by Vivian Arend
That’s where she kept him for the rest of the morning. Zach didn’t say anything, but she caught him hiding his smile a few times as she kept hold of his hand and refused to let him be dragged away by her father.
When Zach took to wrapping an arm around her shoulders and affectionately pressing kisses to her temples every time her dad looked, Julia found herself hiding her own amusement.
Lisa stared harder than usual, though.
In a brief moment when Zach had taken off to help Sasha and Emma capture a mama cat, her sister took the opportunity to bump their shoulders together. “You and Zach are looking pretty cozy.”
A warm sensation bloomed inside. “He’s running interference,” Julia confessed. “He’s a good friend.”
“Friend. Well, that’s good. I guess.” Lisa nodded sagely then vanished before Julia could poke her for being mysterious.
After lunch, the Whiskey Creek clan made their way to the main gathering, which turned out to be split between the two houses on the original homestead. The men disappeared into what was called the Peter’s house, while the women gathered in what was currently Jaxi and Blake’s home. Children were divvied up like packages between the two groups.
Julia instantly felt the loss of Zach by her side. She was certain the Colemans were good people, but there were just so many of them.
She stuck close to Lisa and let her sister run interference.
After a while, though, a few members of the massive crowd slipped over, pulling her into conversations in a way that Julia appreciated very much. Beth and Becky especially, one older and one younger. Becky was just noticeably pregnant, one hand resting on the soft swell of her belly as she spoke to Julia. Both women wore a quiet dignity that made it easy to relax in their company.
The ringleaders of the current generation were clearly Jaxi and Dare. Although…
Julia glanced at Lisa and the way she almost invisibly guided the conversation when necessary. Her sister, Julia decided, was a dangerous force of nature, and she was very glad to have her on her side.
For the rest, it was a little like dropping in on season seven of a TV show. The hours she spent with them offered hints of people’s characters and made Julia wonder what the individual stories were that had brought them to this place.
But they were good people, and in spite of not knowing more than that, Julia enjoyed herself.
That lingering sensation remained. The one Julia couldn’t put a name to. Which meant when Zach came to get her to take her home, she took the quick escape eagerly.
20
Zach had to catch Julia by the hand and tug her in the right direction to keep her feet moving. “Walk and gawk,” he teased.
“There are palm trees in the parking lot,” she said excitedly. She took a deep breath and nearly squealed. “The air tastes tropical.”
He herded her toward their rental car. “It doesn’t suck.”
When he stopped beside the vehicle waiting in the preferred customer pickup area, he got an appreciative grin and then a smirk out of her. “A Jeep. I totally would’ve expected you to book us a convertible.”
“And cheat on Delilah? Never.” He lifted their suitcases into the back then opened the door for her. “Besides, some of my favourite beaches require a little off-roading to access.”
The half-hour drive to his parents’ house north of the airport passed quickly with Julia all but hanging out the window as she commented nonstop on the passing scenery.
Zach poked her in the arm with a water bottle. “Rehydrate. You’re going to fall over if you don’t take a breath soon.”
She leaned forward far enough to catch his eye, delight dancing over her features. “Thank you for bringing me to Hawaii for Christmas. I’m very excited.”
“You’re welcome. And I hadn’t noticed,” he deadpanned.
The final approach to the house included a pause at the large security gate.
Julia whistled as the massive wrought-iron feature slowly swung back. “That is beautiful. It’s an entire underwater scene. Fish and coral and dolphins. Wow.”
“This is walking distance from the house. We can come back and take a closer look. It really is spectacular—there’s a ton of things hidden in the details.”
“I definitely want to do that. And I want to walk on the beach. And I want to explore tidal pools.” Her jaw dropped. “Zach. These are really big houses.”
“It’s not the size that counts, remember?”
Her snicker seemed to knock her back into balance. She pulled one foot onto the seat and wrapped an arm around her knee. “I’m just a tiny bit impressed—holy shit.”
Yeah. That was pretty much what he’d said the first time he’d seen the place. “Come on. I’ll show you around, and then we’ll come back for suitcases.”
He’d parked in the middle of the driveway since no one else was supposed to show up for a few days. He’d deliberately gotten Julia out of town early enough so she could settle in and maybe get over her shell shock before his family arrived.
She waited hesitantly at the path leading behind the tall lava stone wall that surrounded the housing complex. Her nose wrinkled—damn, adorable to the core.
He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight until the tension in her began to fade.
Zach tucked his lips against her cheek and nuzzled against her softly. “Feel better?”
“Still a little nervous,” she confessed. “Please tell me there’s nothing hugely valuable that I might accidentally break.”
He curled his arm around her, keeping her tight against his side as he went toward the main doors. “Remember I said my parents have the entire family here over the holidays? That includes children from toddlers to age nine, and the house is very childproof. I promise there’s nothing you can break that I haven’t broken at least once before.”
Punching in the security code for the front door, he pushed it open then gestured her ahead of him.
Julia stepped inside slowly, a quivering wow escaping her lips.
