Page 19 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

Claire

The look in my mother’s eyes was ice-cold, apparently not a fan of our display.

My father stood next to her, holding his bourbon, disappointment written all over his face.

Will’s eyes narrowed before a smile slowly spread across his face.

He looked like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland as he sized up Reid.

Whatever delusion was in his head that he could hold a candle to Reid in any capacity was ridiculous.

The moment I felt Reid’s strong body against mine, I knew there was no scenario where Will came out on top.

Courage, loyalty, compassion, strength, attractiveness… Reid was miles ahead on all counts.

“Lovely. If you’re all done there, are you ready for that drink now, Claire?” Will asked.

“No, thank you. It was good to see you, Will.” I spun on my heels and stalked off from all of them. Seconds later, I heard footsteps behind me. Reid pulled my chair out for me, but instead of taking a seat next to me, he lowered close to my ear.

“I’ll be back in five minutes. I’m not taking my eyes off him. I won’t let him anywhere near you.”

I swallowed thickly, my throat too tight. “Don’t worry. He won’t want to cause a scene. He’ll keep his distance.”

Reid nodded, his eyes already scanning the crowd for Will.

A few minutes later, he was back, two glasses of wine with him.

Reid pulled his chair closer to mine, sitting so close to me our legs didn’t have an inch of space between them.

He tried to lean back in his seat, but the fit of the suit jacket was restricting him.

He took it off and draped it over the back of the chair, grunting and grumbling about how tight it was.

His fingers played with the ends of my hair, caressing my shoulder where his arm was draped around the back of my chair. My body leaned into his touch imperceptibly, my skin tingling with awareness and my head foggy with the lingering feel of his lips on mine.

“Is this alright?”

“Yeah.” I smiled at him.

What was going through his head right now? Was he playacting to make a statement to Will to back off? Was that all the kiss was about? A statement? Claiming me as his in front of my parents and my ex-boyfriend just so that I wouldn’t have to put up with their harassment for the night?

It didn’t take long for our personal bubble to burst as others started to take their seats around the table. My parents were seated next to me, and along with them, my father’s partner in his law firm, his wife, and their two sons made up our table of eight. Luckily, no Will.

As soon as my mother sat down, the comments started.

“Darling, is that a wrinkle I’m seeing by your eye? It just goes to show you how fast time is going by. You’re well into your thirties now, Claire. You need to start thinking about settling down.”

“Thank you, Mother. I’ll keep that under advisement.”

“It isn’t just you that’s affected by your choices, you know. A reporter was asking your father just the other day when he thought he would be a grandfather. Who he can pass his legacy down to since you were so uninterested in it.”

“I’m not going to have children just so Dad can have a progeny, Mom.”

“I know. I’m just saying, these things affect him too. And you’re not getting any younger.”

“Thank you for that,” I replied curtly. Reid’s fingers brushed against my leg, letting me know he was here for me. He stabbed his fork into the salad like he thought he was spearfishing.

She continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “And you can’t be a mother living out of a suitcase in some no-name town hours from home.

Will is a good find, Claire. Think hard before you pass that up.

You can have a secure future, but only if you make the right choices.

If you don’t lock that down with Will, someone else will.

And you’ll be in your mid-thirties with only a history degree and a suitcase for company,” she said.

“You need to trust that I know what’s best for you, Claire. ”

I let her remarks slide off me, smiling brightly when the photographer came to our table and engaging politely when people wandered over to talk to my father, the picture of a perfect daughter. The perfect family.

“You let me know when, and we’ll blow this popsicle stand,” Reid growled in my ear.

The rest of the meal came out, course by course, and the motherly comments didn’t end.

“How was your dinner, Claire?” she asked as the entrée plate was being taken away.

“Very good, Mom. The Howsers did a great job with the event,” I said.

“Yes, they did. And Reece”—she glanced around me to look at Reid—“how was your dinner?”

“It’s Reid,” I corrected sharply.

Reid brushed his hand on my knee. “It was excellent. Thank you for asking, Mrs. DeLuca.”

