at me. "I think Chance is into someone."

"What?" I asked, my heart leaping into my throat.

"At the very least, he got laid. Notice how he's more relaxed today." She waved a hand in his direction.

"He wasn't relaxed when you were looking through the matches on my dating app."

"Chance thinks those things are dangerous. But everyone uses them. He's a worrywart."

"A worrywart?" I asked, amused by her depiction of her big, strong brother.

"Yeah, he's overprotective because of his job. Things can go wrong. But not as often as he thinks."

"It's nice to have someone worry about you." I'd always been a little envious of Scarlett and Chance's relationship.

"You have my family."

"Right." But not really. They didn't know I'd been spending the holidays alone. It took Chance to figure it out. He was the only one who really saw me.

"And you have the Wildes. You're invited tonight, you know?"

"I'm not sure if I'm up for it tonight." We hadn't discussed our plans beyond him bringing me to dinner.

Pam opened the door. "Dinner's ready. I need some help serving."

We got up and went inside to help Pam with the platters. Everything smelled amazing, and it was nice to spend the meal with such a tight-knit family.

At the table, we said what we were thankful for, and almost everyone mentioned Scarlett. Her being home this year was the icing on the cake. I should be content with my best friend settling down in our hometown. It was selfish to want more, to want what she had.

She and Eli sat next to each other, constantly touching and teasing each other.

Chance leaned in and said, "I can't believe we have to sit across from these two."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes on him. "I can't wait until you fall in love."

My face flushed, and I wanted to say it was from the wine, but I knew it wasn't. I felt like she could see right through us.

Chance rolled his shoulders back. "That's not going to happen for me."

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