Page 92 of The Texan's Secrets

“Please. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think it was the right thing.”

“For your brother?” Emilia was still wrapping her head around that one.

Misha was Nick’s sister. Her loyalties had to lie with him.

“For him, yes. But for you too. I care about you too, Emilia. Please believe me that I do.”

There was no doubting the sincerity in Misha’s eyes.

“We talked about him.” Emilia thought back to their conversations.

“I know.”

Both Misha and Maggie had seemed hesitant about Nick. They’d advised Emilia to take things slow.

It hit her then. “Maggie? Maggie knows too?”

Misha nodded. “We talked about telling you, but we couldn’t decide what was right. We were on the outside, and it was up to him, but...” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “I really thought he’d told you the other night.”

“Honored guests.” The hearty voice of the MC came over the sound system. “Please gather around for the first dance.”

Music swelled in a tune Emilia recognized as one of Maggie’s favorites.

“We have to go,” Emilia said, taking an anxious step toward the dance floor, feeling a surge of guilt for neglecting the bride.

She had responsibilities here tonight. Her personal feelings would have to wait.

Nico had tried to make his way to the exit. But he’d run into his longtime friend Jack Chowdhry, who was understandably buoyed at seeing Maggie wearing the heirloom necklace as the two feuding families symbolically cemented their bonds. It was thanks in large part to Jack’s diplomatic skills that the feud was completely over. He deserved to savor the celebration.

Nico put on an upbeat front while he fought the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and the hollowness around his heart. Losing Emilia was his own fault, which made it even worse.

Afterward, several acquaintances stopped him along the way and were surprisingly friendly and supportive of his presence both in Royal and at the wedding. Under any other circumstances, he would have been thrilled with the acceptance. But none of that mattered tonight. He began to wonder why it had ever mattered.

Within sight of the exit, he ran into Rafe. It was impossible to keep up the cheerful front when Rafe’s first question was about Emilia.

After a halting start, Nico was forced to admit he hadn’t told her the truth—that she’d figured it out on her own and, yes, the worst had happened. When Rafe had clasped him on the shoulder, Nico appreciated the gesture, but he was hanging on to his emotions by a thread. And he felt like a hamster on a wheel here trying to escape. He didn’t know how much longer he could take it.

He finally saw a clear path and walked fast.

“Nico!” It was Misha’s voice behind him.

He ignored her and kept walking.

“Nico,” she called again. Then her hand landed on his arm.

He clenched his jaw and stopped.

“Wait,” she said, coming around to face him.

“Good night, Misha. I love you, but you have to leave me alone.”

“Shedoesn’tknow.”

The emphatic words made no sense to him. “Seriously, good night,” he said and started walking.

Misha kept up, walking fast and talking in a staccato rhythm. “I got it wrong. She doesn’t know. I mean she didn’t know who you were. She knows now. But that’sallshe knows.”

Nico stopped short of the exit. “What are you even talking about?”

---