Page 8 of Secrets of the Past (Secrets of Mustang Island #3)
T he Salt Amanda’s eyes glistened with something brave; Crystal, glowing, hand gently resting on her belly.
And there, tucked to the side, was a new face in the group, Paige.
Her breath caught. Paige, in the flesh, beautiful and vibrant, her presence like a spark that made everything in the room shift.
Nicole ran to her friend’s side. Twenty long years lay between them, and while she was still the most gorgeous girl on the island, Nicole needed to hug her good friend. Suddenly, she felt fifteen again, heart pounding, palms sweating as they sneaked off to search for boys.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said. “It’s been way too long. How long are you visiting?”
“Only for a few weeks, and then I have to return.”
“Ladies!” she announced, voice louder than she meant. The music softened in recognition as the women turned, smiles blooming like wildflowers.
They rose, laughter threading through them, a five-way hug that felt older and firmer than the last time they’d done this. Nicole felt Paige's arms tighten around her as though, together, they carried two decades of shared history forward in a heartbeat.
Paige squeezed into the booth beside Nicole, and immediately, the space felt right.
Jennifer was first to get an order in: “Prosecco to start, darling?” She looked from Nicole to Paige with a mischievous grin. “And whatever the house red is, bring that to me. We need to celebrate tonight, the old group being back together.”
Crystal, always refined, chose water. “Something soft and comforting,” she said, rubbing her own belly gently. “This little one is too young to drink.”
Two years ago, Crystal had found her happily ever after with a man here on the island. Three years ago, Jennifer had found love for the second time with a boy she’d dated one summer. Amanda was reeling from a divorce. Nicole had returned to the Island, and now Paige was here, as well.
Amanda sat on the edge of the group, eyes fierce and sad, nodded to the bartender, saying quietly, “Whatever helps me forget the world exists for fifteen minutes. Surprise me.”
Nicole watched this scene, the perfume-light laughter, the strength flickering in Amanda’s expression, the way Paige’s return shifted something in the air. She grabbed the wine list, thumb lingering.
“What brought you home?” Nicole asked, unable to mask the edge in her voice. She needed to know why Paige had shown up so suddenly, so unannounced.
“Tripp called me,” Paige said quietly. “He wanted to ask about the night you two got married.”
Nicole froze, her breath catching. Stunned, she stared at her friend. What did she know? And more importantly, what had Tripp told her?
Fear coiled in Nicole’s chest as she wondered what Paige had told him.
Even now, just hearing his name sent Nicole’s heart racing.
Paige had come back, was it because she cared, or because no one else could patch the holes the past had torn open?
And now here they were: five women, four stories of heartbreak, and one wildcard returning to upend everything.
Nicole finally ordered a Malbec, its deep red color promising comfort, complexity, and the courage to speak truths.
The wine arrived, and glasses clinked. Paige’s smooth voice cut through the ambient music.
“So this is happening, courtroom showdowns with Nicole Reyes,” she said, raising her glass to Nicole. “The city’s newest prosecutor.”
“Against who?” Jennifer asked.
“Tripp,” Paige replied. “They’re facing off in court.”
Nicole braced herself, letting out a wry smile. “Yes. Opposing counsel. It was like the universe decided: unfinished business.”
“Exactly,” Paige said. “About time.”
“Can we laugh about it?” Jennifer asked, twirling her glass. “Because if not, I might fall into my chair and cry all over again.”
“I don’t know what happened, but it gutted all of us to learn that your marriage had been annulled,” Amanda said. “Tell us.”
“We eloped the night after graduation and were married in a beautiful little chapel. We spent the night at the inn, and then the next thing I know, I’m receiving an email from him saying he wants to party while he’s at college. Please don’t contact him again.”
Jennifer’s brow drew together. “That doesn’t sound like Tripp.”
“No, he was crazy about you,” Crystal said.
“I always thought that you and he would live happily ever after. I guess that’s something I don’t believe in any longer,” Amanda said with a sigh.
“So what happened?” Jennifer asked. “Was it from his email?”
“Oh yes,” she said with a sigh. “His father drew up an annulment. A month after we were married, the marriage was no more. The only thing I lost was my virginity and my trust in men.”
Even speaking of that time still cut deep, the ache as sharp as ever. Would she ever heal from it, or was she destined to carry the wound forever?
Paige sighed. “To be fair, Tripp’s family met him at the door the next morning and whisked him off to Europe for the summer.”
“How do you know that?” Nicole asked, knowing her family and his had once been friends.
“He told me,” she said. “This is why the two of you need to talk.”
