Page 198 of A Song for You

“Sweetie, I say this with all the love in the world, but if you have a shot at happiness, any chance at all, it’s with that man. Give him a chance.”

My chest shudders with another sob. That’s all I wanted for so long. But now that I know the truth, I have no freaking idea how I’ll ever trust him again.

“I know we hate him⁠—”

I hold my shot glass up to stop her from adding a but to that statement. I’m tired of crying. “Please do not qualify that statement.” I down the shot while keeping my eyes trained on her. “What do I tell Chlo?” I ask as the tequila burns my throat.

How am I going to tell her I’m marrying her father? God knows I can’t tell her he forced me into it. Or that the only reason she exists is because of some sick revenge he concocted years ago.

“What will Chloe think of me?” I whisper my fear into the room.

Sophie sits up and loops her arms around me. “Aw, babe. She’ll think you’re a badass woman who did what she had to do to protect the ones she loved. Like you’ve always done.”

I shudder. Because the truth is that I’m out of time. I have to tell Chloe about Jay soon. And all I can do is hope that she knows I’ll do everything I can to make this right.

CashJames: Grace Kensington is a con artist. Her mother was correct when she said all Grace cares about is money and fame.

CashJames: She took advantage of me as her client. I was unaware of her marriage and am deeply sorry to have caused my family embarrassment.

I groan at the text from Frank that wakes me. Two screen shots. Both of Cash’s tweets from the night before. What a fucking asshat.

Did you not think to take the phone away???

Frank: I couldn’t get close enough. The guy is unhinged. What time will you be here?

Give me an hour.

Standing outside the James building, I suck in a breath and summon the courage to call Chloe.

“Oh my gosh, Cat, you’ll never believe the outfit that Sienna let me try on!” she screeches without even saying hello.

At the sound of her voice, I find myself smiling for the first time in days. “Oh yeah? I can’t wait to see it.”

“Mom and I went to dinner and had the crème brûlée. It was even better than L’Etoile’s!”

I laugh at her excitement, and slowly, a sliver of my sanity seeps back into me as I listen to her rave. “Oh, we should plan a weekend there soon.”

“Really?” she chirps.

“Yeah, let me get through this merger, and then we’ll go.”

“Oh my gosh, that would be amazing!”

“Listen, Chlo, you and I need to talk later. Things are going to change a bit, but I want you to know that no matter what, you always have me.”

“You’re scaring me,” she whispers. The fear in her voice sends my heart plummeting.

I drop my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m screwing this up. “Don’t be scared. It’s all going to be fine, okay? I love you.”

“Love you too,” she murmurs, but the excitement she was so filled with has been sucked right out of her.

I tell her goodbye and end the call because I don’t know what else to say. Cynthia and I need to come up with a plan for telling Chloe about Jay.

And I hope like hell he doesn’t make this harder than it has to be. He may have used me to get what he wanted, but I’ll be damned if he hurts Chloe. She’ll never know anything other than love. If he can’t honor that, then maybe I’ll take those vows to heart. The till death do us part ones.

Forty

Jay