by Lee, Nadia
“Don’t worry, I will.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Evie
When Nate finally comes back to the office, he’s carrying a box of Belgian chocolates and a bright bouquet of carnations and daisies. He hands me both.
“This is what your shopping was about?” I ask, a big grin splitting my face.
“Yup. I couldn’t ask you to get them for me, now could I?”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Every man is entitled to spoil his wife without her protesting. Just enjoy them.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He runs the side of his index finger along my cheek.
I duck my head, suddenly embarrassed. I don’t think anybody is staring, but…
Regardless, I’ve been very lucky. My coworkers are slowly accepting that I’m the boss’s wife. Actually, some of them were furious about the tabloid article. Haruka even said, “I’m going to stuff blowfish ovaries down that so-called writer’s throat.”
I laughed, thinking it was cute how she wanted to make him choke on tiny ovaries.
“Don’t laugh. They’re toxic and will kill you. Make you stop breathing and you die. In agony, and with bad-trip hallucinations.”
Note to self: do not mess with Haruka.
Kim also volunteered to off Brockman in gruesome fashion. All I have to do is say the word because she knows a guy who knows a guy.
Mom texted me to be careful, concerned that the notoriety of being Nate’s wife isn’t good for me. I reassured her we’re both fine, and that it’s only bringing us closer.
I get a text from Dad as well, asking me if he can talk to me at a Starbucks near the office. I say okay, since Nate doesn’t have a meeting, and I don’t have anything pressing this afternoon. I’m guessing he read the article and is concerned. That’s sweet of him, but totally unnecessary.
Half an hour later, I tell Nate I’m heading to Starbucks.
“What for?” he asks. “Did we run out of decent tea?”
“Dad wants to chat. I think he saw the article.” I wrinkle my nose.
“Ah, okay. I’ll come with you. Let him know we’re as strong as ever and there’s nothing for him to worry about.”
“If you don’t mind.” I smile. “That’d be great.”
Nate and I walk to the Starbucks together. Dad’s already at a booth with his drink, checking something on his phone. When he sees us, he starts, then waves, placing his phone on the table.
I wave back and grab an iced tea, while Nate gets a shot of espresso.
“Hi, Dad,” I say.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He searches my face. “You look good.”
“I’m fine.” I look at Nate, who sits next to me. “We’re fine.”
Nate gives him a warm smile, and Dad smiles back. “I’m glad to hear that. I saw the article and thought it might have upset you.”
Nate holds my hand on the table and squeezes gently. “Well, Evie and I both know the truth. That’s what matters.”
Dad leans back in his seat, his shoulders lowered. “Wow. Now I feel like a silly old man, panicking over nothing.” He laughs softly.
“Don’t. We just trust each other,” I say, not wanting Dad to feel bad. Any parent would be concerned.
“That’s good,” he says. “Honestly, you can’t have anything if you can’t trust the other person. And I know it’s hard. Especially when he has so much power over you.”
Over me? What an odd choice of words. Nate’s fingers shift a little around mine, but he still seems relaxed. “How do you mean?”
“You know. He’s a wealthy, well-connected, influential man.” Dad’s gaze flicks to Nate. “And you aren’t any of those things. It can be hard to balance that out.”
What he’s saying pokes at one of my old fears. It’s true that such a power imbalance would normally be a little scary…even dangerous. But the faith I have in Nate makes it inconsequential.
“Evie is my wife. Everything I have is hers, including my wealth, connections and influence.” Nate’s voice is as cordial as ever, but I swear there’s a hint of steel underneath. “Everything.”
Dad nods slightly. “I heard things were hard for you in Dillington,” he says, turning toward me.
That’s a sudden change of topic. “Mom told you?”
“Something like that.” He shrugs, looking slightly uncomfortable. “She didn’t want to burden me with old stories, but, you know, when you’ve been away from your child for so long, you want to know everything about her, hoping it will bring you closer.”
