Coming Full Circle (the Pembrooke series Book 2)

by Jessica Prince

  She blinked up at me for several seconds before whispering in a pained voice, “What?”

  “Jesus Christ!” I stepped away from her and began pacing the length of the kitchen, my hands pulling at my hair. I’d come this far already, there really was no going back. I was the one that wanted everything out in the open. That meant no more lies. “I was in love with you. You were sixteen fucking years old, Eliza! Do you have any clue how that fucks with a guy’s head? I loved you, but I couldn’t have you.”

  “Stop.”

  I didn’t stop. “I wasn’t lying when I told you I’d started considering giving it all up to stay here with you. But it wasn’t because you were my best friend.”

  “Stop.”

  “You were just a kid, for Christ’s sake! I was twenty-two. I couldn’t have you no matter how badly I wanted you, and I knew, I fucking knew in my bones that if I didn’t let you go, I’d lose everything I’d worked my ass off for.” I moved back to her so fast it caught her off guard. “But don’t think for one goddamned second that it didn’t kill me to do what I did to you. It ripped my fucking heart out when you told me you hated me.”

  “Stop.” Her voice grew stronger, but I was lost in my own memory. Remembering that day was like picking at a scab that hadn’t quite healed over.

  “I made a mistake. I hurt you because I thought I had no other choice, and I’ll regret that every day for the rest of my life. But not one day has passed where my feelings for you changed. I loved you back then, and I still love you now.”

  “Stop!” she shrieked, pushing at my chest. “Stop! Stopstopstop!” Each word was punctuated by a slap or a hit. “You don’t get to say that to me! You threw me away. You threw me away!”

  “Eliza,” I spoke softly, grabbing her wrists as she continued to struggle. “Baby, shh. Calm down.” The tears streaming down her cheeks gutted me. I would have given my life to take her pain away.

  “You’re worse than my mother! You don’t know what love is.” She continued to fight my hold, getting in any hit she could. Restraining her wasn’t helping so I did the only thing I could think to calm her down. The one thing I’d wanted to do for the past six years. The instant my lips hit hers, the fight drained from her. Her body locked up tight for just a second before it melted against me. As soon as I knew she was done fighting, my hands released her wrists and moved to tangle in her hair, tilting her head so I could get deeper. Her soft lips, smooth tongue, that intoxicating smell of vanilla and almond coupled with her exquisite taste, a taste I never thought I’d have, was too much. I let go of her head with one hand and wrapped it around her waist, pinning her body against mine so close not even light could get through as I devoured her mouth.

  Her moan slid down my throat, and I was completely lost. I never wanted to be found. I never wanted to stop kissing Eliza. And I was never letting her go again.

  Or at least that’s what I told myself.

  Because the second someone coughed from behind us, she jumped out of my arms like I’d just burned her.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.” We both turned to look at the man who’d just interrupted, the very same man I was seconds away from murdering.

  Eliza cleared her throat and gave the remorseful looking guy a shaky smile as she reached up to fix the ponytail I’d destroyed. “It’s fine, Gary. You weren’t interrupting.”

  “The fuck he wasn’t,” I growled, causing Gary to pale. He should have been scared.

  Eliza skewered me with a look before saying, very pointedly “Ethan was just leaving.”

  “Holy shit,” Gary said on an exhale. “You’re Ethan Prewitt.”

  “I am,”

  “Dude! I’m a huge fan! Huge! Do you think I could get your autograph?”

  “Sure.” I offered him a grin, my homicidal tendencies lessening at the realization he was a fan. Reaching out to take the crumpled receipt and pen he’d just pulled from his pocket, I scribbled my name down and handed it back.

  “So cool,” he breathed.

  I looked back at Eliza and saw she looked like her head was only seconds away from exploding. Knowing that getting into another shouting match in front of one of her employees wouldn’t win me any brownie points, I decided it was best to leave the remainder of our conversation for another time in the not too distant future.

