Jacked Up (23 page)

Yep, he was seeing red. It hurt. Something bad. To think that she was only half in this marriage at best, it was painful to admit. But it was as clear as the tattoo on his chest that she wasn’t sure she wanted any of this. And he would be damned if he would beg or try to talk her into it.

“My dad did it. It’s like a form agreement. We just sign it, no big deal.”

“So you think I’m after your money? That I have ulterior motives? I don’t want your money. In fact, I’m not even comfortable in this perfect condo with your perfect furniture. I want to eat chips on the couch like the working class stiff that I am.”

“What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you wanting my money. I’m not worried about that. This is just standard. It means that we both leave with everything that we each brought to the marriage. It streamlines the process, makes it less complicated.”

He loved the way she spoke about their divorce like it was a foregone conclusion. Yanking the envelope out of her hand, he pulled the papers out and unfolded them. He didn’t even bother to read it. He had nothing to lose. She was the one with everything material to lose. All he had to give was his heart and he was pretty sure she had just broken that. “Pen.”

“What? Nolan, are you okay with this? You didn’t even read it.”

“Give me a fucking pen.”

Her face went pale. She dug in her purse and handed him a pen.

Slapping it on the dining room table, he flipped to the last page and signed his name.

“Don’t be upset.”

“I’m not upset.” He handed her the papers. “I’m done. You were never in this, Eve. And I’m an idiot for thinking that you were.” Feeling like his chest was so tight he might have a heart attack, he went down the hall to her bedroom. Grabbing his duffel bag, he stuffed the few clothes he had brought with him into it.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m giving you what you want. Peace and quiet. An end to this inconvenient and embarrassing marriage.” He grabbed a fistful of socks and crammed them into the bag. “I’m sorry that I took you to that chapel in Vegas. I thought you were ready for an adventure, for love, but I think I was wrong. Or maybe you are ready, just not with me.”

God, he was going to cry. He was going to cry like his nephew Owen if he didn’t get the hell out of there.

“So you’re just going to leave?”

He stood and met her gaze. “Isn’t that what you want? To push me away until I leave and then you can say I’m a jerk and not have to accept any responsibility?”

Her voice trembled. “Asshole.”

He’d struck a chord. “Probably. Or maybe just a fool.”

And he’d have the tattoo on his chest to remind him of that fact every day.

* * *

EVE
stared at Nolan’s retreating back as he flung his duffel bag over his shoulder, stepped into his shoes, and walked out. She was fighting back tears. What the hell had just happened?

She had ruined her marriage, that’s what.

Nolan showed her a tattoo of her name on his chest and gave her a driver’s experience and she gave him postnuptial documents?

What the hell was wrong with her?

God, she didn’t blame him for leaving. He should leave. She didn’t deserve him.

Why had seeing her name in ink paralyzed her like that?

Because she didn’t deserve him.

It was the one thing she kept coming back to and had since the very first time he had asked her out.

Feeling like she was going to throw up, she picked up her phone with shaking hands and called her brother. “Elec?” she managed to choke out. “I need to talk to you.” Then she officially burst into tears.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

ELEC
sat on Eve’s deck with her on a glider she had out there. She was leaning against him, bundled up like they were in Antarctica, her hood up and covering half her face. He couldn’t claim to be any sort of expert on relationships, but it was safe to say he’d had his doubts about this one from the beginning.

“Maybe you all just skipped a few steps and then didn’t know how to recover,” he told her now. He’d been surprised when she’d called him, not because her marriage had fallen apart in record time, but by the fact that it had been Nolan who had walked out.

“I just suck, that’s all.”

“That’s not a very productive line of thinking. What did he say to you?”

“That I was never fully in the marriage.”

“Do you think there’s truth to that?”

“Yeah. I just couldn’t trust it. I kept worrying that it was a mistake. I kept waiting for him to change his mind and for it to disappear.”

“That was a self-fulfilling prophecy, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was scratchy from crying, and even with nothing more than the porch light on them, Elec could see how red her nose was and how puffy her eyes were from sobbing. He’d honestly never seen his sister so upset. She bitched and moaned and berated, but she didn’t cry. Nothing ever touched her heart. It would seem Nolan Ford had touched her heart.

“There’s no reason the two of you can’t work this out.”

“How are we supposed to do that? He hates me.” She sighed.

“If he hated you he wouldn’t have married you. Don’t be melodramatic.”

“I was born melodramatic.”

“Actually, you were probably born cussing. But seriously, are you a quitter? Is that what Eve Monroe is? A quitter?”

“I quit racing.”

Elec wasn’t sure what to say to that. He put his right hand in his coat pocket and his left around his sister. She was curled up against him like a wet cat. It was the most pathetic thing he’d ever seen. Eve was not a cuddler. “So start driving again. And call up your husband and make this right.”

“In order to fix things, I think I have to fix me. There’s something wrong with me, you know.”

“Stop making excuses. There’s something wrong with everyone.” If he had learned anything in his life, that was it.

“I asked him to sign a postnuptial agreement after he showed me that he had my name tattooed on his chest.”

Oh, Lord. Elec shook her arm a little. “I’m guessing you realize that was bad timing?”

