You Were Always Home (Homecoming #3)

by C. Lymari

  “I feel the love, old man,” Blake muttered.

  “And I’m thankful for the new beautiful faces in our home this year. It takes away from my sons’ ugly mugs.”

  Everyone was laughing, even Rosie, but her eyes were on the mashed potatoes.

  “I’m grateful for crime,” Clark said.

  “I’m grateful for my parents and my brothers and the new Red Dead Redemption game—oh, and for new friends,” Blake added.

  All of us looked at Rosie when it was her turn. “I’m grateful for my big sister Jessa, who hugs me when Daddy yells and who makes me the best mac and cheese. And for Juliet, who lets me watch movies on her TV and bought me a new jacket and princess dresses and shoes.”

  I felt my lips wobble and my eyes get a little watery. Jess seemed hesitant to start, but with everyone looking at her, she had no way out. It was tradition.

  “I’m grateful for new neighbors,” she finally said.

  Her words were labored, but that damn feeling in the pit of my stomach came back. These two girls had made an impression on me, and they meant more to me than even my own damn family.

  Everyone was looking at me, and I realized it was my turn. Crap.

  “I’m grateful for new beginnings. For Rosie and Jess,” I said.

  When it was Jake’s turn, I held my breath to see what he would say.

  “I’m grateful for lime-green paint and heated blankets.”

  “Lime-green paint?” Blake asked, confused.

  I didn’t think either of us paid attention to him. To be honest, I didn’t hear what Cynthia was thankful for. I couldn’t stop staring at Jake from beneath my lashes. He held my hand under the table, and I kept it that way as I ate.

  Remember how last time I said I was avoiding Jake when I kissed (epic fail) him?

  Well, that was nothing compared to the lengths I was going not to see him now. After dinner and the whole hand-holding thing and him kissing the fingertips on my casted hand (I know, cue in the “aww’s”), Jake had walked the me and the girls back to my car. While Jess got busy getting Rosie in her car seat, Jake pulled me aside and gave me a small peck on the lips.

  I mean, I didn’t think we were there yet. But it was completely okay for him to finger me in his parents’ house? To be honest, I didn’t even know how we got there either; one moment we were talking, and then he was kissing me, and I was too shocked before his tongue was in my mouth, causing a ripple of tingles. Then after he set me in his lap, I was lost. The next thing I remembered was his fingers on my clit, with me on the verge of an intense orgasm and Chad whispering in my ear. So yeah, I had no idea how we got to this place.

  “Juliet,” he rasped.

  Because I was a sucker for those baby blues, I simply nodded.

  “I want to finish what we started except I want to use my tongue and my cock.”

  Seriously, what did a girl say to that? I just nodded because I did want him to do that to me, except a tiny part of me didn’t.

  So here I was, three days later, and I was running out of excuses on why Jake, total hunkalicious golden boy, couldn’t eat me out. At first, I was busy with work, but doing ledgers only takes you so long. Not like it was a complete lie. The other day, Mrs. Lee asked me what was it that I did, and when I mentioned it to her, she was all for asking me to do her books, and she’d told Patty at the gas station, and I was doing hers as well.

  When I looked at the clock, I ran for my cell phone. My lawyer told me to call him at three.

  “Goldstein and Truitt, how may I help you?” their secretary answered at the third ring.

  I was rolling my eyes. I doubted they were that busy.

  “May I please speak with Mr. Goldstein?” I asked and had to wait for about ten minutes before I stopped being on hold.

  “Ms. Dunnett,” the infuriating man greeted me.

  It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t the best; it was my fault for hiring him in the first place.

  “Is there anything new?”

  “There have been new developments in your case.”

  I paced my tiny living room while I waited for him to go on.

  “I don’t see what the holdup is. I thought Wisconsin was a no-fault state?”

  “Yes, Ms. Dunnett, but there is a one-hundred-twenty-day period from when you file for your divorce to be finalized, and it’s nearly been fifty days.”

  “Okay. So I have to wait it out, then? Like I said, I don’t want anything of his.”

