Epic Lies (Epic Fail Book 2)

by Trudy Stiles

  “And please call us by our first names,” my mother scolds him.

  “If you head south on Route 35 and go through Spring Lake and Wall, you might be able to skirt around some of the heaviest traffic where 195 merges with the Parkway,” Dax suggests, and my father’s eyes light up. They’re speaking the same language, and it’s making me giddy.

  “You’re probably right, but I’ll let my GPS map out the best route, just to be sure.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Dax says. I grab his hand and squeeze to let him know how much this means to me.

  “Can I do anything else?” my mother asks, looking around the house. “I think we have everything loaded in the car. If we leave anything behind, you’ll take it, won’t you?” she asks me, concerned they’re going to leave something here. This is the last week of our summer rental, and she’s usually the one to take care of moving our seasonal things out and giving the key back to the landlord.

  “We’ve got it under control, Mom.” Dax and I will be here for the rest of the week…alone.

  “Are you sure? I can always drive back out on Friday and help you close up.”

  “Seriously. Don’t worry,” I say, kissing her cheek. “Now go, before Dad starts twitching. He’s already out in the car.”

  She kisses me back and pulls Dax into a hug.

  “We’ll see you both soon. Please, call if you need anything,” she says, walking out the door.

  We watch through the window as they pull away. Dax falls back onto the couch and I do the same.

  “My parents are totally smitten with you.”

  He lets out a huge sigh, “I was so nervous all weekend. Like I was going to say or do something that would banish me from your family forever.”

  I snort. “A bit melodramatic, don’t you think?”

  “It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been together, or how many times we see your folks–it doesn’t get any easier. Your father scares me.”

  “Seriously? Oh my God, you’re killing me!” I laugh so hard I get a stitch in my side. “He’s a complete teddy bear. What on Earth are you afraid of?”

  “I don’t know. He may seem nice and sweet to you, but I can’t shake the feeling that he will kill me slowly and painfully if I ever hurt you.”

  “Then don’t hurt me, and you won’t die a slow death at the hands of my father,” I giggle and slap his thigh.

  He grabs my hand and pulls me against him, kissing me deeply.

  “I feel better now,” he says against my lips.

  “Good.”

  “Let’s go for a walk.” He pulls away from me, just as I was about to attack him.

  “Now?”

  He’s on his feet and reaches out to grab my hand. “Yes, now.”

  I’m still full from dinner, so maybe a walk on the beach will help me digest. “Okay.”

  We walk barefoot, and hand-in-hand out to the boardwalk and onto the beach. The sand feels amazing between my toes, and it starts to cool as the sun sets.

  “This is my favorite time of the year in Belmar,” I say.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes. It’s the last week before people begin to close up their summer homes. Everyone is hanging on to the last few days on the beach, soaking it all in before their vacations end.” It’s always been a tradition for us to spend the last two weeks of August here, and I’m glad to keep our family practice alive.

  He squeezes my hand, and then kisses my cheek. “I love everything about the beach, especially when I’m with you.”

  My heart pulls in my chest, and I realize how lucky I am. Dax is perfect. We are perfect.

  “Can I tell you something?” He stops and faces me.

  “Anything.”

  “It’s something I’ve never told you before, and you’re going to think it’s weird. Maybe even fate.”

  I raise my eyebrow, intrigued. “I can’t wait to hear.”

  He points to the gazebo in the distance. “Right there. That’s when I first knew.”

  I remember this time last year when I attempted to escape the craziness that surrounded our relationship. He came to find me, and that’s where I saw him, watching me from that gazebo.

  “I remember,” I chime in. “I was a sweaty, hot mess covered in dog drool. I must have been a sight for sore eyes. You found me during my weak attempt to avoid you and the crazy stories in the tabloids.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “Not last year.”

  Goosebumps suddenly cover my arms as I anticipate his explanation. “When?” I ask.

  “About six years ago. Maybe seven. We were doing a photo shoot on the boardwalk, just beyond the gazebo,” he points and I gasp. I remember.

  “I was right here,” I say breathlessly. Mia and I were lying on our blanket, almost exactly where we’re standing now. She was babbling on and on about the surfers and then about the band on the boardwalk.

  “I know. I saw you.” His hand brushes the hair that’s blown into my face.

  “You did,” I state. “You waved at me.” How have I not remembered that moment until now?

  “There was something about you that caught my eye. You seemed so pensive, guarded, but strangely free. I was jealous that you had the whole beach to yourself. I wanted to ditch the camera crew and hop over the bannister. I wanted to ask you your name.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  He shakes his head, “It wasn’t the right time. Our stars hadn’t yet aligned.” A warm breeze swirls around us, and he squeezes my hand. “We weren’t supposed to meet again until the day you saved my life.”

  He drops to his knee, still holding onto my hand. “You’ve kept me alive since that day, Giselle, and I don’t ever want it to end.”

  My heart is beating out of my chest, and tears blur my vision. “Oh my God, Dax?”

  “I promise you three things,” he continues, unfazed by the whimpers that escape my lips.

