Page 6 of Wild Card

I reluctantly put Wyatt down and watch them both run out back.

“Did we get here in time?” My grandma bustles through the door.

“I think we are too late,” Chase says solemnly, still studying me.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been crying.”

My eyes sting again at the humiliation creeping in. “No.”

“You’re a shit liar, Squeak.” He passes me and stops at my counter, his jaw going hard at the pile of mail. “She’s a fucking bitch.”

“Chase!” I shut the door and slice my eyes to Grandma.

“I have to agree with him on this one, Willow.” She unwraps her scarf and hangs it with her coat on the wall rack. “Let’s have some wine.”

All plans of a quiet night alone go up in smoke as she makes her way to the fridge.

“Not that I don’t love seeing y’all, but it’s a work night and I’ve had a crazy day.”

“Told you she’d try to blow us off.” Grandma hands Chase a beer and uncorks the bottle of wine I planned to finish by myself.

“Good thing we don’t care about being unwelcome.” He pops the cap off and takes a long swig. “She opened it.” He flicks the invitation across the counter.

“I opened my mail. That’s not a crime.”

“No, but this shit is wrong. I hoped to get it before you saw.”

“You can’t police my mail service. Besides, it’s not like we didn’t know this was coming.”

“I had hope that Rylee had one decent thing left in her. Sending you an invitation proves she’s lost all sense of class and decency.”

There’s a reason my brother’s nickname holds true. As hard as I try, I can’t stop the squeak that slips out. “Rylee? You’ve known her her whole life. When has she ever shown a shred of decency?”

“She’s your sister, and God knows I love my grandchildren with all my heart, but this is too much.”

“Not anymore.” Chase sets the bottle on the counter with more force than necessary. My stomach dives at the hatred burning in his eyes. “From this day forward, she’s no longer our sister.”

“Chase, don’t say this because of me.”

“I’m serious and you’re done dealing with her bullshit. Rylee has always been a spoiled, narcissistic, pretentious brat. But this takes the cake. Sending you an invitation to her wedding to the fucking loser who strung you along for over two years.”

“It’s technically a Save-the-Date.”

His pupils flame.

“Stacy probably sent it. Rylee may not even know I was on the list. Minute details were never her thing.”

“Well, that makes Mom a heartless bitch. She’s out of our lives, too.”

“That won’t be difficult, seeing as I haven’t spoken to her in almost a year.”

The last time I saw my mom flashes in my mind. The way she stood next to Rylee, supporting her relationship with the man who I thought loved me. We had recently broken up and in my heart, I knew it was for the best. But seeing him with my sister and learning they’d had an affair was too much. If it wasn’t for my dad, I’m not sure what would have happened that day. He got me out of the house and straight to Chase as my world crumbled.

Mom called me a few times afterward, trying to settle the peace, but the last straw was when she told me I was making her choose between her daughters.

Like I was the problem.

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