Sunshine and Whiskey: A Garden Falls, TN Romance

by Allie Kay

  "So, that house is perfect, right? Well, it has the potential to be perfect, anyway. Can't you see us sitting there on the porch swing watching the kids play in the yard?"

  “It needs a lot of love.” Talia smiled up at me, her hands slipping inside my shirt now that she'd worked all the buttons free. "You want kids?"

  "Yeah, some day, don't you? I want a family. I never really had one. I know you're still young and having a family probably isn't high on your priority list. I'm fine with waiting a while 'til you are ready. But I do want kids, yeah." I made up my mind to put in an offer on the Victorian in the morning. And once it was mine, I would ask Talia to move in.

  "I think it's great that you want a family someday. I do too." Talia kissed her way from my shoulder to my chest.

  "Umm, a couple weeks ago, when we were in the shower, we didn't use anything. It might be a good idea for you to get on the pill or something," I mumbled to her, fiddling with the zipper on her jeans.

  She nodded and nipped at my chest but didn't speak.

  Groaning, I pulled her back up so I could kiss her. Flipping us so that she was beneath me, my lips moved over hers. Keeping my movements slow, I undressed her, my lips and teeth nipping and sucking at the racing pulse in her throat. She didn't seem upset about our slip-up, so I wasn't going to stress over it.

  Standing up, I removed the rest of my clothes and grabbed a condom from the nightstand before joining her back in the bed.

  30

  Sean

  Even the rain couldn't dampen my mood as I walked back to the car. I’d put an offer in on the Victorian. The agent thought I had a good shot to get it. There was one other offer, but it was a flipper and she thought it was too low.

  Talia knew I was interested in the house, but I wasn’t going to tell her about the offer until I knew either way. I didn’t want to get her hopes up, in case things didn’t work out.

  I put my car in reverse to back out of the parking space when I spied the small jewelry store a couple doors down from the real estate office. Putting the car back in park, I sat there for a moment, staring through the rain at the front window of the little store.

  Cutting the car off, I ran through the rain into the jeweler's. The older lady behind the counter dropped the tray in her hands and rings scattered. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

  Shit. I must have scared her, running in like I did.

  Maybe if I said something, she'd chill out. "I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m looking for a ring for my girlfriend?"

  She still eyed me nervously though. "What sort of ring?"

  "Engagement ring. Not a diamond though. She doesn't like diamonds. Something less flashy. She's not really into flashy." I kept my hands out of my pockets and moved slowly toward one of the cases to look. I didn't want to scare the old broad even more.

  She shifted into professional mode, finally, as she realized she would make a sale. "We have some nice emerald solitaires, or how about a freshwater pearl?"

  Shaking my head no, I kept looking around. The bell over the door rang out behind me. Glancing up, I saw Zane and a buddy of his rush in out of the rain.

  "Sean! I thought that was you. What are you doing in here? Talia's birthday isn't until October."

  Crap. I was busted.

  "He's looking at engagement rings, actually, young man." The sales lady ratted me out completely.

  "Engagement ring! What! Dude, Dad will lose his damn mind if you send my sister home with a diamond on her finger." Zane's voice rattled a few of the cases with the volume.

  Well, crap. I’d thought Zane actually liked me. Rubbing my neck, I waited for the younger man to end his rant. When Zane quieted, I spoke. "I know. You think I don't know he hates me? I love her though. And I…" I trailed off as I spotted the perfect ring.

  "Ma'am, can I see that one right there?"

  Pulling the ring out of the case, she cautiously handed it to me. "Opals aren't traditionally used as engagement rings, however lovely they might be. This is a fire opal, notice the coloring. It is certainly an exquisite ring but I'm not sure I would consider it less flashy than a diamond though."

  Zane walked over to look at the ring in my hand. Raising an eyebrow in question at my girlfriend's brother, I held it out for Zane to see. Taking it from my hand, Zane examined it closely.

  "It's perfect. For the record, I approve. I just don't believe Dad will."

