Page 55 of Fake Married to the Grumps

“I considered Joe a friend, but he wasn’t. He’s been bent on proving himself better than me all this time and he got desperate because all his attempts failed. I didn’t let his betrayal years ago affect me and that enraged him the most.”

“I was so scared,” Nelly whispers and swallows hard as she stares at me. “Thank you … For being here, for saving me … Thank you, Ethan.”

Now’s your chance, Everhart,I think as my chest swells with the weight of all my feelings for her.

“Nelly,” I murmur, my breath hitching in my throat as I know I can’t hold back now.

“I love you, Nelly,” I blurt, not knowing how best to say the words pressing on my heart. My eyes search hers, and confessing the words out loud for the first time feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest. “I just … I …”

Nelly’s eyes soften as she puts a hand on my cheek, then slowly shakes her head. Her words silence me. “You got scared,” she murmurs. “You thought something bad was going to happen, and you got scared, Ethan. That doesn’t mean you’re in love with me especially since you’ve been so clear about what you want in the past … This … This isn’t what you want, Ethan.”

“Nelly …”

“It’s been a long night,” she stops me as a tear slides down her cheeks. “I just want to go home, please.”

Her faint plea breaks my heart, so I swallow my words and kiss her forehead instead. “Let’s go home,” I murmur, knowing I will get my chance to tell Nelly the truth once we’ve put this horrible day behind us.

Chapter 21

Nelly

A few days after the incident with Joe, I resume work at Hart Holdings’ L.A. office and try to put the entire ordeal behind me. There’s a board meeting to introduce me officially to the other members, and Ethan joins in the applause following the introduction.

“Welcome to Hart Holdings,” CFO Kenneth Hickins congratulates after getting on his feet, and I shake hands with every other board member around for the meeting, including Julia Brene, who’s taking over her grandfather’s seat in the wake of his retirement.

Julia gives me a smile, and I thank her before returning to my seat. Ethan’s watching me intently, and I can’t describe the look in his eyes or how it makes me feel.

We haven’t talked much since that night, and I find my pulse skipping faster than it ever has each time he’s close. I keep expecting him to say something, or try to talk about his confession again, but he’s been silent.

Does he regret it? I don’t know which will hurt more, realizing Ethan regrets confessing to me that night or finally accepting he might never love me.

“The order of business today is our first project with Sunny Aerospace,” Ethan says, and I drag my thoughts back to reality to focus on the meeting. “Nelly, please tell us about the project,” he adds, handing over the baton for me to brief the shareholders on our business plans.

After the meeting, Ethan’s the first to leave the conference room, and then a few others follow him, leaving me wondering why he’s in such a hurry. My phone rings a moment later, and it’s a call from Josie inviting me to lunch.

We meet at a nearby restaurant thirty minutes later, and I order a spicy chicken and veggie salad while she opts for some lobster pasta.

“I still can’t believe he did that,” Josie says to me before slurping from her iced tea. “Storms is all over the news and has been for the past week. His board voted him out of the CEO’s seat too, so he’s lost his company. If he goes to prison, I don’t think he’ll ever get it back.”

I twirl the ring on my finger slowly and try putting my thoughts together. Each time I recall the incident and the fear that engulfed me after waking up and realizing I was kidnapped, Ethan comes to mind, as well as the terrified look in his eyes when he came to save me.

A lump forms in my throat as the memory of his confession plays out in my mind. Did he really mean it? Does he love me?

“You okay?” Josie asks when she realizes I’ve barely eaten my salad. She points at my plate and says, “You’ve barely eaten and you’ve barely said a word to me.”

Josie reaches out and places a hand over mine. “If you’re traumatized because of Joe, then we can…”

“No, I’m fine,” I stop her with a sigh. “I’m good. Trust me, Joe isn’t on my mind.”

Josie’s brow shoots to her hairline and the questioning look on her face stays etched till I finally give in and confess. “Ethan,” I murmur. “That night, after what Joe did, he said he loved me.”

Josie squeals in response to my revelation, and her excitement ends with laughter. Her rosy cheeks gain a flush and her eyes dance as she looks at me again. “That’s a good thing, right? I mean, it’s what you want.”

“I guess so,” I answer, shrugging a little. “The thing is, I didn’t believe him. I mean, if he said those words to me five years ago, Iwould have bought it then, but now … I just … I just didn’t think he was being sincere to himself.”

I stare at my salad again and realize the reason why I haven’t had much appetite all day is because I keep pondering on those words.

Josie heaves out a deep breath too, then tries to cheer me up. “Well, if he was being sincere, then he’ll probably find a way to make you believe him in the end.”

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