Chapter 77
:
“Wait.”
I turn to Nathan when he tugs me back with our intertwined hands. We’re sitting at the back of the Rolls Royce that was sent to pick us up from my apartment after Nathan called home this morning with a freshly charged phone.
We’re parked in front of the mansion, but Nathan has a tight grip on my hand, as if he doesn’t want me to leave the car.
I smile softly and bring our intertwined hands up to my lips. “You okay?” I ask.
He glances behind me–at the mansion that looms.
“I don’t want you anywhere near them,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “I barely see your parents, and Peter’s harmless.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw. “And Lucas.”
I shrug against the sudden tightness in my chest. “I barely see him either.” I really fucking hope.
Nathan sighs. “Can we go back? I like your apartment way more.”
I lean forward and hug him, resting my head in the crook of his neck. “The sooner we go inside, the sooner we can continue with the competition and see it to the end.” I pull back and look into his eyes. “Right?”
He caresses my cheek. “You’re the only one I want to marry.”
My heart does a full cartwheel into a back handspring in my chest. I still can’t believe this isn’t some kind of illusion. I’m with Nathan Ashford. We spent the night together and woke up this morning in each other’s arms.
I press my lips against his, memorizing the feel of him, knowing that I don’t know when next we can be together like this. “Me too,” I whisper against him.
I pull back and smile, tugging his hand. “Come on.” I open the door. “Reality awaits.”
As we leave the car, I slip my hand out of Nathan’s, and he gives me an assuring smile. We climb the grand stairs up to the house. He moves a little further from me, and I understand.
Just till the competition is over, I tell myself.
All my insecurities about the impossibility of winning have disappeared into thin air. Now, it’s not even about winning.
It’s about being with Nathan.
As soon as the door opens, I stagger back under the force of the small body that catapults into me.
“Spring!”
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14:54 Sat, Oct 4
Chapter 77
“Summer,” I breathe, wrapping my arms around my little sister.
“I missed you,” she mumbles. I feel a little guilty that I was so consumed with Nathan that I barely had time to miss June. She pulls back and looks up at me, her eyes glassy.
“I was so worried, Spring.”
“I’m so sorry, hon,” I tell her, stroking her hair affectionately. “There was no way to contact you.”
June sighs and glances at Nathan, who hasn’t moved from beside me. “I hope you took good care of my sister.”
Nathan glances at me, and I feel my cheeks heat up.
“If anything, she took care of me,” he answers smoothly.
Footsteps and voices come closer, and soon, most of the girls enter the foyer, exclaiming how ‘worried‘ they were about us.
The only one I care about is Eliza, who wraps me in a tight hug. “You’re glowing,” she whispers in my ear.
My cheeks redden further as we pull away.
Her eyes narrow as her lips twitch. “You have some dishing to do, missy.”
I giggle, letting her pull me away from the foyer. I grab June’s arms and pull her along. Before I go out of sight, I turn and catch Nathan’s gaze one last time.
He gives me a soft, tender smile that makes my heart skip a beat. It makes me want to pull my hand out of Eliza and June’s, run to him, and hide somewhere, just us.
In my room, I give Eliza and June a rundown of what happened–the dead car battery, the rain, getting Louise to pick us up and take us to our apartment.
“How is she?” June asks.
I ruffle my sister’s hair. “Good. She misses you and sends her love.”
“That’s all well and good,” Eliza says, grabbing my hand. “What I want to know is what happened between you and Nathan.”
I roll my eyes and, in doing so, catch sight of the band–aid on Eliza’s elbow.
“What happened?”
She rolls her eyes. “We were getting down from the car, and Valerie’s last surviving minion, Gracie, shoved me.”
My eyes widen. “What the fuck?”
She waves it away. “It’s nothing. What happened?”
Memories of last night flash through my mind, warming my insides. “Nothing.”
2/4
14:54 Sat, Oct 4
Chapter 77
Eliza shoves me lightly. “Liar.”
I giggle. “So, fill me in. What’s been going on?”
Eliza shrugs. “We’ve mainly been waiting,”
“For what?”
:
“For you and Nathan.” Her expression falls slightly. “There’s another elimination–and this time, the heirs are choosing.”
Easton does his signature loud clap to quieten all the girls down. It’s almost six in the evening, and all the contestants are gathered in the ballroom as usual. The nerves running through the group are palpable.
On the stage behind Easton are Lucas, Nathan, and Peter.
“As was mentioned earlier,” Easton says. “The next elimination will be carried out by the Ashford brothers, who will eliminate a contestant each. Time has already been wasted enough.” He glances at me pointedly like I intentionally stranded myself in the rain. Although, given how it turned out, I’d do it all over again. “So we’ll begin with no preamble.”
Easton gives a slight bow, clearing the way for the brothers. Lucas takes a step forward first, and my breath hitches.
Getting eliminated by Lucas and having to leave Nathan and watch from the sidelines as he marries someone else would be the worst thing in the world.
But Lucas doesn’t even spare me a glance. “Rachel Timmons,” he says, and the petite blonde gasps softly. He shrugs as I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Thank God. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t had a chance to connect with you.
She drops her head.
Lucas steps back, and my eyes drift to Nathan. Now that Lucas has chosen, the anxiety has evaporated. Peter is my friend and Nathan… well, I don’t need to explain that.
I
However, I frown slightly when my eyes fall on Nathan. He’s standing stiffly, and when our eyes meet, he averts them instantly.
When Peter sees that his brother is not moving forward anytime soon, he steps forward.
“I had a name in mind already,” he says, pointedly glaring at Valerie, who shrinks under his gaze. “But in light of recent events,“–he turns to Gracie, standing beside Valerie-“I’m choosing Gracie Storm.”
Eliza makes a small squeak in the back of her throat and looks at me wide–eyed. I wink at her. I wouldn’t put it past Peter to have eliminated Gracie simply because she shoved Eliza.
Finally, with slow, heavy steps, Nathan steps forward.
He takes a deep breath, and I frown, wondering what’s wrong.
All thoughts of finding him later and ensuring he’s okay evaporate when his head raises slowly, and his eyes find mine in the crowd as he says, “I’m eliminating April Farrah.”
3/4
14:54 Sat, Oct 4
Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me
