One Week with her (Ex) Stepbrother (Eden Manor #2) (7 page)

 Her
heart was roaring with such excitement that she could barely hear herself
think. She kept telling herself to be reasonable.

Just
because Zach was attracted to her, wanted to have sex with her, didn’t mean
that they’d be together forever.

He
slept with women all the time. None of them ever lasted.

There
was no reason why she would be different. He’d never said anything—or even
implied—that this was the real thing for him.

It
might be for her, but there was nothing she could do about that.

She
needed to be mature. And reasonable. And not act like a silly girl with her
very first crush.

“So
there will be a next time?” she asked, before she could stop herself. Her voice
was slightly muffled by his shirt, since he was still holding her against him.

“There
better be.”

“Good.”

Her
heart was fluttering wildly, but her mind kept screaming to be smart, be smart,
be
smart
.

“I’ve
wanted you for too long to be satisfied with one time.”

His
words were fond, almost laughing, and they sounded just like him. But for some
reason they made her stomach drop.

What
if he really was just attracted to her? What if he really just wanted to be
satisfied physically? He still hadn’t said anything that implied anything else.

She
was foolish to assume—or even hope—that sleeping with a guy one time would mean
anything for the future. She knew better. Just because this was Zach didn’t
mean that all the rules of men and women just flew out the window.

One
time didn’t promise anything.

She
was so terrified by the prospect that she tried to backpedal on her feelings.
In a futile attempt to make herself feel casual about their night together, she
said in a light, slightly fake voice, “Maybe I’ll even get more than one
weekend then.”

There
was a long pause, making her wonder if she hadn’t hid her feelings well enough.
But, before she could try to fix it, Zach asked slowly, “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”
She forced herself to smile at him, hoping it looked natural. “I was just
teasing. Girls usually just get one weekend with you, so I was joking about
maybe getting two.”

Something
changed in his manner, something she couldn’t put her finger on. He grew
strangely still, and there was another moment of silence before he gave a huff
of laughter. “Oh. Yeah. Definitely two.”

She’d
been stupid. She knew it. She hadn’t hid her feelings well enough. And now he
was getting spooked.

She
could feel him retreating internally, even though his arms were still wrapped
around her.

He
must know what she’d wanted. He must know what she’d hoped this would be. He
wouldn’t want to hurt her. He’d always had a kind heart. He’d want to break it
to her gently. He was trying to figure out how to do that.

They
lay in silence for a few minutes, but it didn’t feel comfortable and relaxed
anymore. It felt tense. Like something was definitely wrong.

She’d
blown it.

She’d
been right from the beginning.

They
never, ever should have done this. Now one of the people she loved most in the
world would be lost to her.

“We
better get going,” Zach said at last, sitting up and then pushing himself off
the couch with a stifled wince. “It’s really late. Your dad gets in early.”

He
didn’t get in at two o’clock in the morning, and that was the time right now.
But Zach obviously wanted to leave, and he wouldn’t want to just walk out on
her.

He
would think that was rude, ungentlemanly.

So
Missy smiled as she stood up too, straightening her clothes. She felt messy.
Embarrassed. Heartbroken.

“It’s
late. I’ll drive you home,” he said softly.

“I’m
fine. No reason to do that.” She smiled at him brightly. “I’m really fine,
Zach.”

“Okay.”

They
locked up the shop and then walked out to their cars together. Zach stood very
close to her as she unlocked her door.

He
was watching her. Thinking. Worrying. He knew how she was feeling and didn’t
want her to get hurt.

She
managed a wobbly smile. “We messed things up between us, didn’t we?”

He
was breathing heavily. She could hear it, even though she couldn’t bring
herself to meet his eyes. “I…I think so.”

She
sighed, telling herself it was better to be honest about it. “I knew it wasn’t
a good idea.”

“I’m
sorry.”

Of
course, he was sorry. She was sorry too. “Well, we shouldn’t do it again, then.
Maybe after a while, we can get back to normal.”

