Chapter 29 #2
At the tense set of his shoulders, he looked like he wanted to cart me off to his room and keep me there forever, but he showed how well he knew me by nodding his agreement.
Pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, he said, “I’ll be waiting.”
NOLAN
I sank into the leather chair in the living room, wishing to become one with the furniture.
Val had left about half an hour ago. I didn’t know when—or if—she’d be back, but I planned on being drunk and somewhere else by then.
Possibly asleep, potentially on my jet back to San Francisco. Fuck if I knew.
But I knew for certain I couldn’t handle Val looking me in the face and telling me she no longer wanted me. That she couldn’t handle this. That she wanted out.
Of course, I wouldn’t blame her if she did. The tabloid leak was my fault. All of this was my fault. I should have stayed away from Val since the beginning.
Cressida blew into the kitchen, looking prim in a periwinkle sweater and designer jeans, her silky hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, her lips painted a ruby red. Dressed for battle. She grabbed a sparkling water from the fridge, then sat on the couch across from me. “You’re brooding,” she said.
“I’m drinking.”
“That goes hand in hand with brooding.” Smoothing her hair, she shook herself, then looked me square in the eyes. “You might want to pour another drink for this one—we’re breaking up, Nolan.”
My heart stopped beating. “What.”
Cressida’s gaze was unflinching. “I have a way to get us both out of this with minimal carnage.”
“You can’t—we can’t do that. If there was a way out, we would have found it already.
” She hadn’t signed a contract, but we were both tied to this deal.
“Cressida, if we break up, your family will plaster your mug shot and arrest record all over the internet, and I won’t be able to stop them. Not this time. You’ll be ruined.”
“That’s already taken care of. Cora called. And she’s pissed.”
That sounded about right. “Pissed about which part?”
“The arranged marriage part. Cora overheard my parents discussing how the photo of Val isn’t incriminating enough and they still want to force the marriage.
When Cora threatened to bring down the entire Oakland chapter of the Switchblades MC on our parents’ heads, Dad spilled everything about how they’ve been blackmailing us. ”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, oh shit. But it worked. My parents backed down and agreed to let us both walk away. They’ll even spin a news story to shed us both in a good light.”
I gave a low whistle. But I knew Raife’s motorcycle club didn’t do favors for free. “What kind of strings come attached with that deal?”
“Cora reamed me out for it, but I agreed to owe the Switchblades president a favor. And when he calls it in, I have to say yes. I told him I wouldn’t murder anyone, but I have no idea what he’ll ask of me—or when, so that’s a nice axe hanging over my head.
But it’s time I start taking responsibility for things in my own life.
” Cressida clasped my hand and fixed me with an unwavering expression.
“I can’t hide behind you forever, Noles.
We thought we had no choice in this, but we’ve always had a choice.
And now, I’m choosing what I want—no matter what it costs me. ”
No one in my life had ever done anything like this for me before, and I didn’t know how to react.
So my mind did what it always did—jumped to handling the practical matters first. “The Switchblades can prevent the blackmail but they can’t stop our families from disowning us.
I’ve been squirreling away some money in an offshore account in case this happened.
It’s not much, but it’s enough to support us for a brief time. ”
Cressida shook her head. “I have some investments of my own. Between that and rekindling my crisis PR business, I’ll have enough to live on.
I think subconsciously, I’ve been working my whole life for the day I could be free of my family.
I just needed a swift kick in the ass to get me to finally stand up to them. ”
How could she be so…calm about the whole thing? Just the thought of upending my whole life’s plan made me want to hurl. “I can’t let you pay the price for this. It’s not even your fault. Let me talk to Raife and get you out of the deal.”
At the mention of his name, she dug her nails into my palm.
“No. You’ve done enough for me already. You deserve the world, Nolan—and not because of what you’ve sacrificed to protect me.
You don’t have to earn your worth. You are worthy of happiness and love just for being you.
And there are people out there who will stay by your side, no matter what, out of genuine care for you.
Me and Daphne.” She gave me a significant look. “Val.”
If anyone else had said that to me, it would’ve gone in one ear and out the other.
But because it was Cressida, someone who had known me for most of my life, the words settled around me and wrapped me in their warmth.
The fact that I didn’t dismiss it outright had to be an impending sign of my humanity—a humanity that Val had awakened in me.
“Nolan, we never wanted this.” Cressida squeezed my hand, her blue eyes bright and shining. “Let me get us out of it.”
I was so damn proud of her, I could burst. This strong, independent woman was a far cry from the broken mess I’d picked up from the police station all those years ago. “I think you’re my best friend, Cress.”
“I know I’m your best friend.”
When she hugged me, I knew we’d all get through this.
But there was still one issue. “Your parents are handled, but Cyrus will have our asses,” I said. “He’ll make sure the board fires me.”
…or will he?
A clever idea began to take shape, and I said, “Actually, I think I have a story we can feed the media to divert attention from the current scandal and our breakup. Something that will not only distract Cyrus but also put him on high alert.”
“Oh?”
“My mother’s death wasn’t an accident.”
And then I filled her in on everything I’d discovered.
By the time Val returned home, we had a plan. But when the door slammed and Val stormed inside, frowning fiercely, I knew something was wrong.
When she spoke, it felt like a freight train plowing into me at full speed.
“You’re selling Hale’s Peak to a fucking rock quarry?”