Coming Home (Vista Falls #4)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Sure, if it’s a hot stranger just passing through and no one has to find out about it. But Matt has a reputation in this town. People hate him.”

  “Not everyone hates him. Some people believed it was an accident and felt sorry for him.”

  Juliette was willing to acknowledge that her perception may have been skewed because she’d only heard her father’s version of the story. Because he wanted a pint of Matt’s blood for his crimes, he’d assumed everyone else in town did too.

  She moaned, looking at the stack of work she had to wade through that afternoon. “I can’t deal with this right now. I don’t have the time and attention to devote to cleaning up another mess.” Especially one that she’d made.

  “So you’re not going to see him again?”

  “I’m supposed to—tonight, in fact. But how can I now?”

  “Don’t you think you owe it to him to get his side of the story?”

  “He could have told me the truth about who he was last night. Instead he lied about his name, the house, everything.” She threw her hands in the air. “What more do I need to know?”

  “Sometimes things aren’t as black and white as they seem, hon. Remember what happened with me and Colt? I assumed he cheated on me because that was how it looked. I could have lost him because of that, and I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.”

  “Yeah, but Matt and I don’t even know each other. It’s not like we have anything to lose if we don’t take this any further.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Juliette closed her eyes and saw flashes of her night with Zeke… Matt… whatever. The way he’d kissed her, the way he’d touched her. The way he’d made her feel. Either he was a really good actor, or he’d been as into her as she was him. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Go to dinner with him tonight. It’s obvious he made an impression on you, so I think you owe it to him and yourself to get some answers. Find out why he lied to you and whether he was just using you to get back at your father.”

  Juliette rolled her eyes. “Like he’s really going to tell me.”

  “Why wouldn’t he? He already got what he wanted, right?” Gabby winced when her friend cringed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “It’s okay.” Juliette took Gabby’s hand. “Thanks for coming by, but I better get back to work if I’m going to make that dinner tonight.”

  Chapter Five

  “You’re such as dumbass. I can’t believe you banged the mayor’s daughter,” Branson said before tipping a handful of popcorn into his big mouth. Since Zeke and Branson had been friends ever since Zeke moved to LA right after he got out of juvie, he knew the whole ugly story.

  “It’s not like I planned it. She was there, looking hot, flirting with me…” He shrugged. “Next thing I know, she asked me to take her home. I saw an opportunity, so I took it.”

  “An opportunity to get even with your nemesis and get your rocks off with a hot chick?” Branson grinned. “Two birds with one stone, huh?”

  “Something like that, but…” Zeke stared at the TV. They were watching some stupid sitcom rerun he’d seen a dozen times. “Here’s the thing—I’m having a hell of a time getting her off my mind.”

  Branson smiled. “I’m not surprised. I saw the girl. Dude, seriously. Ridiculous.”

  But his attraction was based on more than the way she looked. It was the way she felt, the way she smelled, tasted, sounded… everything. It was also the way she’d curled against his chest and breathed a contented sigh right before she fell asleep. It was the way he’d creeped himself out by watching her sleep and kissed her forehead when he knew there was no chance she’d feel it. It was the smile on his face when he woke up and thought about her making coffee in his kitchen, wearing nothing but his T-shirt and remnants of his cologne.

  “You think she knows the deal by now?” Branson asked. “You said she’s the mayor, right? She must know everyone in town. If anyone recognized you at the bar last night—”

  “They’d tell her to stay the hell away from me.” Zeke had half expected her friends to haul her out of there last night, but they hadn’t, leading him to believe they hadn’t recognized him. He looked a lot different than he had in high school. Then he’d been a scrawny kid with short hair and acne. Now he was taller, buffer, with longer hair and colorful tats. His look worked in LA but not so much in Vista Falls, where the uniform was dirty jeans, plaid shirts, and work boots.

  “Since when do you care what people think of you?” Branson shook his head, looking disgusted. “I still don’t know why you wanted to come back to this shithole. You’ve got a place in Malibu, dude. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

  Zeke looked around at the house he’d lived in until he was fifteen. “Not all my memories of this place are bad. My brother and I grew up here. He and I…” He cleared his throat. “We had a lot of good times here, man.”

  “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell your folks the truth about what happened to your brother before they passed. They had a right to know.”

  “No.” Zeke had no regrets about that. If they’d found out the truth, it would have killed them.

  The doorbell rang, and Zeke looked at his Omega. “Shit, it’s seven o’clock. That must be Juliette. I can’t believe she came.”

  “I guess that means you want me to split, huh?”

  “Would you mind, man? There’s a bar in town called Rusty’s,” he said, slapping his friend on the back when he stood. “It’s not the club scene we’re used to, but it’s not half bad.”

  “Never know, I might get lucky.”

  “If you do, there’s an inn in town. Take her there. I don’t want you coming back here and messing up my night.”

  Branson looked over his shoulder at Zeke before they got to the door. “You gonna tell her?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s see how it plays out.”

