Page 34 of Just Our Secret

Wade laughed nervously. “Oh, uh, nah. It was actually my idea.”

All eyes turned to Wade, and I groaned internally.What the actual fuck, Wade?I knew he was nervous but come on. No one would believe that he’d been the one who wanted to stop at that festival. It was much more plausible that I’d twisted his arm into stopping there and he’d done it against his will. Why was he being so damn weird?

Connor frowned. “What? Why would you want to go there?”

Wade scratched his head, realizing he’d stepped in it. “I thought it would be a good place to get a Christmas present for my mom.”

It wasn’t a horrible response, but Connor’s face contorted. “But don’t you normally just get your mom a gift card to a bookstore? That’s like your thing, right?”

Ah, the joys of being so close to someone for so long that you actually knew their freaking Christmas shopping routine. Lovely. I cleared my throat. “I mean, it was his idea to shop there like as a joke, but then I encouraged it. His mom deserves better than a bookstore gift card, right?”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll love the new gift,” my mom said as she returned the ticket to my purse. “But really, she loves getting those gift cards from you Wade. You should still get her one.”

Fuck, no one was helping us. I looked at Wade, and he looked back at me with a deer in the headlights expression. Should we just rip the Band-Aid off and tell them? This was already awkward, how much worse could it get?

“Oh, excuse me,” my mom said, pointing to the air as a timer could be heard going off in the kitchen, “that’s my buzzer.”

I watched her leave, scolding myself for leaving that damn ticket in my purse where she could so easily find it.

“So, what, you could have gotten here early enough to come with Liam and me to the movies, but you were browsing a fall festival with Andi instead?” Connor asked, looking at Wade with his head cocked to the side. “That’s a little weird. I didn’t realize you guys hung out like that.”

Oh, okay. Apparently, itcouldget worse. Because that edge in Connor’s tone told both of us that he was starting to connect some dots that we’d done a really good job of hiding up until now.

“Well, uh, I mean,” Wade said, shifting and jamming his hands in his pockets. Then his eyes found mine, and I saw a look of resolve come over him. He stood straighter, and I knew this was it. “We’ve actually decided to start seeing each other.”

EIGHTEEN

WADE

The only sound was the oven closing and what I imagined shock sounded like—eerily still. It was like I could actually hear the way everyone froze in place, all except Andi’s mom, Carole, who’d been wiping her hands on a dish towel when I’d said the words.

“What did you say?” Connor’s voice came low and edged with fury as he turned toward me, squaring his shoulders.

I glanced at Andi to see her eyes widening. She rushed to calm him. “He—”

“I said, Andi and I have decided to start dating.” I put a hand on her lower back, hoping it’d soothe any sting my interruption had caused and help her understand. Maybe it was insane that I’d said those words aloud in this room full of her entire extended family, but I refused to lie directly to her parents. I couldn’t stomach that on top of everything else.

She could speak for herself, yes. But I’d been the one to say it, and I was the one Connor needed to hear say it again.

“You lying sack of shit.” Connor’s face went from pale to blazing red as he lunged at me, grabbed me by the shoulders, and shoved me back into the wall hard enough that he stepped back a few paces from the force.

“Connor, stop it,” Andi said, pulling at one of his arms.

“You’re worse than that motherfucker Chad. How long have you been lying to me?” He charged at me again.

I held my hands up, unwilling to throw the first punch. Unwilling to throw any, because I’d known this would be his reaction. Still, the hit that landed at the side of my jaw made my teeth crunch and my ears ring.

“Connor Jacob, you stop that right now!” Carole’s voice sounded far away as the next punch hit me in the ribs.

“That’s enough, son. That’s enough.” Brent’s demand must’ve broken through Connor’s haze of rage, because he backed away like his father’s order was the only one he’d obey in this moment.

Hands up, he showed he wasn’t going in for another hit, then pointed at me. “You’re dead to me.”

“Connor, don’t be an ass. Calm down, and we’ll talk about this.” Andi approached him with hands outstretched.

He gave her a look that embodied disappointment and said, “I have nothing to say to you.”

If I hadn’t been in such a haze after the hit to my jaw, I might’ve moved faster. I should’ve realized he wouldn’t just stick around to hash things out, especially after speaking to Andi that way.