“Yeah. I think you nailed it, babe.”
She slowed the car as they entered the narrow cobblestone streets of Sweetwater, which was located at the base of the Silver Mountains. Sugar Lake came into view, and as she turned onto the main drag, driving by the old-fashioned storefronts she adored, she thought of the seasonal festivals and community events she loved so much. But as she drove parallel to the lake, she had the urge to flee. Being on her turf made their situation even more real, and her stomach clenched tight.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked to distract herself.
“Anything.”
“Don’t say that. There are things I don’t want to know.”
He laughed. “Fair enough. You can ask me anything you want to know the answer to.” He reached across the car and kneaded the tension that had settled in her shoulders.
He knew her so well, and his touch felt incredible. She could get used to this. For a couple of weeks, anyway. “You know how you call me babe and sweetheart . . . ?”
“Let’s not forget sweet cheeks.” He smirked.
“I’d rather forget that one.”
“Admit it, you love that one the most.”
His hand circled the back of her neck, massaging the knots at the base, and she heard herself moan. She clenched her mouth shut against the telling sound.
“Ah,” he said. “Looks like I hit your sweet spot.”
She glared at him.
“Admit it, Wills. I know how to hit all your sweet spots.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Hey. No more eye rolls, remember?”
“I remember,” she said in a singsong voice. “Can we get back to my question?” She turned down the road that led to her parents’ house and felt like the elephant in the room had settled on her chest. “Why do you call women by those names?”
“What names?”
He stopped rubbing her neck but kept his hand there. His skin was so hot it felt like he was branding her with his handprint.
“Um. Babe, sweetheart, those kinds of names.”
He began massaging her neck again, and despite her resolve to remain detached, his touch brought a world of comfort.
“Then maybe I asked the wrong question,” he said, his hand stilling again. “What women are you talking about?”
She pulled onto her parents’ long driveway and parked behind her siblings’ cars. At least she had a clear path for an escape if things went poorly. “Are you really going to make me say it?”
“Wills, you need to clue me in. Who do you think I call those names? I try not to call women much of anything other than their names.”
Searching his eyes for the truth, she’d swear it was staring back at her. “That doesn’t make any sense. You call me everything but my name most of the time.”
He shoved his door open and stepped from the car. “Stop picking me apart and let’s get this over with.” He came around and offered her his hand. “Come on, baby cakes. Let’s go show your family how in lust we are.”
Lust? That was easy, but fooling her parents into thinking they’d been secretly dating all this time? Not so much. “This is not going to be a walk in the park.”
“Nothing worth its salt ever is.” He motioned toward her parents’ two-story white Victorian. “Ah, the Grand Lady. She still looks as beautiful as ever.”
Her father had given their five-bedroom house that name because it sat high on a hill at the end of a cul-de-sac, as if it were watching over the other houses on the street. From Willow’s childhood bedroom on the second floor, she could see all the way down to Sugar Lake. The house wasn’t enormous, but it was big by Sweetwater standards and sat on three acres of land.
“My parents are talking about selling again. Maybe you can help talk them out of it while you’re here. They’re back to complaining about how big it is, and the upkeep.”
“It is too big for them, babe.”
She sighed. “I know, but I have so many good memories. It would make me sad to see it leave our family.”
“I’ll do my best,” he promised, and slid his arm around her waist, holding her tight.
She didn’t even try to fight it. She was getting used to being attached to him at the hip, and right then she needed every bit of support she could get.
ZANE PRAYED TO whatever gods might be listening and hoped to hell he could pull this off. He was more nervous than he’d ever been, with the exception of the night he and Willow had snuck out to take care of her V-card. He raked his hand through his hair and stared at the house he’d spent enough time in to know exactly which stairs creaked (the third from the second-story landing) and how many steps it took to walk from the front of the house to the rear (fifteen). He and Ben had figured out which windows were easy to climb out of by the time they were ten, and by sixteen they’d figured out how long it took Ben’s parents to fall asleep after they’d gone to bed, so they could sneak out those windows. But perhaps his most treasured memory wasn’t of the interior of the house; it was of standing in the dark corner of the backyard waiting to meet Willow at midnight, sure he was going to have a panic attack or experience premature ejaculation from the mere thought of having sex with her. He’d never known fear or elation as he had while standing there watching Willow sneak out the back door to meet him. Even now it was his most treasured, and most terrifying, memory.
“How are we going to pull this off?” Willow asked.
She suddenly looked fearful and vulnerable. He took her in his arms and gazed into her eyes. “Baby, all you have to do is kiss me once like you did last night and nobody will ever doubt us.”
She rolled her eyes.
“But if you follow it up with an eye roll, they’ll never believe you.”
“I’m sorry.” She lowered her voice and whispered, “I’m so freaking nervous. I never lie to my family.”
He cocked his head, giving her a look he knew translated as I can think of at least one time that you did.
“Anymore,” she said sharply.
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We’ve got this, baby. They know we’re friends. They know we text.”
“Yeah.” She laughed incredulously. “Bridge knows you proposition me all the time, too.”
