Filthy Beautiful Lies

Chapter Fifteen

Colton

"I need to go to New York – take care of some things," I say to Pace in between reps.

I move away from the bench and wipe my brow with my towel. Pace takes a seat, gripping the bar with a confused look on his face. "Tell me this has nothing to do with seeing Stella."

"We both know I need to take care of this mess between us. This has dragged on way too fucking long."

"It's a bad idea, Colton. You never had any restraint where she was concerned. I just don't want to see you dragged back into something you worked so hard to untangle yourself from."

He's wrong about one thing – I've never untangled myself. "That's what this trip is about – I promise you that. Closure. Once and for all."

He lays back and I hand him the bench press bar. He pumps out fifteen reps, puffing out slow, even breaths. "And how many times over the past year have I heard that?"

He's right. I had let her get to me – to suck me back in, but this time felt different. This time I have Sophie in my life. It might not be much, but I have something on the horizon with a beautiful, sweet girl. And my damn moral compass won't let me pursue her the way I want until I'm free of the mega-beast.

We move onto squats, but he's still eyeing me curiously. "Are you taking Sophie with?"

"Fuck no. She doesn't know anything about me and Stella, and I prefer it that way. I was actually going to ask if you'd stop over, keep an eye on her."

"Don't trust her alone in your house, huh?"

"No, nothing like that. I just don't want her to get bored." She's working with Kylie now, but I know from experience evenings can be hard all alone in that big house.

"You got it, boss." Pace grins at me, a goofy smile that instantly tells me all the ways he plans to entertain her. It makes me want to pummel him. Christ, I need to get my head on straight.

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