“I’m sure a dinner like this is a novelty for someone like you,” she said to Reid, a smile plastered on her face. “Claire has been brought up in this environment her whole life. She understands how important these events are to cultivating the relationships needed in life.”

I snapped.

“Enough,” I hissed. “Enough. I’m not you, Mom.

I don’t want that life. This life.” I waved my hands around me.

“I want to earn my own money. I want to find someone who loves me. I want to find a small cottage with warm wood floors and cozy blankets and hot chocolate. I want to live my own life, not yours. I’m not getting back with Will.

I’m not going to latch on to the next up-and-comer in the hopes of being some politician’s wife.

” Tears threatened to break free as I unleashed all my pent-up anger at my mother.

But I refused to cry. I wouldn’t let her see me crack, my father’s voice in my head once again: Never let them see you cry. You’ll only look weak.

“I’m not your little paper doll. Stop trying to make me you.”

I pushed my chair back, and Reid was out of his seat in a flash.

He grabbed my hand, threading our fingers together.

My anchor, holding me steady. The look on my mother’s face was priceless.

I had told her before, many times, what I wanted for my life, but never like that.

We didn’t have that type of relationship.

Ours was more the “you do what I say because I’m your mother and I know best” type.

That might have worked when I was a child, but I was a grown woman now.

I could make my own choices, and that was exactly what I planned on doing.

Everyone at the table was staring at me like I had lost my mind. I offered them a weak smile, wishing them a good night before I led Reid out the door.

I left the dinner with my hand in Reid’s. He opened the passenger-side door of my car for me and swung around to the other side.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

My hands felt clammy, and the adrenaline in my system was making me jittery. “Of course,” I lied. “I’m fine.”

“Do you need anything at your parents’ house before we head home?”

I looked over at him, my brow furrowed. “I can’t head home. The wedding is tomorrow.”

“You’re still going to go?”

“Yes. I have an obligation to be there. I can’t not show up. That isn’t even an option.”

Reid’s fists clenched around the steering wheel. His sharp jaw, highlighted by the passing streetlights, could cut glass.

“Why not? You made your appearance for the bride. The rest of this circus is for what? Just to make your parents happy? Because they give a shit if you’re happy?” His tone was harsh. I could understand where he was coming from, but he didn’t get that this was how things were done around here.

I had always struggled to get out from under my parents’ thumb.

I’d gone to law school because that was what my father expected of me.

I’d dated a future politician, a model of the man I was supposed to look up to, for years.

I fought tooth and nail for my parents’ approval, but after all this time, I had to admit that it wasn’t going to come.

After I dropped out of law school—clearly seeing the writing on the wall that a career that hinged on my ability to argue with people was not going to be successful—there was no recovering from that level of disappointment.

Marrying me off to Will Tennison was the next best alternative, and I blew up that plan too.

Having Reid by my side today made me realize how unhealthy I had let my relationships become. Or maybe they were always unhealthy, and I just didn’t recognize it. I honestly wasn’t sure, but my perspective was shifting. I felt like my eyes were finally open for the first time.

We got back to the estate, and I was wrung out and completely exhausted.

“Are you sure you want to stay here tonight? I’m sure there’s a hotel or something.”

“It’s fine, Reid. It was just an argument,” I said. He didn’t need to know that I had never, in my thirty-two years of existence, ever spoken to my mother like that.

I changed out of my dress and threw on a pair of pajamas. Reid had stripped down to his boxer briefs and was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I hadn’t really thought about sleeping arrangements when I came out here earlier. Do your parents have another guest room or something?”

I was too tired to be nervous or self-conscious, although a part of me was coming alive the longer I stared at him.

“I’m not sure what they have available. You can crash here, if you want.

” I had to walk past Reid so I could plug my phone in on my nightstand.

“But you’ll have to take the other side of the bed.

” My legs grazed his knees as I passed him.

It was so dumb, the tingles that traveled across my skin at the slightest touch of him.

Reid smirked at me, his eyes quickly scanning me from head to toe. He scooted further back on the bed, then rolled to the other side. He looked like a little kid rolling down a hill.