  “Yes?”

  “One–I promise to live as if every single day with you is a gift, always to be cherished.”

  I cover my mouth with my free hand as my shoulders begin to shake.

  “Two–I promise to erase all of the bad memories that we both have on this day and replace them with nothing but love.”

  I can no longer muffle my sobs as I cry tears of joy. Today is August twenty-fourth, Lara’s birthday and the day she died. A date that will now forever connect Dax and me. A day suddenly filled with happy memories and the promise of our future together.

  My other memory from this day doesn’t deserve a single thought. I’ve moved on, Troy long forgotten.

  “Three–and this one’s easy–I promise to always tell you the truth, because lies have no place in our lives or our love.”

  He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, his hand still closed around it, but, my heart knows exactly what it is.

  “Giselle Andrews, I love you more than I ever thought I could love another person. Please say you’ll spend the rest of your life with me?” He opens his hand, and the most spectacular ring appears. I can’t believe this is happening.

  I love this man so much.

  “You want the truth?” I ask, tears streaming down my face.

  “No lies,” he answers as he has the ring poised, ready to slide onto my finger.

  “Yes, Dax!” He moves the ring perfectly into place and scoops me into his arms, kissing my tears away.

  “Thank you,” he whispers in my ear. “Thank you for trusting me with your heart.”

  “It’s yours–my heart is all yours. Forever.”

  Dax

  Sometime in the future…

  “ARE YOU READY?” Giselle calls from the foyer. She looks just as beautiful today as she did the day we got married. She’s wearing her favorite summer dress, and her feet are bare. We’ve been at our home at the beach for the past few weeks–the home that I gave to her as a wedding gift. We now spend our summers here in Belmar with her parents’ new house down the street.

  “I
’ve been ready,” I joke.

  We just finished dinner, which means it’s time for our evening stroll on the boardwalk.

  She links her fingers with mine as we step outside into the warm August air. “I love you,” I say as I kiss her temple. “Tonight’s dinner was amazing.”

  “You know I didn’t cook, right?” She reminds me, and I laugh. Her parents brought dinner to us tonight, and we ate Bob’s favorite dish–chicken Parmesan.

  “Exactly,” I joke, and she bumps her hip into mine.

  “I promise, one day, I’ll learn how to cook as good as my mother. But, when she’s right down the street, it’s just too easy to pick up the phone and place an order.” She giggles, and then gets serious. “I love you, too.”

  “What are we going to do with all of our free time?” I ask, knowing we don’t have to close up the house for the foreseeable future. Epic Fail is currently on a much-needed hiatus. Garrett and Sam just had a baby girl a few months ago. Heath had to take an unexpected road trip. And Tristan–well, he has his hands full. We agreed to take at least a year off before we make another album, although I know Garrett’s been working in his home studio with Chuck and putting together a Greatest Hits album.

  “Anything we want,” Giselle says and kisses me on my cheek. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

  I walk toward the stairs, leading from the boardwalk to the beach when Giselle pulls me in the other direction. “Let’s keep walking down the boardwalk.” Her eyes are bright, and her smile is huge. My gorgeous wife.

  We walk for a few hundred yards, and she pulls me into the gazebo. Our gazebo.

  “I remember the first time I saw you on the beach–just like it was yesterday,” I whisper into her ear.

  “I couldn’t believe you waved at me,” she says.

  I turn her to face me and hold her face between my hands. “I would have found you in a sea of a million people.” I claim her lips, kissing her deeply. “I love you so much, Giselle.”

  “A lie and two truths,” she mumbles into my mouth, her teeth scraping against mine.

  “What?”

  “It’s a little twist on our game,” she teases as she pulls away from me slightly.

  “Go for it. You know you can’t trick me anymore.”

  She lets go of me and walks around the gazebo, her hand brushing along the railing that I leaned on years ago. “You know how much I love you, right?” she asks.

  “Of course. Is that one of the TRUTHs?”

  She laughs. “No. I just wanted to tell you before I started the game.” Her eyes glisten, reflecting the setting sun. She’s never been so incredibly beautiful. She turns to face me, her back leaning into the railing.

  “Ready?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  She inhales deeply, and her smile widens. “I have size twelve feet.”

  Good Lord, where is this going? That’s definitely the LIE.

  “I’m so in love with you, I want to give you more of myself every single day.” Tears form in her eyes, and my heart jumps in my chest.

  I love you too.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  THE END

  A Standalone Novel in the

  Epic Fail Series

  The playlist for Epic Lies can be found here: http://trudystiles.com/playlists/.

  Featured Bands/Artists Include:

  AWOLNATION

  Dashboard Confessional

  Sia

  Young the Giant

  The Kills

  The Sounds

  Arcade Fire

  Nico Vega

  Swedish House Mafia

  Dear Readers,

  As you know, I write about connections and how two people eventually find love. Sometimes those connections are obvious, while other times, not so much. I don’t start writing a book with the intention to hide the connections or truths from the reader, it’s just worked out that way in many of my other books. The reader has found out the ‘twist’ usually at the same exact moment that my characters do, sometimes eliciting shock and an ‘Aha!’ moment.

