Running Away With You (Running #3) (59 page)

“I know.  Me too.  So what do you want to do today?  It looks like we have a day off together.”

“Honestly, Evan, I want to do nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Get in a good workout, but other than that, can we just veg around the house, rent some stupid movie on demand, and just spend some time alone?”

Evan grins at me and I know immediately that we’re on the same page.  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Over the Moon

A
s I lounge on the couch with Evan, I find my mind drifting from the movie we’ve rented and daydreaming about the perfect day we’ve shared.  Evan and I both turn off our phones and we both agree to stay off our computers and not to watch live television. 

Our day was spent working out, having sex, eating, having sex, playing video games, having sex, and watching movies.  This must be what a honeymoon feels like. 

It was Evan’s turn to choose the movie, and he’s chosen a sci-fi thriller set in Earth’s future where the few inhabitants left have to fight each other in order to survive.  It’s got big Hollywood names, explosions, and lots of special effects.  And I couldn’t be any less interested.

I’m left to wonder what my friends are doing right now.  Are Emmy and Adam visiting with Kai?  Are they negotiating visitation or custody with the Keilani family?  Is Derek there to support Shea?  I hope I’ll find out more tomorrow when it’s time to return to work and our regular routine begins again.

Even though Evan doesn’t want me to, I sneak a few peeks through the front window just to see what’s going on outside.  The last time I checked was a few minutes ago on my way to the bathroom, and there didn’t appear to be any paparazzi lingering outside.  None.  Peace.  And.  Quiet.

I cuddle up against Evan’s side under his strong and protective arm and snuggle on his chest.  Maddy curls up in a ball at our feet as I gaze at the crackling fire warming the room and bathing it in a golden glow.  Evan’s hand runs gently up and down my back, lulling me into a peaceful sleep.

When I wake up, I find Evan with his phone in his hand, blatantly breaking our agreement.  “Hey, what’s the big idea?” I ask, trying to grab the phone from his hands.  Evan’s reflexes are too good, and he easily evades me, raising the phone just out of my reach.

“Just checking on a few things,” he teases.  “What are you going to do about it?”

I climb onto his lap and pull on his arm with all my might, bringing his phone down low enough that I can grab it.  “What’s so important that you couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” I ask as I look at the screen.

“Look for yourself,” he responds.  The sudden flash of his grin stops my heart.  He’s up to something, and I want to know what it is.

He’s text messaging with Gavin Wolffe.  I scroll to the beginning of the discussion.

Evan:  Any news on the pic and vid?

Gavin:  Copyright complaints worked.  Pics and vids scrubbed from net.

Evan:  u sure?

Gavin:  yes.  Threads and links all disabled as of midnight last night.

Evan:  u r a miracle worker. 

Gavin:  wait until you get my bill. 

Evan:  worth every penny.

I reread it just to make sure I read it correctly, and then I read it one more time for good measure.  “Evan, is this for real?”

“Every word of it,” he assures me.  “It was taken down before our appearance on Night After Night even aired.  I told you I would take care of it.  I’ll always take care of you, Juliette.  It’s my job.  And I take my job very seriously.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and press my face into his throat. My heart feels as if it’s swelling in my chest. Everything I’ve felt over the past few weeks, all the torment and all the love, overpowers me as I tremble in his arms.

“Shh.” He holds me tighter, squeezing me until it’s hard to breathe.  Evan bends his head and brushes his lips over mine. “I’m going to help you. And for once, you’re going to let me.”  With a soft groan, he seals his chiseled mouth over mine and takes away my pain, replacing it with pleasure. 

I push my fingers into his hair to hold him still and kiss him back.  The surge of emotion I feel in this moment is overwhelming. Gratitude and affection, desire and tenderness.   

I
arrive at the restaurant early the next day, eager to see everyone.  I head straight for my office to check the schedule.  Just as I had hoped, Emmy is opening today.  I won’t get to see Derek and Reese until later, when they come in for the night shift.  But that’s okay, it will give me and Emmy a chance to catch up.  So much has happened in both our lives and we haven’t had an opportunity to talk about any of it.

It feels like the right time for new beginnings, so while I’m here alone, I decide to purge the restaurant of all its holiday decorations.  One by one, I collect them all – the twinkle lights, the garland, the wreaths, and finally the amaryllis flowers from Evan. I carefully pack away most of them, but the flowers will not survive much longer, so I walk them out to the dumpster.  It pains me to throw them away, but it’s time to make room for new memories.

Each time the door opens and one of the servers or cooks comes in, I’m greeted with big hugs, kisses, and generous offers to pick up extra shifts or do whatever they can to pitch in and help.  “You and Evan need to get away,” my head waitress Lindsay points out.  “Just the two of you.  I can cover your duties.  We’ll be fine.”

I thank each of them and tell Lindsay I’ll think about it, but I just don’t see how it’s possible.  I haven’t been to work in almost a week, and I have a ton of things to catch up on – payroll, inventory, menu changes ... the list goes on and on.

Emmy is the last to arrive for her shift.  When the door opens, she sweeps in, bringing with her the bitterly cold January wind.  With a twinkle in her eye, she walks through the restaurant and past the bar, where I happen to be setting out a few menus.  She grabs me by the arm without slowing down, and drags me into the office with her.

Emmy tosses her coat, her bag, and her keys on the small couch and pulls me in for a hug.  “We have
so much
to talk about,” she tells me. 

“You were right about Kai,” I admit.  “Congratulations.  I haven’t stopped thinking about you and Adam since we first got the news.  How is everything going?”

