by Vivian Arend
All but bouncing, Rita went back to her task, her tongue continuing to move a million miles an hour.
The entire family gathered at the massive table. Petra rose and held a bag in the air before reaching in and pulling out a stone. She glanced at the name written on the surface. “Jason. You get to start.”
The nine-year-old pushed back his chair and stood, cheeks flushed as he glanced down the table toward Julia. But he refocused across the table on his dad and spoke clearly. “I’m thankful for being here where it’s nice and warm. I’m happy to see my cousins. I hope we get to see turtles.”
He sat down instantly, but there was firm applause and appreciation as the food moved down the table.
Zach pressed his fingers onto Julia’s thigh. “Our version of saying grace. Everybody’s name is in the bag. When it’s your turn, you say something you’re thankful for, happy about, and a hope. Pretty simple.”
Pretty sweet, Julia thought. “That’s a beautiful tradition.”
Across the table, Petra helped herself to the bowl of fruit salad before passing it to Julia.
“Do you want to try surfing this afternoon?” the woman asked.
“If that works, I’d love to.”
Petra pointed a little ways from the house. “We don’t have to go far, and it’s a pretty good spot for beginners.”
The crowd of them hit the beach, umbrellas and lawn chairs set up strategically to keep the littlest ones out of the full sun.
Zach leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “You okay if I abandon you? Or do you want me to give you lessons?”
Petra put both hands on him and shoved him toward where the brothers-in-law were waiting. “Go away. I’m teaching her.”
It was too easy to laugh. Julia wiggled her fingers at Zach then gestured him off. “I already have two expert teachers,” she pointed out, because Rita was bouncing up and down beside them, eager to begin. “Go play with the boys.”
He winked and strode off with his surfboard tucked under his arm. Legs flexing with each step, board shorts nicely hugging his body.
Damn. That was one fine ass—
A snort sounded from beside her. “Okay, Rita. Once Julia is done drooling, we can teach her how to stand up on the board.”
Julia blushed but took the teasing in stride.
As the afternoon passed, it was clear there was some kind of magic involved in the day. Zach’s family welcomed her in as easily and comfortably as she could’ve hoped for. Beach time and surfing lessons slid into dinner preparation, which involved salads and carbs and preparing a whole lot of meat for the barbecue.
Everything paused right before six, though, when three-year-old Beau was handed a dinner bell that he shook vigorously. His eyes widened at the loud sound ringing from his fingertips, but he didn’t let go.
Zach caught Julia by the hand and tugged her onto the deck. “Sunset. We don’t have a lot of rituals, but this one is sacred.”
The entire family gathered, sitting in little clusters with drinks in their hands as the sun moved steadily toward the horizon. A ship with triangular sails drifted toward the giant ball of light, and even the kids seem to find stillness in that moment.
She leaned into Zach’s side. “This is astonishing.”
He stared down, the laughter in his eyes turning serious. “I’m really glad you’re here. Glad you’re having fun.”
She was having a wonderful time, and yet…
Something wasn’t right. Because as they moved back into the house and finished dinner prep, the scent of barbecue burgers and honey-glazed salmon making her mouth water, there should’ve been nothing but joy in this moment.
This time she was placed farther down the table. The closest people to her were Quinn and Mattie, and while the conversation was enjoyable, her uneasiness grew the longer the meal went on.
“Once the dude ranch is operational, where are you and Zach going to live?” Quinn scooped a little more macaroni onto her daughter’s plate before turning her attention back on Julia.
“For now, we’ll just stay in the cabin.” She glanced down the table to where Zach was laughing with his father and his oldest nephews.
“There’s land coming up for sale in the spring on the other side of our property,” Mattie said. “Zach always talked about wanting to build. I can tell them to get in touch if you’d like to check it out ahead of time.”
The sense of dread grew stronger. “I’ll mention it to Zach.”
Julia kept it together until the meal was over, but the instant plates began to be gathered, she couldn’t take it anymore.
She sprinted across the room and caught hold of Zach, tugging him with her toward their cabana. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
Zach went willingly, deep concern on his face as she closed the door behind them. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” Julia said. “Nothing. Oh my God, your family is wonderful. And your sisters are trying to help us buy property so we can build a house next to them.”
His brow rose, but he waited patiently. “And…?”
“And we’re lying to them.” She barely got the words out.
Everything snapped into crystal clarity. What she wanted was to sit down and have a really good cry, but that wouldn’t change anything.
The only thing that could fix this was the truth.
Julia took a deep breath and went for it. “When we went to Whiskey Creek, I enjoyed seeing the ranch. And the Colemans are good people, really kind and caring. I couldn’t understand why I was so glad to get out of there. Why the entire time we were driving home, I was so angry inside.”
Zach closed the distance between them, wrapping her up in a hug and holding her against his body. “I had no idea.”
“They hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, they did everything right. It wasn’t them I was angry at.” She pushed back far enough so she could look into his face. “I’m so angry at my mom. I love her immensely for everything she did for me over the years and all the sacrifices she made. But she deliberately chose to keep the truth from me—and it was wrong.”
“Oh, Jules. I’m sorry.”