  “We’ll finish this later,” I mumbled under my breath as I walked past her.

  Her next words made me jerk to a stop. “There’s nothing to finish.”

  I somehow kept my body firmly in place as I turned my head, pinning her in place with just a look. “That’s where you’re wrong, baby. You don’t kiss someone like that if there’s nothing to finish. And don’t bother denying it. I might have initiated the kiss, but you sure as fuck participated.”

  “Get out,” she replied between clenched teeth.

  I leaned in just a bit, placing a quick, unexpected kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

  Then I left before she could say anything else.

  Eliza

  LILLY STOOD AT the living room window, staring down at the paved ground below. “You know,” she called to me, “you can’t avoid him forever by locking yourself in your apartment every day.”

  “It’s not every day,” I argued as I poured myself another glass of wine. “It’s only been the past three days. And in my defense, I totally felt a little flu-y when I called off work that one day.”

  My phone started ringing from its place in the kitchen counter for the fifth time in the past hour. The number was listed as unavailable so I hit the button on the side to silence it again. Whoever it was, I was sure they had the wrong number, but if they didn’t quit calling me soon, I was two steps away from losing my shit completely.

  The sound of Lilly’s snort pulled my attention back to the window. “Flu-y my ass.”

  “Shut up,” I grumbled as I grabbed my wine glass and headed to the living room. “Is he still out there?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at me and the smile on her face said it all. “See for yourself.”

  I joined her on the other side of the window and pulled the curtains back just a bit. “Good Lord.” I refused to admit to Lilly that just the sight of him sitting on the stairs outside out apartment was enough to make my belly flutter. “He’s been out there all day. Why won’t he just get a clue and go home already?”

  “Call me crazy, but maybe because he confessed he’s been in love with you for, like, ever, in return, you’ve kept yourself locked up here so you could avoid seeing him.”

  Ethan’s head came up to the window and he lifted his hand in a wave, a small, tired smile on his face. “I wish I’d never told you about that,” I muttered, dropping the curtain and stepping away. Looking at him sitting out there just hurt too much. I was living by the creed out of sight out of mind for as long as I could get away with it.

  After Ethan left the other morning, I’d put Gary in charge while I ran back upstairs and freaked the ever-loving hell out. I’d told Lilly everything, and she’d spent the next three days holding it over my head.

  “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were taking his side,” I pouted as I threw myself back on the couch and chugged more wine.

  Turning from the window, she rested her back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. “Good thing you know better, huh?” I rolled my eyes and took another glug as Lilly sighed and moved toward the couch. Picking my legs up, she sat on one of the cushions and rested my feet in her lap. Then she hit me with the cold, hard truth, like any best friend should, whether it was wanted or not. “Eliza, you’re going to have to talk to him eventually. You know that.”

  “Says who?” I scoffed. “He can’t stay here forever. Way I look at it, I’ve got a few more weeks, two months tops, before he bails back to Denver. If I can just avoid him for that time, then I’m good.”

  She gave me a look that said just how full of it she thought I was. “The man tol
d you he’s been in love with you since you were sixteen. He’s sat outside our door the past three days when you refused to open it. You really think he’s just going to give up and go home?”

  “It’s his usual M.O.” I snapped, taking my growing anxiety out on my blameless friend.

  “That’s not true, and you know it. Now that the truth’s out, everything’s changed. You can’t possibly look at him in the same light now that you know exactly what pushed him away. You’ve had a wall around you since you were little. The only ones you let in were your family and the few of us lucky enough to be considered a friend.” I opened my mouth to argue, but she raised her hand to cut me off. “I’m not saying I blame you, babe. God, I get it. After everything your mother put you through, I get it. But you’re an adult now. You’ve changed. Whether you see it in yourself or not, you’re stronger now. There’s no reason to keep that wall up anymore. People are going to hurt you, it’s how you move past it that’s going to define the type of person you are. And you aren’t the type of person who doesn’t forgive.”

