Coming Home (Vista Falls #4)

by Cheryl Douglas

  She held her breath. Waiting. Anticipating. Fearing his next words.

  “I’m falling in love with you, Jules.”

  She shook her head. She didn’t want him to say those words because he felt she needed reassurance. “Don’t. This isn’t the time to—”

  “It’s the perfect time. You’re still questioning me, and I can’t leave here knowing that.” He curled his hands around her face, giving her nowhere to look but in his eyes. “You need to know how I feel about you. I haven’t said those words to anyone in a long, long time, and I sure as hell wouldn’t say them if I didn’t mean it.”

  “I believe you.” She felt it too but couldn’t bring herself to say the words. She knew it wasn’t fair to leave him hanging, believing he was the only one with the courage to put his heart on the line, but she needed time to think and process what was happening between them. “But please try to understand. I came here last night planning to let you go.”

  “And now?” He was blocking the water with his broad back, and she felt a sudden chill move through her.

  “And now I don’t want to let you go. And that scares the hell out of me because I don’t know what that means.”

  As though he sensed her need for heat, he shifted their bodies so she was under the warm spray. “It means that we’ve found something worth exploring. And that’s exactly what we intend to do when you come out to California, right?”

  He was basically telling her what she already knew—those weeks would have to produce some answers about their future. “Right.”

  Chapter Ten

  Zeke got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach when he walked into his kitchen and found Juliette talking and laughing with his friends. There was no tension in the air, but he sensed the conversation he’d interrupted hadn’t been light and easy. His friends were protective of him. They knew he didn’t have any family left, so they looked out for him like brothers.

  “You’re not giving my girl a hard time, are you?” he asked, accepting the mug of coffee Juliette offered him with a grateful nod and a wink. He wanted his friends to get the message that she was the real deal and he expected them to treat her with respect.

  “We were just getting to know Juliette better,” Jake said, digging into his eggs. “We figure there must be something wrong with her if she’s into you. But we can’t figure out what the hell it is yet. She seems perfect.” He grinned. “Aside from her shitty taste in men, that is.”

  Zeke shook his head with a slight smile as Juliette slipped her arm around his waist and tucked her body against his. She felt so good, so right, he never wanted to let her go.

  “I’m hoping by the time she realizes she could do better, it’ll be too late.” He looked down at Juliette as the words he’d spoken to her in the shower came flooding back. He’d told her he was falling in love with her, but that wasn’t entirely true. He was already all in.

  “Too late?” His buddy Terrance chuckled. “Why? You plan to get her knocked up?”

  Color spread across Juliette’s cheeks as she dipped her head.

  Zeke seriously thought about putting a boot in Terrance’s ass as he muttered, “You got a big mouth, you know that?”

  “Hey, I’m just teasing,” Terrance said, raising his hands. “I didn’t mean no disrespect, Juliette.”

  “I know you didn’t,” she said, squeezing Zeke’s shoulder. “It’s fine.” She stepped away from him. “Look, it was great talking to you guys, but I gotta get to work.”

  “But it’s Saturday,” Jake said, still shoveling food into his mouth. “Who the hell works on Saturday?”

  “I do,” Juliette said, reaching for her purse, which she’d slung over the back of an empty chair.

  “Where are the girls?” Zeke asked, suddenly realizing he hadn’t heard any noise coming from the other bedrooms. “They still asleep?”

  “No, Branson lent them wheels so they could head into town to check out the spa. They said something about having lunch and checking out the shops too,” Terrance said. “They’ll be back this afternoon.”

  Zeke was in no hurry to see them again, especially if having them in his house would make Juliette question his commitment to her. “Can you come back when you finish up at the office?” he asked her. “Maybe I could barbeque tonight and—”

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I have to go out of town.”

  His heart sank. He’d planned to head back to Cali with his buddies on Sunday night, which meant this was good-bye. “Where are you going? When are you leaving?”

  “Meetings with a residential development team who wants to build a new subdivision here. They want me to visit one of their sites so I’ll get a better idea of what they’re proposing.”

  She smiled as she waved at the guys. “It was nice meeting you guys. I hope to see you again sometime.”

  Zeke didn’t like how noncommittal she sounded. If she was serious about coming out to California, she would definitely see them again. “Actually, Juliette’s agreed to come out to Malibu in a couple of weeks,” he said, needing to hear her cement the deal. “Maybe we can all get together for dinner one night while she’s in town.”

  “I’d like that,” Juliette said, slipping her hand through his. “But until then, duty calls. So I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Vista Falls. It’s a great place to kick back and relax.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I sound like a tour guide, don’t I? I hope you have a good time while you’re here.”

  “I’m sure we will.” Jake stood, and the other guys did the same.

  Zeke watched as, one by one, they gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he walked her to the door.

  “I like your friends. They seem really sweet.”

  Sweet was hardly the word he’d have used to describe his buddies, who could be raunchy and classless, but he was glad they’d made a good impression on her. He wanted her to like them. “They’re like family to me.”

  “I can see that.” She looked hesitant as she bit her lip and looked at the floor. “It sounds like you have a great life back in California.”

