Page 78 of Terms and Traditions

Emmett’s eye twitched at the use of “Em,” but he let it go. True tribute to how seriously he was taking this, and I appreciated it.

I told them everything—well, except for Stephanie’s past since that wasn’t my story. The Christmas shenanigans, the kiss—both of them, only because they were ridiculously nosy—Hiram’s announcement. Getting it off my chest removed the weight even if it didn’t remove the sting.

Per the rules of Code Dynamite, neither said a word until I dropped my head into my hands and sighed. “That’s all I got.” My world was imploding, but I had good men on my side to keep me grounded.

I might not get answers, but that was okay. For now, the burden was split three ways, letting me breathe more deeply than before.

“Sounds like we need a plan,” Emmett said, sipping his frou-frou Frappuccino. The man was an anomaly, I tell you.

I grunted. “Maybe. Tonight, though…” I glanced between them and lifted my cup in a sort of toast. “Tonight, this is enough.”

The next morning, I stepped out on Genesis’s floor, the elevator doors whooshing closed behind me. Quietness bathed the office given the early hour and several staff still being on holidays. But I had a meeting with my legal team within the hour, and I needed some quiet moments to collect my thoughts. The time with Emmett and Ryan had settled the rising dread in my gut last night. I had a clearer head today, but the battle was still all uphill from here. With Nova and with Stephanie.

I paused a minute at Stephanie’s empty desk. Should I text her? Maybe after the meeting, providing I had news. With thoughts still on my fake-real-maybe-nothing-at-all girlfriend as I pushed my office door open, I froze.

My office chair was pushed away from the desk, facing the window. Definitely not how I left it. I flicked the light on. “Hello?”

The chair swiveled, and my jaw dropped when Stephanie smiled softly at me. “Good morning,” she said quietly. Redness rimmed her eyes, and her cheeks were extra pale. She looked… exhausted and broken. She lifted a to-go cup from Maisie’s and a small pastry bag, holding them out to me.

“Steph,” I whispered. Please don’t let this be a dream.

Chapter thirty-five

Stephanie

Nash glanced at his watch, and I could see the thoughts dancing over his head. It was barely seven o’clock, and I wasn’t a morning person. So why was I in his office before the sun was up? Excellent question.

“Thanks,” he said, uncertainty tinging his voice as he accepted the proffered cup and snuck a peek in the paper bag.

I leaned back in his chair, running a hand over the soft leather of the armrest. “Your seat is much more comfortable than mine.” Our chairs were identical, but I was scrambling for something to say. A way to ease into things. Because how did a girl start the conversation with the man she loved and needed to apologize to? Like a dork apparently.

Crossing the space between us, Nash perched on the edge of his desk, facing me fully with those intense eyes. “Then we’ll get you a new chair.”

I pursed my lips. “Nash.”

“Stephanie.” He sipped his coffee calmly, like finding a woman in his office at the crack of dawn was normal behaviour. Which, it better not be. Wow, I was in no position to be jealous. “What are you doing here?”

I swallowed hard, lowering my gaze to my lap. Needing something to do with my fingers, I brushed a nonexistent piece of lint off my black pencil skirt. You can do this. “I need to apologize for last night.”

“Okay,” Nash said slowly, waiting.

Here went nothing. “I was scared,” I said simply, meeting his gaze. Not hiding behind my mask. Letting him see me. “And I still am, to be honest.” My voice broke a little with vulnerability. The coffee sloshed in my cup as I took a sip to regroup. “But it’s not fair for me to expect steadiness from you and then be the one to jump ship at the first rock of the boat.” Setting the cup down on the desk, I braced my hands on my knees and dropped my chin. “I’ve been so scared of everyone else running from me that I didn’t stop to notice when I was the one pulling away to protect myself.” I puffed a breath. “I’m sorry for what I said and for running away instead of leaning in. I trust you, and I’m in. If you can forgive me?”

At the end of my little speech, I sagged back into the cushioned chair. It had taken all my strength and mental clarity to get that out. Doing hard things was exhausting—but worth it.

Nash reached out and cradled my hand in his. “Thank you. I could have handled last night better, too. Never will I hurt you intentionally, but I’m human, Steph,” he said quietly. “I won’t always have it together. I need permission to fail you. Knowing I’ll always have your best interests at heart and that even when I fail, I’ll never stop fighting for you and for us. That I’m not going to walk away at the first sign of trouble. I’m in this for the long haul, sweetheart. Going forward, can we agree to be honest and open?”

I smiled, a real smile—not a fake one. “I’d like that.” Liz was right. No serious life-altering decisions should be acted upon without proper sleep. “I can’t promise I won’t panic again in the future. Unfortunately, things with my past and my dad bring the worst out in me. But I am working through things, and—”

Nash brushed his thumb over my cheek. “I don’t mind reassuring you. As often as you need it. As long as we’re a team, okay?” He chuckled when I practically preened under his touch. “And you really came here this early to tell me this?”

I laughed softly. “I wanted to prove to you I’m serious. That I’m tired of being a coward.”

Nash lifted my hand to his lips, feathering a kiss over my knuckles. “You’re not a coward, Steph. You’re one of the bravest women I know.”

My breath caught as he lingered in another kiss. “Brave? What woman have you been hanging around to get that impression?”

I felt his smile against my skin as he took me in. “The real Stephanie Addams without her professional mask. The brave woman who chose to do brave things in a world that didn’t choose her. And kept choosing others, myself included.”