Emotions continued to flood in, understanding rising. Julia needed to put into words why this was so important, here and now.
“Mom didn’t just keep the truth from me, she kept it from my dad. She kept it from my sisters. I’m not pretending that we would’ve all had some magical happily ever after, because we don’t know if she and dad could’ve made it as a couple.
“But she stole a future where I would’ve gotten to know my sisters. Where my dad could’ve had a chance to have different people in his world, and the trickle-down to that would’ve been huge for the Whiskey Creek girls.”
She rested her head against Zach’s chest, listening to his heartbeat under her ear.
He rubbed her back slowly. “You’re right. And I’m sorry,” he repeated.
The next thing had to be said. “She lied, and I really wish she hadn’t. I have to do better.”
Zach went still. “Go on.”
“I don’t want us to lie anymore.” She wiped at her eyes but stepped back, standing firmly as she met his gaze. “Okay, that doesn’t mean I want to share every detail, but I really think we need to tell your family part of what’s going on.”
He swallowed hard. “And what’s going on, Julia?”
“That we accidentally got married. That we’ve agreed as friends to make this work.” She frowned. “Does your family know about Bruce?”
Zach’s lips twitched. “Yes. Bruce was one of my dad’s best friends, so they pretty much understand he was a wild card.”
The tight knot in her chest began to ease. “Are you okay if we do this? I feel as if I need to take charge of at least one little corner of my world. And while it doesn’t change what my mom did, or how it affected the Whiskey Creek world, it means your family won’t be imagining things that aren’t real.”
He smiled, although his eyes didn’t light up the
same as usual. “If it makes you happy, of course we can go tell them. Although I think we may want to continue to call what we’re doing dating. I don’t think Mom and Dad would be comfortable with the concept of friends with benefits.”
Damn. She hadn’t thought of that. Julia supposed there were layers to truth-telling.
“As long as it slows them down from making wedding plans for us in the spring.” Even with the dating twist added, her sense of relief continued to grow. “Can we start with your parents? And not do a big general announcement?”
Zach curled his arms around her, squeezing tight before pushing her toward the bathroom with a pat on the butt. “My parents will be suitably shocked, amused, and horrified on our behalf. And my sisters as well, once we tell them. I’ll grab Mom and Dad and light the fire pit. You wash up, and I’ll meet you there.”
Which is how, not even fifteen minutes later, she and Zach sat across the fire pit from his very curious parents.
Julia caught Zach’s hand in a death grip as she stiffened her spine and took a deep breath before admitting the truth. “We accidentally got married this past fall.”
21
Julia’s words triggered a response in Zach’s parents that was pretty much what he’d expected. Shock, naturally, followed immediately by amusement mixed with equal parts of concern.
“Interesting. Care to elaborate?” His mother leaned back in her chair, gaze darting between him and Julia. “Wait. First, Julia? Are you okay, sweetheart?”
A little gasp escaped Julia’s lips at the obvious concern in Pamela’s tone, but she nodded. “Just a little nervous.”
“There’s no need to be. Since I doubt this was a secret from Zach, and he brought you here, it means he trusts you. Which means we trust you,” Zachary Senior insisted. He eased in close enough to pat his son on the shoulder. “Although I do admit I always figured Petra would be the one to do something like this.”
“Just wait,” Zach offered. “This means she gets to do something even more off-the-wall.”
“Heaven forbid. Okay, tell us the details.” His mother sipped her mai tai as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
Zach kept the explanation simple, skipping the parts that involved nudity and playing down the drunken bit as much as possible.
Julia sat quietly, fingers squeezing his as he spoke.
When he hit the kicker about the financial obligation to stay married for a year, his father let out an exasperated groan. “That was Bruce for you. He could never resist interfering.”
Pamela shook her head then focused once again on Julia. She opened her mouth and then closed it. A second time she started, but this time spinning her attention to Zach. “Well. All right, then. You can move into the spare room off the house, and Julia can have the cabana to herself.”
Shit. As expected. “It’s okay, Mom. We’re dating now.” Zach leapt in, hoping Julia wouldn’t change her mind and cave to the suggestion.
“We just didn’t want you to get the idea that this is anything—” Julia hesitated. Tried again. “Zach and I are friends. But…” She sighed, an enormous tired sound. “It’s complicated.”
Zachary Senior nodded slowly before clapping his hands together and looking at them brightly. “Well, as long as things are okay with you, then things are okay with us. But for heaven’s sake. If you need someone to talk to—”
“That’s okay,” Zach hurried to assure him, because while he and his father could have this discussion, he did not need his mother getting involved. His mother would somehow make the conversation revolve around sex, and that was utterly out of the question. “We’ve got it covered.”
Zach gave Julia a break and gathered his sisters together for a quick and dirty rundown of the situation. He did not offer any of them the code to their wedding ceremony video.
Petra was the first to haul Julia into a hug, and when the rest of them followed suit, smiles and support obvious in their actions, Zach took the opportunity to slip out of the house and head to the beach.
His soul hurt.
His brisk walk faded to a shuffle then to nothing at all as he stared at the lights shining off the water from the houses bending around the bay.
