A Simple Twist of Fate (26 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Anxiety bubbled in Sophie’s gut the second she opened the car door in the Shadow Hill driveway and climbed out. The house she usually found so inviting loomed in front of her as if it could fall and crush her. “I shouldn’t be here.”

If Beck stepped onto that porch, she’d fall down. Thinking about him had her mind turning to mush. Seeing him might be the last kick to drive her to her knees.

Leah slammed the driver’s door and met Sophie at the front of the car. She slipped an arm through Sophie’s and half dragged her toward the side of the house. “Callen put the boxes you wanted from his room in the caretaker’s cottage now that Tom shored it up.”

The friendliness threw Sophie off. She’d run out of Gossamer thinking to go back to her apartment and call her aunt with the bad news. A second text from Leah stopped her. Didn’t give her any choice either. Leah picked her up in the middle of Main Street and brought her here.

None of it made sense. “Why are you helping me?”

“Let’s try it this way. Did you really intend to open the envelope?” Leah asked the question but kept looking forward, steering them around a divot and past a load of firewood Callen had cut from a fallen tree.

The surprise question came so fast that Sophie answered without thinking. “No.”

“Were you running a scam on the brothers?”

“Of course not.”

Leah smiled. “Do you love Beck?”

That was one question too many. The one Sophie pushed out of her head because to admit how much she cared about him just made her feel stupid all over again. “What’s your point?”

“You need to see this.” Leah guided them around the corner to the backyard.

A loud, thudding, crashing noise had Sophie wincing. She stopped in her tracks as her gaze went across the grassy area to Beck and Callen. “What the—”

“Have you ever seen Beck pick up a sledgehammer? I didn’t even know he knew what one was.”

Sophie’s legs went numb. “What is he doing?”

“Working. Showing off that hidden strength he hides under those clothes. Though I guess you knew about that.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“I know, it surprised me to see him working outside, too.” Leah tugged on Sophie’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She should run. This was the wrong place to be. Wrong time. Wrong guy. Wrong person to love. Sophie was convinced of all of that now.

Instead she trudged over the grass until she hit the edge of swing set where all the equipment, including something that looked like a jackhammer lay. “Beck? What are you doing?”

He didn’t even blink about her being there. Neither did Callen. He just stood back, watching Beck and grinning.

“I think the jewelry is under there.” Beck used his foot to move a chuck of broken concrete.

Of all the things Sophie expected to hear, that wasn’t one of them. “What?”

He dropped down on his haunches and chipped away at the fragments with his hand. “I want to give this to you.”

The clues fell into place and the answer knocked against her heart. “So I’ll go away.”

He glanced up at her, squinting against the sun. “Uh, no. I’m hoping my big romantic gesture will make you stay.”

Maybe it was the numbness or all the people staring at her. Whatever the reason, Sophie couldn’t feel anything. Air rattled in her lungs but her brain wouldn’t click into gear. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“Someone told me we need to put the past behind us. Stop trying to fix it and move on.” He stood up and took the sledgehammer with him.

Callen raised his hand. “That was me.”

With a toss that started at his knees, Beck threw the hammer over his shoulder. “Yeah, well, it was still good advice regardless of the messenger.”

Seeing Beck all sweaty in his T-shirt with his muscles straining and his hair hanging in his face got her moving. She stepped in front of him with a hand on his chest. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

He winked at her. “I’m perfectly capable of handling tools.”

“Now he tells us.” Callen swore as he mumbled his comment.

Everything spiraled and the cloudy sky brightened. Still Sophie’s brain refused to reboot. They should all be mad. They should be calling the police or running her out of town. That was the plan yesterday but now everything seemed different.

Declan walked up and wrapped an arm around Leah’s shoulders. “What’s going on and does Beck understand he’s holding a tool?”

“Better than being one,” Beck shot back.

Leah laid her head against Declan’s chest. “Beck’s trying to tell Sophie he’s sorry, but he keeps circling around it like a typical Hanover male.”

Metal clinked against concrete as Beck let the sledgehammer fall to the ground. “Maybe you guys could leave? That might help.”

The words got Callen moving. He clapped his hands. “Okay, show is over. Beck likes to fix messes and he has a big one on his hands right now. Besides, we can watch from the kitchen window and critique his skills without him hearing.”

Sophie put her hands out for balance. Beck was right there. He held on to her as the crowd dispersed.

“We’ll be out once the hard work is done.” Callen flashed a huge smile. “And, for the record, I’m talking about the apologizing
and
the hammering.”

They all filed out, talking and joking as they walked back to the house. Sophie stood there, right next to Beck with his hands on her waist.

If the spinning didn’t stop soon, she’d be sick. “What’s going on?”

“I should have listened to you.” Beck’s husky voice shot through her.

She really looked at him then. The big blue eyes so filled with concern and the face taut and serious. “I was in Callen’s room. I can’t deny that.”

“Did you intend to hurt me or my brothers?” There was no accusation in the question. Instead of fighting, his fingertips brushed over her cheek.

This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t go down the road and have him turn back.

She tried to step back but he held her close. “Never.”

“See, I’ve had my fill of people saying one thing and showing me another. That’s what I thought you had done, but in my confusion and anger it all got messed up in my head. I couldn’t see the truth.”

She held up her hands to fight off the hope-inducing words before they took hold. “No, you said—”

“I was a complete ass.”

Her arms dropped. “Yes.”

“I was wrong and I’m sorry. Baby, I am so sorry.” It was all there in his eyes. All the anger had disappeared and a calm fell over him.

