Page 29 of Secrets of the Past (Secrets of Mustang Island #3)

T he little beachside bar glowed with strings of twinkle lights, casting the whole place in a warm golden haze.

The surf rolled just beyond the open windows, its rhythm weaving through the laughter and clinking of glassware.

The music was a blend of reggae and rock, playing softly in the background.

Two days had passed since the meeting with the parents, and Nicole hadn’t felt this empty, this detached, since she left for college without Tripp. It was that same dull ache, like something had been carved out of her, and nothing had grown back.

Nicole almost stayed home, but even there, the air was uneasy, every silence sharp, as if they were all tiptoeing barefoot across seashells. Nothing felt safe anymore. It was time to slip away, to find a place where she could finally breathe.

She spotted her friends instantly: Paige, Crystal, Jennifer, and Amanda gathered at a high-top near the window, their faces lit with easy camaraderie.

God, how she had missed these women—her lifeline, her laughter, her family of choice.

She loved them fiercely, and tonight, all she wanted was to sink into their warmth, to forget the years of distance and heartache and simply enjoy their company.

But the shadow lingered. She knew the questions would come, and they would want to know what had happened between her and Tripp.

And that day…that wound…she wasn’t sure she could rip it open again. Not yet.

For the first time since the disastrous meeting at Suzanne Masterson’s house, Nicole felt herself exhale. These women would make her feel better. They would help heal her from the pain and maybe even help her decide what to do about Tripp, because right now, she wasn’t certain.

Once again, her life felt like it had been tossed in the air, pieces scattering in every direction, her family, her career, and worst of all, her love life.

She and Tripp had been so close to finding their way back to each other, only for the past to rear its ugly head and breathe fire over everything they’d fought to overcome.

The dragon of betrayal had scorched the earth beneath their feet, and it had scorched them too.

And all she could see now were the ashes of what they might have been.

“Nicole!” Paige called, waving her over with a grin. She lifted her glass of water , as if it were champagne, ice cubes rattling against the rim.

Nicole slid into the empty chair with a weary smile. “Sorry, I’m late. Work ran long.”

Crystal, round and radiant in a soft maternity dress, raised her brows. “Nice try. You live ten minutes away. You just didn’t want to come sit with four nosy women and answer a hundred questions.”

That earned a ripple of laughter. Nicole laughed too, a little weakly, but she felt some of the heaviness in her chest ease.

And yes, she could already feel them circling, priming her for the details they were dying to hear.

The waiter swung by and took her order, a margarita, heavy on the lime. Paige tapped her water glass when he looked at her. “I’m pacing myself tonight,” she said. “Someone’s gotta keep the rest of you from dancing on the tables.”

Jennifer leaned over. “That’s a shame, Paige. You’re usually the first one on the table.”

“I’ve retired,” Paige deadpanned. “Graceful exits only.”

Amanda snorted into her mojito. “Until karaoke starts.”

The women laughed again, and Nicole found herself almost smiling for real.

“To surviving another week,” Amanda said, raising her glass. “Have I told you that dating at this age sucks?”

They all laughed.

“To surviving the trial,” Jennifer added. “And not strangling opposing counsel, even though he’s entirely strangle-able.”

“Here, here,” Crystal said, clinking her glass of ginger ale against Jennifer’s.

Nicole lifted her margarita. “To friends who refuse to let me sulk in peace.”

Glasses clinked, laughter rippled again, and for a moment Nicole let herself just be.

But her friends didn’t let her off that easily.

Paige leaned in, her chin resting on one hand. “All right, spill. How’s it really? Because every time I see you on the news, you look like a stone statue. Meanwhile, we know you’re probably dying inside.”

Nicole hesitated, then sighed. “It’s over. Evelyn Reddick admitted to murdering Bianca.”

“What?” Amanda said. “She’s in the same social stratosphere as Suzanne Masterson. I guess the ultra-rich can commit murder and not get away with it.”

Nicole nodded. “Tripp figured it out. Evelyn put Bianca’s address into her GPS the night of the murder.

She arrived ten minutes before the coroner said she died.

He showed evidence of her leaving her house and the time she returned the night of the murder.

He was excellent. And she planted the murder weapon in her son’s apartment. ”

“And how do you feel about Tripp as a lawyer?” Paige asked.

Her voice cracked at the edges. “He’s maddening. He’s brilliant.”

Crystal reached across the table, her fingers brushing Nicole’s hand. “You still love him.”

Nicole’s throat closed. She couldn’t say the words. But she didn’t deny it either.

Of course, she still loved him. How could she not? She’d loved him for half her life. But every time they found their way back to each other, it seemed their families rose up like walls, standing between them and the love that refused to die.

They weren’t each other’s enemy, their families were.

Jennifer smirked into her straw. “Honestly, I don’t blame you. The man looks like he stepped straight out of GQ. And when he stares at you in court, the rest of us need sunglasses.”

Nicole laughed softly, grateful for the joke, though her chest still ached.

