by Vivian Arend
Julia smiled. “Ollie got a new squeaky toy, and Dandelion Fluff stole it. Karen said she and Lisa wandered into the kitchen an hour later and discovered the cat and the dog curled up together in the dog bed, each with one paw around the stuffed sheep.”
“Awww. Besties.”
“Yup.” She glanced up at him, staring at his lips as she tangled her fingers around the blue larimar necklace he’d bought her a couple days earlier at the wharf. “Merry Christmas. It’s been another good day. Thank you for my present.”
“You’re welcome.” He took the opening she was clearly offering and kissed her.
Then he directed his attention back to the sunset, and his family, and the plans B, C, and D that he’d begun to put in place. Mostly to keep from grabbing the matching blue larimar ring he had also bought, dropping to one knee, and asking her to make it real.
His time was coming. Not yet, but soon…
Very soon.
For the first time since they’d arrived in Hawaii, the sky was grey in the morning. Julia’s walk along the shore that day was with Mattie and Quinn, both of them trying to outdo each other with stories about Zach growing up that made her laugh.
She reentered the house with them, and three tall, handsome men broke off from where they’d been taking care of children and breakfast prep to offer their women a hug and a kiss.
The six- and seven-year-olds groaned and rolled their eyes, but the nine-year-old offered a kissy noise in his parents’ direction. Ronan growled then sprinted after him, and the room burst into laughter and screams and family connection.
Zach’s arm around her tightened, but it was the motion of his chest revealing his laughter that made her lean in and turn to cup his face. “You’re a goof, but I see now it runs in the family.”
“Yup.” He tapped her nose. “The kids want to make giant sandcastles this morning. Want to come or hang out with my sisters?”
Quinn wandered past, speaking softly. “Ahem. No kid time. The guys have them allllll morning, and we’re having a ladies-only pool party.”
Across the room, Petra mock whispered. “We have really good C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E stashed away.”
Julia turned toward Zach and fluttered her lashes. “Thank you for the invite, but I think I need to stay and supervise. Act as lifeguard and make sure no one has a melting incident.”
He laughed, leaning in to speak for her ears only “You’re getting along with everyone?”
“They’re lovely. Go. Have fun.”
He waggled his brows. “I’ll need help washing off the sand later. Just a heads-up.”
Her cheeks heated, but with the fresh tan she’d been building, maybe no one noticed.
The noise of grown men herding children faded in the distance. Grandma and Grandpa had gone along to help, and suddenly it was Julia with Zach’s five sisters.
Petra lifted her hands in the air and did some crazy dance moves. “Okay, girls. I’m bartender. Name your poison. If I remember from last year, though, two drinks off the top, then we’ll switch to fruity cocktails.” She glanced at Julia. “The kids might be gone, but they’ll be back. We don’t tend to tie one on too hard when children are liable to start screaming at any moment.”
“Good plan,” Julia said with a nod. “I’ll help you serve. Everyone else, go relax.”
It wasn’t too much later that they were all floating in the pool or sprawled in reclining lounges, telling stories about the kids, sharing memories from growing up, and enjoying the sunshine that had arrived as the sky cleared.
Maybe the past months of spending ample time with her own sisters had changed things. Julia felt not just comfortable but welcome in their midst. The same way that Lisa, Karen, and Tamara had opened their hearts and homes to her.
Just like Zach, even from that first moment.
Mattie had just finished a story about Ronan coming to her defense in high school, and she turned an inquisitive gaze on Julia. “You look ready to burst. What did our brother save you from?”
“What’s that?”
Quinn pointed a finger. “Your turn to dish. Come on. We never get to hear how well our little brother turned out. That’s really not fair after we spent so much time and energy training him.”
“Exactly,” Mattie said. “You’re welcome for him never leaving the toilet seat up.”
Which was something to be thankful for, although Julia smirked at the memory of the other little battle they were still engaging in over the toilet paper roll.
“Zach’s a great guy.” She considered how to phrase this, her newfound determination to stick to the truth battling with the knowledge that not everything needed to be said. “He’s also bossy. The first time he saw the bachelor pad where I was living, he refused to let me stay there any longer. He found me another place where it was safer.”
“Was it that bad?” Quinn asked.
“Maybe worse. I was grateful to have one less thing to worry about.” Although it was interesting how fast things had escalated after that point. She never had left his cabin.
Mattie nodded thoughtfully. “He is protective. Learned it from Dad, I imagine.”
“Definitely,” Quinn agreed. “Dad somehow found the balance between letting us explore the world and yet always being there the instant we needed backup.”
Thinking back, it was easy for Julia to see that trait in Zach. “It’s nice to have someone who’s got your back without mowing you down at the same time.” She thought of something amusing to share. “He’s sneaky bossy, but in a totally sweet way. Like, he let me drive his car once—the day we put it into storage for the winter. Then he made me ride shotgun in my own car on the way home.”
The pool area went utterly still at her laughing comment. Five sets of jaws dropped.
Petra blinked. “He let you drive Delilah?”