“Maybe.”

Now
she was about to cry, knowing that she was about to lose one of the most
important parts of her world, knowing it would never be the same. “I love you,
you know.”

“I
know. I love you too.”

“Well,
we won’t do this again. We’ll try to get things back to how they were.”

“Whatever
you think is best.”

This
wasn’t what she thought was best. She thought this was horrible. But she
couldn’t have a casual affair with Zach either. That would be the worst thing
of all.

“Okay.”
She took a shaky breath. “Okay. I’ve got some more showings today, so I
probably won’t be in at the shop.”

“I’ll
be out at Eden Manor all day today and tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow
is Sunday.”

“I
know. But we’re already behind, so I told Peter and Kelly I’d catch up this
weekend.”

“Okay.
I won’t see you then. It might be a good idea for us to have some space. We’ll
talk again on Monday.”

“Sounds
good.” He hesitated and then leaned over to brush a soft kiss on her mouth.
“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

She
was trembling as she got into her car, but she managed to turn it on and drive
away without crying.

She
cried a lot when she finally got home, though.

Missy
spent the rest of Saturday with her clients, and she was grateful for the
distraction, since otherwise she might have cried all day.

She
wasn’t feeling any better on Sunday, but she was determined to go about her
life as if nothing catastrophic had happened.

So
she showered and dressed and then headed over to her dad’s to have breakfast
with him. He was reading the paper, as he always did, and they talked about
only random things as she fixed eggs, sausage, and biscuits.

They
were almost finished eating when he finally put away his paper. “What’s wrong
with you today?”

She
blinked. “Nothing.”

“Don’t
lie to your old dad.”

“I’m
fine,” she said with a bittersweet smile. “It’s not been a great weekend, but
I’m fine.”

“Does
this have something to do with Zach?”

“Why
would it?”

“I
don’t know. But he was down in the dumps all day yesterday, and now you are
today.”

“We’re
fine.”

Her
dad shook his head with a grumpy frown. “If you kids are going to get together,
you need to just do it. All this drama is giving me a headache.”

She
gasped and put down her fork. “What?”

“You
heard me.”

“But
he’s like…like my brother.”

“Who
do you think you’re kidding with that? No one thinks he’s your brother.”

She
was almost panting as she stared down at her plate. She couldn’t believe even
her father had seen what was between them. What would he think if he knew it
had just been a one-night stand? “There’s not been any drama.”

He
snorted. “There’s been drama for years. All those soulful looks he gives you.
It’s more than an old man can take.”

She
finally raised her head to stare at him. “Soulful looks?”

“Am
I blind?”

“N-no.”

“Then
do me a favor and figure things out with him. I’m way too old to have to deal
with this.”

She
couldn’t say anything. She just sat in her chair, feeling confused and
embarrassed and excited again.

There
was nothing to be excited about, of course. Except evidently Zach had been
looking at her in certain ways for a long time now.

She
wasn’t going to jump the gun or assume that everything would be what she
wanted. But maybe there was more potential between them than she’d realized.
Surely her dad wouldn’t be imagining things the way she might be tempted to.

Her
father was the most sensible man she’d ever known.

She
made it through the rest of breakfast and cleaned up afterwards in an emotional
flurry, trying to figure out what she should do. They’d ended things pretty
clearly last night, but she’d been the one to initiate it.

Maybe
she could somehow step things back a little—leave a tiny room for hope.

Zach
was working at Eden Manor today. Maybe she could stop by. Bring him lunch.

That
was it. She’d bring him some lunch, just to be nice, and she’d try to get a
feel for what he was thinking about them now.

It
was worth a try. Zach was what she wanted. He was what she’d been wanting for a
long time now. He was what had been making that hole in her life, the one that
left her feeling so incomplete.

She
stopped by the store to buy a few things, and she drove right to Eden Manor,
without even going home. She put together the lunch in the car, and then she
got out.