“Then it’s an even easier transition. You took me up on a proposition, which is true. That’s all you have to say.”
She drew in a deep breath, nodding. “Okay. I can do that.”
“And I’ll be right there with you. In fact, I’ll do all the talking if you want.”
“You might have to,” she said as they walked toward the wide front steps.
He patted her butt. “No prob, sweet cheeks.”
She glared at him.
He chuckled as Willow’s mother, Roxie Dalton, came around the side of the house. Her wild blond curls were as unruly as ever. She threw her arms up in the air with a wide smile. The sleeves of her blue batik top hung like wings from her arms. Her colorful skirt wafted around her legs as she hurried across the grass.
“I thought I heard Chloe! Zane Walker, you sly little devil you.” She pulled him into her arms and kissed his cheek. “How long have you been pulling the wool over our eyes?”
“My whole life?” Hey, that wasn’t a lie.
Roxie laughed, and behind her Willow rolled her eyes.
“I always wondered if you two would figure out how good you’d be together,” her mother said.
Zane’s stomach knotted up. He’d always thought they would be good together, too, but knowing the woman who had been like a second mother to him bought their lie hook, line, and sinker, without so much as an explanation, brought guilt crashing in again.
Roxie’s eyes teared up as she embraced Willow. “Baby girl. Oh, my sweet baby girl.”
“Hi, Mom. I’m sorry you found out like this.” Willow glared at Zane over her mother’s shoulder.
Reality slammed into him, bonding with the guilt. You’re risking everything for me. The same way she’d
risked it all those years ago when she’d chosen him. Only this time he’d chosen her. Hell, he’d always chosen her.
“I want all the special details, but first—” Roxie reached for each of their hands, her eyes catching on the ring. “Well, isn’t that sparkly and gorgeous?” She tipped a curious gaze to Willow.
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s . . . big. And beautiful.”
He knew the ring was all wrong for Willow, but there was nothing he could do about that now.
Roxie drew in a deep breath. “You need to know that not everyone in the family is as on board as I am. Benny, Piper, Dad. They’re . . . well, they’re concerned. Talia has a lot of questions. And, baby girl, I think Bridgette is a little hurt. So, kid gloves, okay? She isn’t here. She said she didn’t want Louie around whatever went down this afternoon.”
Sadness shadowed Willow’s gaze, and Zane felt his heart crack open.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. D. The whole secretive thing was my idea. Willow wanted to be honest, but with my reputation and her hatred of being the center of attention, I thought it best to protect her for as long as we could.” He took Willow’s hand, and when he gazed into her eyes, his emotions poured out. “I know how hard it has been for Willow to keep our secret from her family, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it.”
As if on cue, Willow sighed dreamily.
“Oh my word,” Roxie said a little breathlessly. “No one could deny the love between you two.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
IF LOOKS COULD kill, Zane would be laid out in the Daltons’ backyard. Piper glared at him from where she was repairing a picnic table bench beneath a giant tree. She had a hammer in her hand, and from the look in her eyes, she wanted to use it on Zane. Piper was a petite blonde at five two or three, and she probably weighed all of a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, but Zane felt the threat of her stare as if she were a formidable opponent. And as Willow’s sister, she was.
“There they are. Congratulations, sweetheart.” Dan Dalton, Willow’s father, swept her into his arms. He had been a college professor before retiring and focusing on his second passion as a custom-home builder. He and Piper ran Dalton Contracting, and while he looked more like a professor than a builder—tall and slim, with close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair—he and Piper were both excellent at their craft.
Dan passed Willow to her eldest sister, Talia, who shared their father’s dark eyes and his love of all things academic. She worked as an English lit professor at a small private college just outside Sweetwater, and she was the most serious and careful of Willow’s siblings. She was a pretty woman, with thick, dark brows, high cheekbones, a slim, perky nose, and long, wavy hair almost as dark as her father’s and Ben’s, all of which softened the straightforward, geeky smarts that sometimes tumbled out of her mouth.
“Congratulations,” Talia said after hugging Willow and embracing Zane. “Needless to say, we were all a little shocked.”
Willow glanced nervously at Zane. He draped his arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek, letting her know he had this. “I think we were, too,” he admitted. “But when it’s right, it’s right.”
Ben came out the back door of the house carrying a cooler and set it down on the patio table. He was a venture capitalist and a shrewd businessman, but in his cargo shorts and tank top he looked more like a frat boy. That was one of the things Zane loved most about the Daltons. They didn’t put on airs. He and Ben had been best friends since the third grade, when they’d pried a bully off another kid in the schoolyard. Zane and Ben spoke over the phone often, and their friendship had never suffered for the distance.
“Zane.” Standing shoulder to shoulder with Zane, Ben pulled him into a manly embrace and lowered his voice. “We should talk.”
Zane had tried to prepare himself for Ben’s reaction, but hearing the concern in Ben’s voice messed with his head. “Sure.”
“I’m putting an addition on my house. Stop by and check it out,” Ben suggested.
“Absolutely. You still running?”
Ben patted his abs. “You know it. You?”