“Great, actually.  Derek and Shea came over for dinner last night and we had a really long talk.  It didn’t start out so great, though.  Shea still isn’t convinced that Adam wasn’t somehow involved in David’s disappearance.”

A wave of guilt washes over me, knowing that I brought Adam into my dealings with David, and now he is paying the price for it.  “I hope he told her it was my fault.  That I dragged him into it.  That he never even spoke one word to David.”

“He did, but she didn’t care.  Not until we reminded her that Derek isn’t cleared yet, either, and that doesn’t mean he’s done anything wrong.”  She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her sorrowful eyes.  “God, I hate to throw Derek under the bus like that, but she wouldn’t listen to anything we were saying.”

“Then what happened?”

“She came around.  Eventually.  Once things calmed down and they got back to talking, do you know what happened?”  She pauses and places both hands on her stomach.  “I felt Bean’s first kick.  Adam thinks it was gas, but it wasn’t.  I just know it.”  She’s glowing with happiness as she retells it.  “And I think it was a sign.”

“A sign?  Of what?” I ask.

“Of how my family is growing, but theirs just keeps getting smaller and smaller. Shea is fighting so hard because she thinks we’re tearing her family apart.  Of course she’s going to put up a fight.  I know I would. How could we live with ourselves if we ripped that little boy away from the only family he’s ever known?”

“Adam’s not giving up, is he?  He can’t just walk away.” 

“No!” Emmy answers quickly.  “Of course not.  He’s giving Shea custody and they’re going to work out a fair visitation schedule.  But I don’t think we’ll really need a schedule.  I think we’re all going to be spending a lot of time together.  The moment Adam told her he wouldn’t fight for custody, everything changed.”

“Legally, will Adam have any rights?”

“Oh, yeah – definitely.  He’s having Kai’s birth certificate changed today, as a matter of fact.  It’s going to list Adam as the father, and Shea agrees to change his legal name to Kai Cooke.  She wanted to do one of those hyphen names, but Kai Keilani-Cooke is just too much of a mouthful.  Kai is the name his mother chose for him, so he’ll always have a piece of her with him.  It seems right, don’t you think?”

“I do.”  I can’t help but get a little misty-eyed thinking about how well everything’s worked out.  Would Evan and I have been so open-minded about all of this if things had turned out differently?  Would he have so easily stepped back and given up so much control?  I can’t help but think not.

There’s one more thing on my mind, though.  “So do you think Derek will be coming back to work?  I know he’s on the schedule, but, well ... when he took off on Sunday, he didn’t quit, did he?”

“Oh, he’ll be back.  I asked him if I could have his head bartender job if he didn’t want it anymore, and he told me to go pound salt.  That’s good, right?” she asks.

“That’s very good,” I tell Emmy.

As Emmy finishes getting the bar ready, I head out front to open up for the day.  It’s a cold day, even for January, but the sun is shining and I’m feeling optimistic for the first time in quite a while.

I hear a commotion going on in the dining room, so I tear myself away from my duties to investigate.  Sure enough, there’s a buzz in the air because the co-owner of Rush Dessert Bar, Evan McGuire, has just arrived.  Evan warmly greets his fans, signing autographs and even hugging a couple of them. 

“What a nice surprise,” Emmy remarks in my ear.

“It is,” I wholeheartedly agree.

Laughing at something one of the fans has just said, Evan turns his head and spots me. His smile brightens on seeing me watching him.  He tears himself away from the small group and meets me at the bar.  Evan grabs my hand, squeezing it as he places a light kiss on my lips, nodding toward some empty seats at the bar.  “Let’s chat,” he mutters in my ear.

Chat?  Shit.
  That’s hardly ever good news.  I’ve had a lot of chats over the past few weeks, and they rarely turn out well.  I have no choice, really, since he hasn’t let go of my hand, so I follow him to the far corner of the bar and plant myself on a barstool.

Emmy meets us at the end of the bar and places two napkins in front of us.  “What’ll it be?” she asks cheerfully.

“I’ll take and Irish Black and Tan,” he tells her.  “Juliette?  Have a drink with me?”

“I can’t, I’m working,” I tell him.

“She’ll have an Irish Coffee.  Double Irish, please.”

It’s a reasonable compromise, so I decide not to argue.  I look at his face to try to gauge his mood, and I’m greeted by dimples and a big, toothy grin.  He’s happy, and I immediately calm.  “You look pleased, Chief.  What’s going on?”

“I just got a call from the front office.  Carlo and I were nominated for the Pro Bowl.  I received the second highest number of votes this year.  I have to be in Hawaii in less than a week for the draft.  We’re staying in a suite at the Ihilani Resort and Spa.  I thought we could ...”

“Oh my God!  Evan’s playing in the Pro Bowl,” Emmy announces to the room.  “Isn’t that great?”  She places our drinks in front of us as the room erupts into hoots and cheers.  “Congratulations!” she proclaims.

Evan just shakes his head and rolls his eyes.  “Thanks, Emmy.  I’m glad to see someone is happy for me.”

They look at me, clearly unhappy with my reaction, or lack thereof.  “What?” I ask.

“You could at least pretend to be happy,” Evan moans. 

“I’m sorry, baby, I am happy.  And proud.  No one deserves this more than you.  Do I have to be there for the draft?” I ask.

Evan says nothing.  The shocked look on his face says it all.

“Yes, you have to be there!” Emmy decrees.  “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, Emmy.  I want to go, really I do, but it’s not that easy to just take off like that.  Who’s going to do payroll?  Who’s going to place the food order?  We have to start planning for Valentine’s Day.  It’s one of the biggest days in the restaurant business,” I try to explain.