She
didn’t see Zach’s truck, but he was supposed to be here. If he’d gone to get
more supplies, he would be back eventually—probably in time for lunch.

She
walked toward the front of the house and saw that Kelly was sitting on the
porch with an older woman. The woman was tiny—even shorter than Missy—with
steel gray hair in a tight bun and a dark dress on.

Missy
then remembered that Kelly’s grandmother was visiting this weekend. She should
have remembered that and not come by.

She
was about to turn around when Kelly waved and called her over.

“Sorry
to interrupt,” Missy said with a smile. “I forgot you had guests this weekend.”

“It’s
no problem,” Kelly replied cheerfully. “This is my grandmother, Mrs. Beaufort.
This is my friend Missy.”

Missy
was pleased to be called Kelly’s friend, and she took the steps up to shake the
old woman’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Beaufort. I’m sorry to
bother you. I was just bringing lunch to Zach. I thought he was supposed to be
here.”

“He
was here earlier, but my grandmother sent him home.” Kelly looked both amused
and embarrassed.

“She
did?” Missy’s eyes widened as she turned to look at Mrs. Beaufort.

Kelly’s
grandmother had been studying her with such close scrutiny it was unnerving.
Now she tsked her tongue and said in an imperious voice, “Ah. I see. You belong
to that sad-eyed young man who was pretending to work on the lawn here this
morning.”

“I
belong to…” Missy was so surprised she could barely articulate a response.

“Grandmama,”
Kelly murmured, in what was obviously a futile attempt to stop her from
interfering.

“I
told him that instead of sulking about whatever broke his heart, he needed to
be a man and go fix it. I do not understand young men these days. It’s as if
they think all good things in life will simply fall in their laps while they
sit there in front of the television.”

Missy
stared in bemusement from Mrs. Beaufort to Kelly. Her heart was pounding like
crazy, even though there was absolutely no reason for it to be doing so.

Kelly
gave an amused little shrug. “My grandmother.”

Missy
couldn’t help but laugh, although it came out rather shakily. “Anyway, I’m
sorry to bother you on your visit. It’s very nice to meet you. I’ll just take
the lunch by his house.”

Kelly
said a friendly goodbye while Mrs. Beaufort gave her a dignified nod. Then
Missy walked quickly back to her car, wondering why she felt like her world was
about to burst into pieces around her.

She
drove to Zach’s house, but he wasn’t there. She had no idea where he was, and
she could hardly drive around town looking for his truck. Instead, she drove over
to Vanessa’s house, relieved when she saw that Joe wasn’t there.

Missy
liked Joe just fine. She liked him a lot. But she wanted to talk to Vanessa
privately.

Vanessa
was taking advantage of the beautiful day and sitting outside with a book.
Missy joined her, explaining what had been happening and feeling better
afterwards, even though Vanessa had no new advice to give her.

A
couple of hours later, Missy left Vanessa’s, driving once more by Zach’s place
to see if he was home yet.

He
wasn’t.

She
would go see him later. She needed to talk to him. She had no idea what was
happening here, but it seemed like the rest of the world was working in concert
to get her to fix things with Zach.

She
drove home, her heartbeat speeding up when she saw that Zach’s truck was parked
in her driveway.

He
wasn’t in the driver’s seat, though. He wasn’t waiting on the front porch. He
couldn’t have gotten inside, so she had no idea where he was.

Her
backyard was the only other choice, so she walked slowly around her house
toward the back.

He
was there, in the corner of her yard near the big oak tree and the shed. He was
building something.

Something
from her pile of stones she’d been saving until the
right time
.

“Zach?”
she asked, her voice breaking. “What are you doing?”

She
must have surprised him because he jerked visibly, putting down the stone he’d
been lifting. He turned around, flushed and sweating and absolutely adorable.

When
he didn’t answer, she came closer, seeing that he was building some sort of
raised flowerbed out of the stones.

