by Rye Hart
“What time is the tree lighting?” Julie asked.
“Sunset,” I said. “They always do a big carnival, and the tree lighting is the final event.”
“You gotta love small towns,” Julie said.
“Is that why you moved here?” I asked. “You just have a strong love for small towns?”
Julie laughed. “Not exactly.”
“No?”
“No, I never thought I’d live in a small town,” Julie said. “I always pictured myself in a big city. Dallas, where I lived for years, or New York. Somewhere like that.”
“So, what made you come here?” I asked with a frown.
“Remember the ex I told you about?” Julie asked.
I nodded, my stomach tightening uncomfortably.
“Well,” Julie said. “After he ended things, I just felt like I needed a fresh start. My best friend found this house and told me about it. I wasn’t sure at first, but it just felt like the right thing. So, I moved, and now, here I am.”
“No complaints here.” I grinned and walked over to her.
She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. When we kissed, she melted into me. Her body curved forward as she pressed herself against me. We fell onto the couch, and suddenly, our hangovers were nothing more than a distant memory.
By the time we were finished, the tree lighting festival had already begun. We got dressed quickly and walked into town.
The town square was full of people, everyone crowding around the giant tree in the center of the square.
“It’s starting,” I said.
I grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her quickly through the crowd. We pushed our way toward the front.
“This is a really big deal here, huh?” Julie looked around with surprise. “I didn’t even know this many people lived in town.”
I grinned. “It’s the biggest party of the year.”
Julie just smiled and turned her attention to the tree. Seconds later, the whole thing was lit with sparkling Christmas lights. The colors lit up Julie’s face, making her pale blue eyes dance. I grinned and pulled her to me.
“I like you,” I said simply.
“Well,” she said. “It would be awkward if you didn’t.”
“I’m serious,” I said softly. “I really like you.”
Julie kissed me slowly, sighing and letting her tongue slide over mine. We lost ourselves in the feel of each other, forgetting that people were all around us.
“I like you too,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 17
JULIE
The idea of meeting Michael’s brother had my nerves tied in knots. I spent most of the morning on my couch, sipping my coffee and trying not to overthink things. I couldn’t stop my brain from spinning, so I tried to work. My computer was open to my assignment, and I quickly began typing away. After five minutes, I knew it was useless.
I grabbed my phone off my desk and moved back to the couch, falling into the cushions as I dialed Andrea’s number.
“Hey,” Andrea said. “What’s up?”
“I’m freaking out,” I said bluntly. “Michael invited me to meet his brother tonight. We’re all going to dinner.”
“Oh, wow,” Andrea said. “That’s kind of…”
“Fast?” I finished for her.
“Yes,” Andrea said. “But that’s not why you’re freaking out.”
I blinked. “It’s not?”
“No,” Andrea said firmly.
“Okay, wise one,” I said with a chuckle. “Enlighten me.”
“You’re freaking out because of Joshua.”
Andrea’s bold assumption immediately pissed me off. I hated her for even mentioning Joshua’s name. After all, I’d spent a long time getting over him. Now that I was happy with someone else, I didn’t want to think about my ex ever again.
“This isn’t about Joshua,” I said. I tried to keep the anger out of my voice, but I knew Andrea could sense it.
“It is, though,” she said. “Think about it. You spent months helping Joshua find his long-lost brother, right? And the, you spent over a year just waiting around to meet him. Joshua never introduced you. He never once let you be involved. I mean, did you even learn his brother’s name?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but her question brought me up short. When I helped Joshua find his brother, I researched adoption agencies and foster families. I dug around to find the kid who had the right birthday, but I never learned any details. Not one.
“No,” I said with a sigh. “Joshua didn’t really tell me anything about his brother. Once he found him, my job was done.”
“Exactly,” Andrea said proudly. “Now, you have this guy who is excited to introduce you to the people he cares about. His clients. His family. You’re obviously important to him.”
“I think so.” I smiled to myself.
“You are,” Andrea said with confidence. “Which is why you’re freaking out.”
I sighed and shook my head. She was right. I spent two years in a relationship with a man who couldn’t be bothered to truly care about me. With Michael, we were already so close after such a short amount of time. I’d fallen for this man completely and, deep down, I knew he felt the same way.
“You just need to relax,” Andrea said kindly. “Go for a walk. Take a drive. Get some ice cream. Just get out of the house and clear your head. Tonight is going to be great, okay?”
“You’re right,” I said. “You’re totally right.”
