Wrapped in You (12 page)

“Wow, you really aren't a people person, are you?”

Shaking her head, she reached for the binders, because this conversation was going nowhere fast and she had somewhere to be. Getting into a verbal sparring match each time she saw him was only going to make this process more difficult.

Clutching the binders, she turned and smacked into Zach's chest. “Excuse me.”

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He didn't touch her. The man simply stared down at her as if he was trying to figure out the next move in this delicate game of chess.

“What?” she whispered, afraid he'd say something that made her more confused . . . afraid he'd say nothing and let her walk away. “You can't keep doing this to me.”

His hands came up to cover hers. “What am I doing?”

“I need a truce. You want to be friends, fine. But you can't look at me like that, you can't push me away with your words and draw me back in with a look. I deserve better than to be yanked around.”

Zach's hands tightened on hers briefly before dropping away. “You're right. You do deserve better.”

When he stepped back, Sophie cursed herself. “You're taking my words wrong.”

Zach walked to the front door, his eyes on the death grip he had on the knob. “No, I'm taking them exactly how I should. You do deserve better, Soph. Better than anything I could give, friendship or otherwise. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that.”

Forgetting the binders, the open house, the outside world entirely, Sophie dumped the binders onto the couch and crossed to Zach. Grabbing his broad shoulders, she forced him to turn and face her. No way was she leaving him here to beat up on himself.

But before she could utter a word, he'd taken back control of the situation and himself. Framing her face with his rough palms, he backed her against the door and came nose to nose with her.

“You can't touch me,” he murmured against her lips. “I barely hold it together when I'm with you. Can't you see that? I don't know how else to warn you.”

“You'd never hurt me.”

His thumb stroked her bottom lip. “I already have.”

Anger bubbled through her. “Get past it, Zach. You've done your penance.”

His forehead came to rest on hers. “I pay it every time I see you, think of you.”

“Why do you do this to yourself?” Her heart literally ached for him. “Why can't you just take what you want? What we want?”

The all-consuming ache for him to close that miniscule gap and kiss her was killing her. She could practically taste him, yet he still held himself back.

“Because selfish needs stole everything ten years ago.”

When he pushed away, Sophie took a moment to process his words as she stared at his back. “If that's how you truly feel, then you should've stayed in prison. It's no different than the steel walls you've put around yourself, only this time you're the guard. You refused to see me for a full year.”

Her voice broke on that last word and she cursed herself.

“I won't beg you to start living again,” she told him as she went back to retrieve the binders. “If you want to live like this forever, then go ahead. But don't look for me to be an enabler, because I think you're being selfish. Do you see me sitting around feeling sorry for myself because I have issues from that night? You have no idea what I lost. No idea. I had plans, Zach, and they were instantly taken from me. But I don't focus on all of that or place blame. I've learned to live with the life I have, the cards I've been dealt, because otherwise I'd never make it.”

She stormed back to the door and jerked it open as tears threatened to spill. “So don't worry about your emotional battle over me. I assure you I won't come around again without Braxton or Liam as a buffer.”

She slammed his door, feeling like a fool and hating herself for being so open and harsh with him. But damn it, the man was infuriating and she wanted to shake him. Then she wanted to kiss him.

And that was the crux of her problem. No matter how frustrating and hardheaded he was, no matter this guilt he kept wrapping himself in, Sophie still wanted to be the one to uncover all of those layers and help Zach heal.

Since when had she become a masochist?

Later that day, he'd left the binders on her porch and run away like a child afraid of getting caught. So what if her words had been dead-on? So what if she had him pegged in ways he hadn't even considered?

Sophie was his light. Whether he would ever admit the truth aloud or not, she was the light pulling him back into the world he'd so desperately wanted to escape. Concentrating on work, focusing on the grief and self-imprisonment had been his go-to since getting out.

Not long after he'd been released, his parents had passed, leaving him even more angry and bitter with the world. Yet Chelsea and Sophie continued on. Both women were important to his life, both women found ways to move past their individual hurt and continue to thrive.

Thrive. Zach sat on the floor in his utility room and fed the runt of the litter from a bottle as he had that afternoon. He honestly didn't know if there was ever a time in his life when he'd actually thrived.

As a child he'd been in a less-than-stellar environment, thrust into ugly, horrendous situations no child should ever endure. Once he came to the Monroes, the damage had been done, but they'd loved him anyway.

Then he'd gone and gotten all cocky when he'd finally confessed to himself that he had a thing for Sophie. He'd shown off at that party, and when Liam had argued Zach wasn't in any shape to drive, he'd wagered a bet that he was.

A damn bet. A bet that changed so much in so many lives, all because Zach's ego had taken center stage to common sense.

His cell vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it. There wasn't anybody he wanted to talk to, and he highly doubted this would be work-related on a Saturday night.

Focusing on the pups, Zach wondered who would want to adopt these little fur balls. Marcie had said they wouldn't be ready to go for several weeks. How the hell did Zach keep a houseful of dogs when he was trying to finalize his own renovating so he could put the place up for sale?