There was no getting around the fact the place was impressive. The open-area family and living rooms stretched the length of the main house. Two kitchens, a main one that faced toward the island and the second for the bar closer to the pool and ocean.
“Those windows are incredible.” She gasped and twirled toward him. “They slide, don’t they?”
“Come and help me. You may as well get the full effect.”
It took about fifteen minutes to unlock and slide all of the floor to ceiling partitions aside. With the front door wide open, and the windows facing the water parted, the entire house felt one step off the beach.
Julia poked her head around corners but came back to him, shyly slipping their hands together. She smiled. “I am very overwhelmed, but to hell with it. Lisa told me before to pretend I’d walked in on some kind of fairy tale, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Good for you.” Zach pointed toward the section she hadn’t yet explored. “Those two hallways lead to the north and east wing of the house. My parents’ master bedroom is down one, plus there are a couple of two-bedroom suites with bathrooms that my sisters’ families take over. Yes, it’s a big house, but it’s very nice that when so many people get together, everybody has their own space.”
She nodded, then to his surprise, she stepped into him and wrapped her hands around his waist. “Does that mean we have space to ourselves?”
“Right now? The entire house. And I always stay in the guest house. This way.” He walked them past the edge of the swimming pool, headed toward the cabana that was quite a bit smaller than the cabin they shared in Heart Falls. “There’s no kitchen, and the bathroom’s tiny,” he warned. “But there’s nothing wrong with that view.”
He turned to take in Julia’s expression as she stepped into the place for the first time. The sense of awe was there, but the biggest thing he saw in her expression was happiness.
“Oh my God.” She pulled him through the
door and to the opposite wall of the cabana. “These open, don’t they?”
“Just like the house,” he agreed.
Minutes later the entire front of the cabana was open. A low-level wall that provided privacy without blocking their view divided the property from the public walking path. Beyond that lay lava rocks and a coral reef, the ocean waves rolling in a steady rhythm as if Mother Nature herself were breathing peace into the room.
Julia quivered on the spot then threw herself into his arms, kissing his face. She crawled up him, as if desperate to hug him even tighter. “I love it. It’s gorgeous.”
His heart pounded, and that gut feeling that something wonderful was very close by struck all over again. “Bonus, for the next ten days, you don’t have to worry about it snowing.”
She pressed her lips to his, softer now. Running her fingers through his hair. “I feel very spoiled.”
“Good.” He nibbled on her bottom lip. “Hungry?”
Julia shook her head. “I want to go for a walk on the beach. And hop in the swimming pool. If you can wait.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
She slipped on her swimsuit in the bathroom, but before she could cover up with shorts and a T-shirt, Zach crooked a finger. “You need sunscreen.”
Which led to Zach being both very happy and very turned on. Teasing his fingers along the edge of her bikini top and sliding over her belly as he pulled her back against his front.
Board shorts did nothing to hide his body’s reaction to having her mostly naked in his arms.
She wiggled away, winking mischievously. “We can add that to the to-do list, but…beach first?”
Enjoy paradise now, and later—exactly what he’d hoped for.
Dinner was at a restaurant a few minutes’ walk down the beach. Zach twisted his chair so it sat directly beside Julia’s, with both of them looking over the sand and water toward the setting sun. He settled his arm on the edge of the chair and tangled their fingers together.
Comfortable. Natural. Dear God, please let her feel the enormity of this thing between us.
Julia lifted her wineglass in the air, touching it lightly to his. “To wonderful memories.”
Their glasses clinked. The toast was exactly what Zach wanted. Memories that they would look back on years from now, together.
He ordered a half dozen different appetizers so she could try a bit of everything. Every time she moaned in appreciation at one of the different flavours, he cursed his brilliant idea.
“This is my favourite.” She scooped up some of the crab dip and offered it to him.
Zach took the bite, catching hold of her fingers and licking them clean.
The setting sun lit her face with rose and gold, enhancing the colour on her cheeks. But the heat—
That was all them.
As the sun headed toward the horizon, Julia grew quieter. The sound of Hawaiian music drifted on the air along with the scent of kerosene from the tiki torches.
She’d curled up beside him in the loveseat, fingers clasped together as she leaned into his side while staring over the water. “I’ve been to the ocean before, but never like this.”
“Me too.” Because even though he’d visited the island many times, and even sat in that exact chair before, he’d never watched the sun set with a woman he loved.
Damn.
Zach held on to the thought for a moment. Savoured it the way they’d allowed the flavour of the wine and the good food to fill their senses before sharing the experience.
He loved her. It wasn’t just a possibility anymore. It wasn’t a good thing that might happen someday.
He honest-to-God loved her.
As colours filled the sky from the horizon to the heavens, Zach curled his arms around Julia and held on tight.
Somehow, over the next few days in paradise, he needed to find a way to let her know.
He woke her early, the sunlight pouring into the cabana an extra encouragement to get the day started on time. And when his kisses and caresses moved into something more heated, Julia was right on board.