“I always am.”
I laughed and said my goodbyes. Andrea and I hung up, and I immediately took her advice. I walked into town and did a few laps around the square. The cold air whipped across my face and brought me back down to reality. By the time I made it back home, I realized I’d been freaking out for nothing.
“It’s just dinner,” I whispered to myself in the mirror. It was almost time to get ready. “Just dinner.”
***
“You look incredible,” Michael said when I opened my front door. “As always.”
“Thank you.” I shrugged and stood back to let him inside. “Let me grab my shoes, and I’ll be ready.”
“Take your time,” Michael said playfully. When I turned back to look at him, he was staring at my ass with a grin on his face.
“Behave yourself,” I teased.
“Never.”
I shook my head and slid my feet into a pair of boots. I was wearing a simple, knee-length sweater dress. The weather was getting colder by the day, so my options were limited.
“Ready?” I asked, smoothing out my dress and smiling at Michael.
He just nodded and escorted me outside. We hurried to the car, which Michael already had warmed up for me. I slid inside as he shut my door and ran around the front of the car.
“You nervous?” he asked on the way to the restaurant.
“A little,” I said with a shrug. I didn’t want to admit it, but Michael already knew me well enough to see through my façade. “Are you?”
Michael nodded. “My brother has never met any of the women in my life.”
“Oh, I feel special,” I said, poking Michael’s arm.
“You are.”
“So,” I said. “Is this your adopted brother? You never said.”
“My biological brother,” Michael said simply. “My adopted parents never had any other kids. Just me.”
“Oh wow.” My eyes widened. “When did you and your brother meet, then?”
“A little while ago,” Michael said without looking at me. He was staring intently at the road ahead of us. “I don’t remember exactly.”
“That’s crazy,” I said under my breath.
“What?” Michael asked. “What is?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to talk about Joshua.
We pulled up to the restaurant, and Michael parked quickly. My head was spinning as we walked toward the entrance. Michael slid his hand into mine gently. I smiled at him, but I was still thinking abo
ut our conversation.
How weird was it that both Joshua and Michael had biological brothers they didn’t meet until they were adults?
We stepped inside, and a rush of warm air brushed my face. I shivered slightly at the temperature change. Michael wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. I grinned up at him, all thoughts of Joshua driven from my mind.
“He’s probably already here,” Michael said. He looked around the dining area. “He’s always early.”
I imitated Michael, my eyes scanning the room slowly. I didn’t know what his brother looked like, but I felt like I should help.
As I looked around, my gaze fell on a familiar face in the center of the room. His head had been bent down, examining a menu. When he looked up, my eyes fell on his face, and my stomach clenched painfully. I would recognize that face anywhere.
“What the hell is he doing here?” I asked out loud.
Michael jerked and looked at me. Following my gaze, he saw who I was looking at. I stared up at him as an odd expression crossed over his face.
“Who?” he asked nervously.
“Right there.” I pointed at Joshua boldly, not caring that he could see me.
Michael looked from Joshua to me, an unsettled look crossing his face. “Uh, that’s my brother,” she said quietly.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me?” I asked him, turning to storm out into the parking lot.
Michael followed close behind me, calling my name.
“Julie wait,” he called.
When I pivoted to face him, I saw Josh had followed as well, a dark look of anger on his face.
“This is the girl you’re seeing?”
Michael nodded. I just stood there, my tongue frozen to the roof of my mouth, my heart pounding in my ears.
“Yes,” Michael said.
“Julie?.” Joshua asked, a slight snap to his voice.
“ I stood looking between the two brothers. Joshua’s stance was angry and confrontational, while Michael’s was more relaxed. How could he be so calm?
“So,” Joshua said after a minute. “How did you two meet?”
There was something in his voice that I didn’t like. It was almost like an accusation. I narrowed my eyes at him but didn’t answer.
“We met at that little café in town,” Michael said simply. “Julie had just moved to Ennis.”
“And she found you?” Joshua asked, shooting me a look.
There it was. That was what he was getting at.
“What?” I asked. “You think I tracked down your brother and seduced him?”
“I never said that,” Joshua said firmly.
“You didn’t have to.” I scoffed and looked away. “You couldn’t be more wrong, Joshua.”
“It’s just an odd coincidence,” Joshua said, sarcastically. His eyes, so much like Michael’s, narrowed dangerously as he considered me. “You left Dallas and somehow ended up in the same small town as my brother? How does that happen, Julie? Especially since you helped me find him.”
