How would he feel if he lost it all because of her?
Owen stalked closer, putting his hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes. He shook her a little. “Holly, stop this. I trusted you, now you have to do the same for me. You’re about to make a mistake that I don’t know if we can fix. Sometimes you have to rely on the people who love you to take care of you. Sometimes you can’t be the one to make everything okay. Let Trent do this. He’s right. We don’t need his family’s money to be happy, to work for what we want together.”
“What if he gets in trouble because of me?” A tear rolled down her cheek and he kissed it away.
“It’s his choice.” Owen leaned his forehead on hers and she suddenly felt stronger, more grounded. “And besides, we know some kick-ass lawyers. Just because his mom is threatening this bullshit doesn’t mean she’s going to get away with it. Why don’t we at least talk to Ford, Brady, and Josh and see what they can brainstorm? Maybe instead of just the five million Trent gave your mom, he could donate all of it to charity or something. What a classless bitch would his mother look like if she objected to that? Huh? And then there’d be no reason for her to come after you anymore. Maybe there’s a way to navigate this clusterfuck that doesn’t let her win. Would that be better?”
Instead of reflexive denial, Holly took a deep breath and then another and really thought about what he was saying. Her shoulders dropped and she sagged against him. “Yeah. Okay. All I care about is that Trent doesn’t put himself in danger to keep me out of it. That’s not a tradeoff I’m willing to accept.”
Owen’s strong arms were there to wrap around her as he rocked her. “We’ll figure out a way. It’s going to be okay, Holly. Because I love you. We all do.”
Trent rushed over and joined them. He put his arms around her too. “I’m so sorry, Holly. I’m trying to do my best, but I’m obviously fucking up. Owen is saying what I should have. I don’t know how he knows the right words but yes. Everything he said.”
Owen smacked Trent’s chest with the back of his hand before hugging her again. “Tell her. Right now. Say in no uncertain terms that this wasneverabout the money.”
“It wasn’t,” Trent said in an instant. “Not between you and me. And if giving it all away proves that, too, then I’m ready to sign the papers. I love you, Holly.”
She hiccupped, then clutched both Owen and Trent to her with trembling fingers. “I love you too, both of you. And I’m so scared of losing you that I can’t think straight.”
“It’s going to be okay. Somehow,” Owen promised both her and Trent.
She kissed him and then turned toward Trent, who closed the gap and crushed his mouth to hers. When they finally pulled apart, her head spinning, he sighed. “But first I think you need to convince Lorenzo of that.”
Holly winced and buried her face against Trent’s shoulder for a few moments. “I really screwed up with him. I almost did the one thing he can’t handle. Again.”
“We’ve all messed up. And we will again,” Owen told her. “But you can fix it.”
Holly stood straighter, womanning up. “I’m going to grovel and hope he’ll understand.”
“And if that doesn’t work, I promise you a blowjob will.” Trent’s smile emerged from beneath the worry lines marring his handsome face. For that alone it was worth it.
Holly laughed, though it sounded a bit like she was choking. “Got it. Apologize. On my knees if necessary.”
Owen shook his head, but he chuckled as he fixed her hair. “Next time we fight, make sure it’s me you upset, okay?”
She couldn’t help it. She smiled too and wiped her tears. “I’m going to make this right.
“Take your time. And while you’re busy blowing Lorenzo’s…mind, I’ll start making some calls and figuring out the best way to get this done. I’m going to keep you safe, Holly. We’ll figure out the rest together, okay?” Trent kissed the side of her face, then let her go, trusting her to take care of what she could while he did his part.
For the first time she realized their strength wasn’t in doing everything together, it was in balancing each other out. And until Lorenzo was part of that equation again, things wouldn’t add up.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath, then crossed the kitchen and living room to the back door. She nudged Moose aside before muttering, “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck when you have love on your side,” Owen told her.
She blew him a kiss, then went out into the yard to do the right thing.
16
Holly stood on the threshold, scared of doing what she had to but even more terrified that she wouldn’t be able to pull it off. In the background, she heard Owen baiting Trent. “Lorenzo doesn’t stand a chance. Ask me how I know. No really, ask me. You’re going to be so fucking jealous.”
“I knew it. You bastard. I was getting grilled by the cops while you were here doing…whatever it was you were doing. You better tell me every last detail. It’s the least you can do.”
Their bickering, even if it was for show, did its job. It gave her confidence. Things could go back to normal between them if she handled this right. Holly shut the backdoor quietly behind her, then took a long, deep breath before emerging from the shade of the house and into the sunshine.
For a moment, she tipped her face up into it, letting the first really hot day of the year seep into her bones and lend her strength as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Sort of like how she was getting used to the way the three men she loved illuminated the rest of her existence.
There was no doubting it.