  “I understand. Unfortunately, Mr. Albrecht isn’t going to do the same. Wisconsin may be a no-fault state, but it also believes in equitable distribution. What that means—”

  “Thank you. I know what it means.”

  It meant that, under the law, I was fucked. Chad could come after everything I had.

  “My parents gave me a trust fund. He can’t get that, so I don’t know what he’s after?”

  I wasn’t in charge of my money until I was thirty or became a mother, whichever one came first. My parents didn’t count on my divorce. I felt utterly stupid for not getting a prenup. I thought it was some grand gesture on Chad’s part, but it was just another part of the game.

  “That’s true. Mr. Albrecht is more interested in the shares you both acquired when Dunnett Industries grew while you were both married.”

  Son of a bitch.

  Chad was going to go after my brothers’ legacy. A part of me wanted to tell him to have at it, but I couldn’t fuck the people in this town over like this. Knowing Chad, he would close down the factory and open it elsewhere to spite me. I owned twenty percent along with my family. The money I’d invested was mine and Chad’s. Fuck.

  “Thank you. If there are any new updates, please don’t hesitate to call me.” I hung up before he could give me a reply.

  Fuck. What was I going to do?

  It was too late to have my brothers buy me out. It would be too suspicious. A tiny part of me whispered in my head that I knew what to do, but I shook it off. I wasn’t that desperate. I wasn’t at that stage yet. As for now, I was happy to live in denial.

  25

  Juliet

  One week. That was how long I ignored Jake. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. Not when I had guilt over what my lawyer said and all I wanted was to see Jake.

  Memories of Chad crept up because Jess’s dad was on a drinking binge. The yelling got worse, and if my heart broke for the girls, I wondered what the hell was going on in their mother’s mind? Then I would feel guilty because I knew how it felt to have your wings broken when all you wanted was to fly. It took me about a year to get it into my head that I was leaving. But then, I would feel enraged because I only had myself to think of. I had no children dependent on me.

  While I was out on my grocery run that led me to wander around town, Jess and Rosie tried coming over. I found them outside my door, Rosie listening to music while Jess did homework. I felt horrible that I wasn’t home to distract them, and I decided I was going to have a key made for them. That was what brought my Jake hiatus to an end. I couldn’t leave them waiting outside again.

  So here I was again, outside Pete and Son’s. Most of the snow from the last few weeks was beginning to melt. Crazy Wisconsin weather. For the first week of December, it was reasonably warm. There were some cars, Jake’s truck among them.

  “Hey, Juliet, haven’t seen you around lately.” Mr. Carson stopped talking to his customers to greet me.

  I gave him a small smile and a wave. I didn’t know who the people were, but from the way they stared at me, they knew me.

  “Jake’s in the back eating.” He nodded toward the break room.

  Now the people took a better look at me—more precisely, at my left hand. They couldn’t see that it was ringless.

  Great. They would probably think I was having an affair with Jake.

  The television in the back room was on, and Child’s Play was playing. How wonderful was this? I hated Chucky more than any other scary movie, That and Dolls ruined my chil
dhood.

  “Hey…” I trailed off.

  Jake turned from the film, his eyes leisurely looking me up and down. “Something you want, Dunnett?”

  God, were we back to the whole Dunnett thing? It was his way of keeping me separated. I wasn’t Juliet; I was just another Dunnett. A spoiled rich bitch.

  “You’re angry with me.”

  Jake laughed, the smile not reaching his eyes. “No, I’m not angry. Guess I was expecting this.”

  “That’s not fair,” I whispered harshly.

  “What’s not fair is you leading me on. A simple, ‘No, Jake, I came to my fucking senses. Please stop texting me,’ would have sufficed.”

  Turning back, I closed the door. I didn’t want his father or anyone listening to what I had to say. I was mad at him and at myself, but mostly at him for coming to conclusions on his own.