  “I do.”

  “And I have a pretty great life here.”

  “Don’t.” He crushed her against his chest, feeling his heart beating hard and fast at the prospect of watching her walk out the door for good. “Don’t ask yourself how this could work. Don’t question who’ll be the one to make all the sacrifices. I know that my lifestyle is more flexible than yours. And I have this place here. I could spend as much time here as I want to.”

  “You’d get lonely and bored,” she said, her eyes glossy as she tipped her head back to look at him. “I work long hours. You’d be holed up here by yourself most of the time, going stir-crazy. You’d miss your friends, the parties, the beach, the—”

  “I’d miss you if we weren’t together.” Right then, he couldn’t imagine missing anything or anyone more.

  She sighed. “I know now’s not the time to figure this out, but we can’t put it off forever.”

  “When you come to Malibu,” he promised before kissing her. “We’ll have plenty of time to sort it out.” Which meant he’d have time to convince her it could work. He wasn’t trying to convince either of them it would be easy. He knew it wouldn’t. But his entire life had been one challenge after another. He was used to it.

  “I should get going.” She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I don’t want to, but I have to.”

  He squeezed her, wondering how she’d gotten under his skin in no time at all. They hadn’t known each other long enough for him to feel this way, yet logic didn’t apply to matters of the heart.

  They shared one more lingering kiss. “Call me tonight?”

  “Sure.” She rolled forward on her toes and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be thinking about you every minute we’re apart.”

  He grinned since she’d said the one thing that would make this separation easier on him. “Same goes, babe.”

  As he
watched her walk out the door, he curled his fist around the handle and battled the urge to call her back.

  Before he could, Branson slapped him on the back as he waved to Juliette. “Come in the kitchen with me. We need to talk.”

  Since Branson hadn’t been in the kitchen enjoying breakfast with the rest of the guys that morning, Zeke assumed he’d had a wild night, which was a shame since he’d seemed to like the local girl he’d met at Rusty’s.

  “You look like hell,” Zeke said, smirking at his friend. “Really tied one on last night, huh?”

  “With good reason,” he muttered. “Lee told me last night she couldn’t see me anymore.”

  “So you just hooked up with the first hot girl who—”

  “I didn’t hook up with anyone,” he grumbled. “Not that I didn’t think about it. I just had a few too many and passed out. Alone.”

  “First time for everything, I guess.” Zeke leaned against the kitchen island, watching Branson pour himself a cup of coffee. “You were really into this girl, weren’t you?”

  It was more than the scowl on Branson’s face that gave Zeke a clue. It was the slump to his shoulders, the way his feet shuffled and his gaze hit the floor when he walked. He wasn’t his usual, cocky self.

  “I thought she could be different.” He took a sip of his coffee as his eyes met Zeke’s. “She seemed to really get me, ya know? I didn’t feel like she was judging me or…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s over.” He drew a deep breath and squared his broad shoulders. “Time to move on.”

  “Why do I get the feeling that’ll be easier said than done?”

  Branson chuckled as he flattened his palm against his chest. “This is me we’re talking about, remember? I don’t get attached.”

  “I didn’t think I did either.” He smiled. “But I’m pretty damn attached… and feeling good about it.”

  Branson popped two pieces of bread in the toaster before he said, “We’re not kids anymore, are we? Every time I party like I did last night, I’m reminded of that.” He popped a couple of pain relievers and washed them down with his coffee.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m losing the urge to party like that. Don’t get me wrong. We’ve had some great times, but we’re not twenty-three anymore. We’ve got to grow up sometime, right?”

  “And that doesn’t scare you?”

  “What?”

  “The prospect of growing up?” Branson rolled his eyes. “What does that even mean?” When his toast popped up, he walked to the fridge to retrieve the butter and jam. “Big house? Wife? Kids? No more booze? No more parties?” He shuddered. “Sounds like a life sentence to me.”

  Spoken like a man who’s never had to do time. “Doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

  Branson looked at him long and hard before concluding, “You can’t be serious. You’ve told me a hundred times the domestic thing isn’t for you. You don’t need or want a woman trying to control you.”

  Zeke sat down at the table as he pondered what it would mean to be in a committed relationship. He knew both he and Juliette would have to make adjustments, but he was willing if she was. “I gotta tell you the truth, man. The idea of coming home to Jules every night makes all the sacrifices I might have to make seem worth it.”

  “You do know what you’re saying, don’t you?” Branson asked, before biting off a piece of his toast. “No more women—”

  “I’m not interested in other women.” He hadn’t even been tempted last night. “Jules is all I need.”

  Branson’s jaw dropped. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  Zeke considered blowing him off, but in the end, he told the truth. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I am.”

  “What does that even mean? You’re going to move here, leave us all behind so you can be with her?”

  “I haven’t decided anything yet.” But that was a definite possibility. He didn’t want to be apart from Juliette. Trying to get through the next couple of weeks without her would be bad enough. He couldn’t imagine being without her for months.

