Chapter 20
Dusk was settling in, and the lightning bugs were making their appearance.
As Jules stepped off her porch and crossed the street to the house where Brock and Luke had been staying, her heart felt strangely split—light and heavy all at once. How could she feel such conflicting emotions at the same time?
The past week had been amazing. She and Brock were inseparable. Of course, Nikki and Luke were part of the package deal, and the four of them had made the most of it. Nikki had dragged them all to Fossil Rim, where they went on a safari. Then they gorged themselves on barbecue at the restaurant Nikki had been raving about. Next, they went to a rodeo in the Stockyards and went out for Mexican food afterward. Of course, they had to order pizza a couple of nights, and Jules insisted on getting one with ham and pineapple while Brock got a supreme. They joked about being happy with their compromise.
In between their excursions, Jules and Brock enjoyed relaxing on the couch, watching movies, and sharing plenty of long, shivery kisses. Just thinking about them caused her blood to pump faster.
Last night, Mom and Dad had invited everyone to have dinner at the ranch. Their longtime housekeeper and cook, Hilda, had pulled out all the stops: brisket, baked beans, Mexican cornbread, coleslaw, peach cobbler, and vanilla ice cream. It was heaven.
At one point during the dinner, Dad had casually turned to Brock and said, “Should you feel inclined to stick around Fort Worth, the house across the street from Jules is yours.”
Jules had nearly choked on her coleslaw. “Seriously, Dad?” she’d sputtered. “First, you bribe Tippin with the guitar, and now you’re trying to bribe Brock with a house.” She rolled her eyes. “Good grief, are Zoe and I that hard to marry off?” She glanced at Brock. The corners of his mouth were twitching with barely contained laughter.
Dad shrugged, completely unbothered by her outburst. “What can I say? I know a good deal when I see one.” He gave Brock a meaningful look. “And I know what it takes to make my daughter happy.”
Well, Jules certainly couldn’t argue with that. There was only one man who’d ever been able to rock her world, and now he was leaving.
She knocked once on the door and let herself in. “Hey,” she called. “It’s me.”
“In the bedroom.” Brock’s voice came from down the hall.
She found him stuffing the last items into a duffel bag. When he looked up, his face lit with that same easy, heart-stopping smile that had captured her heart. “Hey, you. How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” she replied, though the tightness in her smile said otherwise.
He knew her too well. His tone immediately softened. “What’s going on?”
She went to his side. “I don’t know … maybe I’m just coming down from everything that happened last week.” She paused, needing to admit the truth. “I’m having a hard time seeing you go.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her hands, pulling her down beside him. “I don’t have to go. I’ll stay.” He stroked his thumb over the top of her hand. “You know I hate leaving you—especially when you’re not fully recovered.”
“You need to go. You need to be there for Trevor’s birthday.”
“I know,” he acknowledged.
Originally, Brock thought he would miss Trevor’s birthday because Brock couldn’t leave Jules alone with the threat of Steve Randall looming over her. However, now that Jules was in the clear, there was no reason why Brock couldn’t be there for his son on his birthday.
Jules had promised herself that she would never make Brock choose between her and Trevor, and she wasn’t about to break that vow now.
Trevor’s birthday wasn’t until Thursday, but there was another reason why Brock and Luke were leaving early. They had an important meeting lined up with Sutton tomorrow—one that could change everything for Luke. After hearing what Luke had done to stop Steve Randall, Sutton wanted to talk. Luke needed this chance. It was important for Brock to be there for Luke and Trevor.
Early this morning, Luke had taken Nikki to the airport. She’d been called last-minute to do a feature story on a new luxury resort opening in the Maldives. Nikki had jumped at the chance and was ready to go on the fly. That was her—suitcase always half packed.
Nikki would only be gone a couple of weeks. The house already felt emptier without her. Jules liked having her zany cousin around.
Zoe and Tippin would be back from their honeymoon soon, around the same time Nikki returned. They were spending several days at the ranch before heading back to their home in West Hollywood. At least Jules would get to see them for a few days before they left again. That thought offered a small measure of comfort.
And then there was Brock.
He was here now, but in a few short minutes, he’d be gone, too.
“So,” he said, studying her. “Do I dare bring up the elephant in the room?”
She tilted her head, cautious. “What elephant?”
“What happens from here?”