  “If I wanted to end whatever it is that we’re doing, I would have never started it to begin with. Did it occur to you that perhaps I was confused? I don’t know what we’re doing, but I don’t care because I like you. I like spending time with you, but I also know myself, and I don’t do casual. Contrary to what people think of me, I’m not easy.” Now that I was angry, I couldn’t stop. I had to let it all out. “I slept with a guy from a rival school in my junior year because I wanted to see what the fuss about sex was all about. I didn’t sleep with Chad until after three months, and I ended up marrying him. The last time I was single, I was a freshman in college, so excuse me if I needed a moment to get my shi—”

  I didn’t get to finish because Jake kissed me. His hands came to my waist, pushing me up against the door. My leggings weren’t thick enough to hide his erection. The way he pushed off on me made me hate myself for ignoring him in the first place.

  “You have no idea how much you’ve consumed me, Juliet,” he groaned.

  He stopped kissing me long enough to look at me, both of us breathing heavily. Chad was holding me back from giving in to this want, this need, to feel all of him, but I couldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep. Just like when I knew I was ready to move out on my own, that I was strong enough to stand on my own two feet, I was strong enough to see that I wasn’t prepared to go there with Jake. There was no shame in admitting that. There wasn’t anything wrong with me.

  “Jake… I can’t promise you something I’m not sure I’m ready for.”

  “Babe, I’m not asking you to be my girlfriend,” he replied with a sly smile.

  I felt relieved, but in the back of my mind I was disappointed.

  “You feel it too, don’t you? This consuming need to devour each other?” he murmured.

  “Yes, but—”

  “No strings, Juliet. Honestly, I’m not looking for a relationship. I want something simple, and I want that with you.”

  “Are you suggesting we become fuck buddies?” I unwrapped my legs from his waist, noticing that his hard-on still hadn’t gone away.

  “More like friends with benefits. I care too much about you to consider you a fuck buddy.”

  “I’ve never had one of those,” I murmured, mostly to myself.

  Jake, however, was grinning, his smile lighting a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I can teach you.”

  Rolling my eyes at him, I said, “What a hardship that must be.”

  Jake took my hand, putting my palm directly onto his hard cock. I gulped because I wasn’t used to being manhandled like that, but this was Jake, and he wouldn’t hurt me—and it was also freaking hot.

  “I want you, Juliet,” he rasped.

  Then, as fast as my hand was there, he removed it. Then he pushed me against the wall once more, his fingers grazing the apex of my thighs.

  “I can feel your heat…” he murmured.

  If he kept his hand there, he would feel how wet I was growing. Before I could rationalize, I spoke.

  “Can we take it slow?”

  “Slow, fast, upside-down, I don’t give a fuck,” he said.

  “I was talking about the pace of this particular friendship.”

  “I know.” He grinned.

  Before either of us could say more, the door flung open, throwing me against the wall. My cast made a loud thump.

  “What the fuck, Blake?” Jake growled.

  “Oh, shit. I’m so fucking sorry, Jules,” Blake said.

  I nodded, because I was fine. My cast was just an annoyance at this point, and a major itch fest on my arm. Blake didn’t know it, but he’d slammed sense into me. Did I really just agree to be sex buddies with Jake? Judging by my wet panties, I did.

  “Are you okay? How’s your hand? If we hurry we can still catch Dr. Luke before he leaves,” he said.

  “I’m fine. The cast is kind of heavy, and when I got flung into the wall full-force, it took some of the impact.”

  “I’m so sorry. What were you guys doing behind the door?” he asked.

  “No-nothing,” I replied, quickly sidestepping Jake and walking toward the couch.

  Blake looked at his brother and me, and then grinned.

  “My girlfriend, Callie, and I like to do nothing too,” Blake teased.

  Ignoring Blake, I turned to Jake and asked, “Why are you watching Child’s Play?”

  “Jake loves watching scary movies at Christmastime,” Blake answered for him.

  “Great,” I mumbled. I hated scary movies, especially at Christmas.

  “So what are you doing here, anyway?” Jake asked. He had moved a few steps away from me.

  “I need two copies of my key made,” I told him.