  “I don’t believe this.” Branson pushed his food aside and rubbed his face with both hands. “Dude, this wasn’t supposed to happen. We agreed no ball and chain for us. And here you are, reneging on our deal. Falling for some chick who lives in another goddamn state no less.”

  Zeke knew it would be hard on Branson if he left California for good. They’d been like brothers, and Branson, like Zeke, didn’t let many people get that close. “It’s not like we’d never see each other. I’d keep the place in Malibu. And you could come here whenever you wanted to.”

  “It wouldn’t be the same, and you know it.”

  “All I know is last night, Jules came here wanting to end things with me because she didn’t see how we could make this work and the thought of letting her go scared the hell out of me.” He looked around the bright, spacious kitchen that bore no resemblance to the one his parents had. “I haven’t been that scared since the police led me out of this house in handcuffs.”

  “Speaking of which,” Branson said, reclaiming his coffee cup, “have you told Juliette the truth about what happened with your brother yet?”

  “No.”

  “Why the hell not? You say you love the girl, but you can’t be honest with her about your past? I hate to break it to you, buddy, but that’s not love.”

  One of his biggest fears was that Juliette wouldn’t believe him. He knew she wouldn’t come right out and call him a liar, but if he saw even a glimmer of doubt in her eyes, he wasn’t sure their relationship would survive, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. He wanted her to believe him, to believe in him, and he didn’t feel their relationship was strong enough to put that to the test just yet.

  “I’ll tell her eventually.”

  “Why wait? Right now, she thinks you killed your brother, and she still loves you. Imagine how relieved she’ll be to find out it didn’t go down that way.”

  Zeke didn’t know for sure that Juliette was in love with him, but he saw no reason to correct his friend. If Branson chose to assume Juliette reciprocated his feelings, Zeke had no problem with that.

  “There’s a time for everything, and this just isn’t the right time to lay that on her. We’re just figuring things out. If things work out the way I hope they will, we’ll get there.”

  “Just don’t wait too long to tell her,” Branson said, curling his hand around Zeke’s shoulder. “In my experience, women don’t appreciate being kept in the dark.”

  ***

  It had been five longs days since Juliette last tasted Zeke’s lips, and she was going crazy, so when Gabby invited her over for dinner because Colt was out of town and she wanted a little company, Juliette jumped at the chance.

  She was in the bakery, picking up some pastries for dessert, when she ran into one of her father’s old cronies.

  “Good evening, Frank,” Juliette said, smiling as she waited for the clerk to box Frank’s cake. “It must be Louise’s birthday. That’s the only time you eat a store-bought cake, isn’t it?”

  He swiped a hand over his mouth. “It sure is.” He turned his back to the clerk and muttered, “It ain’t as good as Louise’s, but I guess it’ll have to do.”

  “Wish her a happy birthday for me.” Frank’s wife was a lovely woman who’d been serving on local committees for as long as Juliette could remember.

  “I hear you’re giving your father a hard time,” Frank said, looking stern. “You know he’s only got your best interests at heart now, girl.”

  Juliette wasn’t surprised her father had been confiding in all of his friends at the coffee shop. Again.

  Remaining silent until after he had paid, Juliette said, “I know he believes that, but I have every right to live my own life.”

  Frank gestured to one of the few tables in the empty bakery. “Sit a spell. Maybe I can help you understand.”

  Juliette would have liked nothing more than to tell him wh
at he could do with his advice, but she worked for the people, which meant she had to listen to their concerns—even when they were being unreasonable. “Fine, but I’m afraid I only have a minute. I’m meeting a friend for dinner.”

  He grunted as they both took a seat. “This friend wouldn’t be that no-good Dyson boy, would it?”

  Juliette gritted her teeth and counted backward from ten. “No, as a matter of fact, Zeke left town. He had some business to attend to back in California.”

  “Good riddance, if you ask me.”

  “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one,” Juliette said with a tight smile. “As I’m sure you already know, I’m quite fond of Zeke. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, and well, let’s just say I’ve actually taken the time to get to know him. If more people in Vista Falls did the same, they’d see what I see. An honest, hardworking man who’s paid for his mistakes.”

  “He killed his brother!” Frank scowled when the cashier’s eyes widened. “And that’s not the worst of it. He fought those charges instead of taking his punishment like a man and admitting he did wrong. He claimed it was an accident. Accident my as—”

  “We’re all entitled to our opinions, I guess.”

  “Maybe, but your opinions affect all of us, now don’t they?”

  “Are you questioning my judgment?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you implying I haven’t done a good job for the people of this town?”

  “Now, I didn’t say that,” he said, raising his hand. “Don’t go putting words in my mouth.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me exactly what you do mean?” she said, leaning across the table. “You know, so there won’t be any confusion.” She refused to be intimidated. If anyone thought her relationship with Zeke meant she wasn’t capable of doing her job, she’d gladly set them all straight.

  “I just meant that a woman in your position has to set a good example.” He sat up straighter. “She shouldn’t give anyone reason to call her behavior into question. Look at your daddy. He did right by all of us, and I know it wasn’t easy sometimes.”