“Once,” Julia pointed out with a laugh. Thinking back to how sweet it had been to handle the classic car made her smile, though. “Short lived success, I guess.”
Another story followed, and the feeling of connection continued to grow. The older women got caught up in a discussion about kids’ activities for the new year. Julia found her recliner floating farther from them toward the opposite side of the pool.
Petra laughed, letting go of the rope she’d used to bring Julia to her side. “I’m so glad you’re here. When they start in on the mom talk, my eyes start to cross after the first hour.”
“I think it’s pretty natural when you get a big group together. With my sisters, only one has kids so far. The kid focus tends to be a sprinkling instead of an onslaught.”
“Good description,” Petra said dryly. “Tell me more about your job. I work in IT, where it’s all desk jockeys and keyboards. What exactly do you do at the ranch?”
Getting to talk about one of her favourite things was no hardship. Although it was telling to notice how often Zach’s name came up during their conversation. Julia kept mentioning him and everything that he’d done over the past months while they’d spent time together.
His little sister began smiling every time Julia said his name. Finally, she outright laughed. “Are you sure he’s not working in the office with you?”
Guilty. “We do end up around each other a lot. I hadn’t realized how much until now,” Julia admitted. “I like him. He’s a pretty special guy.”
“He is. I approve of him as a big brother.” Petra glanced slyly at Julia. “I know you guys explained about the whole accidentally-married thing, but it seems as if there’s more to the story.”
The parts they were keeping secret were going to stay that way, as far as Julia was concerned.
She shrugged. “I guess you can say that we’re good friends now. Zach’s always doing things for his friends. I like being able to do things in return for him.”
The other woman eyed her, curiosity rising. “Friends. Well, that’s good. I guess.”
Julia laughed. “You sound like my sister, Lisa.”
“She’s a
very smart woman.” Petra leaned forward on her elbows, the inflatable chair under her rocking slightly from side to side. “Just so you know? I’ve seen my brother with his friends. And yes, he’s a very giving man, but I’ve never heard of him letting anyone drive Delilah other than his bestie. I’ve never seen Zach look at another woman the way he looks at you.”
“Probably because nobody else has ever had the power to take away everything he’s worked for.” Julia tried to say it as if it were a joke, but her throat had grown tight.
When Petra just stared at her steadily for a moment, that knot slid into her chest and grew tighter.
Finally, Petra shook her head. “Honey, you might need to do a reassessment. Because I don’t think my brother’s worried about his pocketbook. If you want to talk about having the power to take something away, you might start by focusing on something in this area.” She tapped a hand against her chest.
Julia wanted to protest. She wanted to explain how important it was for not just Zach but the rest of her family for them to survive this year. How if it was only the two of them on the line, maybe they would’ve been able to give up by now, but not when Finn and Karen would also be affected.
The rest of the family returned as lunchtime approached. The quiet conversation was over, but Petra’s words kept drilling through her brain.
He’s never looked at another woman the way he looks at you.
That night, as Zach caught her fingers in his and tugged her toward the edge of the deck so they could get into prime sunset viewing position, Julia couldn’t keep the truth hidden from herself anymore.
She didn’t want Zach to have to act as if she were important to him just to keep her family from being rightly upset at the tangled mess they were in. She didn’t want this to be pretend. She wanted the kisses and the cuddles to mean something. She wanted the time that they spent in bed exploring new ways to make each other happy to be the beginning of forever, not a short-term, temporary distraction.
Beside her, Zach adjusted position so he could curl his arm around her. His lips pressed briefly to her temple, a tender move that nevertheless drove a stake into her soul.
She wanted this to be real. Because for her, it already was.
Julia Blushing had fallen in love with her husband, and that realization just might break her.
The sun took its time gathering colours this evening. Feminine laughter swirled around them along with childish voices.
Little Beau came stumbling over on his sturdy toddler legs, eyes blinking hard as if desperately trying to stay awake even as he held pudgy fingers up to his uncle.
As easy as breathing, Zach leaned over and picked up his nephew, settling the little guy in his lap with one arm wrapped around him to keep him in place before he reached back for Julia’s fingers and held on tight.
She caught herself staring at the sunlight reflected over the little boy and the man at her side. Beau rested his cheek on Zach’s chest, thumb in his mouth as he stared back, eyes drooping in spite of his determination.
This. She wanted this as well—a family. From the interfering parental units to the sisters on both sides who would never stop asking the hard questions or making her see what was right there in front of her face. She wanted children with Zach’s blue eyes, and she wanted to be able to see him guide them with laughter and kindness and truth.
No lies. Nothing but a firm foundation and a home built on love.
Her breath caught in her throat, because for one moment she had a perfect vision of what she wanted, and what could be—
Except that foundation could tumble away at any moment because it wasn’t built on truth. It was built on Zach and her trying to do the right thing for others, and that’s where the whole thing was going to tip over and break into a million pieces.
That’s where her mom had gone wrong. Making a decision that forced others’ hands and didn’t let them decide for themselves. She couldn’t do it.
