Chapter 37
NADIA
ONE MONTH LATER
Nadia punched in the code to the front lock and nudged open the door.
Dust motes danced in the afternoon sun coming through the large picture window in her living room.
Everything was exactly as she’d left it almost four weeks ago—mail piled on the entryway table, half-eaten box of chocolates on the counter, throw blanket haphazardly draped over the couch.
She’d been home once since Thomas was released from the hospital to collect a few essentials. Between staying with him at Cammy’s ranch while he recovered and coordinating with contractors for the repairs on his house, she hadn’t been able to get back here in almost a month.
Dropping her purse on the table, she surveyed her home with fresh eyes.
The house she bought three years ago had been remodeled and decorated to be her sanctuary.
All clean lines and minimalist furnishings in warm earth tones.
But it felt unfamiliar after staying at Cammy’s rustic ranch for so long.
Nadia’s house was too pristine, too empty, and too quiet.
It made her smile. She’d grown accustomed to the familial routine of ranch chores with Cammy in between work calls and weekly road trips to Thomas’s house to check in on construction.
To his constant presence, the casual intimacy of sharing a room with him.
His compression bandages discarded in the bathroom, his workout clothes in the laundry basket, their coffee mugs side by side in the sink.
She’d spent years valuing her independence above all else, but a month with him had remapped something intrinsic within her.
Wandering into her bedroom, she yanked open drawers and collected clothes—bras, yoga pants, tops, and sleepwear—tossing them onto the bed. She needed to swing by her office for those client files too. The Sandersons’ remodel plans were due next week and she’d fallen way behind on the renderings.
The doorbell rang and she paused, her hand in the sock drawer. Nobody except Thomas and Cammy knew she was home so it was probably a solicitor. She closed the drawer and moved to another.
The doorbell rang again. She sighed and padded to the door, ready to send off whoever it was.
She was in a rush, had a ridiculously long drive ahead, and she didn’t have time to listen to a solar panel sales pitch.
But when she peered through the peephole, her breath caught.
Aimee stood on her porch, arms crossed, face pinched with uncertainty.
How did she know Nadia would be here?
Thomas must have reached out to her through Nick or Kristen. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She certainly wasn’t eager to discuss how deeply she’d hurt Aimee. But this talk was inevitable, and she’d put it off long enough.
Nadia opened the door. “Aimee.”
“Hi.” She shifted her weight, not quite meeting Nadia’s eyes. “I, um, saw your car in the driveway.”
Nadia doubted Aimee just happened to be driving by. She lived on a cul-de-sac.
She nodded, trying to rein in the frantic drumming of her heart.
She hadn’t spoken with Aimee since that evening at the Garners’ when she’d been trying to reach James.
Kristen had called a few times to check in on her, texted too.
They had short conversations about Thomas’s recovery and Nadia’s involvement in putting his house back in order, but that had been about it.
They never broached anything too personal, and danced around the subject of Aimee like prima ballerinas on stage.
“Can I come in?” Aimee asked.
“Of course.” Nadia stepped back, opening the door wider. Aimee moved past her, the whimsical, radiant scent of her perfume hitting Nadia in a wave of nostalgia so strong her eyes stung.
Aimee paced the living room, her fingers trailing over the back of the velvet couch. “How’s Thomas?” she finally asked, still not looking directly at Nadia.
“He’s…” She paused, considering how to answer given Aimee’s history with him. “He’s alive. Getting stronger every day.”
Aimee nodded.
An uncomfortable hush fell. Aimee circled the couch, stopping when she reached the side opposite Nadia. “Why did you do it?” she asked, turning to her fully. “Why did you lie to me for so long?”
“Because I was scared,” Nadia admitted. “Thomas told me the Hidalgos would kill James if they discovered he was still alive. They’d kill anyone who knew what they’d done to him.
They’d already tried once.” She rubbed at the pinkish scar on her cheek, a permanent reminder of their violence.
“I’d walked in on him while he was on the phone with someone in Mexico arranging to place James in witness protection.
That and the fact there were sandbags in the casket instead of a body.
