Running Away With You (Running #3) (61 page)

P
hilip and I return to the dining room, where he rejoins his wife Megan, who’s occupying her time reading
Rolling Stone Magazine
.  “Thank you for allowing me to steal away your husband.  I hope we didn’t leave you alone for too long.”

“No, not at all.”  She holds up her magazine. “I came prepared.”

I look at Philip, raise my eyebrows, and he smiles knowingly.  This was clearly no accidental meeting, not that I ever thought it was.

“Juliette, why don’t you join us?  Just for a few minutes.  I’d love to get your cheesecake recipe.  It’s the best cherry cheesecake I’ve had in my life, and believe me, I’m a real cheesecake connoisseur.”

Megan knows her cheesecakes.  We debate the merits of two of New York’s finest cheesecake purveyors, Junior’s classic cheesecake versus Two Little Red Hen’s veritable tower of creamy cheese.

Our conversation is interrupted when a big, masculine hand wraps around mine.  I look up to find Evan standing beside me.  My fingers squeeze his hand in joyful appreciation.  He is clearly in protective mode, holding tightly on to me as he scowls at Philip.

Megan tries to act unmoved by the devastatingly handsome man who’s just joined us.  It’s hard not to notice him standing proudly with his jeans cupping his ass and thighs in all the right spots and the breadth of his shoulders stretched under another one of his favorite Black Sabbath concert tees.  No one knows better than me how difficult it is not to stare.

Evan eyes Philip cautiously. “Detective Harper.”

Philip holds out a hand to shake. “Mr. McGuire.”  Evan does not reciprocate.

“Evan, don’t be rude.  Philip is here to share some good news,” I explain.

“Since when are you two on a first-name basis?” he asks with more than a slight anger in his tone.

“Since the investigation ended,” Philip says.  “Juliette can fill you in on the fine details, but I wanted to be the one to tell her that the Point Pleasant P.D. is no longer involved, and that she and her friends are no longer the subject of an active investigation.”

“Forgive me if I don’t jump for joy.  This had better not be some kind of a ploy to get one of us to talk without counsel present,” Evan warns gruffly.

Philip snickers.  “No, you have my word.”

Evan looks at me.  I can’t hide the elation and relief I feel now there’s no more dark cloud hanging over me.  My grin is a mile wide and I think I can stand a little taller now that this weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“Well, then – that is good news.  Thank you for coming so far out of your way to let us know.”  Evan finally offers Philip a real handshake.  “We won’t keep you any longer.  Enjoy your meal.”

Evan and I return to the bar, where there are two empty seats waiting for us, along with plenty of questions.  Adam is there, and so is Derek, who’s getting ready to start his shift.

“Mac, tell me what the fuck that was all about,” Adam demands.  “He has no right to speak with her or any of us without our attorney present.  I can’t afford to make any mistakes right now.  I have a kid to think about.”

“I know you do, Sparky.  I didn’t mean to make you worry.  Detective Harper is here to share some good news for a change,” I eagerly tell him as I take a seat at the bar.

“Good news?  Well why didn’t you say so?  Spill,” Emmy demands from behind the bar, placing her hand over Adam’s as a way of comforting him and reminding him to be more open-minded.

“The police are no longer listing any of us as potential suspects in David’s disappearance,” I explain.

“All of us?  Auggie, Derek, you, and me?  We’re all officially cleared?” Adam asks.

“Yup.  But there’s more.  The bad news is that the police are now considering the possibility that either he was taken against his will or he simply disappeared in order to avoid paying off his debts, making his disappearance look like a homicide.  He got mixed up with some pretty dangerous thugs.  It doesn’t look good.”

“I’m sorry to break up this pity party, but I was there that night, and personally I think Dipshit got exactly what was coming to him.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s all good news!” Derek pronounces.  “I think we need to celebrate.”

“Absolutely not,” Evan quickly answers.  “Celebrating the potentially violent death of Juliette’s former boyfriend would not play well in the press.  Not here and not now.  Let’s be smart here, people.”

“It’s done,” I repeat.  As reality sinks in, I literally sink into my chair.  My emotions are all over the map.  Just a moment ago I was happy – grateful, even.  Now, all of a sudden, I am filled with grief.  I lay my head on the bar, and once again I cry.  I cry for David, the young man I once loved.  And I cry from relief.  My nightmare is over.

D
erek hosts a dinner at his house Friday night to celebrate Kai’s official name change.  Marcus and I were able to adjust the schedule so we could all attend.  I finally took Lindsay up on her offer to manage for a night so both Marcus and I could have the night off.

Everyone is here except for Auggie and Lucas.  They had to fly out to L.A. yesterday for Lucas’ screen test, and I won’t get to see Auggie before Evan and I leave for our vacation tomorrow.  He’s only been gone a day, but I miss him already.

It’s the strangest thing to see preschool toys all over Derek’s home.  Proudly displayed in the middle of his living room are a giant Brio train set and wooden table.  Evan and I arrive just in time to witness Adam sitting on the floor with Kai on his lap.  We watch as the two control the remote control train engine, sending it up, down, and around the wooden tracks.  The tracks and accessories are meticulously arranged, and the moment something moves out of place, one or both of them hurry to fix it.

Shea has graciously set out bottles of wine, along with a few bottles of sparking apple juice for Emmy.  The two women sit at the table, watching as their men become more and more domestic; Adam playing on the floor with his son and Derek in the kitchen making drinks and putting out food. 

