Page 60 of Mateo & Nicole

She nodded. “Okay. And why does it look like you’ve been hit by a bus?”

He sucked in a deep inhale, feeling like his lungs were screaming for air. “Maybe because it feels like I have.”

“What’s going on?” she said.

When he didn’t answer, she grabbed his upper arm and pulled him back to the steps to sit down.

“Mateo, what’s wrong?” Sophia prodded again. “Did something happen with the ranch? With Nikki?”

“It’s over, Sophia,” he rasped, not trusting his voice. “We’re over.” He placed his head in his hands and fought the temptation to completely disintegrate in front of his sister. She’d been there after Caroline. She’d witnessed him breaking and had helped him put the pieces back together. He couldn’t make her do that again. “You were right,” he whispered, not looking at her. “I should have never dated someone who works for me.”

“I don’t think I ever said that,” she said softly.

“Doesn’t matter.” He hated how his voice shook. “Because it’s true. It’s going to be torture having her here, not being able to touch her—hold her.”Love her.

Except he’d keep on loving her. He knew he would, which was why he understood on a much deeper level that he wouldn’t be able to survive this one. He loved Nikki—more than he’d loved Caroline even. And seeing her every day, living under the same roof as her—already his heart was withering up and dying inside.

“What happened?” Sophia placed a hand on his back. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding. Communication is really important, Mateo?—”

“Don’t you think I know that?” His whole body stiffened, and she gasped at the movement. Mateo glared at his sister. “I learned that lesson a long time ago. I know how important it is to talk and get the truth out. I tried. I asked her to come clean before I accused her of…”

Sophia’s eyes bounced from one of his eyes to the other as she searched his face, waiting for the answers. He couldn’t tell her. Not the whole truth. She’d hate Nikki for it. Their friendship would suffer. Then who would Nikki have to turn to?

Even after what she’d done, he couldn’t do that to her.

Mateo took a deep breath and shook his head before getting to his feet. “She doesn’t want me, Sophia. And you can’t force someone to love you no matter how much you might love them first.”

“Mateo—”

“Drop it, okay? I’m an adult. We’ll be cordial. It’s not like I’m going to kick her out or fire her. I should have known better, and now I can suffer the consequences.”

“Mateo—” she tried again, but he ignored her and headed for the barn. He needed to get out of there. He needed to clear his head and figure out his next steps. One thing was for certain, he wasn’t going to reply to Caroline. That message had been clear. She was gloating. She wanted to rub salt in the wound after she’d sliced him open.

The worst part was that she’d finally taught him a lesson he should have already learned.

Trust was an imaginary concept—one he’d never fully obtain.

27

Nikki

Nikki could have been a ghost floating through the house for how she felt. Nothing felt solid anymore. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even hear the thump, thump of her heart anymore.

She wanted to be mad. She had wanted to throw Mateo’s phone at him and demand that he ask her who the guy was and why she was sitting with him, but she couldn’t. The second she saw who the message had come from, she’d lost her will to fight.

Mateo had lied about Caroline—about seeing her, about giving her flowers.

Not only that, but he had also been in contact with her even when he insisted he didn’t want anything to do with her. He wouldn’t even talk about her when Nikki tried to bring her up. It was as if Mateo had compartmentalized everything in his life.

The person he was with Nikki wasn’t the man who still held feelings for Caroline.

She didn’t know how she managed to get to her room without stumbling or falling down the stairs. Thankfully, Paxton appeared to be engrossed enough in the movie he was watching that he hadn’t seemed to notice her slip by the living room.

Nikki needed to think. She needed to regroup. Meeting Caroline had backfired so miserably that there was no coming back from it. That much was clear. Not only had Caroline figured out how to get to Mateo, but she’d also managed to make Mateo believe that Nikki wasn’t worth his time.

A sob racked her body as she crumpled against the door and slid to the ground. The lies and deception had become too much. It probably wouldn’t have even helped if she’d told Mateo or Sophia where she was going today. Based on everything she’d experienced, Mateo had already been long gone.

So what was the point in any of it? Why should she explain that the man who sat across from her at the table had only been the bartender, and he’d only been wanting to check on her? Why should she admit to visiting with Caroline if only to tell her to back off?

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