And he was definitely selling. No question about it. He'd done some of the initial number crunching, and there was no way he could move forward with the Sunset Lake property if he didn't sell this house first. He needed that chunk of money, plus a loan from the bank to fully dig into all of the updating that mansion needed.

Zach smiled. Despite this mess and the uncertainty that awaited him, he couldn't help but smile at Chelsea and her larger-than-life dream. She might have been spontaneous, but she never did anything halfway.

After Zach finished feeding the runt, he refilled the water bowls, let the mom outside to do her business, and put fresh newspaper down for the puppies . . . not that they were making use of it other than to shred it to pieces. But perhaps they'd get the hang of using it for their bodily deposits as opposed to leaving little surprises on the freshly tiled floor.

Zach's stomach growled and he realized he hadn't eaten since his early lunch. He'd been preoccupied with the dogs, his overly blatant neighbor, and then Sophie.

The dogs he would have to deal with until he could find them good homes. The neighbor . . . hadn't he pawned her off onto his trusted employee, Nathan?

And Sophie. Zach sighed. There was no easy answer when it came to her. Even thinking her name flooded him with a multitude of emotions.

Yes, he used the accident as a wedge to keep his distance, especially from her. Even if he could get beyond the fact that he'd altered her life, he couldn't give in to his selfish desires and tell her how he truly felt. The ugliness that lived in his past was a part of him. He came from parents who were full of evil, and no way would he ever risk passing that on to a child. And he had no doubt Sophie would want children. She'd be the perfect mother.

Zach rested his palms on the island in his kitchen and dropped his head. What the hell? How did his thoughts instantly go to Sophie and children? Yes, he'd wanted her for years and had briefly lost his mind and wanted to see if they could be more than friends, but with the accident, the prison, and life standing in his way, Zach had circled back around to the realization that she needed someone who wouldn't taint her life.

One day Sophie would meet a man who was worthy of her, they'd marry and start a family. And when that time came, Zach would have to leave Haven, because seeing Sophie with another man would absolutely kill him.

Seeing her around with Martin was bad enough, but Zach knew Sophie wasn't in love with him. She wouldn't have kissed Zach with so much passion if she loved another man.

“What the hell?”

Zach jerked around at Braxton's cursing and the slam of the side door in the utility room.

“Don't bother them. They're down for the night,” Zach called back. The last thing he wanted was for those puppies to be disturbed again, because last night had nearly done him in. They'd yipped and made noises all night. But he couldn't be angry, because they were too damn cute. Even when they yawned in his face, that sweet puppy breath got to him.

Zach turned, leaning back against the island as Braxton climbed over the gate in the doorway to the utility room. Braxton stood on the kitchen side, still staring back into the room and shaking his head.

“What the hell?” he repeated, jerking around to focus on Zach. “You starting a kennel or something?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I tried calling, but you didn't answer.” Braxton moved to the refrigerator and opened it to examine the contents.

So that had been the missed call.

“Looking for something?”

Braxton straightened with a pizza box in hand. “Yeah. You need to go to the store.”

Zach sighed. He might as well get this uncomfortable talk over with and move on, because Braxton was definitely going to be the easiest one to share the news with and now was as good a time as any.

“I'm selling the house.”

Braxton dropped the box on the island and stared at Zach. “What?”

“This house,” Zach clarified. “Not the Sunset Lake one.”

“Regardless, why?” Braxton flipped the lid on the box and surveyed the few remaining pieces. “Are you asking or just telling me? I assume you haven't told Liam or he would've called me.”

Zach pulled the pizza box away. “Forget this. We'll order a new one. There's not enough here for both of us.”

Braxton crossed his arms over his chest. “Then order it, so we can talk about this ridiculous idea of selling the house.”

“It's not ridiculous,” Zach muttered, pulling out his phone.

He hated the look on his brother's face, hated having this entire conversation, but Braxton would see this was the only option at this point.

Zach placed the order and made his way into the living room. He assumed Braxton would follow. After they ate, maybe they could finish that final bathroom project so the place could be put on the market. Not that Braxton was big on manual labor; he'd probably hate to get dirt on his expensive teacher pants, but Zach could always use an assistant.

Zach sank into his oversized leather chair as his brother stepped into the room and leaned against the door frame. “You want to tell me about the dogs or why you're suddenly selling our childhood home?”

Resting his hands on the thick arms of the chair, Zach shrugged. “Pizza will be here in forty-five minutes. I can cover both topics pretty fast. The dog was a stray in my bushes. I couldn't leave her, and the vet couldn't get here to help, so I brought her in last night and she delivered puppies. I'm looking for homes for them.”

Zach refused to shift in his chair under his brother's intense stare. The decision was made, for reasons beyond his control, and regardless of emotions or memories or anything else that might factor into Braxton and Liam's point of view, Zach wasn't giving in.

