Valorous(9)

“I wish I was. I didn’t think either of you needed to hear that last night.”

“So what are they citing as the so-called cause?”

“Technically, she did lie on her background check when she said she’d never been known by any other name.”

“She did that for a good reason!”

“You and I know that, and Emmett said the lawyer acknowledged she had a good reason, but the principal isn’t willing to budge.”

“I can’t f*cking believe this. Natalie will never forgive me.”

“Flynn… Come on. She knows this isn’t your doing.”

“How is it not my doing? If I hadn’t taken her to the Globes, none of this would be happening.”

“Did you know about what happened to her? Before last weekend?”

I shake my head. “I knew she’d been assaulted when she was a teenager, but not the rest.”

“Then how could you have protected her from something you didn’t even know about?” Before I can form an answer, she says, “You couldn’t have. It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of the man who attacked her. It’s the fault of the person who sold her out to make a quick buck for himself. It is not your fault.”

“You should listen to her, Flynn,” Natalie says from behind me.

I spin around, and there she is, wearing my robe and holding Fluff to her chest. Her face is unusually pale, and dark circles under her eyes mar her otherwise flawless complexion. “Hey, sweetheart.” I hold out my hand to her.

She comes to me. “Addie’s right. None of this is your fault. I went with you last weekend knowing what was at stake. I trusted someone who didn’t deserve that trust. If he’d done his job and kept his mouth shut, none of this would be happening.”

“How about I take Fluff out for a walk?” Addie says.

“Thanks, Addie.” Natalie spots the leash on the counter with some of Fluff’s toys and clips it on the dog.

Thankfully, Fluff doesn’t seem to care that she’s leaving with someone other than her beloved Natalie. I send Addie a grateful smile. Walking my girlfriend’s dog is definitely not in her job description.

“If you hadn’t been seen with me,” I tell Natalie when we’re alone, “his story wouldn’t have been worth anything.”

“Again, not your fault. Last week, I did a search online for my name, and there was nothing to be found other than where I went to college and my job here. Because of that, I felt confident about going public with you.” She comes to me and lays her hands on my chest. “It’s not your fault. I want you to say that.”

I force a smile for her benefit. “It’s not your fault.”

“Flynn…”

Sighing, I give her what she needs. “It’s not my fault.”

“Keep saying it to yourself until you believe it.” Natalie goes up on tiptoes to kiss me. “I wouldn’t trade one minute of our magical weekend. It was the best time of my life.”

I put my arms around her to keep her close. “Mine, too, sweetheart, and winning the Globe was the least of it.” The night I won the biggest award of my career and made love to Natalie for the first time seems like months ago rather than only a few days. After enjoying the pleasure of holding her for a moment, I draw back so I can see her gorgeous face. “You seem a little better.”

She shrugs. “I guess.”

“Hayden started a TeamNatalie hashtag on Twitter that’s trending.”

“He did? Really?”

“Uh-huh. The outpouring of support has been amazing. Everyone is furious about what was done to you.”

“It’s nice of him, especially since he doesn’t even like me.”

“That’s not true. He doesn’t know you. You guys got off to a rough start the day we met. It’ll be fine when you get to know each other.” Because she seems so much better than she was last night, I hate that I have to tell her what Emmett found out about her job.

As always she’s tuned in to me in a way that no one else has ever been. “Whatever it is, just say it.”

“My lawyer looked into your situation at school.”

“And…”

“The contract is pretty solid. They can fire you ‘for cause.’ It doesn’t define what constitutes cause. Apparently, it’s at the principal’s discretion.”