Moment of Weakness (Embracing Moments Book 1) (9 page)

ROMAN DISAPPEARED INTO
the guesthouse as soon as we made it back on property grounds. Running off some of the frustration helped, but when I walked into the kitchen and saw my dad cooking breakfast, I tried my best to keep my composure. Being mad at him wasn’t something I was capable of doing, but I needed him to realize I wasn’t a little girl anymore.

“Dad, can I speak to you for a few minutes, please?”

My father turned around, a spatula in one hand, the frying pan in the other. His lips moved up in the corners, revealing a soft smile. “Sure. Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat.”

I shook my head. “No. I have to get ready for yoga, but I need to talk to you.”

His brows drew together and the smile vanished. “Everything okay?” he asked, walking over to the table and setting his food down.

“Yeah.” I let out a shallow sigh and then corrected myself. “Actually, no.” I pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. “Look, Dad, I understand the reasoning for the security, and I understand your need to want to protect me. But what I don’t understand is why you can’t talk to me about things first.”

Confusion dug its way into his features. “Julia, I do talk—”

I cut him off. “No, Dad, you don’t. You didn’t talk to me about my calendar being synced to Roman’s phone. Did you not stop to think, maybe I have personal stuff in there? Roman now has full access to my calendar, including when I’m supposed to get my period. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?”

My father’s eyes widened, and the cup of orange juice he was bringing to his mouth halted mid-air. “I’ll get Theo to disable it right away. I didn’t even think about that when I asked. I figured it would just be easier to update your calendar if you needed to go somewhere. That way Roman would get the notification.”

My father’s intentions were always good ones, and I knew that. I just needed him to know how suffocating his actions could be at times. “All I want is for you to talk to me. I’m turning twenty-one, Dad, and I know I’ll always be your little girl, but I need you to stop treating me like one.”

His shoulders slouched and his expression went blank. “I’m sorry, Julia. I don’t even realize I’m doing it half the time.”

My lips curled into a soft smile. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll try harder, I promise,” he said, his brown stare locking on to mine.

“Thank you.” I patted his hand and placed a kiss on his cheek.” I have to get ready for yoga. I’ll see you later.”

His lips pinched together as he nodded. Not realizing how late it was getting, I stood from the table and hurried to my room. Once I showered, I slipped into my black yoga pants and purple tank top. My flip-flops were waiting by my bedroom door, and my phone was already in my purse. I twisted my hair up into a tight bun and hustled down the steps.

Theo already had the car pulled out front, waiting for me. I tossed my bag and yoga mat in the trunk before opening the car door. Roman sat in the backseat wearing his navy blue dress suit. His fresh scent wafted through the car as I slid in next to him. The yoga studio was just a short drive away, located in the town square. Roman held my door open for me while Theo grabbed my stuff from the trunk.

“I’ll just wait out here for you, Miss Parker. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to go inside.”

Nodding, I walked through the studio entrance with my bag and mat in tow. I made my way to the back of the studio and took my shoes off, placing them into my locker. The coolness of the hardwood floors felt good against my bare feet. Standing there, I noticed the few changes made to the studio since last year. The soft yellow walls had a fresh layer of paint, and a new floor-to-ceiling window replaced the wall at the front of the building beside the entrance. Artificial ferns hung from the ceiling, and a beautiful waterfall stood in the corner. Sunlight poured in from the window making it a warm and inviting space.

After filling my water bottle at the fountain, I headed over to my typical spot on the floor. Laying my mat down, I started my warm-up routine. Even here, I found it hard to stay focused. My eyes kept drifting toward the window, trying to catch a glimpse of Roman. He spoke on his phone with one hand in his pants pocket as he paced back and forth.

“Oh my God, Jules! Please tell me you noticed that fine piece of man standing out front.” A huge smile formed on my face, and I turned to face the fiery redhead next to me. She laid her mat on the floor beside mine, her big gray eyes glued on Roman. A few freckles sprinkled her light complexion.

“Lacey!” Jumping up, I threw my arms around her. “I’ve missed you!” With my eyes being fixated on Roman, I hadn’t noticed her walk in, but I was glad she was here. She was one of the few friends I had at the moment, and the only one I could spend my summer with.

