Brock stepped closer. “She made it seem like I was doing you a favor. I thought I was saving you.”
“And you believed her?” Juliette asked, incredulous.
“I was eighteen, Jules.” Brock’s chin lifted and he set his jaw. “I didn’t know any better.”
“I can’t believe this.” She waved him away without a second thought, storming off through the sand to the shore, where the waves crashed and roiled. Distance beckoned her. Time pulledher. She needed to get away, to sort through her emotions before she said something she would regret.
Thick layers of clouds were rolling in from the southwest, bringing with them an onslaught of bitter cold. Already the temperature was dropping, plummeting as grim sunlight vanished behind the gray cloud bank. The threat of snow loomed, not so rare, but in the way weather could change in an instant, it was the same with Juliette’s heart.
“Jules.”
Brock followed her to the beach. The gusts of wind blasted them both, cold and strong enough to make Juliette stumble. Brock reached out for her, but she dodged his grasp. She wished she could throw herself into his arms, to kiss away the hurt, but she couldn’t. Not yet.
“You have to believe me,” he pleaded. “I was young. I thought?—”
She held up one hand. “I do believe you.”
“You do?”
“I just can’t understand why you didn’t even think of coming to me.” It would have been different if he had told her what Gigi was trying to do. Instead he let her mother ruin what they had, he let her control them, let her manipulate them. “Years, Brock. Think of all the years wewastedbecause of this.”
Pain lined the features of his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She crossed her arms and buried her chin in her coat. “I have to go.”
“Wait.” Brock stepped after her through the sand. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. Maybe California.” It certainly seemed like the best option now.
“What? Are you serious?” He grabbed at her arm, but moved just out of reach. “What’s in California?”
“A job, Brock. Gabi found me a job out there.”
“So, that’s it then? You’re just going to leave?”
Juliette didn’t answer, because she didn’t know. She wanted to stay. Of course she wanted to stay. She wanted to build a life with him and continue to nurture her relationship with her sisters. Maybe even her mother. But for now, her heart ached, and her mind was a cloud of confusion. Her thoughts drifted, images of the past filtering between glimpses of her present and dreams of her future. Right now, she needed time. Something Brock had willingly given her for thirteen years.
She turned and trudged through the sand back up the path from the beach house to her car.
“Juliette!”
The wind carried Brock’s voice to her, but she didn’t look back. There was only one person she wanted to see. One person she needed to confront.
Her mother.
CHAPTER 26
Brock couldn’t believe Juliette had left.
And he let her. He just let her walk away. There was no running after her, no chasing her down, no begging her not to leave. One minute she was there with him at the beach, within arm’s reach. And then she was gone. Like an epiphany he couldn’t quite grasp.
Cursing himself, he roughed a hand over his face. Damn, he was a total idiot. He never should have brought up the past. He shouldn’t have told her about the agreement with her mom. He should’ve just kept quiet. But, no, he had to be a good guy. He had to be honest. And now she was leaving. She was going to California, on the complete opposite coast. It might as well be on the other side of the world. No doubt Gabrielle would be there to help dry her tears. No doubt her brother-in-law, Jeremiah, would introduce her to some of his Marine buddies, all of whom would be more than willing to help mend her broken heart.
Brock’s fists clenched until his knuckles turned white and his nails bit into the coarse skin of his palms.
Annoyed with himself and tired of freezing on the beach, he decided to head back up to the house. There was plenty of work to do, all of which would be a welcome distraction. The flooringwas in, and one of the closets was full of lighting fixtures just waiting to be hung. Slabs of marble countertops were waiting to be set and the new stainless steel appliances for the kitchen were on the way.
Partially to keep himself busy, but mostly to keep his mind off Juliette, he set to work on installing the cabinets first. It seemed to be a useless task now, considering there was no way he’d be able to manage this place as a wedding venue without her help.