“Yeah. I’m like Rain Man sometimes. I just blurt shit out.”

“Do you feel like you need a postnup?” To his mind, that had their father’s mark all over it.

“No. I mean, what do I have? A condo and some money in the bank. Nolan doesn’t care about any of that stuff. It was Dad’s idea.”

“Next time, tell Dad to mind his own business. I say you tear the thing up and give it to Nolan so he knows you know he’s not after your money.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“I think you’d be foolish not to try.” He hugged Eve a little closer to him. He wasn’t used to seeing her so vulnerable and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. “I have some good news. Can I share or is this too bad of a time?”

“You’re not renewing your wedding vows, are you? Because I might throw up in my mouth.”

“No. Tamara and I are adopting a baby. We’ve been going through the paperwork for a while, and it turns out a mother chose us and we’re getting a baby boy in about six weeks, give or take. We get him two days after he’s born.” Elec was still amazed that his life had played out the way it had. There had been a time when he’d thought he’d never have children. Now he had two stepkids he loved like his own and a baby that would be his and Tamara’s on the way. He was happier than he ever could have imagined. He wanted the same for his sister.

She sat up and looked at him. “Are you serious? Oh Elec, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for you.” She started crying again. “That’s wonderful.”

Eve had been the only one Elec had told back in his late teens when he’d found out he couldn’t have biological children and she had been there for him. To see her so happy for him even in the midst of her own crisis made him realize how grateful he was to have her as a sister. “Thanks, Eve. That means a lot to me. And you’ll work this out with Nolan. He loves you. Anyone can see that.”

“Then how come I could never see it?”

“’Cuz you’re stubborn.”

She gave a watery laugh. “Stupid is more like it.”

“Just promise me you won’t quit the race before the first lap. Give Nolan a shot.”

“I promise.” She fumbled in her pocket for a tissue. “And it’s too bad you’re getting a boy. If it was a girl, you could name her after me.”

Elec laughed. “What, Motor Mouth Monroe? That still works for a boy.”

She smacked his leg and Elec felt satisfied that he had made her feel at least a little better.

Now hopefully she would see her way to making things right with Nolan.

* * *

“YOU’VE
got yourself a roommate,” Nolan told Rhett as he entered his apartment and dropped his bag on the floor. Ironic that Rhett had just moved in two days earlier and here Nolan was back.

“Are you kidding me?” Rhett was lounging on Nolan’s couch, tossing popcorn in his mouth.

“Unfortunately, no, I’m not kidding you.” Nolan wanted a beer. He wanted to kick something. He wanted his heart removed from his chest and replaced with one that wasn’t broken.

Rhett sat up. “What happened?”

“Eve asked me to sign a postnuptial agreement.” It still stung. Did she really think he was such an opportunist?

“So?”

“What do you mean,
so
?” Nolan went to the fridge. There had to be beer still in there.

“I mean, isn’t that normal? Don’t people do that all the time?”

He gave up rooting around the fridge to stare at his brother. “I don’t know. Maybe if you’re rich.”

“Well, isn’t her family kind of rich?”

“Yeah. What’s your point?”

“It just makes sense to me, that’s all. You’re not telling me you left because of that?”

“Not exactly. Not just that. But I don’t like being thought of as a gold digger. And the truth is, Eve was never on board with this wedding. She said yes in a moment of impulse and she’s regretted it ever since.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“No. Not in so many words.” Nolan snagged a bottle of beer and contemplated chewing the cap off. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

“I’m on the side of love, man.”

Nolan raised an eyebrow. “You’re stoned again, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean, stoned again? I don’t smoke, you know that. Maybe that was a little sarcastic, but I’m serious, bro. You have something good here and you’re going to put words in your girl’s mouth and throw it away because your ego is a little bruised? If it was worth diving into marriage for, it’s worth a little effort trying to fix it.”

Desperate to find a bottle opener and ignore the truth of what his brother was saying, Nolan nearly tore a drawer out of the cabinet after he yanked on it. “When did you become such a know-it-all?”

“When did you become a quitter?”

He finally found the opener and popped his beer top off with a satisfying clink. “Little fucker.”

“Call me what you want, but you’re not living here with me. Go back to your wife and fix your shit. Or move back in with Mom and Dad.”

Was Rhett serious? “You won’t let me stay here? This is my apartment, twerp!”

“You signed the lease over to me.”

Unbelievable. Rhett was pulling some tough love crap with him. “Someday when you fall in love, I’m going to laugh at you.”

“I can live with that.” Rhett leaned his head back and sank some popcorn into his mouth. “I think I have, actually. She’s moving in with me.”

“Are you serious?” Well, that explained Rhett’s odd behavior.

“Yep.”

“Wow. Cool.” He was happy for Rhett. He was. But it left Nolan no choice but to either fix his shit or move back in with his parents. He’d go to a hotel if he hadn’t maxed out his credit card on Eve’s party. Or he could always beg one of his sisters for a room.

He decided that was his best bet. He needed a day or two to get his head on straight before he talked to Eve.

His phone buzzed. It was a text from her.

I’m sorry
.