  Epic Lies is different — at least I think it is.

  When I started writing this story, I thought it would flow the same way my others did, just like I mentioned above. However, that wasn’t quite working for me. I wanted the reader to know early on how these two characters were connected before they knew themselves. I wanted the reader to be in on the secret. For me, that helped me draw the connections and allowed the characters to live their lives, blissfully (or not so blissfully) unaware, until that moment. When I constructed, and deconstructed, this story, that’s what worked for me.

  And I’m sorry.

  Why am I apologizing? Because if you’re a loyal reader, and you’ve come to expect those twists, turns, and shocking moments you’ve read in my other books, then this book wasn’t for you. BUT if you’re a loyal reader, who enjoys a story where you can identify with one or more of the characters and are happy with the way their story unfolded, without the crazy twists and turns that I’ve thrown into my stories in the past–then I hope you enjoyed Giselle and Dax’s story.

  I think everyone can relate to some aspect of these characters’ struggles. I know that I personally have been lied to, cheated on and my own trust has had to be earned. I’ve given my heart to others blindly, at times. I have more in common with Giselle than I sometimes care to admit. I lived vicariously through her anger, and it felt so good.

  I’ve written all types of characters, and my female characters are either loved or highly criticized (it’s funny how that works). Why I loved, and connected so deeply with Giselle is because she dealt strongly with the adversity she was faced. She reacted to situations as I would react.

  Would I scream? Yes.

  Would I cry? Yes.

  Would I be afraid to move forward, for fear of getting hurt again? ABSOLUTELY.

  So, I hope you didn’t mind that this book was a little ‘different’ than my others. I didn’t set out to trick you or make you cry super-ugly tears. I just wanted to tell the story of two people and how they eventually found love.

  Thank you for continuing to stay on this journey with me.

  All truths, no lies.

  Love,

  Trudy

  PS:

  Did you enjoy this book? Please consider leaving an honest review on the site from which you purchased it.

  Want to talk to others about your thoughts?

  Join The Forever Family Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/808886315794103/

  This is always the hardest part for me. The acknowledgments I normally write usually ramble on and on, but I promise this time, I won’t do that.

  Thank you to everyone who supports me every single day.

  My husband and family: You all inspire me to be a better wife, mother, and person. Writing takes me to places that I both love and hate, some days I’m a disaster, and so is our house. Thank you for never holding my passion against me and for always encouraging me to continue. I love you Kevin, Cara, and Danny. You’re my life.

  Forever Family: My reader group is my safe place. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and letting me pop in there to tease you about what I’m working on. Thank you for sharing your personal stories and connections to my books. Thank you for laughing and crying with me. Thank you for telling your friends about my work. You’re all incredible, and I’m thrilled that you’re all still with me.

  Amanda Maxlyn: My writing sister. I love you. Every single time we speak, you make me feel better about myself as a writer and as a person. You’re my book wife bestie, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for being a sounding board when I needed it. And thank you for drinking wine with me over the Internet.

  Mark Arnold: A quick text exchange, and you were able to give me the perfect slogan! Thank you for all of your support and being one of my ‘forever friends.’ I love you!

  Chelle Lagoski Northcutt: You’re a complete lifesaver, in c
ase you weren’t already aware. Thank you for putting eyes on this book and giving me feedback that I didn’t even realize I needed. You’re an incredible woman, and I’m so happy I know you. Epic Lies wouldn’t be the book it is today, if it weren’t for you.

  Jade Piccolomini-Grandi: I love you for so many more reasons than the feedback you gave to me. Your heart is huge, and you give it ALL to anyone who needs it. Thank you for your friendship and the care and support you’ve shown me and my family. Our jar is full of happy and so much of it is because of you.

  My BETAS: You all know who you are, and you also know how much I LOVE YOU! Thank you for taking the time to read Epic Lies, even when I dropped it in your laps at the very last moment. My schedule has been completely wacky for the past two books, and your flexibility is so much appreciated. Your love for me and my books is astounding. Thank you so much.

  Chelsea Kuhel: I bet you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into when you took me on as a client. I promise you that I’ve never been so disorganized with my writing schedule before. And I can’t thank you enough for your IMMEASURABLE flexibility. You had your plate completely full, you were in the middle of a move, but yet you still made time for me and Epic Lies. Thanks isn’t a big enough expression of my undying gratitude for the time that you devoted to my work. Big huge thanks and hugs and kisses.

  Julie Deaton: You were my first (that’s not dirty, I swear). You’re one of the very first people to lay eyes on my first book and you’ve been with me ever since. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and proof Epic Lies. You’re meticulous and one of the best out there. I love you, Julie!

  Sarah Hanson: Did I tell you how much I love the covers you created for this entire series? No? Yes? I freaking LOVE THESE COVERS. You captured the essence of the series, perfectly and dramatically. Your art goes above and beyond, and I’m humbled to call you my cover designer.