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At some point, my brother came into the room, sat next to me on the floor, and held me against his side.
I had no idea how long we sat like that. But when I finally quieted down, my brother growled and said, “I’m going to fucking kill Nolan Wolfe.”
“Don’t, Kyle. Please.”
He grunted. “We’ll see. If he doesn’t fix this, then yes, I’m going to kick his ass into next week. I don’t care if he’s Beck’s brother or not. Any guy who abandons someone when they need them the most, well, they’re fucking heartless.”
Too exhausted to argue when Kyle was worked up, I sighed and sat a little longer on the floor with my brother, wondering if my life could get any worse.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Nolan
Me: Katie, baby, are you there? I can explain everything, but I need to talk to you.
Me: Do you even have your phone on? Please, baby. Don’t ignore me.
Me: I tried calling your parents’ house, but was told you weren’t there. Where are you? Abby won’t tell me.
Me: I promise I never would’ve left you alone at the charity event by choice.
Me: All of your social media accounts are gone too. Am I texting into a void?
Me: Even if I am, I miss you, baby. I want to hold you, talk to you, and kiss you. I need you.
Me: Well, I’m in Starry Hills now. Aunt Lori told me you’re in town, so I’m going to find you. We need to talk. I miss you.
Me (typed but deleted): I love you, Katie. Life is empty without you. Together, we can figure this out. Just let me in.
Me (actual text instead): No matter what, I’m not giving up on us. We need to talk, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
The last few days had been hell. Not because of the media or the paparazzi stalking me and shouting questions, or even because Wendy kept posting shit about our fictional wedding.
No, it was because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get to Katie.
She was in Starry Hills. I suspected at her family’s house, but her sisters, brother, and parents kept saying she wasn’t home. Kyle’s glare, in particular, told me Katie wasn’t happy.
I even checked the little shack she and her siblings used, but she wasn’t there either.
So now I paced inside the apple orchard on my family’s land and debated making another wish on the Wishing Tree—I would take whatever help I could get at this point—when Abby showed up.
The very sister who had been missing for a few days. Aunt Lori had said Abby was safe, but not much else.
I blinked at her sudden appearance before rushing over to her. “You know I didn’t leave her there by choice, Abby. Tell me you believe me.”
Abby studied me for a few seconds and then crossed her arms over her chest. “So you said in your texts. But what you shared seems kind of far-fetched. I mean, a kidnapping, Nolan? Really?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s true. As we speak, my lawyer is getting a signed confession from the guy who did it. He also revealed how it was Wendy who hired him. You can talk with Jenn or Tina if you need to, but I swear it’s the truth.”
Abby studied me for a few seconds and sighed. “I think I believe you.” She then narrowed her eyes. “But that fucking bitch. Seriously, I want to kick Wendy’s ass. And since I’m taller and stronger than her, I bet I could, too.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, you doing that will only give her another win in the court of public opinion.”
“I won’t stir shit up for you, Nolan. But I hate having to worry so much about what the world thinks. How have you dealt with it for so long?”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t hard most of the time. Being a reclusive actor has its perks.” I placed a hand on the nearby Wishing Tree. “If only I could go back and tell my agent no fucking way would I ever date Wendy, my life would be so much easier.”
Abby moved to lean against the Wishing Tree, facing me. “But if you’d done that, would you have ever approached Katie?”
