Page 214 of Kissing the Villain

“In The Hills. At the Whittakers’ house.”

“I didn’t realize the Whittakers were out of the country again.”

“They’re in South Africa until the end of the year. Luca arranged everything.”

“If you need help, let me know. I don’t mind.”

She patted my shoulder. “The boy next door already offered to cut my lawn and help around the house.”

I raised my eyebrows. “What boy next door? None of the homeowners on that street have children.”

“He lives in the house with blue shutters.”

My old house? That’s not possible…

“What did he look like?”

She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking it over. “He was tall, built like a football player. You know, big shoulders.”

Aiden.

“How old was he?”

She scanned my face and rolled her shoulders. “Probably around your age.”

My heart sank to my stomach, churning up bile.

“What color hair did he have?”

“Blond curls that kept falling into his eyes.”

“Anything else you remember about him?”

She bit her bottom lip as she thought it over. “He had a beard.”

Not like Aiden.

Madeline had never met my twin. If he were in Devil’s Creek, Aiden would have reached out. My brother wouldn’t have left me waiting for answers.

“Did you catch his name?”

She shook her head. “No, we only talked for a minute.”

Aiden. His name has to be Aiden.

A few hoursafter Madeline left me with a thousand questions, I sat on the back patio with Kali and ate lunch. She wore a red sundress that brought out her blonde hair and pale, freckled skin, glowing as we sipped from our champagne glasses. After the bomb Madeline had dropped on me, I wanted to get wasted.

“I have to tell you something,” I blurted out after my second drink. “You won’t like it.”

She leaned closer with her elbow resting on the table.

“This morning at breakfast…”

Kali waved her hand. “Don’t worry, girl. Damian and Bash FaceTimed me afterward so they could get off.”

My face dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, they were like animals in heat. I had to run into a bathroom between photo shoots and talk to them.”

---