Page 157 of Embracing the Change

Hilarious. Loyal. Devoted. Outspoken. Stylish. Gorgeous.

And a fantastic lay.

“Why are you smiling?” Nico asked.

“Because I had a great mom, like you do,” Jamie explained. “My second wife was a lot like her. She made me very happy. But your mom is all my choice. I came from means, but I made my own way in this world, and your mom is the woman I’ve been working to earn all my life. And I finally won her.”

Jamie leaned forward again and gave him the wisdom.

“Nico, what I’m saying is, we all make mistakes, but the only good ones are the ones we make when we fall in love. I fell in love with a woman that was going to die young, and in doing so, cause me immeasurable pain. But while I had her, I was enormously happy. You fell in love, and you were happy, and you got married. The key is, once you realize it’s a mistake, don’t make it a failure by not recognizing it for what it is. If you’re feeling there’s no common ground between you and Felice, then it isn’t only to save yourself, it’s to save her, that you cut her loose so you both can find what you need. If you love her,”—he sat back again—“then, I know it sounds like bullshit, but it can be an act of love to let go.”

Nico’s voice was thick with emotion when he said, “This is gonna suck. We haven’t even been married for two years.”

“Do you have a prenup?”

Nico nodded. “Totally. Dad flipped his shit when I proposed to her without discussing that.” A fond, sad smile hit his lips. “She didn’t even read it when she signed it. She’s totally not about money.”

“That can change when hearts are broken,” Jamie warned.

Nico shook his head. “When I go home tomorrow, if she asks me for a divorce before I’m through the door, I won’t be surprised. We both know it.” His voice dropped to a whisper when he repeated, “We both know it.”

“I hate that you—” Jamie began, but there was a sharp rap on the door.

He looked that way to see Tom come in, and he was leading a charge.

Everyone was coming in.

But Jamie homed in on Nora.

She looked distraught.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Nora came right to him and sat beside him as Tom asked, “Where’s the remote for this TV?”

“I’ll get it,” Nico said, reaching to a pearl-velvet box on one of the coffee tables and opening it.

When he grabbed the remote, he tossed it to Tom and Tom aimed it at the television over the fireplace.

Jamie looked to Nora.

“Again, what’s going on?” he demanded.

“Elsa called. I’m so sorry, darling,” was all she said before she jutted her chin toward the television.

Jamie looked that way.

Tom had found a news channel.

And on the screen, he could see his childhood home engulfed in flames.

Not telling his body to do so, Jamie took his feet.

Nora came up beside him.

Tom turned up the volume.

“…at the stables, where there are known to be thoroughbred horses. The fire then jumped to the main house, along with several other outbuildings, something that’s confusing at this time, considering the distance between them and it hasn’t been a windy day. More fire crews are coming in, but as you can see,”—the reporter on screen turned and moved to the edge of the frame to give the viewer the full scene of the entirety of Oakbilly Gulch consumed by flames, the reporter then turned back to the camera—“it doesn’t seem like they’ve been successful at containing what, no other way to describe it, is an inferno, Evan.”

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