Page 15 of Tangled in Vows

I nodded because what else was I supposed to do? I was only twelve, and she was sixteen. Sixteen-year-olds take summer trips with their friends all the time, right? After one more hug, I watched her walk away.

“Be the person they should have been in a different life,” she yelled out the window as the guy revved the engine and sped out of the trailer park. Her familiar sad eyes and big smile were firmly planted on her face. “Be the light.”

It was the last time I saw her.

Two days later, cops showed up at our doorsteps to tell us about the car crash.

My sister was gone, and nothing was ever the same again.

A few months later, I met Archer. If it wasn’t for him and his grandma, I probably would have starved to death. After Mom’s boyfriends started using me as their punching bag, their place became my escape and my refuge when Mom disappeared entirely for days, sometimes weeks on end.

Even back then, I realized my mom was a lost cause. But I should have done more to help my sister. I should have made her stay. I should have stood up more against the men who frequented our place. I should have done something. Anything. But what’s done is done.

I stare at the girl across from me.

“Be the person they should have been in a different life.”

“Be the light.”

I clear my throat to get her attention. “Listen, I know you don’t know me, but Tom—the guy from the pub—he’s my landlord. And right now, the apartment next to mine is empty. It’s nothing fancy, just one bedroom, but it’s definitely better than a motel.”

A flicker of hope appears in her eyes, and I know I’m doomed.

“I want to help you.” The words keep spilling out of my mouth, my jaw firmly set, my mind made up. “I’ll be your fake husband.”

Chapter 5

Olivia

You left without a goodbye, with no time to brace.

PRESENT DAY

“Stop giving me that look.” I glare at Stormy, who very openly judges me from her spot by the door. We slept in one of the upstairs guest bedrooms because there was no way I would sleep in my room.

She lets out a whine, and I sigh. “Fine. Let’s go.”

At that, she perks up and barks.

I zip my jacket, lower my cap on my face, and walk toward the door. I get whacked with an excited tail several times before I manage to open it.

Stormy pushes through the gap the second it’s big enough for her, immediately running downstairs. I know she needs to do her business, but I’m also sure that’s not the only reason she’s so excited to get out of here this morning.

Holden.

But it doesn’t matter.He’snot a part of my life anymore. And once we get the security stuff figured out, he’ll be on his merryway. We’ll go back to seeing each other in passing anytime I’m with Evie and he happens to be with Phoenix. Like divorced parents who only catch glimpses of each other when they drop off or pick up their kids. It’s cool. Nothing I can’t handle for a few more hours.

I walk toward the sound of laughter and barks, mumbling a curt, “Hey,” while purposefully avoiding the happy display. Instead, I stroll across the open living room to the kitchen, where I grab one of the vitamin waters from the fridge and a banana from the fruit bowl.

Stormy knows the drill and runs to her water bowl. After three sips, she sprints to the foyer and her leash. I make it two steps in the same direction when Holden appears before me and blocks my escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I push my shoulders back and glance up at him. Since I’m only wearing sneakers, he’s towering over me. Not only with his height but also his width. He was already massive at twenty, but he’s added even more bulk since then. Add a ridiculously handsome face, and you’ve got yourself a lady killer named Holden.

His light-brown eyes bore into mine, holding me hostage now that we’re standing so close. We’ve both been playing the avoidance game so much that we’ve been successful at keeping at least five-to-seven feet between us at all times. Right now, it’s only about five-to-seven inches, or at least, it feels that way.

A low, pleasant hum warms my blood, slowly collecting in my lower abdomen.

---