“I’m sure.” Nate smiles, then brings my hand to his lips and kisses in a gesture that’s both loving and protective.
“Oh my God! What the fuck!”
I turn, looking up to see the furious face of Georgette. Holy mother of God. What is she doing here? And why does she look like somebody crapped all over her favorite cake?
Nate is sitting between us, and turns in his chair to face her. I look at her over his shoulder. At least she’s dressed like a normal person this time. A Yankees cap is on her head, her T-shirt says, “Bow to This Goddess,” and the jeans are super tight and studded with faux jewels, but for her, it’s a sedate look. Regardless, embarrassment and annoyance mix together, as she’s interrupting our time with Dad.
“Nate, why are you still keeping this ho around?” she demands loudly.
“What are you doing here?” Nate says.
“I wanted to make sure you saw the article! And kicked this bitch out! She’s supposed to be crying and shit, not sitting here sipping on a latte.”
“Are you stalking us?” I ask, disturbed by the possibility.
“This is a public place.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Didn’t Barron try to kill you? He tried to when my pregnancy went bad.”
Oh geez. I vaguely remember the story Nate told me. “You mean when you faked a pregnancy to marry Nate, but got caught?”
“I didn’t fake shit!”
I’m not going to argue this, because she’s obviously going to believe whatever fantasy she wants to believe in. I can almost hear Nate grinding his teeth, while Dad just looks shocked.
“I don’t care what that old man thinks!” Georgette waves her index finger, a hand on her hip. “He should’ve tossed you out on your ass! I know your baby isn’t real. Nate can’t get anybody pregnant, okay? That’s why I couldn’t, even though I did everything to have his baby.”
Nate has obviously had enough, because he gets up and starts to push her away. Go, go, Nate. Dad doesn’t need to hear this.
Suddenly something clicks in the back of my mind. “Are you the source for that article?”
“Of course!” she says triumphantly. “Who else knows the truth? If it weren’t for me, you would’ve never married him, you skank. Do you know how hard it is to slip something into a drink at a casino? So many people watching. I had to dress up like one of those loser waitresses and learn the ordering system!”
I can’t believe it. We were drugged in Vegas, and Georgette was behind it all? Holy shit. I wondered how we ended up not remembering what happened the night before, but wow.
The back of my neck begins to prickle, and I realize people are staring. Of course, Georgette’s drawing everyone’s attention. She might as well have shown up in hooker heels and that mink bikini.
And Dad is still looking stunned. How am I supposed to explain all this to him?
Georgette isn’t finished. Nor does she care that people are pulling out their phones to record her crazy antics. “And then I had to practically drag him over to the chapel! But you…you wouldn’t leave! No, you had to tag along like a leech! You stole my wedding!”
She was going to drug Nate into marrying her? Who goes this far? It’s not even love. It’s insanity.
Her eyes glow with manic intensity. “The stupid security donkey thought you were with him! You! Who in right mind would want to be with you?” She’s yelling now, spittle flying everywhere.
>
“Enough!” Nate says between his teeth, and yanks her arm.
“You know she’s a lying little bitch!” she pleads with him, trying to shove him away to continue this mad confrontation.
Dad’s phone buzzes on the table, but he doesn’t check it. He’s too busy gawking at Georgette. Hard to blame him—that was my reaction when I first saw her.
“Admit it! Tell everyone whose baby that really is!”
Nate picks her up of the ground to separate us, and she kicks wildly. One of her legs sweeps everything off the table as Nate, cursing under his breath, forcibly carries her away. Georgette screams as she goes, her nails clawing at his back.
“Oh, shit!” I bend down to start cleaning up the mess around our table. Dad’s phone is on the floor, right next to a spreading pool of coffee. I pick it up, noticing the screen is still intact. Letting out a soft breath, I start to hand it to him until I see a text he missed.
We don’t have all week. Is your daughter gonna give you the 100k or not?
For a second, I don’t understand. What is this about? I read it again. This time, each word sinks into my head, etching its meaning like acid on metal.