  Branson grabbed his keys and wallet from the console table. When he opened the door, he surprised Zeke by giving Juliette a hug. “Hey, gorgeous. Nice to see you again.”

  “Uh, you too.” She looked at Zeke over Branson’s shoulder, and he could tell by her guarded expression something was off. She knows.

  “Have a good night, guys,” Branson said before Zeke ushered Juliette inside and closed the door.

  “Hey.” He wanted to hug her, kiss her, something. But he was afraid to touch her in case she smacked him for lying to her. Not that he’d lied. He’d simply withheld his story, which he knew was the same thing.

  “Why did you lie to me about your name?”

  “I didn’t. Zeke is my middle name.”

  She frowned as though she didn’t believe him.

  “Would you like to see my driver’s license?” He reached into his back pocket to withdraw his wallet, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

  “That won’t be necessary.” She looked around. “You led me to believe you bought this house. You didn’t. You inherited it.”

  “I never said I bought it. You assumed I did, and I didn’t correct you.” They were splitting hairs, and he didn’t feel good about where this conversation was going. If he expected her to stay, he needed to apologize. “I should have told you who I was. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  “I have so many questions.” She pulled her long, wavy hair away from her face, holding it back with her hand. “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Can we talk over dinner?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got some steaks marinating. I can grab you a glass of wine while I throw them on the grill. We can talk outside.”

  She looked from him to the door. “I guess that would be okay, but I can’t stay long. I have a busy day tomorrow.”

  “Fair enough.” Zeke knew a busy day was code for “there’s no way I’m spending the night with you again.”

  He led her to the kitchen and poured them each a glass of merlot before gesturing for her to precede him out to the pat
io so he could warm up the grill.

  She sat in one of the teak chairs surrounding a rectangular patio table. “I wish I’d known who you were last night before we…”

  “Slept together.” After turning the grill on, he lowered the lid and faced her. “You can say it, you know.”

  “Was I… was it…” She shook her head before taking a sip of her wine. “Did you plan it?”

  “What?” He knew what she was asking, but he didn’t know how to answer without sounding guilty as hell.

  “Zeke, please. Don’t make me spell it out.”

  He heaved a sigh before pulling out a chair across from her. “You want the truth? I walked into Rusty’s last night looking for a hook-up. I’ve been in town a while, overseeing the renovations on this place, and I got lonely.”

  “So you were looking for a good time, and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

  He hated that she phrased it that way. Nothing about last night felt wrong to him. “Just remember you asked me to take you home, Jules. Not the other way around.”

  “That was before I knew who you were!”

  “You didn’t bother to ask.” It may not have been fair to deflect, but he wasn’t prepared to take all of the blame. “You wanted to know three things about me from what I recall.” He downed a half a glass of wine. “Whether I was married, had a girlfriend, and what I did for a living. I answered all of those questions honestly. If you’d asked me any other direct questions, I’d like to think I would have answered those honestly too.” When she didn’t look convinced, he added, “I never lied to you.”

  “You must hate my father.” She looked down at the table. “After what he did to you—”

  “He didn’t get his way, but yeah, I’m probably not his biggest fan.”

  “Is that why you took me home?” she asked quietly. “To stick it to him for what he did to you?”

  He battled with himself: spare her feelings or opt for brutal honesty? “When I found out who you were, I was already attracted to you. We started talking, and I was even more intrigued. When you asked me to take you home, did it cross my mind that your dad might find out and be pissed? Yeah, it did. But that’s not the reason I did it.”

  “So that was just the icing on the cake?” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I have a lousy track record with men. I’ve never been with one who cared enough to…”

  “To what?” He hated that she was hurting and he was the cause. If there was anything he could say or do to make her feel better by the time she left tonight, he wouldn’t hesitate. Not to ease his conscience but because she was special.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  He took her hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. “It matters to me.”

  “I was so disappointed when my friend told me who you were.”

  He withdrew his hand, sitting back. He felt as though he’d been disappointing the people he cared about his whole life, and he was sick of it. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “I was disappointed because I actually felt something last night. I wanted to believe that we could have something—”

  “Why can’t we?”

  “How can you ask me that?” She took a healthy swig of her wine. “People in this town have long memories. Your name may be different, but that doesn’t change what happened. You…”

  “Killed my own brother. Say it.” He spit the words out through clenched teeth. She was just like everyone else, so ready to judge him without hearing the facts.

  “Isn’t that what happened?” When he glared at her instead of responding, she said, “I came here tonight to hear your side of the story. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I don’t think you do. I think you’re just like your old man. You’ve already decided I’m a worthless piece of shit who deserves to rot for what I did.”

  “That’s not fair! I’m nothing like my father. I believe everyone’s entitled to their day in court, and unlike him, I don’t think it’s my job to decide a person’s guilt or innocence.” She traced the intricate design on the tabletop. “You know what I did this afternoon instead of working?”

