Nicole tried to smile, tried to be present, but the weight of the last few weeks sat heavily in her chest.Even here, surrounded by her friends, she felt fragile, like a shell that would crack if anyone pressed too hard.
“Stop brooding,” Paige said, nudging her.“You’ll wrinkle.”
Nicole rolled her eyes.“Thank you for your concern.”
Jennifer leaned in, her dark eyes glinting.“She’s not brooding.She’s sulking.”
“I’m not—” Nicole began, but Amanda cut her off with a laugh.
“Yes, you are.You’ve got that tragic heroine vibe going.Like you’re waiting for Mr.Darcy to appear in the fog and declare undying love.”
Crystal patted Nicole’s arm.“Or maybe she’s waiting for Tripp Masterson to walk in and ruin her night.”
Nicole’s stomach twisted.“He wouldn’t come here.”
Paige smirked.“Oh, wouldn’t he?”
Before Nicole could ask what she meant, the crowd near the door shifted, and conversation dipped like a wave pulling back.She didn’t have to look to know.Her pulse told her.Her skin told her.
Tripp.
He stood just inside the entrance, scanning the room.No tie, his shirt open at the collar, his jacket slung casually over his shoulder.He looked less like the polished attorney and more like the boy she’d once run away with, older, harder, but still the only man her heart had ever recognized.
“Speak of the devil,” Jennifer murmured.
“Oh, he’s no devil,” Amanda said.“Not with that jawline.”
Paige elbowed Nicole.“Well?Don’t just sit there.Go talk to him.”
Nicole’s throat closed.“No.”
But Tripp had already spotted her.His gaze locked, unshakable, and the rest of the room fell away.He started toward her, his stride steady, unstoppable, like he’d crossed the ocean to reach her.
Nicole’s heart pounded so hard, she thought everyone must hear it.
It had been a week since their parents ripped the mask off and revealed the plan that had torn them apart.A week of sleepless nights, her mind gnawing on every fear that the past would never loosen its grip on them.And yet here he was, walking toward her—and every nerve in her body screamed yes.
God help her, she still wanted him more than air.
When he reached the table, her friends made a production of excusing themselves, Paige dragging Amanda toward the dance floor, Jennifer suddenly “remembering” she needed to refresh her drink, Crystal claiming she had to use the restroom, though Nicole knew she’d just been.In seconds, it was just the two of them.
“Nicole,” he said, his voice low, the way he used to say it when no one else was around.
What was she supposed to do?His mother despised her with every breath, and yet Nicole loved this man more than life itself.A part of her was finished, finished trying to win over a woman who would never accept her.All she wanted was Tripp.To hell with family ties.But even as the thought hardened inside her, she couldn’t ignore the truth, his mother still had the power to make their lives a living hell.
She looked up at him, forcing steel into her spine.“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I had to be.”
The words hung between them, raw and unpolished.
“Tripp—” she began, but he held up a hand.
“Please.Let me talk before you send me away again.”
She swallowed hard, her pulse racing.“Fine.”
He pulled out the chair across from her and sat, leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees, his eyes never leaving hers.