  She was right. I knew she was right. However, holding on to that pain to keep people back was just so much easier than risking being hurt again. But it was also cowardly. And the last thing I wanted to be was a coward. I pulled in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Okay,” I said quietly, sitting up and putting my wine glass down on the coffee table.

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll go talk to him.”

  “That’s my girl!” she cheered as I stood from the couch. “And FYI, once you two finally hook up, I want to know all about it. I’ve always been curious what he was packing in those football pants.”

  “Lilly!” I let out a startled laugh.

  She picked up my wine glass and took a sip, “Oh, don’t act all affronted, you know you’ve been thinking about it too.”

  There was no point in denying that. Just as I turned for the door, my cell began ringing again. I switched directions and moved to pick it up, groaning, “Oh my God. It’s that same stupid unknown number.”

  “Just answer the thing and tell whoever it is they have the wrong damn number.”

  Finally having had enough, I slid my thumb across the screen and put it to my ear. “Look buddy. Whoever you’re trying to reach isn’t at this number so stop calling.”

  I was just about to hang up when a female voice spoke through the line. “Ms. Anderson? Eliza Anderson?”

  My forehead wrinkled as I brought the phone back. “Yes? Who’s this?”

  “Ms. Anderson, my name is Loni Ruday. I’m a journalist with The Inquisitor. I’m calling about the photos that were released of you and Denver Wildcat’s Ethan Prewitt. If you’d be willing to do an exclusive interview—”

  “Wait, wait. What?” I interrupted as a million and one questions bounced around in my head. “You’re from a magazine? And what pictures are you talking about?”

  “The ones released this morning. I’m sure you’ve—”

  I cut her off again. “Of me and Ethan?” My eyes went to Lilly as I mouthed the word “Google,” air-typing with my fingers just in case she didn’t understand me. She jumped from the couch and went to the laptop sitting on our dining room table.

  “Yes, Ms. Anderson… may I call you Eliza?”

  My back went straight at her overly friendly tone. First of all, she was calling from The Inquisitor which was only about two steps up from a trash mag. Second, I had no freaking clue what photos she was talking about. And third, she’d been blowing my phone up for an exclusive. None of that sat well with me.

  “No, you may not,” I answered. “And while I’m at it, I’d prefer you not call me at all. I have nothing exclusive to give you or anyone else. I don’t know how you got this number, but I suggest you lose it.” With that, I disconnected the call and powered the phone off completely.

  “Oh my God,” Lilly breathed, her eyes going wide as she looked at the computer screen. Then her cheeks split into a huge grin. “This. Is. Awesome!”

  “What? What’s awesome?” I rushed over to where she was sitting and leaned over her shoulder. “Holy shit!”

  Right there, big as day were pictures of me and Ethan sitting in the stands at the high school football game. The caption above read Denver Wildcat’s Ethan Prewitt getting cozy with his own personal cheerleader.

  The photos, while completely harmless, were taken to make it look like what was happening between us was much more intimate than it was. There were three pictures in total. One was of Ethan holding my hand as we walked to our seats. The next was of us sitting under the blanket, you could see his arm around my waist clear as day. And the third was snapped when he’d leaned in to whisper something in my ear. His face was half-buried in my hair and I’d just turned to look at him over my shoulder, giving the appearance we were less than a second away from kissing.

  “How did they get these?” I asked as I kept scrolling.

  “Hold up!” Lilly slapped my hand away from my mouse and started reading the online article out loud, picking up somewhere in the middle.

  “Sources close to the couple say that things heated up between the pair when Prewitt returned home to Pembrooke, Wyoming to recuperate from surgery after a tear to his ACL took him out of the game for the rest of the season. Prewitt and the woman, now identified as longtime family friend, Eliza Anderson, reconnected since his return and have been inseparable ever since…”

  “Who the hell told them that?”