  “Why?” Jake was fast to question, his tone raised.

  “For Jess and Rosie.”

  Jake didn’t say anything, but the frown disappeared.

  Blake, however, couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Rosie doesn’t know how to use a key.”

  “I don’t want her to feel left out.”

  I had to look away when I met Jake’s eyes; there was an intensity to his gaze that overpowered me. It was almost a burden. I liked that he looked at me that way, but we were just friends, and those types of looks killed friendships. Sexual or not.

  Blake stayed behind to do homework and eat before he started work, while Jake took me to the front, where they had keys. I picked a black-and-purple one for Jess and a pink one that said Princess for Rosie. Jake gave me chains for them so that they could wear them as necklaces.

  “You care about those girls, don’t you?” he asked

  “I always wanted a sister growing up… This kind of feels like a second chance at that. Lord knows my brothers’ wives and I don’t get along.”

  “I get Freya, but not with Rachel either?”

  I bit my lip and looked out the window. “When I look at Rachel, I see the weakest parts of me. How much do I owe you?”

  Jake stared at me for a hot second, and I was wondering if he was going to question what I said, but instead he dismissed it. I didn’t know why I was always blurting things I should keep to myself around him. He was dangerous to me.

  “Take them.”

  “I couldn’t…”

  “Yes, you can, sweetheart.” Mr. Carson came up behind me, causing me to have a mini heart attack.

  What was it with this family and their sense of personal space? They didn’t have any. That was the problem. And I kind of didn’t mind it.

  “That’s bad business,” I insisted.

  “But you’re family now.”

  I felt myself blushing, and I knew they could see it. I was family—what the heck did that mean?

  “I couldn’t impose on you…”

  “Babe, seriously, we’re not charging you,” Jake said.

  He called me “babe” in front of his father, and his father didn’t look surprised. Not one single bit.

  “I wouldn’t feel right taking them for free.”

  “I can think of a way to repay me,” Jake said low enough that his father didn’t hear.

  Thank God my cheeks were already bright red or else Mr. Carson m
ight have questioned it.

  “You can repay me later.” Mr. Carson waved me off.

  Don’t ask me why or what the hell was I thinking, but I blurted, “I can do your books in exchange… if you don’t mind me looking, of course.”

  “Really? Jake usually does them, though he hates them… Is that what you do over at the factory?”

  I bit my lip before answering. There it was, the big elephant in the room—my family. My precious big brother Max.

  “I have my own business. I usually work from home. I have everything sent to me, but it wouldn’t be a bother to do it here.”

  “I don’t want to impo—”

  Jake cut off his father. “Tomorrow you can open with me.”

  Oh, boy. What did I get myself into? Absently, I nodded and said my goodbyes, not knowing tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.

  When I got to my apartment, the sun was still shining. Not to say things about people I didn’t know, but the kids that hung out here at dark didn’t give me a good vibe. Granted they had yet to do anything, and maybe I was judgmental, but I’d rather not provoke them.

  The first thing I heard in the hall was shouting. “Let my Jess go.”

  I felt the blood drain from my body, and my hands went cold. Without thinking, I ran to the girls’ apartment. The door was ajar; I barreled my way inside.

  Jess’s mom was on the floor. Her lip was busted, blood smeared on the corner lip. I hadn’t seen much of the girls’ parents, but their mom was a petite Asian woman. Her hair was black like Jess’s, her skin a little darker, but it was like looking at a much frailer Jess. Their dad was a tall man with a beer gut. Rosie looked more like him. He had chestnut hair and blue eyes.

  Now that I could put a face to the angry voice behind my wall, I was scared, but I was also repulsed. My fear of him was overridden by the fact that the man had a hand on Jess. I gasped, but I doubt any of them heard me. I never wondered why Jess wore baggy clothes or why she always had long sleeves or hoodies.

  Now I knew why, and now that I had seen it, I couldn’t un-see it. It was one of those things that stayed in your brain until the day you died. That’s all I saw lately when I looked in a mirror.