Page 136 of Reputation (Tempt)

“I have something else I need to tell you,” I said.

“Okay,” she said, stretching out the word. She fiddled with her ring, her nerves showing.

“There will be no custody hearing. Trinity dropped her custody claim. It’s over.”

She stared at me in shock. “It’s…what?”

I nodded, a smile spreading across my face. “It’s over.”

“But…” she sputtered. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would she suddenly decide to let it go after all these months? Unless…” She held a hand to her mouth. “Nate, you didn’t.”

“I did, and it was worth it. Because she gave me something priceless in return. She not only dropped this claim, but her right to any future ones. She signed away her parental rights.”

Emerson gasped. “She’s a fool.”

I nodded. “That she is.”

I’d never pushed for Trinity to sign away her parental rights in the past; it had never felt like the right thing to do to me. But I’d given her numerous chances to connect with Brooklyn, and it was painfully clear that she didn’t care. It was clear that it was harming Brooklyn more than helping. So when Pierce had suggested pushing for that as a condition for giving Trinity the necklace, I’d agreed.

“How do you feel about it all?” she finally asked.

“Mostly…relieved. My mom never met Brooklyn, but I think she’d say I did the right thing.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy to part with a piece of her collection, but I think you’re right.” Her shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled. “I can’t quite believe it either.”

“What about Brooklyn?” she asked. “I know she’s spending the night at Sophia’s, but have you told her?”

“I already talked to her, and she was relieved.”

“What did you tell her?” she asked.

“That going forward, she would always live with me. And that she’d only have to see Trinity ifshewanted to.”

She smiled. “I bet she was happy about that.”

I nodded. “She was. She also keeps pestering me about when we’re going to set a date for the wedding.”

Emerson laughed. “Yeah. Same.”

Which meant there was only one thing left to do. I removed our engagement contract from a drawer in the kitchen where I’d hidden it earlier. And then I held it up for her to see.

“We satisfied the terms of our agreement. We don’t have to lie anymore.” And then I tore it straight down the middle.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

Igaped at Nate, the pieces of paper fluttering to the floor. Had he really just done that? Had he torn up our contract?

After all these months, all the fighting, the worrying, and the lies…it was difficult to believe it was really over. It was oddly anticlimactic, even if I was beyond grateful.

The custody battle was won, though Nate’s victory hadn’t come without considerable cost. I mean…his mom’s necklace?

Despite the sacrifice, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him more at ease. I was happy for him, truly. Relieved for Brooklyn. But also…sad for her. I mean, how dare anyone—especially her own mother—ever make her feel like she wasn’t enough.

I was still trying to process all of that and what would come next. Selfishly, I wondered what this would mean for us. I’d always known this day would come. It had just come sooner than I’d expected.

If Nate had torn up our contract, then…we were no longer going to be fake-engaged. I stared down at my engagement ring, knowing what needed to be done. I tried to ignore the tightness in my chest and the way the bridge of my nose stung. I slid my engagement ring off my finger even though I loathed to see it go. It wasn’t about giving up the ring, though it was a stunning piece of jewelry. It was about what it represented. Because even though our engagement had been fake, my feelings for Nate were very real.

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