“You blew it. She’s had men tell her ‘I love you’ before, only to betray her in the end. You heard about her previous boss, right?”
I start to seethe. “That Chadwick guy?”
“Yeah. That Chadwick guy.” Kim’s smile is thin and humorless.
Maybe I should just murder him for hurting her. Would his figurative head soothe Evie?
“He totally messed her up. I’m actually surprised she decided to stay married to you, baby or not.”
“I’m glad she did,” I say.
But is she glad? Look how you screwed things up.
“I think you’re sincere. But you have to convince her. And I don’t know how you can do that. Because if you can’t find a way to allay her fears, whatever you have with Evie is over.”
Jesus. The magnitude of what I need to do sinks in, making my lungs tighten until I can barely breathe. But Kim has a point. I’m the one who lied, so why would Evie believe me now?
But how can I find a way to convince her?
Time stretches, with neither of us breaking the silence. Finally I say, “Thanks, Kim.”
Her expression grows sympathetic. Maybe I look as terrible as I feel.
“I should probably get going. Figure this out,” I say.
She gives me a small nod. “Good luck, Nate.”
I leave her apartment, processing what she said. Fucking Chadwick, and all the men like him. Ruining good women with their careless, selfish douchebaggery.
My heart aches. I know that Evie was once hurt so badly that she can’t even believe me when I tell her I love her. And I’ve been an idiot. I didn’t even fucking propose to her after our Vegas wedding. I should have. She deserved that. I also should’ve considered what else she deserved—a real wedding, a real honeymoon, the works.
How do I convince her what I feel for her is real? How do I let her know I’ll never do anything to hurt her, that everything at my disposal is hers?
A grand gesture, man, Court’s voice says in my head.
I need something so big, so unequivocal, so final that it’ll make her really understand that she’s the one with all the power in the relationship. And there’s only one way to do that.
My mind made up, I call Ken Honishi, the partner at the law firm Sterling & Wilson has on retainer.
It’s time I make a grand gesture.
Chapter Fifty
Evie
Nate doesn’t return from his sudden outing earlier. I wonder what he’s doing and what the personal meeting is about. Is he talking to Barron about my dad? Or is it something else?
I hate it that I’m continuously second-guessing him and wondering about his motives now. I hate it that the life I thought I could have with Nate was just an illusion, like Mom’s lies about Dad.
My hand rests over my belly. The baby…
I thought Nate and I could have a loving marriage, raising our child—or children—together. I thought our children would never know the piercing longing for a dad who was never around, or the ridicule from other kids, or miss out on common experiences kids have—school dances and field trips and more.
Maybe I’m just doomed to repeat the mistakes I made before. Chadwick seemed like a great guy too, even told me he loved me, only to betray me and make sure I would never find a decent job in Dillington. Los Angeles isn’t a small town, but Nate’s family is terrifyingly well connected and wealthy. It’s frightening what they could do if Nate turns his back on me.
Focusing on that isn’t helping you focus on your job. One thing at a time, Evie.
Shoving my churning emotions aside, I keep working until five. A few of my coworkers give me odd looks. They probably suspect something, but they don’t want to get in the middle of their boss’s personal issues. And if there’s a falling out between me and Nate, they’ll all side with him. They’d be stupid not to. And I’ll have to… I don’t even know what I’m going to do then.