A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5) (95)

“That solves nothing, Colton,” Desiree said. “Not to mention that it would open you up to a civil lawsuit as well.”

“I’m serious. I could hold a press conference right now and announce that I’m guilty, I did it, and then they would have no choice but to let the charges stand, and then there is no reason for Gretchen to do this.”

Jack suddenly laughed.

Colton shot him a glare. “What the hell is so funny?”

“The fact that she predicted you would do that exact thing. That’s why she didn’t tell you about this. She didn’t want you to play hero.”

“He’s not going to play the hero.” Buck pointed directly at Colton. “You are not pleading guilty.”

“But you could threaten to.”

Once again, silence descended as every head swiveled to Vlad, who’d quietly voiced the idea.

“What do you mean?”

“Beat Evan at his own game,” Vlad explained. “Tell him you’re going to plead guilty and tell the entire world that he was blackmailing Gretchen unless he rips up that contract.”

Jack advanced on quick steps. “Even if Evan isn’t receptive to it, Frasier and Diane will be. They’ll do anything to avoid public scandal and humiliation. Especially now.”

Colton stood. “It might work.”

“Uh, no, it won’t,” Buck said. “It only works if Colton is serious about following through with pleading guilty, which he’s not. Because, as we’ve established, that would be batshit fucking insane unless he’s willing to risk his entire career for her.”

Colton spoke without hesitation. “I don’t give a shit about my career right now.”

Buck’s face shed its color.

Colton gripped the man’s shoulders. “You asked me if I still wanted to do this, and the answer is no. Not without her. So if doing this thing risks my career, so be it. It’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means getting her back.”

He met his mother’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know this affects you too. But I can’t lose her.”

She smiled and approached him. “Colton, you have spent far too much time worrying about us. It’s not your job to protect us. It never was.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t. You think we don’t know why you’ve done all this? Why you’ve worked so hard, why you think you have to be the happy one in the room all the time?”

Shit. She was venturing into glare of your own past territory. And she was doing it in front of everyone.

“I said some awful things to her. What if she won’t forgive me?”

“She will. Because she sees the real you. The one you think you have to hide from the world. The one you think no one could possibly love if you showed it to them.”

“Damn.” Malcolm whistled behind them. “Is that true, Colton? Do you really feel that way?”

He gulped and ignored his friends. If he looked at them, he would cry. He didn’t have time to cry right now.

His mom patted his chest. “You deserve to be happy, Colton. For you. So do whatever you have to do. Go get Gretchen and bring her back.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


Colton showered quickly and walked out to find all the guys waiting for him in his bedroom.

“What’s the plan?” Mack asked.

“First, Jack and I are going to deal with Evan. Then we’re going to bring her back.” Colton pointed at Vlad. “I need you to call my pilot to get the plane ready.”

Vlad nodded.

“The rest of you, meet us at the airport in two hours. Bring the girls too.”

“You want all of us to go?” Noah asked.

“Gretchen needs to see that her entire family wants her to come home. And you are all her family.”

“I will bring my Santa suit,” Vlad said.

“Um, why?” Noah asked cautiously.

“Because this is a Christmas grand gesture. There must be a Santa suit.”

Colton couldn’t really argue with that logic. He opened his dresser drawers and pulled out jeans and a T-shirt. Then he dropped the towel around his waist and bent over to pull on some boxers.

“Gah, warn a man!” Noah clapped his hands over his eyes.

“Not your best angle, brother,” Mack said.

“That is no one’s best angle,” Malcolm mused.

“Colton, let’s go,” Jack called up the stairs.

He threaded the T-shirt over his head and hopped into his jeans, buttoning them as he left the room. He spun back around with a curse and grabbed a pair of socks.

“Colton!”

“I’m coming,” he called, jogging down the stairs, the guys right behind him.

Desiree and Buck flanked the front door wearing matching expressions of This is such a bad idea. “You should let me come with you,” Desiree said.

“I thought attorneys couldn’t be party to anything illegal.”

Desiree pressed her hands to her ears. “I didn’t hear that.”

Colton dropped to his butt on the bottom stair to pull on his socks and shoes. When he stood, his mom handed him his fleece coat and a hat. “Your hair is wet. You’ll catch a cold.”