49 pages • 1-hour read
Wild Side
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 14-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary: “Rhys”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes sexual content.
Rhys goes bowling with West, Ford, and Bash again. He asks his new friends about safety and security in Rose Hill because he’s worried about Tabitha and Milo. They suggest he have a security system installed. Then Tabitha and her friends Rosie and Skylar arrive. Rhys is glad she’s there but gets upset when a guy named Stretch starts making lewd comments to her. For the rest of the night, Rosie and Skylar tease Tabitha about Rhys’s protectiveness and Rhys about his attractiveness. After the match, Tabitha and Rhys run into each other near the bathroom. They flirt, tease, and touch each other but Tabitha pulls away. They still haven’t worked out their differences and Rhys is leaving town again tomorrow.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Tabitha”
Over the following days, Tabitha tries settling back into daily life. She’s glad to be busy because it gives her less time “to dwell on Erika” (127). Meanwhile, she tries not to think about Rhys. She’s curious about his family, friends, past, and work. She’s also touched when he has Bash install a security system while he’s away.
When Rhys returns to Rose Hill, he confronts Tabitha about their situation. He was stopped at the border and worries he won’t make it back to Canada if he overstays his visa. Terrified of losing Milo, Tabitha impulsively suggests that they get married. Rhys agrees without hesitation. Tabitha doesn’t know if she’s doing the right thing. However, they decide to get married as soon as possible so Rhys can travel freely between Rose Hill and Florida. Suddenly a cat appears, interrupting their conversation. Tabitha adopted Cleocatra for Milo although she knew Rhys didn’t like cats. After the two part ways for the evening, Tabitha thinks about her future and feelings for Rhys.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Rhys”
Rhys calls out of work so he and Tabitha can get married. He discusses the situation with Anthony on the phone. He hangs up, feeling out of control for the first time in years. Afterward, Rhys and Tabitha tell Milo they’re getting married. Milo excitedly tells his plant Erika the news.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Tabitha”
Tabitha and Rhys prepare for the wedding. During the ceremony, Tabitha wishes Rhys’s family and friends were there but tries not to let it bother her.
Chapter 18 Summary: “Rhys”
Tabitha and Rhys get married. During the ceremony, Rhys reflects on the past few weeks with Tabitha. He wonders if “she’s having second thoughts” (161). The officiant, Doris, gives a romantic address and the couple says their vows.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Tabitha”
While saying her vows, Tabitha reflects on everything Rhys has done for her in recent weeks. She’s overwhelmed by the feeling of his arms around her when they kiss; the kiss feels different than anything she’s experienced.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Rhys”
Rhys can’t stop admiring Tabitha’s appearance during the dinner reception. He’s moved by how much her family loves her too. When Paul asks what Rhys does for a living, Tabitha jumps in and says he’s a stuntman. The rest of the evening elapses pleasantly. Toward the end of the night, Rhys and Tabitha interact intimately, but Tabitha teasingly insists they’ll never have sex.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Tabitha”
Tabitha and Rhys return home. Rhys retreats to his room while Tabitha talks with the babysitter, Cora. Cora’s watching professional wrestling and ropes Tabitha in. Tabitha is shocked when she recognizes the masked Wild Side wrestler. After Cora leaves, she confronts Rhys, exclaiming over his Wild Side career and insisting he shouldn’t be ashamed. He explains his reasons for hiding his job, and Tabitha realizes he is a good person. The two promise never to come after one another’s assets when they end their marriage.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Rhys”
Rhys joins Tabitha in the kitchen the next morning, relieved that their dynamic feels different already. They share coffee on the patio and chat about their feelings, Rhys’s job, and their marriage. They agree not to sleep with other people while they’re together.