“It just did,” I snapped. “Contrary to what you might think, my life has never revolved around you. It sure as hell doesn’t now.”
“And yet, you ended up with my brother.”
“Apparently,” I said.
My face flushed with anger as Joshua continued to stare at me.
“Okay,” Michael said loudly. “That’s enough, Josh. She didn’t know who I was, okay?”
“That’s hard to believe,” Joshua said.
“How could I have known?” I snapped. “You refused to let me meet him.”
“That doesn’t mean you didn’t snoop or—”
“Snoop?” I laughed loudly, throwing my head back. “My god, you’re insane.”
“I’m not insane!” Joshua’s eyes flashed with rage.
“Enough,” Michael said firmly
“Yes, I’ve had enough,” I said. “I’d like to go now.”
Joshua didn’t say a word, just stood staring at me as Michael shifted beside me.
I rolled my eyes and pivoted on my feet without a word. Michael wrapped his arm around my waist, and we hurried to the car. Once we were safely tucked away inside, all my emotions hit me at once. I felt like the car was spinning beneath me.
“Listen,” Michael said. He put his hand on my knee. “Are you all right?”
“Can you please take me home?” I asked without looking at him.
Michael hesitated for a second. I knew he wanted to talk about what just happened, but I couldn’t. Not yet.
“Sure,” he finally said. “I’ll take you home.”
CHAPTER 18
MICHAEL
I barely slept at all Monday night. After I dropped Julie off at her house, I drove around in circles until the early hours of the morning. As much as I wanted to talk to Julie, I knew she needed space. Still, that didn’t stop me from thinking about her nonstop all night. When I finally made it home, I was too wired to rest. I lay in bed and stared at my ceiling, barely drifting off just before the sun came up.
Marcy wasn’t yet at her desk when I arrived at the office. I hurried to my desk and let my head fall into my hands. Today was going to be a long day. I had a lot of work to do, but I already knew I wouldn’t be able to focus.
I could still see Julie’s face in my mind. When she got out of the car, she looked so confused and hurt. Her entire body seemed to have deflated. She barely made eye contact with me when she said goodnight. I wanted to kiss her, but I knew better than to try. She was upset. I didn’t know if her anger was directed at me or just the situation. Either way, I told myself to stay away from her for a while. At least until she came to me.
“Good morning,” Marcy said when she arrived. “Is there anything you need, Mr. Smart?”
I looked up and shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, Marcy.”
She smiled and stepped out of sight. I could hear the springs in her chair squeak as she sat down. Then there was silence.
The silence pressed in on me as the morning dragged on. I fired up my computer and hastily answered a few emails. Marcy gave me some messages from the day before, but I couldn’t bring myself to return them. The thought of talking shop was almost too much to bear when Julie was still dancing circles in my mind.
After lunch, I knew I wouldn’t be able to work another minute. I transferred all my emails and phone calls to Marcy so no one would be ignored. As I hurried out of my office, Marcy looked at me with a startled expression.
“Is everything okay?” she asked nervously.
“Everything is fine,” I lied. “I just need to take the rest of the day off. I’ll be available on my phone if something comes up.”
“Okay…” Marcy said slowly.
I didn’t give her a chance to question me further. There was only one thing I could think about and that was Julie.
I jumped in my car and drove like a maniac toward her house. We hadn’t spoken since the night before. I thought about calling her before just showing up, but I wanted to see her face. On my way, I stopped in town and picked up a bouquet of flowers. If I was going to make this thing work between us, then I needed all the help I could get.
My head was still spinning as I pulled up to Julie’s house. I hadn’t heard from either her or Josh since the night before. I thought my brother would at least call me, but nothing. Silence.
I pushed him to the back of my mind as I hurried up to Julie’s front door. My hands were shaking, gripping the flowers so tightly that I thought I might crush them. Luckily, Julie answered the door after just a few seconds.
“I figured it was you,” she said with a shy smile. “Come on in.”
“Are you okay?” I asked quickly. “I thought about calling you a thousand times last night, but I—”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Julie said. “I needed some time to think.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was terrified that after seeing Josh last night, Julie would duck and run. Our relationship was s
o new that any little thing could derail it. The last thing I wanted was for Julie to end things before they even had a chance to get started. And I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about Josh either. I knew there was a code that said you didn’t date your brother’s ex, but I was completely in love with this woman and it would kill me to walk away from her.
