Page 41 of One Reckless Moment

She started laughing frantically. “Have you not seen it? I texted it to you this morning.”

I put my phone on speaker and swiped to my text messages. My inbox was flooded with messages from family and friends, but I ignored them. I opened my thread with Lottie and froze, almost dropping my phone onto the hardwood floor.

Attached to the message was a link to an article titled Heartbreak Kids: Sponsor’s Daughter Smitten for Rugged Rodeo Husband. The article was paired with a picture of Cash holding up the chain around his neck with my rings on it. I scrolled quickly through the article and read the excruciating details of our interaction with the reporter—except it was all lies.

It detailed me cheering for Cash “with hearts in my eyes” before our grand reunion. It described in vivid detail how Cash held up his necklace and exclaimed to the crowd how proud he was to wear my rings around his neck.

I felt the bile rising in my throat. “I can explain.”

An article from a tiny newspaper in Montana should not have mattered. It wasn’t Page Six or the LA Times. It was practically a blog post, but that didn’t matter. It was on the internet, which meant anyone could see it—everyone could see it.

A sob broke in my chest. This was a disaster. I fell to the ground, unable to breathe as Cash appeared next to me.

“Pip? Baby, are you okay?” he asked, placing a soothing hand on my back. I shook my head no and handed him the phone.

“Holy fucking shit.” Cash ran a hand over his jaw and looked at me with sheer panic in his eyes.

“Um, hello? Upset sister still on the line.” Lottie’s voice rang out over the speaker.

“Everyone knows?” I asked, slightly hopeful that maybe only Lottie had seen it.

“Yeah, babe, everyone knows.”

“Fuck,” Cash shouted.

“This is a shitshow, P. How could you be so reckless?” Lottie’s words hit me hard in the heart as the tears continued to fall.

“I know. I’m sorry. I⁠—”

“We didn’t want to bring attention to it until we were ready to tell the family. Together, and in person,” Cash interjected as I dropped my head into my hands. He pulled me over to the bed and onto his lap.

I curled into a ball against his chest.

“Well, you’re coming back to a mess. Walker punched a wall. Dad has gone quiet and broody. Mom cried. Reid called me in a panic that you have Stockholm syndrome.”

“We’re coming home tomorrow. What are we going to say?” I asked through my sobs.

“Start with the truth? You guys had know this would get out eventually. You made the choice to get married. That shit doesn’t stay a secret. What was your plan?”

To fuck Cash for the summer, get divorced, and never tell a fucking soul.

“We were living in the moment,” Cash answered for me.

“I love you, Cash, but shut the fuck up, you moron. Walker is going to have your head, and I really didn’t want to clean up blood this week,” Lottie bit out.

“Charlotte, be nice,” Owen chimed in from the background, which caused me to laugh lightly. Owen was the only person on the planet that Lottie let call her Charlotte.

“Fine, but I’m coming home early. I booked a flight for this afternoon.”

I let out a breath. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get there, okay?”

“You better.”

“It was a pleasure as always, Lo, but Paige and I have some things to talk about so we gotta go. See you tomorrow,” Cash said.

“No, wait⁠—”

Cash ended the call without another word. He tossed the phone onto the bed and stood, pacing the room.