“What is this?” I whisper.
He snatched the phone out of my grip, the movement adder-quick. “Are you all right?” he asks, ignoring my question. “Who was that? Nate’s ex?” He shakes his head. “I hope he takes care of that woman. It’s humiliating for you.”
“The text, Dad.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just some business stuff. That woman, though. Whew! It’s been a while since—”
“Tell me the truth. What’s that about?”
Dad looks at me, and slowly his eyes change. “Well, you read it. What do you think?”
I don’t know what to think. Does he owe money to some nasty people who might hurt him if he can’t pay it back? Or is it something else? But how could it be? I can’t seem to process anything right now. “Mom said… She said you’re a good guy. She told me so just yesterday.”
His eyes turning heavenward, he heaves a huge sigh. “Mari could never just admit it when she screwed up. Never. She has to hide the truth, make excuses. She knew everything. She knew she made a mistake with me, but didn’t want to tell you the truth. Probably too embarrassed. I’ll tell you, she’s sure got a lot of pride for such a pathetic girl. Always did. It was easy to manipulate her. All you had to do was poke it.”
“But—”
“But what? You thought your mom was perfect? That she’d never lie to you? People always lie.” He tilts his chin. “Even your knight in sterling armor Nate isn’t entirely innocent.”
My palms are slick with sweat. I look around the Starbucks in search of Nate, and see he’s outside with Georgette and a couple of baristas, blocking the door so she can’t get back inside. He’s defending me, shielding me from that lunatic woman. How could he be anything like what Dad is saying?
Still, I feel slightly queasy, and it has nothing to do with morning sickness.
“He came by earlier today to threaten me. Told me he wasn’t going to give me anything, and that I’d leave town if I knew what was good for me. He even said he’d sic the cops on me, which he could easily do. He has the money. The power. They’ll do whatever he asks,” Dad says bitterly. “He knew what I wanted from the beginning. Men like him always know.” He looks at me. “Guess he didn’t tell you that, huh?”
“No,” I rasp, realizing that Nate lied about why he took personal time off after lunch. It wasn’t to get chocolate and flowers. Why didn’t he just tell me the truth?
“You see, everyone lies when it’s convenient. Or maybe he doesn’t think you need to know. Or maybe he was going to use it against you.”
Against me?
“How easy will it be to take the kid away from you when you come from a seed like me? Maybe he’ll claim your background makes you an unfit mom. He might have the money, but not all judges are kind to daddies. They still love moms more. He must love that kid in your belly. Doesn’t he?”
What Kim said pops into my mind. Kids are precious in Nate’s family because Barron lost two grandsons when they were young.
“Just because he fucks you at night and sleeps next to you doesn’t mean anything. I did the same with your mom. And look how that turned out. The difference between me and him is I couldn’t make her do what I wanted, and I didn’t want her brat.”
It’s a good thing I’m sitting down, because my knees are trembling. Are we having an earthquake? It sure as hell feels like the entire foundation of my life is shaking underneath my feet.
“Anyway. Tell your husband I’m leaving, just like he wants me to. But make sure to let him know it would’ve been easier and cheaper if he’d just coughed up a couple hundred grand.”
Dad puts the phone in his pocket and leaves.
I stare at nothing. Then finally I stand, toss the tea in the garbage and walk out onto the sidewalk. The sun from the sky lights on me. I’d never felt this cold in the Los Angeles sun.
Chapter Forty-Six
Nate
Fuck. The cops take forever to respond to the call, and by the time they haul Georgette away, Bradley walks out. A nasty smirk is on his face, and I have a bad feeling.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Nothing. I told her I’m leaving. Ask her.” Shrugging, he trots away.
Shit. I should’ve never left him alone with Evie. I wasn’t planning on it, but fucking Georgette…
I start to step into the Starbucks, but Evie comes out, her face pale. “He’s gone,” she says in a wooden voice.