She had to fight it all off, make him understand what his words did to her. He was the one person she trusted not to hurt her. He’d taken her news about her aunt and handled it. That made her believe he could accept anything . . . and then he didn’t. Something small turned him against her and it ripped her apart.

“I’ve spent my whole life waiting for people to leave me.” Pain filled her words until it ached to say them.

“And I did that.”

“You shoved me away.”

“Even though it was temporary, I still didn’t defend you and that sucked. I see it all now.” His hands were all over her then. In her hair and skimming over her body and face. “I’m sorry, honey. I promise to make that up to you because the one thing I need you to know is I don’t run. I stick.”

Her breath hiccupped inside her. The words, so small in many ways, were huge to her. Having someone stick, refuse to leave her or try to use her, was all she ever wanted and something she never dreamed she could have.

She wanted to hold back from him and not trust him, but the dam broke and everything came spilling out. “You broke my heart.”

He framed her face with his palms. “Let me fix it. God, please give me the chance to put it back together.”

“I didn’t mean to break a promise. I was going to tell you.”

“I know. It’s okay.” He kissed her then. Not long or deep. A soft touch of lips against lips that soothed. “This was all me.”

But she couldn’t let him take that on. Not when he was right there all around her. “Both of us messed up.”

“Mine was bigger.”

She wanted to laugh at that but couldn’t find the air. “True.”

“The problem is we keep trying to do things separately. You’re used to handling things when they go wrong but not getting too close to people.”

She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes at the relief the touch gave her. “That kind of sounds pathetic.”

“I hope not since I’m the same way.” He lifted her chin until she faced him again. “That’s my point. We’re alike and we’re talking past each other and fighting each other, when we need to work this all out together.”

The words made sense. Maybe the easy acceptance came from his closeness and how good it felt to be near him. “You want to?”

“I’m digging a pit for you.”

She looked down at the mess of broken concrete. The mess was better than any box of chocolate or bouquet of expensive flowers. “For me?”

“I would never willingly let my brothers see I can do hard labor, except for you. I will do anything to win you back.”

Her heart did a little dance. “Including use a sledgehammer.”

“Now that my brothers know I can, I’m screwed.”

She had to laugh at that. “You really are.”

“But not when it comes to you. I’m clear about you.”

Since he looked so serious, she sobered. “Meaning?”

“We’re going to try something different. We’re going to work together.” His thumb slipped over her bottom lip. “And when we mess up, and we will because we’re human, we’re going to work it out. Together. No running. No blaming.”

“The words you—”

“And no vicious verbal slaps.” He nodded. “I’ll listen next time. Every time.”

The last of her doubt broke free. He was exactly the man she believed him to be. They’d hit a bump and instead of holding the grudge, he found a way to do something for her. She should be on her knees digging with her bare hands for the jewels, but for the first time in months they didn’t matter. All she wanted was him.

In this moment, standing out there on the lawn even as she knew his family watched, the only thing she cared about was him.

She understood his message. They had each other. Through him she could have people who cared about her. Just her. Not what she could do for them or what happened in her past. They would accept her for her.

It was the gold ring and she didn’t fight it. She grabbed it. The arguments and the envelope didn’t matter. He did.

But that didn’t mean she wanted it to be too easy.

She slipped her arms around his neck. “You’re asking me or telling me?”

He closed one eye and stared at her. “Which one will work?”

“That’s really what you want? Us, together, working it all out.”

His arms tightened around her. “Don’t you?”

Joking aside, she needed him to understand this piece. He gave her more than he knew and she wanted him to see that. “It’s all I ever wanted. Someone like you. To be a part of a family and not have to shoulder everything alone.

His intense stare didn’t let up. “How about love?”

Her heart bounced. Actually dipped right to her feet and came back up again as if she was on an out-of-control rollercoaster. “What?”

“I want us to put in the time and effort because I’ve fallen for you.” His open hands pressed against her back. “I figure if I’m going to love you it would be nice if you thought about loving me back. You know, someday.”

“You’re asking . . . ”

He shrugged. “But no pressure.”

She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t even remember how. “Are you kidding?”

A smile lit up his face. “About loving you?”

Everything rested on this and the flirty smile wasn’t enough. “It’s not funny.”

“Sophie, look at me.” There was no anger in his voice. He sounded sweet and loving and matched the spark of life in his eyes. “This is the face of a man who loves you. Who has been falling for you since the first time you showed up with a mop.”

He didn’t even have to say the words. She saw the love in his eyes. “A guy who believes in me.”

“Yes, definitely.”

She waited for the fear to come but it didn’t. So, she jumped with him. “And I love him back.”

A loud exhale escaped his chest. “Really?”

“Definitely,” she said, repeating it back to him.

“That’s sure a good start.”

It was more than that. It was a future and hope. Her fingers plunged in his hair. “So, what happens now?”

Beck glanced at the ground around them. “We look for those damn jewels and whatever else Dad and Grandmother hid out here.”

Wrong answer
. “I’d rather kiss you.”

That smile, dimples and all, lit up his face. “I like your priorities.”

That was the easy part. Where Beck fit in her life was no mystery. “It’s you first. Always.”

He spun her around as his mouth lowered toward hers. “Then let’s give the family a show.”

Then his mouth was on hers and nothing else mattered.

HelenKay Dimon
is a bestselling, award-winning author whose books have been featured at
E! Online
and in the
Chicago Tribune,
and had two books named “Red-Hot Reads” in
Cosmopolitan
magazine. When not writing, she teaches fiction and romance writing at MiraCosta College and UCSD. Visit her online at www.helenkaydimon.com.