As soon as the rest of our little party arrives, Shea scoops up Kai and puts him to bed.  Derek quickly fixes drinks for Marcus, Camilla, and Reese, who have all come prepared with outrageous and shocking drink orders.  Marcus demands that Derek make him a Dirty Girl Scout.  Camilla orders a Dirty White Mother and Reese surprises us all when she asks Derek to make her a Red Headed Slut.  The irony is lost on no one, not even Shea, who laughs right along with the rest of us.

I look around the room filled with our dearest friends, and I’m reminded how only two weeks ago I was heartbroken and miserable.  Had I known then what I know now, I could have avoided months and months of pain and anguish.  Not just for me, but for everyone in this room.

To think about what could have been tears me apart – how any one of these men could have taken the blame for what happened to David.  There are plenty of innocent people filling the prisons. It happens all the time.  I have moments of regret that make me feel like a giant pile of crapspackle.

I stare at the smiling faces of everyone in this room, and I am reminded of how close I came to ruining it all and losing everything.  Evan has been nothing but patient, kind, and supportive.  He loves me, and I need him more than I need air to breathe.

Reese notices my melancholy and pulls me over to talk in private.  “You’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, aren’t you?” I open my mouth to answer, but Reese cuts me off.  “I can see it on your face, so don’t deny it.  I know how your mind works, little lady.  You’re thinking about all that stupid shit with David.  I have two words of advice for you – stop it.  You can’t change the past, so there’s no point in wasting any time thinking about it.  We’re here for you, and now you know how far we’ll all go to support you.  So stop being so self-deprecating and lighten up.”

I do my best to look insulted.  “Did you just tell me to stop defecating?”

“I sure did.  Everyone knows you’re so full of shit,” Reese teases.  “Listen, Jette, I just want to remind you what a great guy you’ve finally got.  No one deserves it more than you.  To see the two of you together really raises the bar.  How will I ever find anyone who comes close?”

“You won’t find him, he’ll find you.  I guarantee it.”

“Now that you and Evan are back on track, have you picked a new wedding date yet?”

“Who has time?  Seriously, Reese.  In less than a week, I’ve been arrested for a crime I didn’t commit, made my first appearance on a talk show, accepted a free trip to Hawaii, and been cleared by the police.  I’ll bring it up to Evan soon, I promise.”

“Bring up what?” Evan comes toward me, pressing his body close to mine.  All I can think about is how I’d like nothing more than to curl up in his arms under the covers at home in our bed.  He wraps a hand around my middle and softly kisses the exposed skin of my neck.  He drives me mad!

“Reese was just asking about our wedding,” I tell him.

He reaches for my hand and examines the beautiful ring he placed there.  “We have all the time in the world.  I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you, Running Girl.”

“The last thing I want right now is to do anything that will get the press poking around in our lives again.  Things are just getting back to normal.  It’s been so long, I can hardly remember what normal feels like,” I admit.  “Who knows, maybe we’ll just live in sin.  I think I like the sound of it.”

The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of a big wedding.  I can envision all the photographers and reporters trying to sneak in just to snap a picture of Evan in his tuxedo.  His fans would be trying to get in too.  Party crashers and paparazzi.  Not my dream wedding.

Evan gets a phone call and excuses himself from our conversation.  I watch as he slips out the back door onto Derek’s deck.  The moon lights Evan’s frame from behind, creating the most amazing silhouette of the perfect male physique.  The short-sleeved shirt he’s wearing shows off his strong, muscular arms.  His broad chest accents the slim cut of his waist.  He has his back to the window, and I can’t help but stare at his ass.  Oh, how I long to slip my hands into his back pockets.

He turns and catches me staring, but I’m not embarrassed.  I can see him smile at me as he finishes his discussion, motioning for me to come out and join him.  So I grab my coat and meet him on the deck to find out what’s so important that he’s willing to miss all the fun.

“What’s up?” I ask, shivering from the cold.

“Not much.  Do you remember Alyssa Dunham from the Community Relations Office?  She was calling to confirm our flight tomorrow.  You ready for our first official vacation?” Evan asks, his crystal-blue eyes locking with my green.

“Do you promise it’s not going to be two weeks of nothing but football, Evan?  I want to do it all.  I want to see a volcano.  I want to go to a luau, learn how to hula, and maybe even take some surfing lessons.  Maybe we could go golfing together too.”

He smiles and shows the slightest hint of dimples.  “We can do it all, just so long as you don’t make me put on a grass skirt and do the hula with you.  There are some things I will not do, not even for you.”

O
ur hotel suite is draped in shadows, the only light coming from the moon shining on the ocean and reflecting onto us.

Considering our plane from Newark just landed an hour ago and we were driven straight from the airport under the darkness of night, I have barely seen Honolulu. After spending a few hours salaciously canoodling on the plane, our first order of business was to strip each other bare and make mad, passionate love in this luxurious tropical love nest.

He wraps my hand in his, and I weave our fingers into an unbreakable bond.  There’s something enormously pleasurable about being held firm by strong hands.

His other hand travels and wraps itself in my hair, gently tugging.  I reach up and feel his face.  His stubbly five o'clock shadow is prickly under my fingertips.  I run my fingers over the short hairs, savoring the sensation.  When he releases a low growl, I whisper in his ear, “I love the noise you make when I do this.”

Evan’s mouth tenderly caresses the base of my neck as he whispers, “I love you.”  He laces his fingers around my hips, holding them steady as we settle into a synchronized movement. Time stops and there is only movement and heat.