“As far as the house, I need the money to help with Chelsea's project.” When Braxton continued to stare, Zach shrugged. “That brings us up to date, and we still have forty-four minutes left if you have anything to add.”

Pushing off the door frame, Braxton moved farther into the room. “Yeah. I have a hell of a lot to say. First, good for you with the dogs. I guess you do have a heart when it counts.”

Standing by the fireplace Zach had just finished refacing, Braxton toyed with picture frames that had been their mother's. Zach had put them in a box when he'd added the new stone, but as soon as he was done he'd gotten them back out. His mother's treasures couldn't be kept in a box, even if one of the photos was of Zach in his cap and gown at graduation, looking like he was fake smiling for the camera . . . which he was.

“Second,” Braxton went on as he turned to fully focus on Zach, “did you already discuss this potential sale with Sophie?”

Zach jerked. “Sophie? Why would I ask her?” As if he needed another reason to contact her.

“If you put it up for sale, I assume you wouldn't use anybody else.”

Well, damn it. He hadn't thought of that. He hadn't gotten quite that far in his plans. Basically he knew he would need the funds from this house to pay for the other, and he had to get the bathroom completed in order to sell it.

Blowing out a breath, Zach laced his hands over his abdomen. “Yeah, I'll use Sophie. I wouldn't trust anyone else with this.”

“So you haven't called her.” Braxton rested his hands on his hips, his eyes moving around the room as if to take it in for the first time. “Did the taxes get paid?”

Zach nodded. “I took our money down to the courthouse and paid them yesterday morning. Another reason I'm eager to get this sold so I can have the funds for Chelsea's house. My savings account is nearly dry.”

“There's no other way?” Braxton asked. “What if Liam was one hundred percent on board with the project? He hoards nearly all of his money.”

Shaking his head, Zach replied, “I still don't see that we could do it the way it needs to be done. Though having him participate financially would be a definite plus.”

“When are you going to tell him about selling?”

Zach eyed his brother.

“Oh hell, no.” Braxton shook his head and laughed. “I'm not telling him. I'm not always going to be the buffer, and you're not a child.”

“Then I'll call him. I'm not waiting on him to breeze back into town, because I never know when that will be.”

Zach eased forward in his chair, a slight weight taken off his shoulders. One brother down, one to go.

“You took that better than I thought,” Zach stated.

Finally taking a seat on the couch, Braxton picked up the remote and clicked the television on. “I wasn't delusional. I never thought you'd live here forever. Hell, you lasted longer in Haven than I ever thought you would.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Flipping through the channels, Braxton propped his feet up on the coffee table. “I'm just saying you never acted like you wanted to be here. Then when Dad gave the business to you, I figured you'd work long enough to save money and go.”

Zach hated how dead-on Braxton was with the original plan. Zach had been a restless teen, a reckless teen, but he'd stuck around because of his parents, because of this family they'd brought together.

Even when Zach had gotten out of prison, he'd been dead set on getting the hell out of Haven, but he was good at construction, and his father's impeccable reputation had helped Zach land job after job, and now he was in demand.

“Where will you live?” Braxton asked, turning his attention from the television.

Yeah, that was the tricky part. There was going to be some maneuvering, and the timing on certain things had to be perfect.

“I figure I'm going to have to stay at Sunset Lake.”

Braxton busted out laughing, then sobered when he realized Zach wasn't smiling. “Stay at the house that doesn't even have electric right now?”

Zach didn't want to tell his brother he'd slept in worse places. He'd
lived
in worse places.

“I can throw down a sleeping bag. I'll be fine, and we'll all save money. Besides, who says this house will sell fast?”

“I just think you need to fully think this through,” Braxton told him. “You need to have a backup plan. I assume that will be my place. You might as well just stay with me anyway, instead of practically camping.”

Zach wanted to laugh now. Backup plans weren't part of his life. He had one plan and he fully executed it.

“I'm going to stay in the house if this one sells fast,” he repeated. “There's no reason I can't. Right now I can at least work on one bathroom and get it done fairly soon. I already had the water turned back on, but I may need to redo some of the pipes to the kitchen.”

Braxton opened his mouth just as the doorbell rang.

“Go ahead and pay for that, would ya?” Zach asked as he settled deeper into his seat and laced his hands behind his head. “I'm practically a poor, homeless man.”

Braxton flipped him the bird. Zach laughed until the puppies started yipping again.

Muttering a curse, Zach closed his eyes. “No, no, no. I should've thought of the doorbell.”

Braxton went to open the door. “Go care for your babies, honey. I'll make dinner.”

* * *

Nerves rolled through Sophie's stomach, but prolonging the inevitable would only make her anxiety skyrocket. She needed to get this over with.

Martin was on his way over. Nothing like squeezing in a breakup between a late business meeting and bedtime.

Sophie yawned as she stood by her floor-to-ceiling window and held her glass of Riesling. Not that she needed a cup of courage. She loved good wine, and if loosening her fear of confrontation was a by-product, then she wouldn't turn it down.