A laugh bubbled from her throat, halfway between nerves and affection. “You just have to keep pushing that envelope,” she chided.
“That’s why you love me,” he grinned.
Their eyes caught and held.
“I do love you,” she proclaimed, her voice clear and full of certainty. It was the first time she’d said it out loud.
His reply came ardently. “I love you, too.” He gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. “I’m going to miss you like crazy,” he murmured into her hair.
She looked at him, memorizing every line of his face, every freckle, every crease framing his dark eyes. She didn’t want to forget a thing.
“I’ll only be gone a few days,” he promised.
A small smile played on her lips. “So, are you taking Dad up on his offer? You know you could get a house out of the deal.”
He let out a warm laugh. “Yeah … I don’t think I could live with myself if I took the house.”
“Tippin took the guitar,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not Tippin.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she teased. “You did that funky dance the other night. There’s definitely a little Tippin in there somewhere.”
They both laughed.
His expression grew serious. “We’re going to make this work, Jules. I mean it.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“Would you ever consider living by the beach?”
The question settled heavily between them.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve never lived outside of Texas. I don’t know if I could leave my family. My work. Everything I know.” She was about to tick off several more things, but then he placed a finger over her lips.
“One step at a time.”
“One step at a time,” she repeated.
A second later, his mouth took hers. She kissed him back, pouring in all of her emotions. She wished they could stay like this forever.
A few minutes later, they’d just finished the kiss and had their foreheads pressed together when Luke popped his head into the room. “Hey, bro—oh.” He stopped, grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, Jules,” he chimed.
She matched his singsong tone. “Hey, Luke.”
He looked at Brock. “Sorry to interrupt. Just loaded up the SUV. Figured we’d better get moving soon so we’ll have time to drop it off at the rental place before we hop on the plane.”
“I’m almost ready,” Brock said.
Luke spoke to Jules. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“I’m sure you will,” she said, her voice warm and light.
He grinned. “Yeah, I’ve got a feeling I’ll be back before too long. Gotta keep Combat Barbie in line—make sure she’s not trying to mace the neighborhood.”
Jules laughed. “Better hurry back, then.”
Luke gave them both a wave and ducked out.
Jules turned back to Brock with a wan smile. “So ... I guess you’re really leaving, huh?”
He exhaled slowly. “Yeah. I guess this is it—for now.” He creased his brows. “Are you gonna be okay? I just … I worry about you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to sound sure. “The threat’s gone. Steve Randall’s gone. It’s over.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, though his expression didn’t quite relax. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.” He paused. “Something still feels like it’s hanging in the air.”
She reached for his hand and linked her fingers through his. “You’re not going to lose me, Brock. We’ll figure this out. One step at a time.”
“One step at a time,” he repeated.
They kissed again, and then he was gone.
Jules stood on her front porch and watched the SUV drive away. A single tear traced a slow line down her cheek. It’s only for a few days , she told herself. He’ll be back.
She went inside. The house was far too quiet. She sank onto the couch and flipped on the TV. If Nikki were here, she’d probably insist on dragging Jules out shopping or to dinner. Jules missed Nikki already. She missed all of them, even Luke with his funny antics.
At least tomorrow, she’d be back at work. Something to distract her from the quiet.
From the ache of missing Brock.
She let out a sigh and then chuckled. Brock had been gone all of two minutes, and she was sitting here wallowing in pity. Ice cream and a TV show sounded like a good plan. Nikki would balk, but she wasn’t here.
Ice cream it is.
She’d finished off three-quarters of a pint of cherry Garcia and was going for the rest when the doorbell rang.
She blinked, wondering who it could be. An unreasonable hope surged through her. Was it Brock coming back?
Placing the ice cream on the coffee table, she wiped her hands on her jeans and stood. She walked into the foyer and peered through the peephole. Disappointment trickled through her. It was Asher, not Brock.
He was holding a covered platter.
Resting the flat of her palm against the wood, she hesitated, wondering if she should open the door or just pretend not to be home.
Okay, she didn’t want to be rude. She did have to work with him, after all. Straightening her shoulders, she opened the door.
“Hey,” she began with a cautious smile. “What’s up?”
He held up the dish. “I’ve been working on my baklava skills. Thought you might give this batch a taste test.”
Jules blinked. “Uh ... okay.”
“May I come in?”
She stepped aside. “Sure.”