Stay With Me, Julia
Page 31
Dazed, Luke watched Heather gush over the ring. This couldn’t be happening. Julia had left him?
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“I just need a minute, okay?” he snapped.
“Oh, okay.” She frowned and left his room.
Luke called the resort.
“Brook Trout Resort, this is Chip.”
“Chip! Is Julia there?”
“Who is this?”
“Dammit, Chip, it’s Luke! Luke Hamill!”
“Oh, Luke, sorry.” He snickered into the phone. “I didn’t recognize your voice. I guess that’s because I don’t usually talk to you on the phone. You sound—”
“Chip!” Luke interrupted. Of all times, Chip was choosing now to be social. “Is Julia there? I need to talk to her.”
“I don’t know. Want me to put you through to her room?”
“Her room?”
“Yeah, room two-fourteen.”
The relief that filled him was acute, knowing she hadn’t left town. But why had she moved out? “No, Chip, I’ll call her myself. Thanks.”
Luke ended the call and sat on the corner of the bed, trying to get his bearings. Julia had moved out and left the ring. Did that mean she’d broken up with him and wasn’t going to marry him? He had to find her. Talk her out of this madness.
He ran out of the bedroom. “Heather!”
“Yeah?” she answered from the loft.
“Watch Brice for a while. I have something I need to do. Just text me if you need anything,” he hollered, walking to the door.
“Okay, Dad!”
Luke hopped into the truck with the ring in his hand. Once out of sight of his house, he slammed on the gas pedal and drove like a madman toward the resort.
Thirty-Six
Until Summer
Julia had Scandal queued up for another night of binging. While she changed out of her work clothes, she noticed how relaxed she was after two glasses of wine. Being a lightweight didn’t bother her because she didn’t drink to get drunk. When The Peak had livened up with the party crowd, Julia had made a quick exit. Even though the locals knew she was with Luke, out-of-towners didn’t, and she didn’t want to be asked to dance. So she’d left, leaving half a platter of appetizers on the bar.
The drive back to the resort had been short, but she’d needed to stay extra alert. She had seen deer hanging out many times on the side of the road after dusk, so she’d kept her eyes peeled and had driven a little slower. The stress of driving from The Peak to the resort was something she wasn’t used to yet—deer weren’t a problem on the 405 in Los Angeles.
After slipping into loungewear, Julia turned on the fireplace because she liked the cozy ambience it gave the room. The flickering fire warmed her not only in the physical sense but also on the inside as she remembered all the nights she’d spent with Luke—in his arms, in his bed, in his life. Those were the only places she wanted to be, but now she only had the flickering fire and her memories.
Julia stretched out on the loveseat and was about to push play on the remote when a thump-thump-thump startled her and she jumped to her feet.
“Julia, open the door!” Thump-thump-thump. “Julia!”
“Luke?” She swung the door wide open. “Luke! What are you doing here?”
He stormed into her suite with the intensity of a pissed-off bear—a snarl on his lip, his body tense…and he may have growled. She was so shocked to see him, she couldn’t be sure.
“What in the hell is this?” He held the ring box in the palm of his hand.
She closed the door so his yelling wouldn’t disturb the guests.
“If you were breaking up with me, why couldn’t you just tell me! Why couldn’t you be decent about it? You just moved out, and that’s it? What kind of bullshit is that? You didn’t even give us a chance!”
“Stop yelling at me! What are you doing back? I thought you weren’t coming home until Sunday?”
“Why does it matter? Were you going to be back in L.A. on Sunday? Was that it, you were going to run home, and I’d never see you again? That’s fucking mean, Julia!”
“Calm down! I’m not going back to California! And I didn’t break up with you, you big jerk! If I did, you’d know it.”
“Then what the hell is this?” He slammed the ring box onto the dresser and grabbed her by the wrist, raising her hand to her face. “See, no ring! What…in the hell…are you doing to me?” He gasped between his words.
She stared at him, stunned, as tears pooled in his eyes. “Calm down, Luke. I only took the ring off because I felt we were rushing into marriage. I wasn’t breaking up with you.”
“And why did you move out? Why?” He exhaled, blowing out a calming breath of relief.
“To give us space so we could slow down. We need to make sure we’re right for each other.”
“Bullshit! I know I love you. If you don’t feel the same, then…I don’t know.”
“I do love you. But dammit, I’m scared. I need to be sure I can handle the kids and Renee for the long haul. Don’t you want me to be sure?”
He paced with his hands on his head, laboring for every breath. She had never seen him like this before.
“You’re staying with me?”
“Yes. I’m staying with you…if you want me?”
In the next breath, he had her in his arms, devouring her mouth. She held onto him, caressing the back of his head while their kiss grew more profound and more desperate. Their tongues entwined, greeting the other after days apart. They were home in each other’s arms.
Luke’s rigid body relaxed into hers as they held on tightly to each other. She couldn’t get enough of him, just as he couldn’t get enough of her, and his wild kisses told her so.
“Wait.” He stopped kissing her suddenly, and she whimpered. “How long before you put that ring back on? Because you already said yes. I can be patient, but throw me a bone, baby, how long?”
“This summer?”
“Hmm. Will I still get to make love to you?” The sexy grin she loved so much appeared on his face.
“Um, you better. But here, not at your place.” He started to lift her shirt, and she stopped him, lacing her fingers with his. “What about the kids?”
“They’re fine. Don’t put me off, baby. After the heart attack you just gave me, I need your sweet lovin’.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.” She cupped his cheeks, locking eyes with him. She traced the gentle downward arch of his brows with her thumbs, turning him into a rugged lump of putty in her hands. “I had planned to be at your house when you arrived with the kids so you wouldn’t freak out when you saw I moved out. I even bought gifts, but here you are, two days early and freaking out.” She shook her head incredulously.
Luke steered her to the loveseat, and she took her place on his lap. Cradled in his arms, she dissolved into him with the flickering fire in her view.
“What part of summer are we talking about here?” He raised her left hand to his lips and kissed the spot where her engagement ring belonged.
“I don’t know. I only know I need until summer to see how our lives will change having the kids here…and then there’s Renee.”
“Don’t worry about Renee. I won’t be flying back to Alaska for the kids, because they’re here. And when they go back, I’m taking you with me every time I go.”
She laughed, rubbing her hand over his beard. “That doesn’t sound practical. Who will run my resort while I’m gone?”
“I think Erika is more than capable. Train her to be your assistant manager.”
“Hmm, I could do that. So then we’re okay? You can be patient?”
“I can be patient and wait for summer. You know that spot I showed you back in January? The one that I said would make a perfect spot to hold a ceremony?” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Yes.”
He dotted kisses along her jaw, turning her to butter and stirring her up inside. “It’s spectacular in the fall,” he whispered wi
th a twinkle in his eye.
“I did imagine a woodland wedding that day like it was my own.”
“Our own.”
“Yes. Our own.”
The End
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Elle writes romance that has realistic topics embedded within. She will tell stories about couples that overcome the obstacles life throws at them, whether in childhood or later in life. Her stories show what healthy, meaningful and passionate relationships look like. You will read about people that can change from bad to good., that mistakes can be forgiven, and true intimacy is born out of a relationship built on respect and adoration. When all that is present, the hot sex is the icing on the cake!
Elle Linder is a country girl at heart. Her peace is in the mountains of North Idaho and on the California coast. She currently lives with her husband and five of her seven children in NW Minnesota. She is a lover of love. Let her tell you a story that will grip your soul, make you breathless and reside in your heart, always...
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