The cat, apparently having decided I was no longer an immediate threat, blinked at me from the safety of her arms. Kate moved to the couch and sat down. The cat settled into her lap like he’d found a permanent residence.
I stayed where I was for a second, insanely jealous of a fucking cat, but the fact that it was getting to calm her, to be there for her, and to be her emotional support right now made me feel like I was going to explode.
“Sit,” she said gently when I still hadn’t moved a full minute later.
I glared at the cat but strode over to the couch anyway and lowered myself down beside her. Close enough that our knees almost touched but not quite. Not yet.
She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her fingertips and let out a slow, shuddering breath. “Okay, so you went to talk to Alex. What’s the plan, Nate?”
Relief, gratitude, and hope expanded inside my chest. We were still together, and for as long as that was true, we could do anything.
Thank God, it looks like all is well.Becauseshewas all I needed. She and I together could take on the whole world and win. I was sure we could handle one lonely, misguided billionaire—and perhaps a couple parents who probably weren’t too happy with me right now.
CHAPTER 46
KATE
The trip to upstate New York felt like a march to our execution this time. My parents met us at the airstrip again, but the warmth and enthusiasm of just a few days ago were long gone, replaced by cold glares and snide remarks.
When I’d called Abram to ask for this meeting, I hadn’t realized he would tell my parents. Or that they would be waiting for us, but as soon as we’d landed, I’d seen my dad’s car and I’d known we were in for it.
Nate had had all of about two minutes to prepare himself for the onslaught, but he was doing okay so far. The tires hummed steadily against the road, my father driving like he had a vendetta against the speed limit. His jaw and shoulders were set so tight I really thought something might crack if he didn’t ease up soon.
The silence that had fallen in the car didn’t last, my dad starting in on Nate again with his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “I trusted you, Westwood. Ivouchedfor you. Do you understand that? My name is tied to yours now. You’ve not only humiliated my daughter and broken her heart, but you’ve also wrecked my reputation.”
Nate didn’t answer.Smart man.
“I put my rep on the line, a reputation I’ve worked for my entire goddamn life, because I thought you were honorable. Dependable. Not the kind of man who drags scandal in behind him like a fucking parade.”
Nate had been relegated to the back seat, with my mother acting like a prison guard beside him. Obviously, my father had decided that he deserved to be physically demoted and monitored. He took everything my dad was saying without defending himself, arguing, or even bringing the truth into it.
“I don’t know what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but dragging my daughter into it?—”
“I was already in it,” I snapped, deciding to step in. “Nate didn’t drag me into anything.”
Dad barely paused before he scoffed. “Stop defending him, Katie. A man who’s done this once will do it again. I don’t care what he told you or what pretty flowers or jewelry he bought to make up for it.”
“Enough.” I stared out the window, my hands clenched in my lap, but I finally managed to tune him out. We needed to stay focused.
Fields blurred past in long streaks, so wide open and pretty that I suddenly wondered if we should just move out here. Or perhaps to Nate’s place near the border. I could so happily spend my days running through meadows and forests, fishing on the lake, far away from the press and all this familial nonsense.
Dad smacked his hand against the steering wheel, the sound snapping me back out of my head. “And this Emma person. Don’t even get me started on her.”
“Oh myGod,” I muttered.
Dad shot me quick glare. “What? He needs to break it off with her, Katie. Today. Yesterday. Fuck, he should’ve done it before he ever put a ring on your finger. It’s unacceptable. I don’t care if it’s an arranged marriage. It’s still a vow to?—”
“Pull over,” I said suddenly, the words coming out sharp enough to cut glass. “I said, pull over.”
“Excuse me?” Dad sniffed. “We’re not there yet. Abram is expecting us. Although he thought it would only be you. We’re ready to support you, Katie. No matter what.”
“Pull. Over. Now.”
He didn’t do it at first, but that was a mistake. Nate might be able to take an entire half-hour drive being railed on for something he wasn’t even doing, but I was done. Even if we hadn’t come here to talk to my dad, I wasn’t going to let him keep talking to Nate like that.
I’d been trying to follow my husband’s example until now, just shutting up until we got there, focusing on what we’d come here to do. But Dad was going too far and I’d had enough.
“Daddy,” I said, turning toward him fully now, my voice rising whether I meant for it to or not. “If you do not pull this car over right now, I swear I will grab the wheel and do it for you.”