  Maybe I hadn't been wrong about Zane after all... Slapping Zane's shoulder, I told the jeweler I'd take it. I even let her talk me into the matching necklace, thinking it would be perfect for her birthday.

  "Damn, man. My sister has you tied up in knots." Zane laughed.

  I couldn't deny it. Now I had to come up with the perfect proposal. Maybe I could get her to go hiking again and I could ask her at Garden Falls. We'd had our first kiss there after all. Yes, the waterfall would be just right.

  "Are you going to ask Dad's permission?" Zane's voice cut through my daydream like a chainsaw. Ask Sam? Not likely. The man would cut through me with a chainsaw if I tried.

  "I value my life more than that. I know it's not going to go well. He'd never give his permission."

  Zane nodded. "You might want to at least talk to Mom about it. Let her break it to Dad."

  I promised to think about it, leaving the small shop with the newly purchased engagement ring in hand. I needed to work out the details, but I had a good feeling about it.

  31

  Talia

  I fluffed the throw pillows on the sofa, trying to expel some of my nervous energy. I awaited the knock on the door that would signal Sean's arrival. Coordinating everyone's schedules had taken some time and Dad still seemed sore about the impromptu breakfast date, but at last I had been able to get both my parents and Sean off work on the same evening.

  A feeling of dread pooled in my stomach, and while I tried to push it aside, it refused to budge. This dinner was merely a formality and everything would be fine, or so I kept telling myself. My parents and Sean had been in the same room before without the world imploding. If only my shaky hands and roiling stomach would take the hint!

  The sound of a car sent me running to the door. I flung it open. Sean stood poised with his fist raised to knock. The expression on his face told me he hadn't expected the door to fly open so quickly. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him into the tiled entryway. He glanced around, and seeing no one else, leaned down and put his lips to mine. I moaned into his mouth and he deepened the kiss. He broke away, looking behind me again, checking for my parents.

  I didn't care if they saw me kiss him. They knew I was dating Sean. After this long, knowing I'd spent the night with him, they had to realize things were getting serious. So what if they saw a kiss or two. Rising up on tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around Sean's neck and pulled his head down for another kiss. His arms tightened around me and my feet left the floor as he brought me up against his body.

  A throat clearing in the doorway behind me caused us to separate. Sean eased me down. Heat flared in my cheeks, but I decided to be brave. I turned and said, "Look, Daddy, Sean's here."

  Dad grunted and murmured that dinner was about ready. He turned and headed toward the dining room. Sean and I followed behind him not speaking, but holding hands. Sean greeted my mother politely and received a warm smile in return from the older woman. Conversations at the table were a bit stilted, but no worse than I’d expected. My mother tried to keep the conversation going. My father, however, seemed to be hoping that if he glared hard enough Sean might burst into flames. Sean shifted under the older man's glower, but he seemed calm, if a bit uncomfortable. After dinner, Mom suggested we have dessert out on the deck.

  Walking out, Sean went to the edge of the deck and stood staring out over the lake. I wrapped an arm around him from behind and leaned my head against his shoulder. "Lovely view, isn't it?" He clasped the hand I had placed on his stomach and nodded his agreement.

  "I was hoping my dad wou
ld be less of a grump today, but he seems to be in a bad mood."

  Sean didn't reply; his hand moved slowly back and forth over mine. I knew he heard me. His lack of response was his agreement. I listened to the reassuring thump of his heart and sighed.

  "Do you have to touch him all the time?" Dad's voice growled behind us.

  With a sigh, Sean released my hand and moved out of my embrace. He turned to face my father. His melancholy tone tugged at my heart. "Why did you invite me here tonight? You've already made up your mind about me, haven't you? I can see that you don't approve of me. Why'd you put us through this torture if you weren't going to give me a fair shake?"

  "Sean," I whispered.

  "No, Talia, I've held my tongue. I've been polite even when he yelled at me for no damn reason. I'm entitled to a few questions and comments of my own, don't you think?"