“When did you join yoga?” I asked, resuming my position on the floor. I had no idea she even had an interest in yoga.

“Oh, when I walked by the local studio outside my campus and saw the hot male instructor.”

I shook my head and laughed at the same time. That was typical Lacey. For as long as I’d known her, she’d always been boy crazy. It was like she wanted to find Mister Right even if that meant dating several Mister Wrongs. And there were quite a few Mister Wrongs. She had her fair share of guys who wanted to take advantage of her, but she always came out of each relationship with her head held high. She didn’t let people get to her, and her infectious personality was the cherry on top of the sundae. Lacey was sweet to everybody, no matter what group you belonged to. Every girl wanted to be her, and every guy wanted to date her. Voted most popular in high school, she had earned the title.

“You realize our instructor is female, right?”

She flashed me a huge grin. “Yeah, I know. Truth is, the instructor back at the other studio turned out to be gay. Who would have thought, right?”

“Right,” I said, smirking at her. I don’t know, but hot-male-yoga-instructor had my gaydar spinning into overdrive. It was obvious her male-crazed brain had clouded hers. She lay down on her mat and started doing some pelvic tilts.

“Anyway, I stuck it out and realized it’s not so bad.”

We exchanged smiles and went back to our warm-up routines until the instructor entered the studio. The room grew quiet, and we spent the next forty-five minutes stretching, meditating, and performing several postures. Once class was over, Lacey and I rolled up our mats and tucked them under our arms as we walked back to the changing room.

Grabbing my yoga bag, I pulled out my outfit I had packed for the day. It was another sundress. The black sleeveless top clung to my chest, and the waist hugged my hips before flowing out to a mint green skirt that fell mid-thigh. It was cute, but still modest for car shopping. I slipped on my black sandals, which made me three inches taller, and draped a beaded necklace around my neck that matched the color of my skirt. Pulling out my hair tie, I allowed my waves to fall against my shoulders and down my back.

“Gosh, I wish I had hair like yours.”

I turned around to find Lacey tugging at her bright red curls in the mirror.

“Why? Your hair is gorgeous, Lace. Guys go crazy for women with natural red hair.”

A dry laugh parted her lips as her brows shot up her forehead. “Please, half the time I’m walking around like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. I mean, hello!” She gestured toward her hair, and her lips twisted in disgust. “I look like the ugly spawn of Merida from
Brave
and Simba from
The Lion King!
”

I chewed on my cheek, trying to hide my grin. “No, you don’t, Lace.” I felt bad for her, but I didn’t know what else to say because she had a point. Not that she looked like a messed-up spawn of two animated Disney characters, but I never needed to fuss with my hair. It always seemed to fall into place with little effort on my part.

Once we finished changing, we walked out of the changing room and into the studio. The first thing I noticed was Roman standing outside the window looking in. As soon as my eyes found his, he looked away. Lacey wanted to refill her water bottle before leaving, and I figured that was a good idea.

“Who is that guy? He’s still here, and he’s staring at you. God, he’s hot! I wonder what he looks like without his shirt on. I bet he has a chest that screams,
Lick me, Lick me now!
”

She ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “Lace!” I gasped, smacking her in the arm. “His name is Roman. And I can assure you there will be no licking. He’s my personal security detail for the summer.”

Lacey’s red brows blended in with her hairline and wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she gaped at me. “Nuh-uh! You’re kidding, right? Does Robby know?”

“Robby and I broke up,” I told her, twisting the lid back on my water bottle. I swallowed and turned my attention back to Roman, who was staring at me. The words came out with little effort now. “He was having an affair with Megan.”

She frowned. “What a douche. I’m sorry, Jules. I didn’t know. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, but she didn’t look convinced. “I’m okay. We never saw each other. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway.”

And that was a fact.

Even if Robby wasn’t having an affair and we went to Europe, I would have never allowed myself to get close to him. There was only so much space left in my heart, and that space belonged to my father and Theo. It was the only part of my heart I had left, and I refused to trust anyone else with it. I knew if something happened to my father or Theo, it would crush me, but I refused to allow somebody else to have that power over me. It was safer this way.