“There
wasn’t enough for a real wall,” he said hoarsely. “But I’m making the edges of
the bed as high as I can, so it kind of looks like a secret garden.”

She
stared down at him, at the bed, so astonished and overwhelmed with emotion she
couldn’t move.

“I
didn’t want you to keep waiting,” he went on, dropping his head and wiping his
forehead with the back of one hand. “I didn’t want you to keep thinking that
something had to change for your life to be really good. I want you to have
this—now.”

She
was trembling all over. She opened her mouth to speak but a strange little sob
came out. Her knees wouldn’t hold her anymore, so she dropped to the grass
beside the stone structure.

“I
know you think it was just a physical thing,” Zach went on, reaching out to
take one of her hands in both of his. “I know you think it isn’t going to last
between us. But I want it to. I love you so much, Missy. I want to be with you
forever. And I get that you’re not there yet, and that’s fine. But I think we
should at least give us a chance. We don’t have to keep waiting. Life can
happen to us right now, if we let it.”

Tears
started to spill out of her eyes, and she still couldn’t form any words.

Zach
waited for a minute, and then he finally slanted her a worried look. “I can
take the bed down if you don’t like it.”

“No!”
she burst out, blinded by more tears. “I love it. I
love
it. I love
you
.”

She’d
said more than she intended, but she didn’t even regret it.

Zach
gasped. “What?”

“You
heard me.” She brushed her tears away.

“You
love me like a…like a brother?”

She
shook her head, unable to stop smiling. “Nothing like a brother.”

He
groaned and pulled her toward him. After a clumsy shuffle, she ended up in his
lap with his arms around her. “Shit, Missy,” he groaned, his face against her
neck. “Why did you stomp all over my heart that way, then, acting like you
thought we were just having a little fling?”

She
giggled and hugged him as tightly as she could. “I was scared. I didn’t know
you were serious, and I didn’t want you to think I was expecting too much from
one night.”

He
groaned again, and it felt like all the tension in his body was finally
softening. “How could you think that? You must know how crazy about you I am. I
haven’t done a good job of hiding it. I haven’t looked at you like a
brother-type in a really long time.”

“I
didn’t know.”

He
kissed her then, so full of feeling it was almost clumsy. She was so happy, so
relieved, so overwhelmed that she felt like crying again.

After
a few minutes, she leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling perfectly safe
in his arms. “You sure did date a lot of other women, if you’ve had feelings
for me for a while.”

“Why
do you think I was doing it? I was trying to talk myself into loving someone
else. I couldn’t do it.” He nuzzled her hair. “There’s no one for me but you.”

“I
thought you might still be into Cassandra.”

He
chuckled. “That’s ridiculous. That was just an adolescent crush. This is real.
This is forever.”

“For
me too.”

He
let out a moan that sounded like pure relief. But his voice was light and
affectionate when he said, “Anyway, I thought you said I had to stay away from
Cassandra or Silas would kick my ass.”

“He
would. He would pound you into the ground with his bare hands.”

“I
think I could take him.”

“In
your dreams.”

“I’ve
been doing other things in my dreams,” he murmured. “And they have nothing to
do with Silas.”

“Things
like what?”

He
didn’t answer with words, but he showed her.

And
it was real—better than any dream she’d ever had.

***

That
evening, Missy and Zach were in his truck, on the way to have dinner in the
Italian restaurant one town over. There weren’t very many restaurants in the
area, so people got used to driving from town to town if they wanted to eat out
or shop.

Missy
was exhausted after the emotional upheavals of the week, but she was also so
happy she couldn’t stop smiling.

She
was grinning again as she looked over at Zach, who was focused on taking the truck
around a curvy road that went up a hill.

When
she saw he was frowning, she said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”
He looked over at her, his face breaking out in a smile that matched hers.
“Nothing is wrong in the world.”

She
giggled, relieved that he was just as happy as she was. “Then why were you
frowning?”

“No
reason. I was just thinking about dinner.”

“I
thought you liked this place.”