  Dad stepped closer to Sean, hands fisted at his side. "You're right. I don't approve of you. I will never approve of my daughter dating a damn bartender. She deserves better than you. She could marry a doctor or a lawyer, someone worth a damn."

  Sean sighed. Leaning against the cedar railing with his chin on his chest, he took a couple deep breaths before looking up at my father again. "And is there anything I could do to change your mind about that?"

  "Change my mind about my daughter dating a good-for-nothing bartender? Nothing at all and if you think she'll be your meal ticket, then you have another thing coming." He glared at Sean. Turning to me, my dad said, "No daughter of mine will date a bartender."

  "I can date who I please, Daddy. You haven't even tried to get to know him," I argued.

  “I’ve seen all I need to see.” My mom placed a hand on Dad’s shoulder and whispered something to him. He shook her touch off and took a step closer to Sean. “You are never going to be good enough for my daughter.”

  Sean turned to stare out over the water. His shoulders hung low in defeat. Without looking at anyone, he asked in a ragged voice, "And if I keep dating her?"

  "I already told you that no daughter of mine will date a bartender," the older man snarled. "She can choose—you or me. I won't see her again if she stays with you."

  I had a really bad feeling about where this was going. "Daddy! You can't be serious!"

  "Sam, what is wrong with you?" My mom grabbed my dad’s arm and tried to pull him into the house. “Come on and calm down.”

  Sean turned to me, his touch gentle as he pulled me into his arms. Brushing a soft kiss against my lips, he whispered to me, "I can't separate you and your parents. I can't do that to you. I won't come between you and your family."

  "Sean—"

  He interrupted me, his voice loud enough now to carry over to my parents as well, "No, you don't understand. You have no idea what you have here. You have parents who love you. And while their ideas may be antiquated, even I can see that they have your best interests in mind." He stopped and took several uneven breaths before continuing in a softer voice, "Talia, I'd have given anything to have what you have, parents that love you and would do anything to protect you, siblings who are obviously crazy about you. I never had that. You heard at my mom’s funeral part of it, but that scar you asked about on my chest? My only brother shot me when I was fourteen years old. When asked why, he said he just wanted to see how long it would take for me to bleed to death. I'd told you some things about my mom. About my past. What I didn't tell you, my drug of choice was heroin and my mom is the one who got me hooked on it. Then she kicked me out when I was sixteen and I hadn't seen her in more than a decade until the night she ODed."

  “Oh my God, Sean.” My heart hurt, knowing all the hell this sweet man had been through. More than anyone, he deserved to be happy, to be loved. To have a family who loved him unconditionally. In my mind, Sean was already my family, and it killed me that my dad was being so unreasonable about him.

  With tear-filled eyes, he looked at me. "I can't be the one who causes you to lose your family. I can't."

  I clung to him, tears rolling down my cheeks at his heartfelt declaration. "Sean, please," she pleaded. “If you walk away, you’re just giving my dad what he wants.”

  "I just can't be that guy, Talia." He pulled me close and held tight. One last embrace, one last kiss. He brushed his lips against mine, and I tasted the salty tears that poured down both of our faces.

  My chest ached as he held me for one more brief moment. I tried to fight the lump in my throat so that I might make words, find something to say that wouldn’t end with him leaving me on this deck broken-hearted. Something that would make him fight for me, for us. Because I knew he cared about me, I knew I meant something to him. He’d been talking about kids, buying a house, and he wasn’t the flighty type to jump into that. No, he’d been thinking of the future because he cared.

  And surely he wouldn’t walk away from the girl he had planned a future with.

  Sean whispered to me, "You can always call me if you need me. I will always be there for you. But I cannot be the man who destroys your family."

  And with that, he released me and walked away.

  I collapsed onto the wooden decking and let free the sobs I’d been holding in. He left. He actually left.

  How could he leave?

  My chest ached. I stuffed my fist against my mouth and tried not to wail. How would I ever plug the gaping hole where my heart used to be?

