Secrets And Lies

I know him

Ryan

Not a single one of us had a care in the world as we laughed and ate with each other in the Mathews' backyard.

My dad and James manned a grill each, while Melinda made sure everyone had enough lemonade or Iced Tea in their cups.

Taylor and I sat in our chairs watching my brother, Foster, Luke, Sam and Axel try to outdo each other in a game of corn hole. I had played a round but had been banned after being a sore loser when my brother had won. I guess he didn't like having the bean bag thrown at his head and no one else wanted to be on the receiving end of my tantrum. I was too happy with the sound that the beanbag had made when it hit Quade's forehead to argue.

"Where's your cousin? She should be here by now." Taylor said, then took a sip of her lemonade.

"No clue." I shrugged.

I didn't give it much thought before, but after checking the time on my phone, I had seen that it had been two hours since we left the ceremony.

"Hey, cheater..." I called my brother.

"For the last time, I didn't cheat!" He shouted back.

"You won, so there's no other explanation!" I chided.

"Ryan, shut your trap before I grab the bowl of three-bean salad, and block your lies for you!"

"Don't you two start!" The Warden pointed his tongs in our direction. "This barbecue will not end in a food fight!" He chuckled.

Quade rolled his eyes as our friends tried to egg him on by taking bets on who would win the non-existent food fight.

"My bet's on my girl. She's a pro when it comes to throwing food."  Axel winked, then abandoned his game to sit beside me.

"I don't know...Quade's got a good arm." Sam countered.

"As tempting as that sounds...I really don't  want to shower for a third time today."  Taylor scrunched up her nose.

Quade sat beside her and brought her hand to his lips. I smiled at the display but remembered why I had called him over.

"Since when does it take so long for Sloane to get ready?" Taylor asked.

My brother shrugged and checked his phone for a message or missed call. He pocketed it when there was nothing.

Melinda escorting my Uncle Collin and Nancy from the house without Sloane had me raising a brow.

My brother and I immediately left our friends to talk to them.

"Where's Sloane?" I asked.

"After she cleaned up, she realized she left her phone at your place. She'll be here soon." Collin answered.

"Why didn't she just ride there with you?" My brother asked.

"All of our...hovering is getting to her. She needed space." Nancy bit her lip, worry evident in her eyes.

I understood the worry, but I understood Sloane's need for it to stop more.

"You know Sloane. She doesn't like people worrying about her. She'll be okay." I voiced.

Before any of us could say anything else, the sound of screeching tires could be heard from the driveway.