  He wasn’t sure he cared but heard himself ask, “What?”

  “I researched your case. I read every old article, including the ones where my father was quoted. He was way out of line, and though I know he’ll never apologize to you, on behalf of my office, I’d like to.”

  Zeke was too stunned to speak for a minute. “Are you saying you believe it was an accident?” Her father had believed they’d both been drinking and had a fight. He insisted the shooting had been intentional.

  “I do.” She met his gaze, never wavering. “I didn’t know you well back then, but I remember you and your brother were close. Why would you choose to shoot him? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It made sense to your father.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s not always the most rational person.” She pushed away her glass. “Anyhow, I said what I came to say. Thanks for the drink.”

  “You can’t leave yet.” He pointed at the grill. “You haven’t even eaten.”

  “I’m sure Branson will be hungry when he gets home. He can have mine.” She stood, pushing her chair back.

  “Juliette, wait.” He didn’t want her to go. He wanted to talk more, to tell her things he hadn’t told anyone other than Branson, which was crazy since they barely knew each other.

  She looked up at him when he stood. “What?”

  “Thanks for believing in me.” It had been a really long time since anyone had.

  “You’re welcome.” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her path. “Was there something else?”

  “I’m having a hell of a time fighting the urge to kiss you. I know that’s probably the last thing you want given what you know about me, but…”

  “You were young.” She licked her lips as he did the same. “You made a horrible mistake, but that doesn’t make you a bad person.” She gripped the strap of her purse, curling her other hand into a fist. “You paid for what you did. In my mind, there’s nothing more you can do.”

  She was the first woman he’d ever been with who knew about his past. The fact that she knew his dirty little secret and didn’t think he was an abhorrent human being made him feel more connected to her somehow.

  Juliette gestured around them. “You’ve obviously made a good life for yourself, and your parents didn’t hold what happened against you. If they had, they would never have left you this house. So who am I, or anyone else, to judge you? I’m sure no one was hurt more by what happened than you and your parents. After all, y’all were the ones who had to live with the loss.”

  He kissed her. He hadn’t intended to, but she was saying all the things he hadn’t even realized he needed to hear, and that made it impossible for him to resist her.

  “Zeke,” she whispered, still looking at his mouth when they broke apart. “We can’t do this again. You and me, it would never work.”

  “Why not?” She was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  “My job is important to me.” She let her purse fall to the ground as she rested her hand on his chest. “The people in this town elected me because they trust my judgment.”

  “And if people saw you with me, they’d think they made a mistake, that you couldn’t be trusted to make good decisions?” He understood her position. And she was right. In the minds of Vista Falls’s residents, he was a criminal, a monster even, who’d killed his own brother in the prime of his life.

  “I know it doesn’t seem fair—”

  “It’s okay.” He kissed her gently, wishing he could take her upstairs to work on the connection they’d started building in his bed. “I get it.”

  She touched his face, looking as if she wanted to say more, but she held back. “Good luck, Zeke. I can’t imagine why you’d choose to make this your home away from home, but I, for one, am glad you did.”

/>   He kissed her hand as he walked her to the door. “And that right there is reason enough for me to be glad I did too.”

  ***

  Juliette was surprised when, the day after her heart-to-heart with Zeke, Branson showed up at her office and invited her to lunch.

  She gestured to her desk. “I’d love to, but as you can see, I have a ton of work to do. Some other time, maybe?” She wasn’t sure if he was asking her out because he was interested in her or to talk about his friend. Either way, she wasn’t interested in another awkward exchange.

  “Come on,” he said, leaning against her doorframe. “You have to eat, don’t you? I spotted a diner across the street. We can grab a quick sandwich, and I’ll have you back behind your desk in twenty-five minutes, tops.”

  He was persistent. She had to give him that. And since she was curious, she gave in. “Fine, but I do have to be quick.”

  “You got it.”

  They hurried across the street and snagged one of the last remaining booths.

  He glanced at the plastic menu and asked, “So what do you recommend?”

  “The roast beef is pretty good.”

  “Okay.” He set the menu aside and folded his hands, waiting for her undivided attention.

  She smiled before setting her menu on top of his. “Do you always make impulsive decisions?”

  “We’re talking lunch, not marriage. Besides, I came here to talk, not eat.”

  “Then you’re not hungry?”

  He grinned. “I could eat. But then, I could always eat.”

  “I bet you could.” She shook her head with a smile as they placed their orders with the waitress who promised she’d be right back with their drinks.

  “So you and my buddy are done, huh?”

  “Wow, you get right to the point, don’t you?”

  He tapped the face of his Rolex. “Didn’t you tell me I have a time limit? No time to waste.”

  “Okay, fine. Zeke and I were never really a thing. I told you that when we, uh, met.”

  He leaned in, lowering his voice. “You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who sleeps with just anyone. The fact that you spent the night with him says a lot, if you ask me.”