Page 80 of Little Did You Know

Anthony shifted on the bench, squaring his shoulders the way he always had before delivering unwanted advice. "I would feel better if you stayed with Nick for at least a little while." He cleared his throat. "Just until we are sure there's no more threats to you."

My fingers twisted the black fabric of my dress until my knuckles went white. "I don't know if that's a good idea." Nick's name alone made my chest constrict, memories crowding in like unwanted guests.

Anthony turned toward me, his expression carrying the same careful concern he'd worn through every crisis of my life. "Are you still angry with him?

The setting sun painted golden streaks across my vision as tears welled up. "No." The word came out raw, honest. "I'm hurt."

I sat up straight, staring off into the distance. "He hid everything from me, and maybe if he hadn't..."

"You can't think like that, Olivia." He twisted on the bench, pulling his knee up. "Put yourself in his shoes now that you have all the information. Now that you know all the guilt he'd been harboring. What would you have done differently if you'd been in his position?" I opened my mouth but snapped it shut when he cut me off again. "Make sure you consider that he's head over heels in love with you."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, I considered the situation. If I took the way I felt about all of this out of the equation, I would probably have done the same thing.

"He didn't lie or hide the truth to hurt you, Olivia. He did it to protect you. All he wanted to do was try to fix this situation, and by the time he realized he couldn't, everything came crumbling down fast."

I nodded. I knew that nothing Nick did was malicious.

"If you don't feel the same about him, I understand, but you should tell him that. If you do, don't let this be why you walk away from him. Don't let Emmett ruin anything else in your life. Regardless of your decision, Nick is all the family you have left, and you are all the family he has left. You two are going to need each other."

"I love him." The words escaped in barely more than a whisper, but they felt solid, true.

Anthony's smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Then go back to Florida and take things one day at a time."

My shoulders relaxed for the first time since the funeral. "I'm ready to go home."

And now, home was in Florida with Nick.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Standing on the tarmac, I tapped my foot on the pavement, impatiently waiting for Nick. "Where is he?" My gaze flicked to Anthony, who was patiently waiting with me.

"He said he had something to take care of before he left." Anthony shrugged. "I guess it took longer than he expected."

I glanced at my watch. "He's thirty minutes late." Anthony nodded. "We were supposed to be in the air by now." I was anxious to get back to Florida and put my past behind me. All of it.

A sleek black Cadillac Escalade rounded the corner of the airplane hangar. "There he is," Anthony pointed.

"About time." I rolled my eyes.

The Escalade eased to a stop in front of us before Nick's door flew open. The driver of the SUV jumped out and ran around to the back, popping open the hatch and pulling out Nick's luggage.

"Sorry I'm late." Nick's shoes crunched across the pavement, his tie whipping in the breeze. "Had to pick something up before we left."

I crossed my arms. "Are we ready now?"

"Almost." A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he slipped his hand into his pocket. The black box emerged like a magician's reveal. "Here."

My gaze narrowed on the box as he held it out to me. "What is that?"

"It's your great-grandmother's wedding ring." He opened the box.

The world tilted beneath my feet. I knew that ring, the way the center stone caught the light. A thousand Sunday mornings flickered through my mind: Mom at the kitchen counter, absently twisting it as she read the paper. Her hands cupped my face, the metal cool against my cheek when she kissed my scraped knees better.

"This was my mom's..." I couldn't finish. My fingertips hovered over the ring, not quite touching, as if it might dissolve like a mirage.

"A family heirloom." Nick's voice gentled. "Your grandmother gave it to your father when he proposed.

The last memory hit harder—the empty spot on Mom's dresser the morning after Emmett pawned it. I'd thought that piece of her was lost forever.

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