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‘You two really are made for each other.’ A small smile crossed her face before her eyes dropped back into her lap. ‘I got rid of the baby. I had to. I couldn’t bring up a child knowing it would always be his, and that I would have been the person who killed their father.’
‘I get it.’
‘It was still really early.’
‘It doesn’t mean it hurts any less. You can mourn if you need to.’ She reached for my hand and squeezed it as I spoke.
‘Your sister, Maeve, has actually been an enormous help. She’s helping me restructure my dad’s business to my liking now, so I don’t meet resistance later. It’s been a rollercoaster.’
‘You’re going to be great, Nicole. You are strong, and fierce and will be a great leader. Don’t let anyone, or anything, make you doubt it. You did what needed to be done, and you’ll be stronger for it one day.’
‘Valentina’s a lucky girl. I didn’t want you like that, but I meant it when I said that I saw your potential. My father was more annoyed about losing you than Hugh.’
‘I think that may have had more to do with Hugh than with me.’
I couldn’t help but wonder if Tony had treated Hugh more like a son than a burden, whether he would have turned out so selfish and mixed-up.
‘Stay in touch,’ I said when Nicole stood to leave a few minutes later. ‘You’re always welcome here.’
‘Valentina might not like that.’
‘She’d love to see you more. Now that the thorn is gone, the sharpness between you both will dissipate, too. If you guys want it to. Now get your butt out of here. I need to get my dressing changed and you’ll see a whole lot of ass if you don’t go.’
Nicole pulled a face before laughing and covering her eyes. ‘God no, keep your trousers on until I’m well clear of the threshold.’
Relief flooded me as I realised that she’d be okay, and didn’t harbour any ire toward Valentina.
We could all move forward.
CHAPTER FORTY NINE
VALENTINA
The car bumped beneath me as rain splattered at the windows. I turned my head and listened for any clues.
‘Where are we going? Can I take this off yet?’ I fingered the blindfold that covered my eyes.
‘Not yet, nearly there. Have some patience.’
Patience wasn’t my forte.
Our relationship had gone from strength to strength in the weeks following Hugh’s attack. I’d worried that after the forbidden aspect of our lust driven relationship was gone, Logan would grow tired of me. But his obsession with me grew with each passing day. He was almost as obsessed with me as I was with him.
Logan hummed softly as we continued down the bumpy road until at last he stopped the car.
‘Don’t touch that blindfold yet,’ he said, opening his door and coming round to open mine.
‘I was kind of hoping you’d make me keep it on...’ I joked as he held my hand and walked me over some uneven ground. Rain spots hit my cheeks as fresh, cold air swept over me. Pine and rain, that’s what it smelled like.
‘We can keep the blindfold for later,’ Logan said, nipping at my neck before he undid the material. His voice in my ear sent electricity through me.
I opened my eyes and took in the scene in front of me. A picturesque chocolate box cottage sat nestled in the woods with Glencoe’s mountains rising behind it and a babbling river running alongside it.
The cottage looked a little worn, but the cherry red doors and ivy-covered walls made me melt.
‘Is it an Airbnb? I love it. It’s so cute.’
‘No baby, I bought it.’
