Page 92 of (Un)Expected

Every inch of me wanted to scream. How could he distill our history to such basic terms? How could he have left out of the broken bones, the bruises, the manipulation? Looking back, that was how it had always been: everything was my fault, his actions only reactions to my failings. Of course he’d twist the end of our relationship to suit his narrative.

“Now you come back here with that Neanderthal in tow and try to ruin my life?” Nate scoffed. “Newsflash, princess: you havenothing. No power, no cards left to play.” He jammed his pointer finger into the table. “I own this town, and don’t you dare forget that.”

“I know,” I whispered, tears flooding my eyes. “But if I’m going to apologize, you need to as well.”

“For what?”

“You hurt me,” I said, my voice gaining confidence. “Youhitme.Beatme. Broke my arm because another man was assigned to work on the same team as me. Made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of anything but your toxic bullshit love. For making me doubt myself and who I am. For taking out all your sick, pathetic insecurities on me.”

Nate dared to laugh at me. “Prove it, Alex.” He watched my expression carefully, “And that’s the thing, isn’t it? You can’t because you weren’t smart enough to document anything. Good thing you’re pretty, because you don’t have a lot of other skills to lean back on.”

“See, that’s the thing,” I said, mimicking his words. I finally dropped my contrite act, letting my true smile bloom. “I might not have physical proof on me, but there are hospital records, noise complaints from neighbors, and testimony from those who knew me—enough to tarnish your reputation if you decide to go forward with these bullshit charges. Because you can bet your ass that if you try to hurt Cole or Adam, I will come for you witheverythingI have.”

“Bullshit,” he hissed, leaning forward. “Try it, and I’ll fucking kill you. Put you in the ground like I should have last night.”

I ticked my tongue. “Oh, Nate….” I pulled my phone out, showing him I’d recorded our entire conversation. “You really should think before you speak.”

“What the fuck is that?” he snaps, pushing back in his chair. “You can’t record me! You need my permission!”

“Maybe for a trial,” I said, sending the recording to Theo and the others. “I could always anonymously give it to a reporter. Think about the coverage if it came out. How many other women would come forward? Would your wife stand by you?” I paused, pretending to tap my lip in thought. “Somehow, I doubt she would.”

Nate’s practically vibrating with anger. “What do you want?”

“When I walk out that door, you forget you ever met me,” I said, leaning forward to ensure he heard me. “You forget about Adam, Cole, and everyone else I love. You live your life, but from now on, you think twice about putting your hands on another woman. Remember that old saying Nate.” I winked over my shoulder as I started toward the door. “Never fuck with a woman scorned.”

With that, I pushed the doors open, not sparing even a look over my shoulder. The moment they closed behind me, it felt like an anchor had been released from my chest. For years, I dreaded coming face to face with Nate, terrified he was lurking in the shadows. Now, I no longer had to fear that he was waiting for me.

I was free.

As soon as I got to the lobby, Cole, Adam, and Theo rushed over to me. “Did you get it?” Theo asked as Cole stood at my side, placing his hand on my back and rubbing soothing circles.

“Hook, line, and sinker.” I smiled. “You know who to give this to?”

Theo nodded. “I have a couple of contacts in the New York press circuits. I’ll give them the heads up and see what they can dig up on their own. I’ll make sure they keep all our names out of it.”

As Theo walked away to make the call, Cole scooped me up, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Shit, I hated every second of that, sweetheart.”

“I did too,” I whispered into his neck. “It’s done. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Thank fuck,” he said, placing me down before he turned to Adam. “Now what?”

“Now, we head back to Saint Stephen’s Lake and finish the movie.”

“That sounds good to me,” Cole said, holding his hand out to me. “Ready to go home?”

More than he even knew.

FORTY-TWO

It had been three weeks since we returned home from New York, and while everything in Saint Stephens Lake was the same as when we left, everything in my life had changed. Without Nate hanging over my head, it felt like I could finally breathe for the first time in years, could enjoy my life without the fear of him showing up and ruining everything I’d built.

While that was a significant victory, it was not the best part. With the contract between Adam and me dissolved, Cole and I no longer had to hide. It was weird at first, and people questioned the timeline of our coupling, but neither of us cared.

When we got home, Cole practically moved into my house, only returning to the hotel to check on Adam or help with the movie. We’d created a routine, one of simple domesticity. Meals were cooked together, movies watched on the couch, nights spent tangled in each other’s arms, and all of it filled with more love than I’d ever known.

Despite the solace in our home, there was still an elephant in the room: in three days, the movie would be finished. Three days, and Adam would be returning to LA to decide his next project.

And I still had no idea what Cole was planning to do.

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