Paige twirled her straw through the ice in her water. “So… speaking of Tripp.”

Nicole stiffened. “Paige…”

She couldn’t talk about him tonight or she might break down crying.

“What?” Paige’s smile was just a little too innocent. “I’m just saying maybe you don’t know everything.”

“You don’t either,” she said, thinking about what had happened after the trial ended.

“Tell us,” Jennifer said. “We want all the juicy details.”

For the next five minutes, she told them about how they had agreed to meet after the trial and discuss their marriage. They ended up spending the night at a hotel, and the next morning, they decided to bring their parents together and learn the truth of what happened twenty years ago.

When she got to the part about how Suzanne had treated her, a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Damn, that woman is a bitch,” Amanda said.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Crystal said. “You don’t deserve that.”

“What did Tripp do?” Jennifer said, her voice angry. “Was he a man and did he stand up to his mother?”

That had been her biggest disappointment. Maybe he had after she left, but before she walked out, he’d just sat there staring at her in disbelief.

“I didn’t give him the chance. I told my parents we were leaving. I told him I need time. It feels like all that we’ve gone through is still keeping us apart.”

How could she tell them she’d felt so disappointed with how Tripp had responded, and how she feared Tripp would come to hate her for making him choose between his mother and her?

“Just a minute, Nicole. You don’t know what happened after you left,” Paige said, grinning.

Nicole narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Paige sat back, folding her arms. “Don’t shoot the messenger. But you should know, he’s not living with his mother anymore.”

Nicole froze. “What?”

Had the revelation sent him running? The thought twisted in her gut. She’d been disappointed, crushed, but maybe he’d been reeling, too, as stunned as she was. She had never imagined their parents would stoop so low, go to such lengths just to rip them apart.

Who does that to their own children?

“He moved out,” Paige said, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Packed his bags, walked out of that mausoleum she calls a house. Suzanne’s in full meltdown mode. I hear she’s been calling everyone from the garden club to the church rector, trying to get Tripp to answer her. He won’t.”

Crystal’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”

Paige shook her head. “Not a bit. And that’s not all. This morning, he resigned from the firm. Just walked away. Suzanne’s practically climbing the drapes because she can’t control him anymore.”

Nicole’s heart thundered, her margarita forgotten. “He… he left?”

Stunned, she sat frozen, her mind spiraling. Where had he gone? And why, after everything, hadn’t he reached out to her?

Paige’s grin softened. “He left, Nic. He’s done. With her. With everything she used to dangle over him.”

Nicole shook her head, dazed. “But why would he?—”

“Because of you,” Jennifer cut in, sipping her drink with a flourish. “The man does have a set of balls, after all.”

Nicole laughed bitterly.

Paige smiled. “No. Because he couldn’t stand her controlling him anymore.”

Amanda leaned forward, her eyes kind but firm. “Or maybe because he finally realized the only way to prove he deserves you is to cut her out of his life. You gave him the choice, Nicole. And he’s choosing you.”

Nicole’s throat tightened. Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back.

Crystal rubbed her belly thoughtfully. “I’ll tell you what I see. I see a man who’s finally fighting for you. He lost you once, and he’s tearing down every wall to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m surprised you haven’t heard from him.”

So was Nicole. The silence gnawed at her.

Was he trying to prove, once and for all, that he was done letting his mother pull the strings?

Or was he off somewhere preparing a place for them, trying to build a future she could finally believe in?

Whatever the reason, the not knowing clawed at her.

God, she just wished he would call, let her in, let her know what he was thinking.

The silence was starting to feel like abandonment all over again.

Nicole covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling. “I don’t know if I can trust it. She said she’d never accept me. That our children would never be loved.” Her voice cracked. “What if she’s right? What if no matter what he does, I’ll never be enough in that family’s eyes?”

Her friends went quiet for a moment.

Then Paige set down her water with a sharp clink.

“Nicole Reyes, listen to me. You’re more than enough.

Always have been. Suzanne Masterson is a miserable woman who only feels powerful when she makes others feel small.

You’re not small. You’re brilliant. You’re stubborn.

You’re the girl who made the golden boy of the island fall head over heels, and guess what?

He still is. If he’s cutting her out, then for God’s sake, let him. ”

Amanda raised her mojito. “Hear, hear.”

Jennifer leaned forward, her smile wicked. “Also, let’s be honest: the man looks at you like you’re oxygen. And unless I missed a memo, oxygen is non-negotiable.”

Even Crystal laughed at that, her hand pressing to her belly as if to steady herself.

Nicole shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks, but a small smile tugged at her mouth. “You all make it sound so simple.”

“Love is simple,” Crystal said gently. “It’s the rest of the world that complicates it.”

Nicole looked down at her glass. Paige’s words replayed in her mind: He moved out. He resigned. He’s done with her.

Her heart ached, but underneath the ache flickered something dangerous. Something she’d almost forgotten how to feel.

Hope.

Now, where was Tripp and why hadn’t he called her?