Why Romeo Hates Juliet (45 page)

Romeo let himself into the beach house and threw his keys onto the end table near the door. “Juliet, I’m home,” he called, as he took off his boots. Dressed in jeans and t-shirt, he padded barefoot into the living room. Juliet?” he called out again.

His wife was nowhere to be seen but something sure smelled delicious. He walked into the kitchen and lifted the lid off of the slow cooker.

Inhaling the enticing aroma of the beef stew caused his stomach to rumble and he took a spoon from the counter, dipped it into the mixture and tasted a mouthful. God, could that woman ever cook, he mused, eagerly anticipating when he could sit down to a bowlful of it.

Today at work had been an especially difficult one for him. The paparazzi had followed him relentlessly, while the weather had been hot and sticky with the sun beating down on his back for his entire shift as he’d walked the streets of Charlottetown collecting garbage for the city. His arms ached, his legs were sore and he felt dog-tired, but knowing that he’d be coming home to her was what got him through it all.

And truth be told, this was the happiest he’d ever been in his life. He didn’t mind the hard, physical work; he’d become friends with some of the great guys on his crew; he was paying his debt to society; and being able to have Juliet in his arms every night when he came home made the experience complete.

But he was anxious to get back to ll.A. for the only reason that he wanted to introduce his wife to their new life out there. He had under two weeks left of work detail before finishing his sentence and then they could leave, but he would always have a soft spot for Prince Edward Island because this was where he’d met the woman he loved.

“Juliet?” he yelled again.

Where was she anyway? Their second SUV truck, the one Juliet had been driving to get around the island after Sara had turned in the rental car the girls had been using, was parked in the driveway, so obviously his wife was in the house somewhere.

“Juliet?” he called out again, as he made his way to the living room.

Lifting the hem of his white t-shirt, he pulled the cotton material up and over his head and threw the garment on the couch. As his eyes came back up, he looked out the large expanse of windows overlooking the backyard towards the ocean and spotted her sitting out back on one of the lounge chairs on the patio. She had a yellow legal pad on her lap and she was scribbling away, obviously engrossed in whatever she was doing.

So that’s where she was, he smiled to himself as he made his way to the backdoor. As he walked outside, he took in the pretty picture she made sitting there. She was wearing a light blue tank top with a pair of matching shorts, which showed off her long legs to perfection. A pair of oversized sunglasses perched on her nose, shielding her eyes from the strong sun. Her head was bent, intent on whatever she was writing, and it was obvious she hadn’t heard him come home.

Romeo walked up to her and crouched low beside her lounge chair. “Hey, baby,” he greeted, as he brought his lips forward to meet hers. He gave her a strong kiss before pulling back. “Miss me?”

Juliet smiled warmly at him, but she pulled out of his arms quickly. “Always,” she answered.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, as his eyes lowered to the legal pad on her lap.

“It’s the strangest thing. All of a sudden, I started coming up with all these ideas for a new book.”

“That’s great,” he enthused. He was always ready to encourage her talent and support her.

Juliet nodded. “I was just sitting here watching the waves, and all these scenes and dialogue began flashing through my brain. I’m on a roll or something and I’ve got to get everything down before I lose it.” She shrugged casually. “It’s like having a dream. If you don’t write it down in a journal right away, you’ll lose it forever.”

His eyes crinkled mischievously at the corners. “What’s it about? Your book, I mean. It’s not about some jackass movie star who fakes amnesia, is it?”

Juliet laughed. “I can’t tell you that. It’s top secret until I actually start writing it, which, if I don’t keep scribbling down my ideas right now, may never happen. When the muse arrives, she must be worshipped.”

Romeo stood up. “Okay, I get the message loud and clear; leave the talent alone.” He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “I’m going to help myself to a beer and some of your delicious stew and then I’m crashing. I’m beat anyway.” He started walking back into the house.

“Romeo?”

“Yeah?” he answered, as he turned back to her.

He watched as she lifted her sunglasses from her eyes and stared intently at him for what seemed an eternity. Her brows suddenly drew together in an agonized expression and it looked like she was about to say something. But she didn’t; she remained silent.

His eyes narrowed in on her. “You okay?” he asked, suddenly concerned. There was just something about the strange way she was looking at him that was signaling to his instincts that something wasn’t quite right here. But then she smiled at him and his worry evaporated like a puff of smoke. He was just too tired and reading too much into everything, he reasoned.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Juliet teased. “I was just going to ask you to bring me back a juice, please.”

“Your wish is my command,” he mocked, before disappearing inside the house.

The moment he was gone from view, Juliet’s smile dropped and the ache in her heart returned. And no - she wasn’t writing down ideas for a new book. That had just been a ruse, an excuse, a lie to avoid him tonight.

And why did she want to avoid him?

Because she’d made up her mind.

Tomorrow would be the day that she’d walk out on Romeo Boyd.

~ ~ ~

The alarm clock began buzzing and Romeo reluctantly opened his eyes to the dawn sunlight streaming through his bedroom windows. It was time to get up for work. He yawned and then rolled over in the large bed to reach for his wife. But Juliet wasn’t there. In fact, her side of the bed didn’t look like it had been slept in at all.

