“You taught her that being loved meant earning it. And that she had to question herself every time she had a feeling you didn’t agree with.”
That finally shut them up. They didn’t know how to respond.
Victoria looked offended, her lips pressing into a thin line. David shifted his weight, suddenly very interested in the products on the shelf beside him. Sienna’s expression hardened into irritation, her arms folding tightly across her chest.
I didn’t wait for them to find their words. I gave them a small nod and walked away, leaving them standing in the middle of the aisle.
As I moved toward the checkout area, I realized I hadn’t tried to make myself look better or shift the blame. Defending Lila had been more important than what her family thought of me.
Doing the right thing hadn’t felt complicated at all. Which was ironic, considering I’d spent months making things harder than they ever should’ve been.
13
LILA
Iwas sitting cross-legged on my living room floor Saturday afternoon with my makeup kit spread out around me, pretending reorganizing it served some grand purpose beyond keeping my hands occupied.
Brushes sat in neat rows beside me. Foundations had been grouped by undertone and coverage level. Lip products were lined up by shade family. I had already cleaned everything this morning, but apparently, my brain had decided the solution to emotional instability was aggressively alphabetizing expensive cosmetics.
At least it kept me from staring at my phone. Whenever I looked at it too long, I started thinking about Reid and how he seemed to have changed for the better.
Nope, not going there.
I shoved another tube of concealer into a compartment with more force than necessary.
My phone started ringing beside me, and I glanced at the screen. My mom, because of course.
After their most recent texts, I already knew what this was going to be. More pressure.
I answered reluctantly. “Hi, Mom.”
“Thank goodness you answered, Lila.”
That wasn’t the greeting I expected, or the tone. She sounded offended.
Before I could ask what had happened, she launched into a tirade.
“Lila, you will not believe what happened today. Reid started lecturing us in the middle of Erewhon, like he had every right.”
“Wait, what?” That didn’t sound like him at all. He was the guy who smoothed things over and made everyone comfortable, which was probably why he spent most of his time successfully negotiating deals instead of arguing cases in court. “Mom, what are you talking about?”
“He accused us of the most ridiculous things.” Her indignation grew with every word. “Like making you feel small.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Apparently, we’re responsible for all your insecurities now,” Mom continued, clearly upset. “Can you believe the nerve? Everyone was staring.”
I tried to process what she was saying, but my brain felt like it had short-circuited.
Reid had defended me. He’d stood up to my family and called out how their nitpicking made me feel small. I’d never used that particular word to describe it to him before, but it was fitting.
Mom kept going without pausing for breath. “I don’t know what got into him, Lila. He was unbelievably rude.”
I disagreed with her description. It sounded like all he did was tell them the truth even though it must’ve been uncomfortable for him.
“He completely misrepresented everything we said. Your father and I were only trying to help you. And Sienna certainly didn't appreciate being attacked either.”
As Mom continued talking, her voice growing more frustrated with every sentence, the wall I’d put up after I ended my engagement started to crack.
