Chapter 4 " Everything okay ? " River caught my mood shift . [ ] I lied . " Work stuff . Gonna take this outside . " ] ] Dex was chain - smoking by the front gate . [ ] Soon as he saw me , pure venom . " Seriously , Brynn ? This is how low you'll go ? " What the actual hell ? ] " You're really gonna chase me down through my own UNCLE ? That's just sad . " ] ] I'm staring at this kid like he's lost his damn mind . [ ] So Dex thinks I'm dating River to get to him ? Like I'm some obsessed stalker ? Only reason I came out here was to keep my history with Dex from screwing up what River and I have . [ ] These past two months , I literally forgot this punk existed until today . [ ] " Dex , I'm not psychic . How would I know River was your uncle ? " [ ] " Cut the act . My uncle visited campus plenty of times - you probably saw him when you were stalking me there . " [ ] " You think way too highly of yourself . I came here to tell you River and I are getting MARRIED soon . I don't want any drama ruining our wedding . " ]] " Still playing games ? " Dex wasn't buying it . " Fine , marry him quick then . Just don't get any ideas about me ... " ] " Dex ' " ] e.0 A car pulled up . Sweet voice calling his name . Kid's whole attitude flipped instantly . All smiles , jogging over . ] Hot blonde jumps into his arms . [ ] I headed back inside , but heard the girl behind me . " Who's that pretty lady ? " [ ] " Just my uncle's girlfriend , " Dex said flatly . " She's gorgeous " " She's almost thirty though . " Dex didn't hide his disgust . " Pretty or not , she's got that desperate older woman vibe . Perfect match for my boring - ass uncle ... " Back in the house , River looked concerned . " Everything okay with work ? " [ ] " All handled . " Feeling guilty about lying . " Good " River took my hand . " Come on , dinner's ready . " ] At dinner , River's mom started right in . " So Brynn , River mentioned you two are thinking about setting a date ? " ] . " Yeah , that's the plan . " I nodded . ] Soon as I said it , felt someone's eyes burning into me . Glanced over - just Dex peeling shrimp for his girlfriend . [ ] Back when we were together , he'd always whine for me to do it . " Babe , you know I hate getting messy . Pretty please ? " || Chapter 4 I casually turned back around . [] River was saying , " We picked a tentative date - next month , the 18th . Looks perfect for a wedding . " ] His mom was about to respond when- " Ow , DEX ! You put all the shells in my bowl and threw the meat away , you idiot ! " [ ] Everyone turned toward Stella's whining . " Auntie Jess , look how mean he's being ! " Stella whined . ] ] Dex immediately started apologizing . " My bad , my bad . I'll eat the shells , you take the good stuff , okay ? " ] ] " Hmph . Fine . " Stella huffed . [ ] Jessica shook her head fondly . " These two have been fighting since they were kids . Dex used to pull her pigtails , hide frogs in her backpack . When Stella left for London , he cried for two months straight ... " " Mom . " Dex looked annoyed . ] ] " You missed me THAT much ? " Stella teased . " Okay , confession time - did you date anyone while I was gone ? " ] " Nope . " He didn't even hesitate . [ ] Right . We were just fuck buddies , I guess . [ ] " Really ? " Stella raised an eyebrow , suspicious . ] ] " Really . " " I heard college guys get sugar mamas these days . Older women who pay for everything . " Stella glanced at me . " Ever heard of that ? " " Nope . " I shook my head . [ ] I mean , come on . What Dex and I had wasn't exactly a sugar mama thing . [ ] " Makes sense - those arrangements stay pretty hush - hush . Too embarrassing if people found out . " Then she perked up . " Oh ! Sorry , we totally hijacked your wedding talk ! " [ ] River's mom jumped back in . " If you're both sure , we'd love to meet your parents and start planning . " ] " They already adore River . " I said . ] ] " Then it's settled - you and River are getting married next month ! " River's mom was practically glowing . " Brynn , we should visit your parents soon and talk wedding plans . " [ ] " Sounds great . " The whole dinner was wedding planning . Didn't even notice when Dex disappeared . Or when he left the house entirely . [ ] Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!