Romeo frowned. Where was she? He got up, threw on a pair of cotton shorts and padded downstairs to the living room. That’s when he saw her. She was curled up on the couch softly sleeping away… and she looked like an angel. There were handwritten sheets of paper all over the coffee table and her laptop computer was still on. It was obvious that she’d been working late into the night on her new book ideas and had fall en asleep on the couch.

Romeo smiled to himself as he reached for the extra blanket that they kept on the back of the armchair. He unfurled it, gently covered his wife, bent down and gave her a feather-of-a-kiss on her cheek before moving away to go back upstairs to shower and get ready for his day at work.

* * *

The second she heard the shower taps turn on, Juliet’s eyes flew open. No - she hadn’t been sleeping. In fact, she had barely slept all night; she was just pretending. If she was to go through with her plan to leave him today, there was no way she could have slept in the same bed with him last night. If she had, they would have probably made love, and if they had done that together, then she would never have been able to go through with what she knew she had to do. No - she’d decided that it was best if she avoided him as much as possible and pretend to have fall en asleep on the couch.

All night long, she’d thought about the decision she’d made. The news of Carrie Ann’s pregnancy had turned her world upside down. She believed the blonde when she’d said she would get an abortion if she couldn’t have Romeo, and Juliet knew the actress would never be able to have him the way she wanted to if she stayed with him. Could Juliet be responsible for a life being denied the right to be born if she refused to leave him? She knew she couldn’t do that. Yes… it was a form of blackmail by Carrie Ann. Juliet was well aware of that, and maybe she shouldn’t be allowing herself to give in to it, but she just couldn’t do that to Romeo’s baby. She wouldn’t take that chance.

And even if Carrie Ann agreed to have the baby if Juliet stayed with the actor, could Juliet live with herself knowing that she was coming between a mother, a father and a child just as her father’s mistress had come between their dad, her and Sara? Their own father had chosen his girlfriend over his own children, ruthlessly abandoning them all and destroying their family unit. That selfish decision had created deep scars in both Juliet’s and Sara’s psyches that they still lived with to this day.

No - Romeo’s baby deserved both a mother and a father that had a chance at creating a family together. Romeo was a major movie star and he traveled the world, filming his roles in different countries. If he was to become a dad, he needed to have that baby with him wherever he found himself next, and wherever that baby went, so too did its mother. And Juliet would be damned if she allowed herself to be the third wheel in that equation. No - she would not be the other woman in that child’s life, like their father’s mistress had been to her and her sister.

Her eyes began to water. Last night had been the first night she and Romeo hadn’t slept together since their wedding day. But then again - they weren’t really married, were they? That had all been a lie anyway.

Wiping away the wetness from her cheeks, Juliet squeezed her eyes shut, hoping beyond hope that the pain she was feeling in her heart would go away. But it didn’t. It had turned into a constant, dull ache.

A half hour later, she heard him quietly leaving the house followed by the roaring to life of the SUV’s engine. Her ears listened intently as she heard the sound gradually fade as he drove away down the driveway.

“Goodbye, Romeo,” Juliet whispered to herself, before bursting into tears.

~ ~ ~

Juliet had made herself go numb. She wasn’t going to think, she wasn’t going to feel and she wasn’t going to cry. She was a robot and she would get through today by doing what had to be done with no emotion whatsoever.

First thing that morning, Juliet had booked her flight back to Vancouver which would be leaving the island that night. After doing that, she’d then spent the next couple of hours tidying the house up and packing her things into her suitcases.

She’d then driven out to the address that Carrie Ann had given her. The location turned out to be a small, secluded hotel on the far side of the island. If someone wanted privacy and anonymity, then this was definitely the place to come to, she thought, as she remembered that she’d only passed one other car on the drive leading up here.

Inside, she had easily found the actress’ room, and now here she was, poised with her hand on her door. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and knocked. The door was quickly opened by the blonde who didn’t seem at all surprised to see Juliet there at that hour of the morning.

Silently, she invited her rival in.

Juliet turned to her and in a soul ess voice, intoned, “You win, Carrie Ann. I’m leaving him tonight.” She watched as the actress’ shoulders slumped in relief and suddenly realized that the other woman hadn’t been at all sure what she’d been going to do.

“What are you going to tell him?”

“That’s none of your business. Just know that neither you nor the baby will be mentioned. As far as anyone is concerned, we never spoke.”

“My lips are sealed too, honey,” Carrie Ann smirked.

Juliet refused to allow the actress’ smugness to affect her in any way, and she made herself ignore it as she continued in her matter-of-fact voice. “Because of his court sentence, Romeo can’t leave the island for another week and a half, so there’s no way he can follow me back to British Columbia. I’m advising you to tell him then, but don’t tell him too soon after I leave because he could connect the dots and figure out what’s really going on.”

Having said what she’d come to say, Juliet turned and headed for the door, and like an automaton she reached for the handle. Funny, she thought to herself, here she was handing over her love, her life, her Romeo to Carrie Ann and she couldn’t feel a thing. Thank God for that!

