Page 180 of Hidden Nature

“He won’t go.”

“No. He’s found the woman he loves, found his home, and in your family, his family. He wanted one so much.”

“He had you.”

“We had each other.”

“Will they try to pull you back?”

“I don’t think so. I think, this time, they’re done with me. They can’t take what’s mine—and that includes Theo. With his staying here and marrying Drea, having the business with me, they’ll be done with him. Whatever children Theo and Drea have won’t exist for them.”

“Good. They wouldn’t deserve them any more than they deserved you or Theo.”

“They might actually like Drea, on some level, if they got to know her, which they won’t.” Now he smiled. “They really wouldn’t like you.”

“Good,” she repeated. “One thing. They didn’t make you what you are. You and Theo made yourselves what you are.”

She reached out for his hand. “You taught him to play poker for Skittles, then when some heartless bastard ratted you out—on freaking Christmas—you took the blame.”

“Well, I’d won them fair and square.”

“You gave him a dog.”

Nash looked down at Tic. “Yeah, weak moment. But that’s working out okay.”

“He came here because he was tough enough to go after what he wanted, too. And he found it. So this, you, him, it’s not because of them, Nash. It’s in spite of.”

Still holding his hand, she rose. “What do you say we both take a break and go sit by the fire? We can pretend to watch a movie for a while, then I’ll get you naked if you do the same for me.”

“That sounds like a really good idea.”

Sloan gave Drea her first day off. The bride-to-be wanted to start the hunt for the perfect dress. Since the first round involved a boutique in Morgantown, Sloan slipped a possible non-wedding stop in her back pocket.

Elsie insisted on the back seat, and Drea chattered away while Sloan drove.

“I know we made the right choice with the venue. There’s such a beautiful outdoor area, views of the lake and the mountains. It’ll be gorgeous, just right in mid-October. And if the weather’s not good, we’ll move it inside. But the weatherwillbe perfect.”

“So say we all.”

“It’s the right size, too, for the number of guests we want. I mean other than Nash and some friends from New York, it’s mostly our family and friends. Which is a lot, but not too many.”

“Breaks my heart,” Elsie murmured.

“I know, Mom, but Theo’s good with it.”

“We’re his family now. Their family now,” Elsie corrected. “It’s amazing and admirable they turned into such good men with that awful, that selfish foundation. It just makes me love them more.”

She shifted her attention to Sloan. “And I’m perfectly aware that you and Nash are—let me pick the easiest word—seeing each other.”

“Well…”

“Not asking for chapter and verse. I’ll only say your taste’s improved. Not that there was anything wrong with Matias. That spineless weasel.”

Amused, Sloan flicked a glance in the rearview mirror. “Will it make you feel better to know he called me back in January to apologize, and to see how I was?”

“Moderately.”

“But we like Nash better,” Drea added.

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