That prick probably didn’t even tell her he loves her. Bastard. I should’ve listened to my gut and never let him talk to her in the first place.
I sigh, guilt pricking at conscience. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s too bad he had to leave so soon. And I’m so sorry about Georgette. I didn’t know she’d do that. She won’t be a problem anymore. I promise.” I’ll make sure of it.
Evie looks at me, searching as though she’s waiting for something. Since I’m not sure what more I can say, I just smile. Although Court and Yuna made sense, I’m still debating if I should tell everything to Evie. Does she really need me to unload more junk on her after what just happened with Bradley and Georgette? “You know what? Why don’t we go out tonight? Maybe meet my friends? You haven’t met Court and his brother yet, have you? And Yuna also.”
“Is that all?” she asks me, her voice listless.
An internal alarm goes off. “You feeling okay? Should I call Dr. Wong?” I ask, even though my gut is telling me something’s very, very wrong, and it’s not something the good doc can fix.
“No, I’m fine.” Evie starts walking toward the office, and I go with her, wondering what’s making her act so strangely.
Maybe she’s upset her dad had to leave so suddenly. Or embarrassed about the scene with Georgette. People were recording it, and I’m sure it’s going to make a splash on more than one tabloid site. For all I know, the incident is already all over social media.
A night out will be a good idea. It should cheer Evie up.
I take her to her desk, then go to my office. I text Court and Yuna, asking them if they’re free for dinner with me and Evie. Court says yes, and wants to bring his fiancée. Yuna says fine, but warns me her mom’s assistants are going to tag along, and hopes Evie won’t mind them too much. I tell her not at all. I ask Court about Tony, but he says Tony has a date night with his wife. It’s okay. Court and Yuna are fun. And Skittles is nice too. Maybe it’ll help Evie forget Bradley and get her mind off my sociopathic ex.
At five, the office is emptying out like a beach at low tide. I go to Evie’s desk. “Ready for a fun night out?”
“Actually…can we talk?” she says. “It’s just the two of us here.”
“Sure.” Something must’ve happened between her and Bradley while I was occupied with Georgette.
“A lot of people want your money,” she starts slowly. “So y
ou’re naturally suspicious.”
I shrug, feigning nonchalance even though I immediately know Bradley yapped. Fuck. “Not all the time, but sometimes, yeah.” I should’ve just slugged Georgette back at the café, knocked her out and never left that con man alone with Evie. “I don’t generally make myself available to most people. You know that.”
She nods. “Yeah. I block them for you.”
“Exactly.”
Evie looks away, making fists, then opening her hands and curling them back into fists again on the desk. Suddenly she jerks her chin up and faces me. “Nate. Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” I answer without hesitation.
“Enough to tell me the truth no matter what?”
Shit. I feel like the floor underneath my feet has just turned into a sinkhole.
“Or does the trust only extend to some convenient line you’ve drawn without telling me about it? Or maybe you never meant for this”—she gestures at us—“to last long enough to matter.”
Okay, this is bad. My brain starts working overtime to figure a way to pull myself out of the hole I’m in. “Evie, it’s just… You can’t… I didn’t want you to worry about it,” I say, not wanting to throw Mari under the bus. I don’t agree with her decisions, but that doesn’t mean I want to screw up her relationship with Evie to save my own ass. “What Bradley did or didn’t do has nothing to do with us.”
“Doesn’t it? Or maybe you just didn’t want to tell me the truth. You were hoarding the little nugget in case you ever need to use it against me,” she says like she’s reciting something somebody told her. Or maybe it’s something she’s been thinking for a while.
The blow couldn’t be more devastating either way.
“Evie, no! How could you think that?” Most importantly, what made her think that? Haven’t I done everything in my power to reassure her I’ll keep her safe?
“I don’t know,” she says, her chin trembling for a moment before the muscles in her jaw start to bunch. “I’m just… I thought you’d always tell me things. You said you trusted me. How can it be trust when you lie?”
