Page 14 of True North

“Sorry, that might have been too much information,” Toni said. “I didn’t mean to cross a line if we aren’t friends like that.” Heather stood and pulled Toni in for a hug, and she instantly felt at ease.

“We are most certainly friends like that, Toni. I just can’t believe you fell back into bed with Nico without regaining your memory. His game must be more on point than I give him credit for,” Heather teased, winking over at Nico. Toni liked the way the whole conversation seemed to make him squirm with discomfort.

“If you two are finished discussing my love life—and my game, whatever that is, I’d like to try to figure out why the hell reporters are trampling my flower beds.” Nico crossed the kitchen and pulled Toni from Heather’s embrace, wrapping her in his arms. “I want you to stay here and get dressed, baby. I have a feeling it was leaked that you were found alive after being believed dead all this time. They’ll try to make a story out of this, maybe even try to find a connection between your reappearance and your dad’s death.”

Toni didn’t try to hide her gasp. She was a straight shooter and would never want him to sugarcoat the truth for her to save her feelings. If his hunch was correct, the army of reporters taking up residency on their front lawn were there to see her. She knew he would do everything in his power not to let that happen.

He turned to Heather. “Radio Jace and Oliver and tell them to get their asses over here. Give them a heads up that we might need a little extra help,” he ordered. Heather gave him a mock salute and smiled. “Don’t worry, baby,” he whispered to Toni. “Those reporters aren’t getting anywhere near you.” Toni nodded, knowing full well that Nico meant every word he said.

“Who would know I’m alive and want to leak the news to the press?” Nico shot her a knowing look and she could tell they were on the same page.

“Zac,” they said in unison.

“I’m going to kill that fucker for this,” Nico growled.

“Get in line,” she said. “I want first jab at him.” Nico smiled down at her and for just a second, her entire world stopped spinning out of control. How did he do that to her? One minute, she was filled with so much panic and dread that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to find the path forward. The next, Nico was looking at her, smiling down at her, and she felt completely reassured everything was going to work out.

“I’m going to get dressed.” He kissed her lips and swatted her ass, walking past her and down the hallway to their bedroom. Heather stood, smiling at her like a loon, and Toni felt her cheeks heat.

Heather rolled her eyes. “Oh stop! I’ve seen so much worse between the two of you.” She choked back her giggle. “You and Nico are my future relationship goals,” Heather admitted.

“Oh?” Toni asked, busying herself with tidying up their breakfast dishes. “How so?”

“Well, I don’t have a man in my life right now. But when I do, I want him to look at me the way Nico looks at you.” Toni noticed Heather’s cheeks turned pink and she wondered just how Nico looked at her. If it was anything like the intense ways he watched her last night, then she could completely understand where Heather was coming from.

“So, no special guy then?” Heather fidgeted with her t-shirt and Toni almost regretted her question, worrying she overstepped again. “Sorry, don’t answer that,” she said, swiping her hands through the air as if trying to erase her question.

“No,” Heather almost whispered. “It’s all right, Toni. Like I said, we’re friends. It’s just that we’ve already talked about all of this and, strangely, you don’t remember it.” Toni wished she could remember this past year, but she couldn’t, and that seemed to be hurting everyone in her life who cared for her.

“I don’t remember, and I’m so sorry, Heather. But I’m here now and ready to listen if you need an ear,” Toni said, taking Heather’s hand into hers.

“It’s Jace,” Heather admitted.

“What’s me?” Jace asked, turning the corner of the staircase and walking into the small kitchen, Oliver hot on his heels. They both pulled Toni in for a quick hug, doing the same with Heather. Toni saw the way Heather’s face lit up when Jace squeezed her in his arms, lifting her from the ground.

“Um, nothing about you. I was just helping Toni remember which one of you is which. You two are easy to confuse with each other,” Heather covered. Suddenly, Toni realized just what Heather was trying to tell her—Jace was the guy she wanted looking at her during the night while he made love to her. Heather wanted Jace and Toni knew she needed to hear the rest of the story—she would do just about anything to help Heather in her quest to find love.

First, she needed to get her memory back and the life she built with Nico. He was quickly becoming important to her, and she knew if she could just get her memory back, they could pick up where they had left off. For reasons she couldn’t explain, that thought felt right to her and she knew one way or another, she wanted to make sure Nico knew just how important he was becoming to her.

Nico

Nico quickly showered and dressed, so he could figure out what the hell was going on around his house. Jace and Oliver had come over to lend a hand with getting everyone off his property, but he worried just shooing them away wasn’t going to be enough.

“Heather, call the police,” Nico ordered. He knew they would be able to help, but he wondered just how much help they would give. If his hunch was right and Zac leaked the story, his money and power usually won him a few favors from the local authorities. At least, that was Nico’s experience when dealing with James Bernston. Toni’s father had deep pockets and a lot of friends willing to look the other way.

“I want you to stay put, honey. Jace, Oliver, and I will go out and talk to the reporters. I don’t care what happens, I want you two to stay in the house.” He looked between Toni and Heather and waited for them both to agree before he nodded to the guys to head outside.

Nico opened his front door to about forty reporters surrounding him, shouting questions. He was about ready to turn around and head back into the house when Jace’s shrill whistle cut through all the commotion.

“Hey,” Jace shouted. “We have called the local authorities, and you will be forced to leave.” It was as if he hadn’t spoken at all, the deafening commotion started up again, everyone buzzing with excitement and shouting questions at the three of them.

“Is it true Toni Bernston is alive and well?” one woman shouted, holding up a small recorder for their statement. Nico panicked at the realization his hunch was correct—the sea of reporters was there for Toni. She had been through so much these past few days and he felt as though he was just getting her back. He wouldn’t let the chaos that surrounded them set back her recovering her memory.

Nico turned to go back into the house, Jace and Oliver hot on his heels, when his door opened, and Toni walked out onto the small front porch. He gave her one order and she couldn’t seem to follow it. Toni shot him a sheepish smile and he knew there would be no stopping her, no matter how angry he currently was with her.

“Fuck, Toni,” he growled, pulling her against his body. Flashes were going off around them from people taking pictures and holding up their cell phones to capture video. This was going to turn into a circus, and he worried that Toni was caught in the middle of the mess.

She held up her hand as if asking the crowd for silence and within seconds, they settled down to hear what she had to say. “Hi,” she squeaked. Jace and Oliver surrounded her with Nico, like a protective wall. “My name is Toni Bernston. I am very much alive, as you can see.” Toni gave a little curtsey and the crowd laughed. Nico couldn’t take his eyes off her, she was so strong, confident, and capable. He held her a little tighter, hoping she would be able to feel the strength he was silently giving her.

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