Although she laughed when he took a small bag from his suitcase and shook it out onto the bed, three brand-new vibrators bouncing on the surface.
“I was a little worried one of them would turn on while we were going through TSA,” Zach confessed.
“I took the batteries out of the one I brought.”
He grinned as he held one in the air and wiggled it, a low buzz emitting from the device. “Rechargeable.”
Zach then proceeded to give them both what they needed to start the day off very relaxed.
Sex was followed by beach time, pool time, food, and more fooling around. Julia was totally immersed in the experience. By the afternoon of day two, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to leave when the trip was over.
Her phone went off, and she reached lazily across the side table. When she discovered it was a FaceTime call from her sisters, she nabbed it eagerly. “Hey.”
Lisa and Karen popped up in different boxes.
“Are you naked?” Lisa attempted to sound scandalized, but she was laughing too hard for it to work.
“Oh, please. That’s not a question we need answered, as long as she keeps the phone angled the right way,” Karen said dryly. “Hey, chica. Tell me you’re drinking something sweet and sitting by a pool.”
“Zach went in to make margaritas, and I can definitely give you the pool.” She twisted so her back was toward the pool with the ocean shining behind it. Her sisters’ response was highly entertaining. Julia turned the camera back on herself, propping it up on the side table so she could recline with her hands behind her head. “I’m pretty sure this is all a dream, but nobody’s doing any pinching because I’m enjoying myself far too much.”
“I hope so. This is our view.” Karen flipped the camera and held it toward the mountains. “I mean, still beautiful, but considering this is a break in the storm, there’s probably a whole lot more snow where that came from.”
The Rocky Mountains were not just clad in white, they were buried in it. Even looking through a phone screen, the icy coldness and the vast loneliness of winter fields rang out loud and clear.
Karen twisted the phone to offer an exaggeratedly pouty face. “I would take a beach right now. And the pool.”
“And the margarita, although I’d like to bring my own man. Sexy as yours is and all.” Lisa ducked as something flew past her head. “Hey, I was defending you.”
Josiah’s answer was garbled, but whatever he said made her laugh.
Karen rolled her eyes then focused on Julia. “We won’t keep you long, but we wanted you to know we had a big snowstorm. Don’t feel guilty about having abandoned your sisters to the return of an Ice Age.”
A glass appeared on Julia’s left. She took it gratefully, smiling up at Zach. “Thank you, baby.”
He leaned in and kissed her. She didn’t think anything of it, responding in kind. A brief but intense interaction that left her heart pounding.
When he pulled back, it was to offer her a wink before heading to his own recliner and stretching out.
Damn the man was fine. All muscly and lean and already turning a delicious golden colour from the sun.
A soft cough brought her back from her ogling.
Shit.
She snapped her head toward where she’d propped up her phone. “Nothing to see here,” she murmured innocently.
Karen pressed a finger to her lips, but she snickered.
Lisa just grinned.
It had to be done. Julia stuck out her tongue and then hung up to the sound of her older sisters’ laughter.
The third day, the hoard—as Zach affectionately called them—arrived.
Julia had expected to feel at least some level of discomfort, but from the minute Pamela and Zachary Senior walked in the door, there was too much chaos to feel anything except amusement.
“Zach, sweetheart. Help your father. I have no idea why he insisted on b
ringing all those things, because this is supposed to be a holiday,” she called the final words over her shoulder at the silver-haired gentleman struggling to pull oversize suitcases out of the back of an SUV. “You must be Julia. Come, if you’re a hugger, give me a hug. If you’re not—high fives.”
A second later, Julia found herself enveloped by two sturdy arms that squeezed briefly then set her free.
Pamela immediately filled Julia’s hands with packages to be carried to the kitchen or the coffee table or to be stacked in hallway one or two for when the rest of the family arrived.
Once his parents’ vehicle was empty, the next set of family arrived. Mattie and Ronan with their six-, seven-, and nine-year-old boys were followed by Quinn and her husband, Drew.
By lunchtime, every room in the house had been filled with Zach’s sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews.
Julia got placed in the lineup slicing cheese for grilled sandwich production. To her left, seven-year-old Rita was explaining surfing rules as she carefully spread mayonnaise on an unending stack of bread slices.
On the other side, Zach’s sister Petra was cutting up mango for an enormous fruit salad.
“Do you want to go surfing after lunch, Miss Julia?” Rita asked eagerly.
“I don’t know how to surf,” Julia confessed. “Somebody will have to teach me.”
Rita nodded decisively. “Uncle Zach will lend you his surfboard. Auntie Petra, do you want to surf?”
“Maybe, short stuff. We have to check with your mom first, remember?” Petra offered Julia a secret wink. “Beach rules in effect. Nobody goes out alone without an adult, and nobody goes out without checking with mom and dad.”
With a very firm grip on the bottom of Julia’s T-shirt, Rita tugged. “You’re an adult.”
“I am. But your Auntie Petra’s right. Family rules—check with your mom. If it’s okay, maybe your auntie and I can come with you, and you can show me a few tricks.”