Page 58 of My Twin Sister's Ex

“You just got ominously quiet.”

I loved it that he was that in tune with me that he could tell from the smallest sign that something was upsetting me. “I’m worried about how my family will feel about us being together. Especially after the kiss with Jackilyn.”

“I thought you might be concerned about that. And I don’t blame you,” Bennett said. “But ultimately, you can’t control what they do or say or think.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I just don’t want friction with them.”

“They don’t know me very well. I have a feeling that if I spent more time with your family, they wouldn’t have a problem with you dating me.”

“That’s a good point,” I said. “Maybe they just need to get to know you.”

“Exactly.” Bennett and I talked for the next bit while we drove to the falls.

“I haven’t been here in a while. I’ve been so busy with school and work that I haven’t stopped to have fun.”

“Should we ditch the scripts and skip running through lines? Just enjoy the sunshine while it lasts?”

“We don’t need the scripts anymore anyway. But sure, if you want, we can focus on just having fun tonight.”

He grinned at me. “Let’s do it then.” He pulled into the parking lot of the falls.

We hauled our food out of the car and headed toward the sound of the rushing water. When the falls came into view, we picked a large smooth rock for our picnic. A family with little kids played nearby, but it looked like they were packing up to leave.

“I forgot how beautiful it is here,” I said.

“I love coming here.” Bennett pulled his burger out of the brown paper bag and began unwrapping it.

I dug my hand in the bag and pulled out what was left of my fries. I’d eaten all of my burger and most of my fries on the way over. I ate a few fries and then sipped on my milkshake.

“We should have brought our swimsuits,” I said.

“We can always come back another time to swim.” Bennett took my hand in his and entwined our fingers.

I liked that Bennett was talking about our future. It made me think that he believed we would last as a couple. I wanted us to last, but I wasn’t sure if we would. Could we withstand whatever retaliation Jackilyn intended to launch against us?

* * *

Igot a yogurt from the fridge and opened it, digging in with a spoon as I took a seat at the table. It had gotten late. I’d already finished my shift at work, and I was about to head to bed. Jackilyn came in through the garage with a pair of high heels on her feet and bright red lipstick on her mouth. Typical for her.

“Where’s Bennett?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s at home. I had to work tonight.”

“I just asked a simple question.” She sneered at me. “No need to be rude.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why do you want to know where he is? Were you prying to find out if we’ve broken up?” I asked, sure I’d gotten to the truth of the matter.

“You know, I actually care about you,” Jackilyn said, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting in it. “I care about what happens in your life.”

I thought about Jackilyn putting her arms around my man, and my face grew hot. How could she do that to me and act like it was all his fault? She’d betrayed me and then lied to place the blame on Bennett when he was the innocent party. “What you did wasn’t okay. You need to stay away from Bennett.” My hands shook as I spoke, adrenaline pumping through my body as my voice rose. “You knew exactly what you were doing. Is hurting other people a big game to you?”

Jackilyn’s eyes went wide like she hadn’t expected me to be so forthright with her. “It’s not a game. Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you? I didn’t think you liked him that much, and I thought he still wanted me.”

“I really like him, Jackilyn. I think I’m falling in love with him.”

“You are?” Her face went white like the reality of what she’d done came crashing down on her.

My parents came into the room. “What’s going on in here?” my mom asked.

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