Zach glanced at her, concern slipping in. “You okay?”
She forced a smile. Fortunately, before she had to say something that would be an outright lie or to explain that in this case okay meant one step away from breaking apart because everything in my world is no longer real, Beau jolted halfway awake, his arms flailing.
It took a second for Zach to soothe him, adjusting position so the toddler lay cradled against his chest. Long enough for Julia to slide her worries into a box and seal it up firmly to be dealt with in the morning.
She wanted one more night before facing the truth that in this fairy tale, the happily ever after wasn’t real.
Much, much later, after dinner and games and family time were done, starlight glittered overhead as the final good-nights of the evening were said. She and Zach were the last ones left outside, sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet dangling in the water.
Zach’s hand reached around her, fingers gently cupping her hip as he pressed his lips to the back of her neck. “I like it when you wear your hair up. I get to touch all the sweet, soft parts of you.”
She tilted her head to expose more skin. “We could take this to our cabana. I wouldn’t mind finding some sweet, soft spots either.”
“Hard. There’s an awful lot of hard spots you might need to discover first,” Zach growled.
Stealing away as if someone was about to stop them, they slid into the room, hands reaching for each other. Touching, stroking.
Memorizing. This might be the last time, and it wasn’t about how well they had fit together or all the things that she’d learned about physical pleasure from him.
No. As he pressed his lips against her skin, teasing each intimate spot that he found, as she stroked her fingers down the muscular lines of his torso. As they kissed deeply, bodies meshing together—
It wasn’t just physical.
Moonlight and starshine poured over the bed, shining in the open doors facing the ocean. Zach rolled her under him, his hips pulsing slowly as he pushed his cock deep into her sex, the sound of the ocean filling the small room.
There was magic, Julia could’ve sworn there was. But just like the fairy tales where in the morning everything was back to normal, this too was fleeting.
It was perfect. It was broken.
Zach caught their fingers together, pinning their hands to the mattress. Julia stared into his face, at the pleasure there, the sweet caring and understanding.
Her body betrayed her, and for once in her life an orgasm rushed in far too quickly when she would’ve liked this to have gone on forever.
“Julia.” Zach stilled over her, hips pulsing as he came.
She cupped his cheek and kept her smile in place. Let the physical satisfaction be enough, even though inside, her heart was breaking.
An hour later, after they’d cleaned up and returned to the bed, Zach wrapped his arms around her and almost instantly fell asleep. She wasn’t so lucky.
She lay there, examining his features. Wishing desperately she’d been brave enough to tell him the truth. But as he breathed evenly, chest rising and falling, the faintest hint of a smile still curling his lips, it was all she could do to stay in one place and not shout it out to the heavens.
“I love you.” The words were a bare whisper off her lips, but they shouted so loud inside her that it felt as if her entire body vibrated with the echo. “I love you so much.”
It was the truth, rising from the core of her being.
Which was why she had to let him go.
22
Zach had been hoping for an early-morning birthday present, but when he rolled over, Julia wasn’t in the bed. The sliding doors were still open to the ocean, though, and contentment pooled in his limbs as he stretched then made his way to vertical.
She’d gotten into the habit of walking the beach every morning. He couldn’t blame her, and considering he hoped today would end up being extra special, he could give her the space to wander and enjoy her time off.
Last night had been spectacular,
and he could only hope that today would be even better.
He went to grab some coffee from the kitchen. His mom rose from where she’d been settled at the table to come and give him a hug and a kiss. “Happy birthday, little man.”
“Mom,” he complained, squeezing her extra hard before stepping out of her embrace. “Please.”
She smiled smugly. “Sorry, darling. You’re always going to be my little man.”
“Be thankful your nickname wasn’t something dreadful like snookums.” Petra appeared to offer her own rib-rattling hug. “Happy birthday, big brother.”
“Hopefully,” he said with a wink.
That earned him a massive eye roll. “Is your better half sleeping in?”
“Think she hit the beach already,” Zach said as he filled a cup and headed toward the deck, debating if he should pour a second one for her and have it ready when she returned.
His father drifted into the room, papers in his hand that he was staring at with utter confusion. “Zach? Can I see you for a minute?”
Zach glanced at his mom to make sure she hadn’t noticed. He put an arm around his father and guided him from the room. “If Mom sees you working, there’ll be hell to pay,” he said.
Zachary Senior looked up and blinked. “I’m not working. These came through on the fax. They’re for you, but they make no sense.”
“For me?”
His father tugged the papers out of his reach. “Put your coffee down.”
Shit. Zach all but threw his cup at the nearest side table. “I don’t like the sounds of this,” he warned.
His father held the papers forward. “I don’t think you’re going to like how it reads, either.”
Zach glanced at the cover page only for long enough to read the from part. Alan Cwedwick.
Why would his lawyer be sending three full pages of a small enough print to require a magnifying glass? Zach peered at the opening paragraphs to find tons of legalese. “I wonder if my birthday triggered something in Bruce’s files.”