Colton 911--Secret Alibi by Beth Cornelison

Author:Beth Cornelison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-09-09T16:27:29+00:00

* * *

Later that night, Nash sat alone in his bungalow, turning the facts of the murder case and his conversation with Cartwright over in his head, feeling violated and angry over the cretin who’d planted the candlestick. Damon had stopped by earlier in the evening to renew his arguments to install a security system. For the first time, Nash was considering it, which also made him mad, because he hated feeling like he’d caved. But if Valerie was going to be spending more time here, he wanted her to be safe.

But that begged the question—would Valerie be here more often? Or even, at all? They hadn’t really settled anything about what was between them. He couldn’t say whether they were looking toward the future or simply glad to have some clarity on the past. He’d texted her once or twice, inviting her to come to dinner, to see where they stood now that they’d cleared the air. And gotten quick, if brief, replies putting him off for one reason or another. Already had plans. Migraine. Working late with Sara on ad campaign. Some part of him feared history was repeating itself.

Twelve years ago, she’d assumed the worst about him based on circumstantial evidence from her mother. She’d denied him the right to know about her pregnancy. She’d shut him out. And although she’d explained her side of events a few nights ago, the fact remained that, twelve years ago, she’d dismissed his needs, his feelings and his rights in order to protect herself. Was that what she was doing now, even after all his assurances to her?

Years ago, she’d easily bought into a lie that allowed her to justify her actions. She’d been hurting, yes. But she also hadn’t given him a chance to defend himself, to speak the truth, to give her the love and support he’d wanted to give her.

And now? Could he trust her? She’d asked for time, for continued secrecy while she decided how to proceed. But what was there to decide? Did she care about him and believe in him or didn’t she?

Acid climbed Nash’s throat as his irritation and resentment grew. He’d spent too many years waiting and hoping for his father’s love and attention to repeat those mistakes with Valerie. Was it too much to ask for Valerie’s unconditional love and faith? He refused to settle for anything less.

Stop it! He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if to jar loose the negative track of his thoughts. He was letting his bad relationship with his father, the resentment over being framed for Axel’s murder and a mistaken view of history between him and Valerie color his perception. He was an adult now and needed to view the situation without the warping lens of his emotions. He poured himself a drink at his wet bar and took a sip.

At least she hadn’t shut him out, completely ghosted him, like last time. She’d told Cartwright the truth. That was something.

Nash carried

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.