I saw it. That’s how I found out about him. ”
“But you kept lying to me, for years,” Aimee pressed with a catch in her voice. “Even after everything.”
“I know.” Nadia moved closer to the couch, closer to Aimee, who flinched so Nadia stopped. “After you found James and came back, I wanted to tell you so badly. But by then, what good would it have done? You were already home, you’d already seen him. You wanted to move on with Ian.
“I was afraid of losing you.” She willed Aimee to understand. “I kept thinking, what if I tell her now and she never speaks to me again? So I kept quiet. I convinced myself I was protecting you.”
Aimee’s eyes glistened. “I trusted you with everything.”
“I know,” she whispered, her own eyes burning. “And I’m sorry. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t regretted not being honest with you. It tore me apart.”
Aimee’s face twisted. “You watched me grieve for two years—”
“You never believed he was dead,” she gently countered. “You always felt he was out there.”
“That’s not the point,” Aimee yelled. “I felt crazy, Nadia. I questioned my own sanity because everyone kept telling me to accept reality, to move on. You especially.”
Nadia flinched at the undeniable truth. “Yes, I pushed you toward Ian. But not because I was trying to manipulate you. I genuinely thought you deserved to be happy, and I could see how good he was for you. How much you cared for him before you even realized it yourself.”
“You chose Thomas over me.” Aimee’s finger stabbed the air.
Nadia looked down, her hands gripping the couch back. For once, shame didn’t burn through her. “I did.” She met Aimee’s gaze. “I chose to keep his secret over our friendship, and I’ll regret what it’s done to our friendship for the rest of my life. But it kept you alive. That, I don’t regret.”
Aimee held her stare, searching her face for something.
Then, to Nadia’s surprise, she sat on the couch.
“I was so angry when you told me.” She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve.
“But then I remembered all the times you were there for me, like when I was too terrified to open the café. How you convinced me to get out of bed every morning.”
She looked up at Nadia, her tears finally spilling over. “I’ve been thinking about what you said at Kristen’s, about how Thomas changed your mom’s life. About all the ways he’s tried to protect the people he loves.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Ian and I talked about it a lot, actually.”
Nadia hardly breathed, afraid she’d break this fragile moment if she interrupted.
“What Thomas did was wrong,” she continued. “So wrong. But…” She took a deep breath. “I’m beginning to understand why he felt he had no choice. And why you kept his secret. I’m not sure I would have done anything differently in your position.”
“Really?” Nadia whispered. She came around the couch and sat beside Aimee, leaving a generous distance between them.
Aimee nodded, wiping at her tears. “I also know what it’s like to have faith in something when everyone thinks you’re wrong.
I felt foolish for believing he was still alive, that everyone would think me delusional if I told them, but I trusted my instincts even when it was hard.
It’s not the same, but I can see how you were caught in an impossible situation. ”
This was more from her than Nadia had dared to hope for. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, her voice cracking.
Aimee’s back bowed like her whole body was softening.
“I’ve missed you too. When I saw the news about the gunfight in Arizona, and they mentioned Thomas had been shot…
” She shook her head. “I knew you must have been there, and that you’d be devastated.
I should have called after, but I didn’t know what to say. ”
“You’re here now.” Nadia scooted closer and tentatively reached for Aimee’s hand. “That’s what matters.”
A timid smile tugged at Aimee’s lips. “I don’t think I’m ready to completely forgive Thomas, but I know I don’t want to throw away thirty-plus years of friendship with you, not when I almost lost you for good.” Her fingers fluttered over the scar on Nadia’s cheek.
Nadia felt a dam collapsing inside her chest. Emotion spilled over. She pulled Aimee into a fierce hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered into Aimee’s hair. “For everything.”
“I know.” Aimee hugged her just as tightly. “Me too.”
The doorbell rang, startling them both. They pulled apart, wiping at their tear-streaked faces.
“You expecting someone?” Aimee asked.
“No. But I wasn’t expecting you either.” She went to check the peephole. “It’s Kristen,” she said, not the least bit surprised. Thomas was trying hard to make everything right for her.
She opened the door to find Kristen looking just as nervous as Aimee had.