  32

  Sean

  Picking up the keys to my new house at closing wasn't as thrilling as it should have been. As I unlocked the door to the neglected Victorian, thoughts of Talia rushed over me. The house felt empty without me. That homey feeling I had loved so much just wasn't there. Wherever she was, that’s where my home truly was and I’d let her father take that away from me. No matter how many times my head said walking away was the right thing to do, my heart just couldn’t agree. My footsteps echoed in the vacant house, boots leaving tracks on the dusty hardwood. Sitting on the steps, I hung my head in my hands and sighed.

  Since Talia had loved the older home as much as I had, I had rushed out the very next morning to put in my offer. The news that the previous owners accepted hadn't come until that dreadful Sunday afternoon. I’d arrived at the Richmond residence with plans to tell Talia about the purchase after dinner, but her dad interrupted that idea.

  Now I owned a house that felt nothing like the home I'd envisioned.

  Pulling myself together, I unloaded the boxes from my car. Jack came over a little later with his truck, and helped me move the furniture. With all my meager belongings brought in, the big house still looked uninhabited.

  "You know, boss, you should consider getting a roommate. This is a hell of a house for just one person."

  "No." I flipped him off, knowing I could never live here with anyone but Talia. “And stop calling me boss.”

  "Just no? Dude, you've got at least four bedrooms here, right? What are you going to do with the rest?" he prodded. “And you are my boss, so that’s not going away.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Jack... just drop it. Please."

  "Alright, but if you change your mind, you let me know. I can rent out my unit, save a little more money to get the rest of the shit done around my place that I want to do. Not like either of us are ever really home." He shrugged. “Not much point in both of us paying for these big ol’ houses and living alone. I’m tired of being alone.”

  I could understand that all too well. "I'll keep that in mind."

  "Sure you will. Like I don't know you better than that. Like I don't know you bought this house for that little redhead who broke your stupid heart."

  "I broke up with her."

  "Whatever, asshole. I know a broken heart when I see one. I gotta go open your bar. I’ll see you later."

  Closing the door behind Jack, I did a quick search on my phone for local contractors. The house needed some repairs. Maybe by the time all the changes had been made, I wouldn't see Talia's face each time I turned a corner. I got lucky; one
of the contractors said he was on a job nearby and could come over and take a look that day.

  I went out to work on cleaning up the exterior while I waited. Tires crunched on the gravel in the drive. I looked up from the bush I was trimming to see a shiny red truck with a Richland Construction logo on the side stop behind my car. The logo seemed familiar but I couldn't think from where. I laid my clippers down and walked over as a middle-aged man stepped out of the truck.

  "Mr. Turner? I'm Johnny Land, Richland Construction. How you doing?" He stuck his hand out for me to shake. Giving a nice firm handshake, he turned his attention to the house. "Wow, this is a big ol' place, isn't it? I bet she was a beauty at one time. We can get her there again."

  "I just bought it. I know I want to redo the kitchen which is stuck in the 1950s, and I think the roof probably needs replacing, floors refinished. Come on in and see what you think."

  The contractor looked around, taking plenty of measurements and notes as he walked about the house. When we came to the library, he whistled. "Look at all those built-ins. Man, there is some serious craftsmanship in here. If this was my place, I wouldn't do anything in here but maybe replace the windows and refinish this floor. This is gorgeous."

  I sighed, drawing the man's attention.

  "Oh, did you want to change it? I mean, it's your house. You want me to rip the built-ins out, I'll do it. I might cry about it, but I'll do it."

  I chuckled. "No, I don't want to change this room. I… well, I was with someone when I put the offer in on the house and this was her favorite room. And now, it almost hurts to be in here. Okay, I'm going to go outside before I get all sappy on you. Feel free to poke around and get whatever measurements you need."

  I sat on the steps staring out into the yard when Johnny came out the door. He sank down next to me and started listing the things that had to be done and what could wait. Naming a ballpark price on the mandatory things, he looked at me.