Just as she was about to walk through the open doorway, she heard Carrie Ann mumble behind her, “I’ll make him happy, you know. He belongs with me and this baby.”

Juliet didn’t respond, didn’t turn back, didn’t do anything. She just kept walking down the hallway.

* * *

Juliet’s next stop was to see Faith to say goodbye. At first, Faith had been thrilled to see her dropping by her store, but when she saw the serious expression on her friend’s face, she immediately demanded to know what was wrong.

“Romeo and I are separating,” Juliet explained in a bleak voice.

Faith gasped. “No, I can’t believe it.”

Juliet nodded. “I’m flying back home tonight. It’s not going to work out between us.” Tears sprang into Faith’s eyes. “This is all my fault and my husband’s. We made such a disaster of your wedding. I’m so sorry, Juliet, I’m so so sorry.”

Juliet stepped forward and hugged her friend. “It has nothing to do with the wedding or the marriage, please believe that. It’s - just something personal between him and I - nothing to do with you or Brad. You have nothing to be sorry for, you hear me?” Juliet pulled away and regarded her friend with sincerity. “Just know that your friendship has meant so much to me while I’ve been here and you’ve helped me at every turn when I needed help. Thank you for all of it.” She smiled and Faith smiled back, wiping away her tears.

“Are you sure - about Romeo, I mean? Maybe you just need some more time to…”

Juliet shook her head and interrupted her friend’s pleading. “It’s over Faith, and I’m okay with it, really.” Faith still wasn’t convinced, but kept her reservations to herself. “You will keep in touch once you’re back in Vancouver?” Juliet nodded. “Sara and I will be calling you whenever we can. And who knows? Maybe we’ll fly back here soon just to have some of your famous Huckleberry pie again.”

Faith laughed and then hugged her friend one last time as they said goodbye to each other.

* * *

Juliet was back at the beach house standing by the living room windows overlooking the ocean. She was making herself go through her mental checklist of everything that needed to be done before she left tonight. All of the loose ends had been tied and her bags were packed, but there was one more thing she had to do before Romeo came home tonight and she told him goodbye. She needed to tell Sara what was going on in case Romeo called her while Juliet was in flight. He’d demand to know what her sister knew about what was really going on, and Sara needed to be brought on board with the lie that Juliet had decided to tell him about why she was leaving. She reached for her cell phone, dialed her sister’s work number and waited patiently while she was being paged.

When Sara came on the line, she immediately asked Juliet what was wrong. Her sister rarely disturbed her when she was teaching class, unless it was very important.

Juliet took a deep breath before launching into her prepared speech. “Sara, I’m coming home tonight. I have to leave Romeo.” Sara gasped loudly. “What? Oh my God, what’s going on?”

“Carrie Ann’s pregnant and it’s his baby.” Juliet heard her sister gasp again before continuing, “He doesn’t know yet. She came to see me and said that if I don’t leave him, she’ll have an abortion.”

“She’s bluffing! She’ll say anything to get you away from him,” Sara yelled.

“No, you didn’t see her face. She’ll do it, I know she will and I’m not going to be responsible for that.”

“Juliet, please think about this some more. Romeo’s your husband, not hers and…”

“He’s not; he’s not my husband.”

“What?”

“We’re not legally married, Sara. We never applied for the proper licenses.” Juliet’s voice suddenly choked on the last word.

Her sister went silent for a few seconds. “He loves you. Give him a chance, please?”

“I am giving him a chance… a chance at a real family with his child.”

“You said Romeo doesn’t know about the baby.”

“Not yet.”

“Juliet, you have to tell him. Let him make the decision. He loves you so much; don’t do this to him.” Tears began to well up in Juliet’s eyes as some of her self-imposed numbness began to crack. Yes, she knew he loved her, but he needed to do what was right for his child first. “Sara, it won’t work. Look at what happened to daddy and us. I’m not going to be the other woman in this mess like his girlfriend was to us,” she dictated forcefully. At the mention of their father, Sara went quiet. Juliet continued in a softer tone, “They deserve a chance to be a family for the baby’s sake and they can’t be that if I’m in the middle.” Her sister still remained mum. “Sara, say something.”

“I get it,” she said, sighing deeply on the other end. “What are you going to tell him?”

“I’m going to lie and say there’s somebody else, someone I was engaged to back in Vancouver and we want to try again. I need you to back up my story in case he calls you. If he does, don’t give him any details, just the bare bones story I’ve just given you. Can you do that for me? Please, Sara?”

“You know I will,” Sara sighed again. “I’ll pick you up at the airport tonight.”

“No, I’ll grab a cab and call you tomorrow from my apartment.” Suddenly, Juliet’s voice broke. “Thank you,” she whispered, in a little-girl-lost voice.

Sara’s heart grew heavy at the thought of her sister having to go through so much pain. Maybe Juliet was making a mistake by leaving Romeo, but truth-be-told, she might have done the same thing if she were in her sister’s predicament. Family was important to Sara too, and she couldn’t live with herself if she’d known she was responsible for destroying an innocent child’s chance at having that.

~ ~ ~