Zach found a rock to settle on, stretching his legs in front of him as he tried to find his internal balance.
Julia wanted to tell the truth. He had honoured that request in the same way he’d tried to for the past months of doing what made her happy.
But the fact she didn’t see them as more than friends yet cut him to the core. Because that was the truth he wanted. The truth he needed desperately.
He picked up rocks, mindlessly tossing them into the waves.
Behind him, stone clinking on stone warned of someone’s approach. When his father settled beside him, Zach wasn’t too surprised.
Still, he tried to deflect. “Nice night for stargazing.”
Zachary Senior laughed. “You are a shitty liar, son.”
“I’m a very good liar,” Zach insisted before sighing out a complaint. “You just happen to have all my same tells, so you get to cheat and see what I’m trying to hide.”
“Yeah, well. Sorry about that.” His dad matched his position, staring up and nodding. “It is a good night for stargazing. Might even spot the ISS later.”
They sat for another few minutes before his father spoke again. “You really like this woman, don’t you?”
“Yup.”
A warm hand landed on his shoulder. “Bruce messed things up for you, didn’t he?”
“Maybe. Maybe this time with Julia is the best thing I’ve got going for me.” Zach glanced sideways. “I’m not that terrible a bet. This means I’ve got time to prove it.”
“Have you told her how you feel?”
“How can I?” The complaint snapped out. Zach shoved to his feet and started pacing again. “She’s trapped, Dad. Can you just imagine how terrible it would be for me to announce that I’m in love with her when she can’t escape for another nine months? And I can’t complain because she’s doing this to save me. And to save…”
He slammed his lips shut before he gave away the detail about the impact on Finn as well.
It didn’t work. Either his father could read him like a book, or he knew his former friend too well. “Bruce did something else, didn’t he?”
Zach sighed. “It’s not just my finances but the entire corporation that will be affected.”
“Ahh.” His dad stood as well, staring over the water with his problem-solving face on. He turned to Zach with a grin. “So. What are you going to do about it?”
Zach shrugged. “Nothing to do. Wait, and try to convince Julia to fall in love over the upcoming months.”
“Great plan A. What’s plan B?”
He eyed his father. “This isn’t an experiment where you try twelve dozen different ways to invent a gizmo.”
“No, it’s your life, and if there’s a chance you can be happy tomorrow instead of waiting nine months, I think a little experimentation is a valuable thing.” Zachary Senior clicked his tongue disappointedly. “You’re better at brainstorming than this. You’ve been discombobulated by the woman, that’s for certain.”
“Thanks, Dad. I take it that’s the official verdict for me not knowing what the hell to do?”
His father shrugged. “She’s a nice girl. You’re a nice boy. I like symmetry in my world.”
Amusement drifted in despite his frustration. “Love you, Dad. I’ll think about other plans, but please, don’t interfere. And do me a favour and don’t let Mom start lecturing us on safe sex.”
Zachary Senior pulled a face. “You might want to get to your bathroom before Julia does. I think your mother mentioned she planned to leave a box of condoms on the counter with some literature about the best ways for Julia to avoid urinary tract infections.”
“Dad.” Dear God. Zach headed back to the house in hopes he could cut that one off at the pass.
“Sorry, but you’ll discover the
good part about loving a strong woman is they have a mind of their own. You never can tell what they’re going to do next. Other than try to embarrass their children. That’s a given.”
Christmas Eve arrived, then Christmas Day. Holidays in Hawaii meant the sound of the ocean mixed with Christmas carols. With his family involved, there was always someone around to chat with.
Julia bloomed. It was the only way to describe it.
She played with his nieces and nephews, chatted with his sisters, and teased his brothers-in-law. Together they beat his parents so badly at cribbage, they’d refused to play anymore.
Surrounding their time together was laughter. The delight shining out of her filled every available space until she was damn near glowing with it.
Zach held on to every precious memory as if they were diamonds pulled from the hidden depths of a mine. Every day he thought about his father’s question of what could be done to make happiness arrive today instead of months from now.
He hadn’t found the answer yet, but he was getting closer.
In the meantime, getting to watch Julia shine, getting to hold her in his arms at night, getting to see her find her place in his family—because that was totally what she was doing—filled him with peace.
Sunset on Christmas Day, she curled up at his side, rested her head on his shoulder, and sighed contentedly.
It was impossible to resist. He pressed a kiss to her temple and curled his arm around her tighter. “Hawaii looks good on you.”
“It’s been an amazing experience.” Her fingers traced lines on his thigh almost unconsciously. “I can’t believe we still have another five days.”
“That might give them time to dig everything out in Heart Falls,” he teased. “Finn says the next time we take off for a long period of time at Christmas, he’s going to take it as a warning that another snow-pocalypse is nigh.”
She laughed then fell silent. The contentment pouring off her was easy to sense. Her gaze stayed fixed on the sunset as she spoke. “I’m glad you got to talk to Finn.”
He was as well. They’d had a long overdue conversation that would be discussed in more detail in a couple days. Once Finn and Karen had a chance to discuss matters. “How was Christmas for your sisters?”