“Of course. I’d like to hit the pavement together, but I’m not sure I’ll have time.”
“If you can fit it in, hit me up. I’ll try to go slow enough not to leave you in my dust.”
Zane laughed. Same old Ben.
While Ben greeted Willow, Piper sidled up to Zane.
“Hey, Piper.” Their embraces were always a little chilly, and today was no different.
“Hi.” A curious smile lifted her lips. He’d take that over the scowl she’d flashed when she’d first seen him. “Engaged, huh?”
He pushed a hand through his hair and shifted his eyes to Willow. His heart rate kicked up, bringing genuine warmth to his words. “I couldn’t let her go unclaimed for another day.”
“Unclaimed?” Piper laughed. “She’s not a dog at the pound.”
“Jesus, Piper. Cut me some slack. It’s a little nerve-racking to know we let you guys down by keeping our relationship to ourselves. What I meant was that I wanted the world to know we were together. I was done playing games, sick of hiding my feelings.” The words exploded out of him much more forcefully than he’d expected, but he’d held them in for so long, he couldn’t pretend anymore. The confession shocked the hell out of him, but it was the truth, and he didn’t want to pretend anymore.
Piper eyed him skeptically. “Hm.”
Hm is right. He stole another glance at Willow, and his protective urges surged forward. He was determined to make sure no one questioned his love for her. It was time to step up his game for his most important role yet.
“We’re here to rescue you,” Talia said as she and Dan came to Zane’s side.
“Piper giving you hell, son?” Her father placed a hand on Zane’s shoulder.
Piper laughed and went back to repairing the bench.
Zane met Dan’s kind gaze, a smile instantly forming on his lips. Dan had been like a second father to him over the years. When he’d first gone out to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actor, Dan had connected Zane with his old college roommate, a big-time producer who had given Zane a place to stay and introduced him to several people in the industry. Zane owed Dan more than the lies they were feeding him. Pile another log on the guilt pile.
“Nah. She’s just watching out for Willow,” Zane said. “How’s it going, Mr. D?”
“Pretty darn well these days. Looks like we’ll be planning a wedding.”
“Sure will.” Zane breathed a little easier. “I hear you’re thinking about selling the Grand Lady.”
“We’re kicking the idea around,” Dan answered. “More seriously this time. We’re not getting any younger.”
“He’s been talking about it for ages, but he can’t let it leave the family any sooner than we could,” Talia said. “So, Zane. What’s the real story?” She set a serious gaze on him. “We had no idea you guys were even dating, and suddenly Willow gets a catering job at a resort and comes back engaged.”
“Talia,” her mother cautioned.
“I’m just curious.” Talia glanced at Willow, who was talking with Ben.
Zane reached for Willow’s hand. “The truth is, Willow and I have been seeing each other for a few months. But we’ve kept it under the radar because . . .” Willow’s palm began to sweat. He hated that they had to live this lie, but they’d gone this far with her family. They couldn’t back out now. “Well, because we didn’t want the added stress of the media making our relationship into a circus act.”
Piper set her hammer on the picnic table and crossed her arms. “How did you avoid the media for all this time?”
“It’s not that hard when it’s your goal.” Zane launched into a diatribe about evading the press and blending in. He rambled for so long he wasn’t even sure he was making sense. Beside him, Willow fidgeted with her ring.
“But, Willow,” Talia said, “didn’t you go out with Billy Crusher two months ago?”
“I . . . um . . .” Willow stuttered.
“That was all part of the plan,” Zane interrupted. “Keeping things as normal as possible so we wouldn’t raise suspicions. We’ve had to be covert for so long, it feels good to finally have things out in the open.”
“Listen, son,” Dan said. “We love you like our own flesh and blood.” He glanced at Willow. “But that girl there? She is our flesh and blood. I’m not going to pretend I don’t hear the gossip. Not that I believe it, but it’s a wild world out there, despite how homespun we are here in Sweetwater. Just give me your word that my little girl isn’t going to get her heart broken, and I’ll believe you. I need to hear it from you.”
“I give you my word that I will never purposefully hurt Willow.” Zane was surprised at how easily and honestly his answer came.
“Oh my God.” Willow threw her hands up in the air. “I can’t take this anymore.”
The pit of Zane’s stomach sank. “Willow.”
“No.” She held up her left hand and flashed her ring. “See this ring? We’re engaged. Yes, we’ve been sneaking around to see each other, but would any one of you have believed we could ever really make it together otherwise?” She pointed at Talia, her words flying fast and hot. “You question everything to death. I wish I had hotel receipts to show you, but I don’t. And, Piper? For whatever reason, you’ve never trusted Zane, so why would you now?”
She turned angry eyes on Zane, and he was sure the jig was up. His mind reeled, grasping for the right apology for Willow and her family, because even if she never forgave him, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if her family held this against her.
Before he could get a word out, Willow said, “But this man.” She closed the distance between them, a loving smile softening her anger. “This warm, caring, funny, arrogant man has been trying to win me over for months. And—”
The Real Thing (Sugar Lake Book 1) Page 9