“Hey,” Kristen said, her gaze jumping behind Nadia. “Oh, you’re here too,” she said of Aimee.
“Did you two plan this?” Nadia looked between them.
Kristen shook her head. “No, I just—I saw your car and I thought…” She trailed off.
Nadia pushed her tongue into her cheek. “Uh-huh.”
“I’ve been calling you.”
“I know,” Nadia said. She’d let most of Kristen’s calls roll to voicemail. “I was going to call you back. I’ve just been…” She gestured vaguely, not sure how to package what she’d been up to these past few weeks, the shame she’d felt about her friends, the feelings she had for Thomas.
“Taking care of Thomas,” Kristen supplied for her benefit. Her expression softened. “How is he?”
“Getting better,” Nadia said. “It’ll be a while before he’s back to normal, but the doctors say he’s making good progress.”
Kristen nodded, still hovering in the doorway. Nadia stepped aside. “Come in. Please.”
Kristen entered, her eyes fixed on Aimee, who still sat on the couch. “So, you two talked?”
“We’re working on it,” Aimee said.
Kristen’s shoulders slumped with relief. “Good. That’s… good.”
Nadia stood awkwardly beside her as the three of them looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something.
“I’m sorry,” Nadia finally said, addressing them both. “For everything. For lying to you for so long.”
“You did what you thought was right.” Kristen moved to sit on the couch with Aimee. “Nick said he probably would have done the same if it had been me in danger.”
“Seriously?” Nadia couldn’t keep the shock from her voice. The surprises kept coming.
“He said if someone told him keeping quiet was the only way to keep me safe, he’d have taken that secret to his grave.”
“James said something similar when I asked him about it,” Aimee admitted. “He said if he’d known the whole story from the beginning, he might have gone along with it too.”
“That’s… surprisingly understanding. When did you speak with him?” Nadia asked.
“He called Nick before he flew home when I was at their house with Kristen and he asked to talk with me.” She looked at Nadia’s cheek, at the scar that might fade, but would always be there.
“When Ian and I saw the news about the ambush at Thomas’s house, I couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened to you. ”
Nadia sat across from her friends. “It was bad. But we’re all still here.”
Kristen leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “We’re all still here,” she echoed. “And speaking of still being here…” She looked at Aimee then Nadia. “I want to talk to you about something.”
“What?” Aimee asked.
“I think we should restart our tradition,” Kristen said. “The summer pool parties at our place. The whole gang, like old times.”
Nadia exchanged a surprised glance with Aimee.
“The whole gang?” Aimee asked carefully.
Kristen nodded. “Including Thomas, if you’re okay with it, Aimee. I know you two aren’t on the level, but…” She hesitated then plunged ahead. “Nick would really like to see him again. They were close once.”
Aimee went quiet. “I think… I could handle that. For Nadia’s sake. And Nick’s.”
Kristen beamed, then bit her lip. “One more thing. Would it be weird if we invited James too?”
Nadia’s brows shot up. She looked at Aimee, gauging her reaction.
“James?” Aimee repeated in a neutral tone.
“Nick really misses him,” Kristen quickly explained. “They’ve been texting, and James mentioned he might visit California soon with Natalya and the kids. Nick thought it would be nice to have everyone together. But if it’s too weird for you and Ian—”
“It’s not,” Aimee said. “James and I are… we’re good. We talked. It wasn’t super comfortable, but it wasn’t awful either.”
“Okay, wow.” Kristen looked slightly stunned. “I didn’t expect that to be so easy.”
Aimee laughed, a genuine laugh that made Nadia’s heart soar. “Trust me, nothing about this has been easy. But I’m tired of letting it affect my life and our friendship. We’ve all been through enough.”
“We’ve earned some happiness,” Nadia said.
Kristen clapped her hands. “So, it’s settled then. As soon as Thomas is healed, we’re having a party. The whole gang.”
“The whole gang,” Nadia echoed, and gathered her friends up in a hug. She kissed their cheeks. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed us.”
A month ago, she’d been certain she’d lost them both forever, ready to disappear and start a new life without them. But here they were, together. The way it had been when their friendship started. It was different now. But maybe, with time, it would be better, stronger.