Page 80 of Provocation (Temptation 3)

“You went through fucking hell with Nick. What the media reported barely skimmed the surface of what living with him did to you. How it changed you. You need to start being honest with Lachlan if you want this to work. Better yet, you need to start being honest with yourself.”

“I am—”

“You keep saying how you want to forget the past, put it behind you. I hate to break it to you, but there’s not a drug potent enough to help anyone forget the shit Nick put you through. So, instead of pretending like it never happened, it’s time you finally embrace it. Celebrate it. Because you fucking survived. Nick tried to beat you down, but he couldn’t. Despite everything, he never broke you.

“Let that sink in for a minute, Julia Blaire Prescott. You. Are. Not. Broken.”

Her voice punctuated the air, leaving me no choice but to give serious thought to her words.

“Nick may have left a few scars, but that’s what makes you the woman you are now. When you got home from Hawaii, you claimed you were done living in survival mode. But you still are. It’s time you stop simply surviving and start living. While you’re at it, it’s time you start loving, too.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised her hand again, not allowing me to voice any lackluster arguments.

“I’m not talking about your love for Imogene, Wes, or even me. I’m talking about the soul-fulfilling, heart-bursting love you have for Lachlan. And I know what you’re going to say,” she added quickly. “That you don’t love him. That it’s impossible. Well, that’s your fear talking.”

Her lips twisted into a smile. “When I was dealing with my own relationship struggles, what was it you always mentioned your meemaw said? About how I’d know it was love?”

I closed my eyes, almost able to feel my grandmother’s arms around me as she tried to explain something as mysterious and frightening as love.

“‘If you’re not scared, it’s not love.’”

“Precisely. So let me ask you this…”

I slowly lifted my gaze to meet Naomi’s.

“How do you feel right now?”

“Petrified.”

She smirked. “That’s what I thought. I’m not saying telling him the truth will fix everything. But I think he deserves to know your true feelings. Stop trying to protect him. Better yet, stop trying to protect yourself. Stop living in survival mode and fucking live, Jules.”