We swung our bags over our shoulders, and I followed behind Lacey as she walked out the front door of the studio. Theo already had the car pulled out front and Roman was leaning against it, waiting for me. Lacey looked around the parking lot, her hand perched over her eyes, shielding them from the bright sun.

“Do you need a ride, Lace?” I questioned. I knew she had her own car, but from what I could see, it wasn’t in the parking lot.

“No, my cousin, Shane, is on his way. He’s visiting for the summer. My car’s in the garage for the next few days, and he offered to pick me up.”

I was getting ready to say goodbye and give her a hug when a silver Porsche 911 turbo pulled in next to the Cadillac. The driver, who I assumed was Shane, looked to be our age. He hopped out and jogged toward us.

“I’m so sorry, Lace,” he said, grabbing her bag and mat from her hands. “I had to get gas.”

“It’s okay. Perfect timing. I want to introduce you to Julia.” Lacey turned toward me.

“Aunt Shelly’s wardrobe Julia?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. The blood drained from my face, and the tips of my ears felt like they were on fire. The memory of me hiding in Lacey’s mom’s wardrobe resurfaced. It was at a party, one of the first times I drank, and well, let’s just say I vowed to never drink again after that party. Somehow, I ended up in her mom’s antique wardrobe. If that wasn’t bad enough, when they finally found me, I came out screaming how I had found the portal to Narnia.

I glared at Lacey before gritting my teeth and smiling at the man in front of me. It’s funny how Robby and I break up and I’m suddenly surrounded by the hottest men to walk this earth. First, Roman. Now, Shane.

“Julia, this is my cousin, Shane. Shane, this is Julia Parker.” She pushed me toward him. He was a few inches taller than me, even with my heels on. His cropped sandy blond hair, tanned skin, and the way his muscles strained against his shirt, seemed like he belonged on the front of a surfer magazine. Hazel eyes stared down at me as I reached my hand out to shake his.

“Julia Parker? You’re not the daughter of Benjamin Parker, are you?” he asked, shaking my hand.

“That’s me. The one and only,” I said, offering a small smile.

“We’re heading to grab coffee if you want to join us.” He threw his finger over his shoulder, pointing in the general direction of the local espresso shop. I contemplated the offer for a moment. The thought of bullshitting over a caramel macchiato almost had me accepting his invitation, but a shiny new car was calling my name.

“I can’t. I’m going car shopping. Maybe next time though,” I said, taking a step back. I tried backing up further, but I couldn’t.

Smooth, Julia.

I backed right into a wall. At least I thought it was a wall. But then I turned around and found myself facing Roman’s chest. The familiar smell of his citrus cologne filled my nose, sending shivers down the back of my legs. My knees felt weak, and before I realized it, they gave out, causing me to fall into him. His chest was soft, yet hard, and I had no idea how that was even physically possible. Roman’s hands landed on the sides of my arms. With a soft pull on my elbows, he helped steady me back onto my feet. I swallowed hard, too humiliated to look up at him.

“Are you okay?” His deep voice had a gentle caress to it.

“Yes,” I answered, building enough courage to finally look up. My eyes connected with his, and I thought he was going to let me go. Instead, his fingers traced small circles against my arms, and every muscle in my body went crazy.

“You gotta stop doing that,” he chuckled. A small grin developed on his face. I was about to ask him what I needed to stop doing, but Lacey’s voice interrupted me.

“Uh, Jules, we have to get going.”

Roman let go of my arms and jumped back at the sound of Lacey’s voice. An unexpected ache coursed through me at the loss of his touch. Shrugging it off, I turned around, smiled, and lifted my hand to wave.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Shane.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Julia.” The corner of his lips creased up, revealing a small dimple on his cheek. His eyes remained on me as he walked backward, and once he reached his door, he flashed me another smile before getting in.

Lacey pecked me on the cheek. “I’ll text you later, okay? We have a lot to catch up on.” Her red curls bounced as she jogged to the passenger side door of the Porsche. My gaze traveled back to Roman as I turned around. His eyes stayed locked on Shane as he pulled out of his parking spot. Brushing it off, I walked to the car and dropped my bag and mat into the trunk. Roman opened the door and moved his hand in an “after you” motion. The coolness of the leather seats, once again, had goose bumps prickling my skin.