That’s all it said.

Yeah, he was sorry, too.

* * *

EVE
took a deep breath and marched into Evan’s office. “Hey, Evan, how’s it going?”

“Hey, Eve. I heard you took a spin around the track yesterday. Did you have fun?” He was looking at her like he wanted to ask her more. Like he knew she had sobbed herself into a puddle on Elec’s lap.

“Yeah, it was a blast.” Eve had used the driver’s experience package that Nolan had bought for her the day before, and she’d been amazed at how good it felt to be behind the wheel. The freedom had been immense, the joy almost overwhelming. In the two days since Nolan had walked out of her condo, she hadn’t slept at all. She had lain in her bed at night, reflecting on her life, her choices, what she really wanted. What was realistic and what was possible. She knew she needed a change, and hitting the track had only cemented that opinion.

So she’d made some decisions. That was step one. By the time she got to step three, she was going to go to Nolan and try to talk to him about a second chance. But first there were a couple of things she needed to do.

“Cool. So what’s up? I don’t see any to-do list for me in your hand.”

“I want you to accept my resignation. I’ve already spoken with Elec but I wanted to clear it with you.” She was done with PR. She was so done, they needed a new word for it.

“What?” Evan looked concerned but not necessarily surprised.

She wasn’t finished though. “And I’m asking you to sponsor a car for me to drive in the local circuit.”

Now she had his attention. His eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling and the pen he’d been playing with stilled. He grinned. “Well, well. Now that’s an interesting proposition. How do I know it’s a sound investment?”

“Because I want this bad. I have the skill, you know I do. I’m dying here in a skirt and blouse every day, Ev. I need to do something else.”

“I know. You can have the money. I know you’ll kick ass.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Thanks. You know I won’t squander it.”

“I know. And hell, I was telling Kendall in the next few years I want to shift from driver to owner. This is as good of a time as any to test the waters.” He stood up. “Shake on it, big sis. This is awesome.”

“I hope so. I’m listing my condo for sale this afternoon.”

“What? Why?”

“Too expensive. I can rent for a third of the cost, and without a steady income, I need to trim the fat in my budget.” Besides, it had been ringing in her ears ever since Nolan had left that her condo was perfect. It was. Which shouldn’t be a problem. Except there was none of her in it. It was a magazine photo shoot, not a home.

“Dang, girl, you don’t mess around.”

“I’m trying not to.”

“Have you talked to Nolan?”

“I sent him a text but he didn’t answer.”

“A text? Eve, come on. Go talk to the guy. He’s walking around this garage looking like someone kicked his dog. Or like he lost his wife. Whatever went down between you two needs to be talked about in person. Not in text. Trust me on this. I almost lost Kendall, remember?”

She remembered. Evan and Kendall had nearly given her a full head of gray hair. They’d taken a roundabout way to getting together. “I know. I’m going to talk to him after I meet with the Realtor this afternoon.” Then the tattoo artist. Nolan had told her she was only halfway in and he’d been right. She wanted to prove to him that she was all in. One hundred percent.

* * *

IT
had been two days of absolute hell wondering if he should call Eve. Wishing she would call him. Nolan had been camped out at his sister’s house, sleeping on the couch, and waking up to children using him as a jungle gym. His heart started pounding double time when the phone rang and he saw it was her.

“Hello?” Asher was sitting on his chest, but that wasn’t the only reason he felt breathless.

“Hi, it’s me. Are you busy? Can you talk?”

“I’m not busy. How are you? I . . .” He wanted to say he missed her, because he did, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted to hear.

She gave a shuddering breath. “I’ve been better. But I’ve made some changes and I want to talk to you about them. I seem to remember you like barbeque. Want to go to dinner with me tonight? It’s on me.”

His heart started to beat even faster. That was good, right? That she wanted to talk to him? Or was she serving him with divorce papers? If she did, he was going to try with everything in him to talk her out of it. “Hey, I happen to have won a hundred-dollar gift card to a BBQ joint, so what do we say I pick up the tab and you pay the tip?”

“Sure, that sounds good.”

“Six?” He wasn’t sure he could wait any longer than that.

“Okay, see you then. Text me the address if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” He paused then he went for it. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

That put him in a much better mood. Nolan hung up the phone and tossed Asher upside down, letting her hair dangle over his chest. She giggled.

“Why are you staying with us? Did your apartment burn down or something?”

“No. Eve and I had a little disagreement and I said some things I shouldn’t have.” Things that he should have thought about more before he had stormed out on her.

“Oh, so you’re in a time-out?”

That was one way to put it. “Exactly. Though she just let me out.”

Asher’s face was starting to turn red so he righted her. She swiped her hair out of her face, then said, “Then you should say you’re sorry.”

“I aim to.” He was going to apologize, then he was going to tell her everything he felt.

Then if he had to he was going to carry her out over his shoulder back to her place and make love to her all night long.

“You should take flowers. My daddy always brings flowers when he’s been a jerk to Momma.”

“Good call.” Flowers didn’t really seem like an Eve thing, but he knew how she felt about chocolates. He would pick some up on the way. He was going to win the suck-up award if nothing else.