“Hello again,” the robotic voice said.

My breath was like a dragon's fiery steam. “Fuck you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said fuck you.” Something wet tickled my forehead. “I don't know who you are, but you can't force me to stay away from Nix. Money, threats, it doesn't matter. That woman is mine, do you hear me? Mine!”

There was a long pause on the line. “You're making a mistake.”

“The only mistake I made was listening to your offer.”

Slamming the phone closed, I endured the pounding of my ears. Alcohol had left me disoriented, but my determination and rage had cleansed me.

The world was bright again.

Once more, something cold bit at my skin. Water dripped down my arm, burning at the cuts healing on my hand. Looking up into the black sky, I shut my eyes and inhaled.

It had started to snow.

- Chapter Thirteen -

Nix

The number of missed calls from Abell glowed at me.

“Something on your mind?” the caterer in front of me asked.

Poking at the food sample on my plate, I smiled half-heartedly. “Kind of. It's nothing, really.”

She nodded, clearly not caring about my personal issues.

I shouldn't have to waste time with this, I thought in frustration. My mother had informed me that Corin Birch had been serious at his party, he'd insisted on arranging a reception for his friends and business partners after my ceremony.

I had an unsettling feeling he wanted to parade me around.

“Which entree do you like?” she prodded me. “So far you've tried the lemon chicken, fried chicken, herb chicken, roast chicken...”

The woman rambled on until it all blurred together. Scanning the long table covered in plates, I coughed. “Uh, they're all great.” How many kinds of chicken ARE there?

My phone buzzed again. Peeking down, I saw the text message:

Abell: Call me back. I need to see you.

The itch to contact him—hear his voice—was massive. Playing with the edge of my phone, I fidgeted. I can't do it here, I'll wait until I leave, then—

In my hand, my phone began to vibrate. Every chamber of my heart copied that sensation, coming alive with expectation. I couldn't resist any longer.

“Excuse me,” I said, pressing the phone to my ear. “I have to take this.”

But it wasn't Abell.

“Nix,” Gram said, the instant I answered. “We need to meet up and talk.”

I leaned forward, cupping my hand around for privacy. “What's wrong?”

“Just meet me in twenty minutes, the coffee shop on Brentwood.” The severity in his tone wasn't subtle. Something was up, and when it came to Gram, if he thought it was serious...

I did, too.

“I'll be there,” I said. The catering woman stared at me, probably wishing she could stuff the chicken down my throat. I ignored her. “See you.” Clicking my phone, I faced her with the most apologetic smile I had in my arsenal. “Listen, I need to go.”

Her mouth went frog-like in its shape. “But the chicken!”

“Right, yeah.” I pointed without looking, jumping to my feet. “That one, that was the best.”

“That—that's an empty plate!”

Shoving through the door, I shouted, “Fine! The last one you mentioned!”

I didn't care about a damn chicken.

My brother was waiting for me.

****

Busting through the jingling door, I was hit by a wave of heat. The coffee shop was toasty, a sharp contrast to the winter world outside. Snow had fallen last night, blanketing the city in a cap of frosty white.

I didn't need to look hard to find Gram; he was standing in a booth to my left, waving an arm rapidly.

Waving back, I jogged over to him. “Hey!” I said, “There you are! What's the big emergency? I was in the middle of some major chicken eating, and I think I might have picked empty plates for the reception.”

I was smiling, but Gram was pale. “Sit down, Nix.”

Warily, I settled into the seat across from him. “Okay. I don't like this. What's wrong, Gram?”

Leaning towards me, he shoved his shoulders high. “You have to back out of the wedding.”

Trying to digest his words, I ended up staring blankly at his face.

“Nix?”

I blinked, still working through his comment. “Sorry, say that again.”

Exasperated, he grabbed my hands on the table. “Focus! I said you can't go through with this! It's wrong. He's wrong for you.”

Shaking myself, I said, “You called me here to tell me that?” Laughing without humor, I bent closer. “Gram, final hour much? The wedding is in two days.”

He gripped my fingers tighter, voice lowering, but his intensity was the same. “Listen to me, Nicky. I'm warning you, wearing that ring is going to ruin your life.”

I pulled my hands away, uncertainty cracking my nervous smile. “The guy is kind of a mess, yeah, but you don't know him. Not like I do.”

“You think you know him?” Crinkling his brow, he took a deep breath.

Doubt crept along my neck. “What, what is it?”

Gram hung his head. “He isn't loyal to you, Nix.”

Pushing my lips together, I buzzed them. “Pssshh. What are you talking about?”

“Last night, Abell went out drinking.” As he talked, my heart turned cold—heavy. “He was with someone. Nix, he... he's not any different. He's the player you thought he was.”

“No.” The word went free-falling from my lips. Inside, my mind battled with my intuition. Abell wouldn't do that to me. Under the table, I grabbed at my stomach protectively. We have something, he's changed, he... “How,” I said, licking my lips. “How do you know he did this?”

Lifting his phone, Gram waved it. “Someone sent me a photo.”

Around me, the room began to go blurry. “Who?”

“I don't know, I didn't recognize the number and they never responded to my texts.”

“Show me.”

“Nix—”

“Show me.”

Reluctantly, Gram placed the phone on the table between us. I reached out, and we both saw my hand was quivering. Flicking the screen on, I stared blankly at the image before me.

It was fuzzy, the lighting was poor, but I had no doubt.

That was Abell.

And there was Trish.

It stunned me that I remembered who she was. What is she doing with him? A million excuses ran through my head, stomping away until my skull was rioting. “Why?” I asked softly, unable to look away.

“Why did he do it? Because he's a piece of shit, Nix! The guy never cared about you, he just wanted to have his cake and eat it, too.”

I studied the photo, working to grasp any clue that it wasn't what it looked like. He wouldn't do this to me. Especially not with the possibility of a pregnancy! “I have to talk to him.”

Gram sat up straight, grabbing the phone from me. I held it for a second, then released. “Nix, no. You're going to get hurt.”

“I already am hurt!” The rage in my tone shocked me. Gram was stunned as well. “What am I supposed to do? Walk away like you're telling me to? I'll lose everything—you'll lose everything!”

Closing his eyes, Gram shook his head. “You don't need this company, Nicky. You can do other things.”

“Like what?” I scoffed.

“Anything! You're amazing, I don't think Gabby or Dad could run that place without you!”

My ears were ringing, that photo stamped in my mind's eye. “And you? What about my promise to make your life better?”

“It doesn't matter. I'm quitting.”

My jaw dropped, nails digging into the table cloth. “What?”

His smile was as frail as a snowflake. “I'm taking myself out of the equation. Don't worry about me, Nix. Worry about you, for once in your life.”

“If you leave, you'll be giving up a job you love!”

“What I loved was working with you. The rest of the job can take a hike.” His grin was playful, but it didn't reach his eyes.