Page 12 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“Dog! Woof, woof!” Kayden said, and the big white dog turned toward him. He giggled and ran behind me.

I heard Tristan’s soft laughter. I looked away from the lady and found him staring at Kayden with an amused grin plastered on his face.

“You have a son?” he asked and considered me for a few seconds, his eyes like a lie detector.

“Yeah. I’m married.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

He looked speechless for some seconds, a mix of bewilderment and pain on his face.

“That’s … that’s nice,” he stuttered, taking a glance at Kayden while I tucked my hands behind my dark jeans before he noticed my bare fingers.

I had no ring to go with my lie. I got uncomfortable with the way he was staring at him. Kayden stared back, and for a moment, it felt like they were connecting in a way I couldn’t tell.

“Um … we were just leaving,” I said, making him divert his eyes back to me.

“It’s a hot day. How about we go get some drinks and ice cream for the little man?” he asked and squatted to be on the same eye-level as Kayden. “Hey, little man.” He ruffled Kayden’s hair, earning a big smile from him.

Kayden looked up at me, as if asking me who the stranger was.

“Seriously, Tristan? Just leave, and if we ever run into each other, let’s pretend we don’t know each other.” I pulled Kayden away from his reach.

“I just wanted to know how you were,” he said in a calm tone.

“Didn’t Adrian fill you in already? Stay away from me, Tristan. That’s the least you can do for me right now. Please don’t make me file a restraining order against you,” I begged, maybe sounding desperate.

He nodded and stayed quiet for a few seconds. He smiled at Kayden and extended his long hand to him.

“You got your mom’s eyes,” he said softly.

I took Kayden’s hand when he moved to place his tiny hand in Tristan’s large one.

“We are leaving,” I cut in.

My heart was racing in my chest from fear of the unknown. What if he had figured it out and saw right through my lies? Maybe my trembling feet and shaky voice gave me away.

Tristan put his hand down, not taking his eyes off Kayden as he stood on his feet.

“I guess I’m too late,” he said to me, almost in a whisper. “Be a good kid,” he told Kayden. “Bye, Chloe.”

He winked at Kayden, making him giggle. His lips curved smoothly at me, and he fixed his AirPods, jogging away from us. It felt as if someone had held my heart in a tight grip the whole time he was here, and now that I watched him jog away, my heart was slowly released from the tight grasp.

I didn’t want him anywhere near Kayden. I didn’t want him back in my life, and giving him reasons to stay away seemed like the right thing. This was my new beginning, and I wouldn’t let him ruin it.

Well, I was a liar. That was what I’d been doing since I’d returned from Cuba. I needed to make Tristan stay away. I was never going to let him know about Kayden or the other twin.

I picked up Kayden and rushed out of the park. I looked around, searching for Tristan but didn’t see him.

“What the hell am I doing?” I whispered under my breath. I opened the car quickly and buckled Kayden in his car seat. I surveyed the area one more time before getting behind the wheel and starting the car.

No one knew about Kayden, and I wasn’t married to anyone. What if he asked Adrian? I reached for my phone and dialed Adrian’s number. He picked up on the second ring.

“Missing me already?” came his cocky voice.

“I ran into Tristan, and I …”

“Shit. He promised to stay away. Fuck, I’m sorry, Chlo. Did he try to talk to you?” he cut in immediately.

“Yeah, and I, um … I might … have sorta … told him I was married.”

---