  “When rags like these say ‘reliable source,’ they mean someone who vaguely knows at least one of the parties involved in the story. But seriously, Eliza, how cool is this? I mean, look at these pictures! You two look so cute together!”

  I stood tall and moved away from the chair. “Someone’s spreading rumors about me and Ethan, going so far as to use my name, and all you can think about is how cute we look?”

  “Well…” she trailed off, her eyes bouncing between me and the screen. “Yeah. You have to admit the coincidence with the costumes made for a perfect photo op.”

  “Oh my God!” I cried. “Lilly, focus! They have my name. That was a reporter who’s been calling, which means they also have my phone number. You know how I am about my privacy. Hell, you just said it yourself! I hardly let anyone in! Now I’m going to have people in my business all because someone lied about me and Ethan.”

  Realization dawned on her face. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh.” I threw my hands up and began pacing. “You know what this means? This means my privacy is shot because someone spread false rumors.”

  “Well…” When she trailed off, my gaze landed back on her. “Now, just hear me out,” she said hesitantly. She took my silence as her chance to continue. “What if it wasn’t a false rumor?”

  “What?”

  “I said hear me out!”

  “Well I didn’t think you were going to follow that up with something so stupid!”

  She stood from her chair and came my way, placing her hands on my shoulders. “It’s not stupid. He already told you he’s in love with you. And before you say it, I already know damn good and well you love him too.”

  “I do not!”

  Her lips twisted to the side in a you’re so full of shit expression. I opened my mouth to continue to argue, only to have it slam shut. Oh my God, did I love Ethan?

  I’d been so focused on the stress brought on by him saying it that I hadn’t given myself time to sit back and think about how I felt.

  When I was nine, going on ten, I’d convinced myself that I was going to marry him. Then he became my best friend and that love turned to something else, but it was still love, all the same. When he’d abandoned me, it had hurt worse than anything I’d ever experienced. He had broken my heart… because I loved him.

  But there as a difference between loving someone and being in love with him. And without trust, I just… well, I just wasn’t sure. All I knew for certain was that there was something substantial between us. And that’s why I w
as so terrified.

  Because the ones you loved the most were the ones with the power to truly hurt you.

  “Shit,” I sighed, closing my eyes and lifting a hand to rub at my forehead. “Shit, shit, shit. How did my life become such a mess?”

  When I opened my eyes again, Lilly was smiling. “You need to let him in. If there’s anyone who can fix this, it’s him. I’m sure he’s got a whole team of people who are paid specifically to handle stuff like this. And I bet it’ll all die down before you know it.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded, inhaling deeply and squaring my shoulders. “Yeah. He can fix this.” I turned to head for the front door just seconds before someone began pounding on it. Then I heard Ethan’s rugged voice call through. “Eliza, open up! There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  Apparently he’d just gotten the same call I had.

  Ethan

  ELIZA WAS GOING to lose her mind.

  I knew that for a fact, because I was already losing mine.

  “I said to go home and recuperate, not get drunk and make an ass out of yourself in a public bar.”

  Apparently someone handy with a camera phone had taken pictures of my confrontation with Kevin at The Moose a few nights ago that didn’t shine me in too good of a light. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there were also pictures of me chasing Eliza out of the bar and along the sidewalk. I didn’t know who had taken them, but it was guaranteed that when I found out, someone was going to pay. All of this hitting the media earlier this morning without me being aware meant I was now dealing with my pain in the ass agent when he was the last person on my mind.

  “Jesus, Carl,” I griped, rubbing a hand over my face. “It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound.”

  “This isn’t about me making it sound bad. This is about how those pictures make you look bad. The ones of the two of you at the football game were great, don’t get me wrong. People pay for that kind of publicity, and your little piece is hot, I’ll give you that—”

  All I saw was red. If Carl had been standing in front of me just then, I’d have probably killed him. “Talk about Eliza like that again and I swear to fucking God, I’ll rip your goddamned throat out.”