Page 43 of Persuasion (Temptation 2)

I burst out laughing. I could always count on my brother to make light of a difficult situation.

“But seriously, Jules,” he said once our laughter died down, his voice sincere. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the age difference. Love is…ageless. If he makes you happy, that’s all that should matter.” He paused. “Are you happy?”

I looked to the sky, giving his question serious consideration as I thought back over the past few days.

“Not much in my life has ever made sense,” I began. “It’s like I’ve spent most my life on a train platform, waiting for a train that’ll never come. But with him…”

“He put the train in your station?” he said mischievously. “In more ways than one?”

“Wes!” I exclaimed, unable to stop the giggles from overtaking me. “You’re my brother! I’m the one who’s supposed to make inappropriate sex jokes. Not you.”

“True. But that was when I was the one in need of relationship advice. At least according to you.”

“And you were.”

“And now you’re the one who needs it.”

I exhaled a long breath, leaning back in my chair. “This isn’t a relationship. We agreed.”

There was a long silence before Wes finally spoke again. “In my line of work, I deal with contracts all the time. More than I care to think about. And do you want to know what I’ve learned about contracts? About agreements?”

“What’s that?”

“Everything is up for renegotiation.”

I opened my mouth to argue that it wasn’t possible in our case, then snapped it shut. It wasn’t worth it. Wes would never truly understand. He wasn’t there. Didn’t see how Nick acted behind closed doors.

Didn’t hear the final words he’d uttered when the police finally took him into custody.

“‘Till death do us part, Julia. Till death do us part.’”

I’d lived with that threat in the back of my mind every day since. Most would consider it inconsequential, the desperate ramblings of a narcissistic sociopath who’d fallen from grace.

Not me.

I knew Nick. He didn’t make promises haphazardly. If he gave you his word, he kept it. Too many people had already lost their lives because of my husband.

I wouldn’t put anyone else’s life at risk.

That was why I couldn’t renegotiate. Why I had to walk away.

Not to protect myself. But to protect Lachlan.

It was the only way.