“We’re opposing counsel,” Nicole reminded her.
Paige shook her head. “You need to talk.”
“Not now. Regardless, I never heard from him again,” Nicole said, her heart aching at the memory of how she just wanted to speak to him. To confirm that the annulment was what he wanted. And yet her heart called her ten times a fool for even considering talking to him again.
“Wow, and you kept the annulment a secret. Why is it coming out now?” Crystal asked.
“Because we’re both back in town and dueling in court. He’s on one side of the courtroom, and I’m on the other. And for the first time in twenty years, we actually spoke.”
There was silence as they emptied a bottle of red wine.
Amanda managed a dry laugh. “I tried to call my husband five times today. Nothing.”
Paige reached over and nestled a hand on Amanda’s. “You’re not alone. We’ve got your back. I know it’s hard, but let him go.”
Nicole watched Amanda’s shoulders shift, hope nudging through her sorrow. Could something like this have happened to her and Tripp if they’d stayed together? She would never know.
Crystal cleared her throat. “Okay, but we still need to dish about Paige. Are you really here for Nicole or for a summer fling?”
Paige’s eyes lit up. “I came for Nicole, because I’m hoping she and Tripp will learn the truth. I want to help. But if sparks fly, I won’t stop them. Promise.”
Nicole’s breath caught. She looked into Paige’s warm gray eyes, and something quiet bloomed between them.
They talked. They drank. They reminisced. Light giggles underlined stories from prom nights and secret crushes; their hands reached for food off the shared charcuterie board, cheese, crusty bread, marinated olives, and strawberries.
Jennifer looked at Nicole and said gently, “I used to think you loved Tripp more than you loved us.”
Nicole swallowed a bite of brie. “I loved him...and I was terrified of what I’d do if he walked away. And now, I know how I’d react. I’d be fine. I’d survive. But that first year of college was rough.”
Silence.
Nicole’s lips trembled.
Paige leaned in close. “I’m sorry about the past. But I had to come home, Nicole. And I’m here to help, whatever that looks like.”
Nicole blinked back tears. “Thank you...especially tonight.”
Their laughter softened as tears seeped in. Amanda’s gaze broke away for a moment.
“Well,” Amanda said softly, “I found out a few days ago that Joe, my husband, has been living a double life for years. With a man. That’s his reason for a divorce. My husband is gay.”
The table went still.
“I never dreamed that the divorce could get worse, but now I know the truth. Now, I know why he won’t go to counseling. Now I understand why he lost interest in sex. Now I know that there was nothing I could do to keep him.”
Paige slipped her arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “Shocking. So much for twenty years of marriage.”
Amanda swallowed. “I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve always been a wife and mother. Now I’m just a mother of five kids who have all grown up and moved away except for Brent. He’s the last chick at home.. No one needs me anymore.”
“We need you,” Crystal said, rubbing her own rounded belly. “Remember this is baby number two, and I still have trouble when they get sick. You’re the calming force that helps me see that this is just part of life and I’m not going to kill them.”
Nicole giggled. “I’d be terrified.”
“I was,” Crystal said.
Jennifer grabbed Amanda’s hand. “Honey, you write your own second act. We’re all here to cheer you on. Look at me. My second act is so much better than the first.”
The women leaned into each other, a cocoon of empathy and shared vulnerability. There were tears, confessions, and hugs as they huddled. Nicole had never felt closer to these women than she did just now.
Nicole caught Paige’s eye; it had been so long. No words were needed, just a breath passed between them.
Paige whispered, “Want me to go with you tomorrow to the courthouse? Just...supporting you in the back.”
Tomorrow was the first day of the trial. Tomorrow was the day she would face her nemesis and, oh, how she wanted to beat him.
Nicole nodded, feeling nervous about sparring with Tripp. “That’d mean everything.”
They lifted their glasses.
“To the women who write their own stories,” Jennifer toasted.
“To love we once thought lost,” Crystal added.
“To family by choice,” Amanda said.
Nicole held Paige’s gaze, the wine warm in her belly, the past dissolving in the glow of this moment.
For the first time in years, she felt ready to believe that love didn’t just end. Sometimes it just needed the right room, the right voices, and a glass of wine to come home again.
“To being strong and not needing a man to make our life happy. We make our own happiness,” Paige said.
“To beating Tripp in court,” she said.
“Cheers,” they all cried.
Maybe it was vindictive, but twenty years of believing he’d betrayed her didn’t just vanish overnight. It would take time and answers before she could accept that they’d both been deceived.
Until the trial was over, the courtroom would be the only place their voices touched—each word laced with everything they couldn’t say.