Tell Me Lies Read Online Free Page A

“Ah…so you were giving him an excuse, were you?”
     
                  “Of course,” Paige said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
     
                  “What’s going on?  Marcus just brushed by me without saying a word.”
     
                  Paige glanced up and found Ryan, staring dumbfounded at her.  Chuckling, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.  “Just getting even with him for calling me ‘Joanie’ once again.  And don’t you start, or your next!” she warned.
     
                  Ryan drew his finger across his lips and twisted it at the end.  “Not one word, I promise.  So, is this the man Dad’s ranting over?” Ryan asked, turning to Jonas.
     
                  “Jonas…my brother, Ryan Harper.  Ryan, Jonas Barnett.”
     
                  Jonas shook hands with her brother, another exact replica of William Harper as he imagined he had been all those years ago, tall, with broad shoulders, dark hair and startling grey eyes.
     
                  “I’ve seen plenty of your movies, man.  Nice to meet you,” Ryan said.  “So how did you meet our Joanie here?”
     
                  Paige gave him the look of death, but Ryan just laughed, pulling Jonas out of the kitchen for a round of twenty questions.  Jonas threw Paige a look over his shoulder, but all she did was smile at him and shrug.
     
    ~*~
     
                  The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly.  The entire Harper clan was there, a loud, rambunctious bunch.  Jonas liked the entire family, and thought he fit in as well as could be expected.  It had been rough meeting Paige’s father, at first, but after the initial round of interrogations, he seemed to have passed the test.
     
                  Marcus and Ryan had been easier to win over.  All being close to the same age, the three of them had a lot in common.  Maria had been on his and Paige’s side from the very beginning, welcoming him to the family with a wide smile and a big bear hug.  The teens had been the easiest.  They had all seen The Rising trilogy and they spent the entire afternoon grilling him about the movies. 
     
                  Ryan’s girls had wanted to know all about Eddie Wilson and Oliver Billings, two of his younger co-stars in The Rising . The three boys were more interested in the fighting scenes.  Overall, he had survived the encounter of meeting her family.  True, they were different from his family, but it was obvious they loved each other.  That was all that mattered to him.
     
                  After dinner, the entire family sat in the living room, exchanging Christmas presents.  Jonas sat beside Paige on the couch, his arm draped over her shoulder as she passed out her gifts. He enjoyed seeing the smile each one brought to her face as she watched the recipient unwrap her gift.
     
                  The teens thanked Paige for their gifts, then left, having plans with some of the other kids in the neighborhood.  She looked around the living room at her brothers and Maria wanting them to share in her news.
     
                  “I have an announcement to make. Dad already knows, and I want the rest of you to know too. Jonas and I are getting married.”
     
                  Marcus looked at her, disappointment crossing his face. “The articles in the paper, they’re true? You met Jonas years ago. You’ve been carrying on an affair with two men for months. How could you embarrass and humiliate this family?”
     
                  Paige blanched, all the color draining from her face. Beside her, she could feel Jonas tense and she dug her fingers into his arm.
                 
    “Marcus William Harper! You will apologize to your sister right now or so help me…” William bellowed, rising to his feet to tower over