Page 160 of Nash

Me, screwing her dad, is the lesser of two betrayals, and that’s not the kind of best friend redemption I deserve.

No books. No vibrators. Swim lessons. A glowing tan. I’ll take any punishment to feel like I genuinely deserve her forgiveness.

And me?

Well, I told Nash to leave, too. I don’t forgive him.

Sure, he finally told Alena the truth, but only because I forced his hand.

How long was he going to lie to her? To me? And if he does it out of love like Nadine says, then I guess Nash loved me so much I would’ve never known the truth.

“He lied to protect Alena.” Sire’s here, too. He’s reading my mind, preaching, “Forgive him so that you may be forgiven, too.”

Yep, that’s my scarlet letter sin. A bigSfor“Slut, who was DTF her best friend’s dad many times and lied about it.”

“He was going to tell you after the wedding,” Grant adds.

“Nash is an honorable man,” Nick assures. “Once he’s your husband, there will be no secrets.”

The kings circle me like lions around a tigress.

They say, one-on-one, a tiger would defeat a lion. But five lions against one tigress?

Well, it depends on how pissed she is.

“What language are you all speaking because it sounds like Bullshit?” I lean forward, not intimidated by them. “Tell usafterthe wedding? So, Alena would have been heartbroken, betrayed,anddivorced? And me and Nash, getting married, too? Uh-huh. I see the ‘Fuck That’ fairy just arrived.”

Jace keeps laughing, but Axel sneers with evil confidence. “Youwillbe his wife.”

I slant my glare at his glacial eyes. “I’m glad you’re not letting your law degree get in the way of your stupidity.”

He jeers, “I don’t know what’s makingyouso stupid, but it really works.”

I fire, “You talk so much shit, I don’t know whether to give you a breath mint or toilet paper.”

Sire snorts, amused. “Come on, Vale. We’re sorry we didn’t tell you, but we thought it was best for Alena. Loch genuinely loves her. Even when Axel tried to beat it out of him.”

“They’ll work it out,” Grant says. “They have to because I’ve never seen our baby brother so brokenhearted.”

Every day, Loch sits on the front steps of Alena’s villa, holding a fresh bouquet of wildflowers because Alena likes nothing cultivated. I peer out our kitchen window and see the crumpled envelope in his hand, too. It’s a letter he insists on handing to her.

But she won’t see him.

So, he’s staying with Nash.

Like two beasts sharing the doghouse.

But Nash doesn’t sit on our porch. No, he sits on his and texts me pictures of the books he’s reading. Two a day from the bestsellers list on marriage.

It makes me roll my eyes, furious, because it’s so goddamn sweet. How many men crack a book open about love for their women?

Only the best ones.

“Just play eighteen holes with him.” Jace catches another shrimp. “Stab Nash with snark, beat his ass, and then make him drop to his knees and beg for you. Or,” he catches another, “stay mad at him because it’s hilarious when you are.”

“It’s not funny,” I mumble because it hurts.

I feel like a three-day-old bruise. Worse and aching. Even if I give Nash a chance, what about Alena? I won’t swoon off into the sunset with her father and leave her alone in this hot mafia mess.

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