Chapter 23 Summary: “Tabitha”
Tabitha, Rhys, and Milo spend the day together. They go on a walk and share a picnic. Tabitha feels relaxed lying beside Rhys and listening to him tell Milo a story. After Milo falls asleep, the couple talks about their situation. Rhys apologizes for complicating Tabitha’s life and insists that Milo belongs with her. Tabitha argues he belongs with Rhys, too. Rhys opens up about his childhood and reasons for wanting to help Milo. Tabitha understands.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Tabitha”
Tabitha, Rhys, and Milo go grocery shopping. Tabitha marvels at how good Rhys is with Milo. Then the family runs into Stretch. Rhys defends Tabitha again and proudly announces that they’re married. He buys two copies of the magazine that printed their wedding announcement. Tabitha silently realizes how lucky she and Milo are to have Rhys.
Chapter 25 Summary: “Rhys”
Cleo hangs out with Rhys in the basement while he prepares his lines for his next show. Meanwhile, he reflects on his circumstances, worried about protecting Tabitha and Milo from his public life. He also worries about receiving the marriage certificate in the mail. As soon as he gets it, he can return to Florida. However, he’s grown attached to life in Rose Hill. Tabitha enters the basement, catching Rhys in his Wild Side mask. He explains that he’s working on a promo video and she offers to help. Afterward, they start touching and kissing.
Chapters 14-25 Analysis
These chapters explore one of the novel’s key themes, Developing Family and Community Relationships. At the novel’s start, Rhys and Tabitha’s dynamic is defined by tension and enmity. The two perceive one another as opponents because they want different things: Rhys wants to take Milo to Florida with him to fulfill his promise to Erika, while Tabitha wants to keep Milo with her in order to protect him. In this section, however, Rhys and Tabitha realize that their different outlooks on the future don’t have to draw them apart. This is a turning point in the novel.
Rhys and Tabitha’s decision to get married offers them a gateway into a healthier relational dynamic. Tabitha’s marriage proposal comes about impulsively because she “figure[s] that after being the sister who carefully thought out every choice in her life, [she’s] due to make a colossally stupid one” (131). At the same time, Tabitha and Rhys’s decision to wed is a manifestation of what the novel has already illuminated about their characters: Both are “willing to do anything for [their] family” (131). They are both making a sacrifice and agreeing to set aside their differences for Milo’s sake. In doing so, they take the first step toward fostering a new family structure and building healthier, sustainable connections.
Through Rhys and Tabitha’s marriage, the novel examines Identity and Trust in Intimate Relationships. Both Rhys and Tabitha put others before themselves. Tabitha is accustomed to prioritizing her sister’s, parents’, and nephew’s needs. Similarly, Rhys is accustomed to burying his personal life and traumatic past to avoid burdening others with his story. The protagonists’ behavior stems from self-preservation and precludes them from developing deep relationships with others. Neither Rhys nor Tabitha has a wide circle of close friends. Rhys spends so much time working and traveling that he doesn’t form lasting relationships—a pattern also triggered by his difficult childhood. Meanwhile, Tabitha has spent so much time developing her business and looking out for her sister that she’s let her friendships go by the wayside. In the narrative present, Rhys and Tabitha’s marriage requires them to invest in and trust one another and introduces them to new forms of intimacy. Getting married relieves their citizenship and logistical concerns, but it also teaches them how to share their life with others in a more balanced manner.
These chapters convey Rhys and Tabitha’s growing trust and reliance on each other. Many scenes—the new couple talking to Milo about their marriage, their interaction at the bowling alley and at the reception dinner, their discussion of Rhys’s wrestling career, etc.—illustrate how the couple is working to not only get along but to confide in each other. If they are going to raise Milo together and share a house and life, they must learn to communicate more openly.
The scenes centering on Rhys’s career and the picnic mark significant turning points in their relationship. In the former, Rhys opens up about his work and reasons for hiding what he does; his vulnerability helps Tabitha to understand “that Rhys is not who [she] thought he was, in more ways than one. It’s not just his job; it’s the type of human he is” (188). She gains further insight into his character when he tells her about his childhood while they’re on the picnic. These moments suggest that honest and open communication breeds healthy forms of intimacy. They convey the key message of the novel—that trusting another person with one’s experiences begets love, understanding, and care.
Unlock all 49 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs