Her eyes narrowed to near slits.
I took that as an invitation to continue, this time even louder. “Three months ago, when I left California—”
She abruptly stood and pulled off her gardening gloves. “Five minutes, Wes. I’m not kidding.”
I smiled, which only made her scowl deepen, and walked back onto her property.
Juliette gestured to the garage. “In there, so nosy ears don’t hear you.”
That was better than yelling from the curb, and I’d take what I could get. Inside the garage, she folded her arms across her chest.
“How are you?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “No small talk. Say whatever it is you came to say.”
I opened my mouth, but she held up a hand, stopping me. “Wait. I’m going to set a timer.”
“A timer?”
“I’m giving you five minutes. That’s it.” She pulled out her cell phone, swiped a few times, and brought up the big digital clock. After she pushed a red button, the seconds started to tick down. “Well, go ahead,” she said. “Time is ticking.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
“You better figure it out, because…” She lifted the phone and showed me the screen. “Tick, tick, tick.”
That stupid clock made me more nervous than I’d ever been as a cop. I tamped down what I felt, took a deep breath, and dove in. “I quit my job with the NYPD.”
Her face cracked, just the slightest bit. “Why?”
“Because you’d never trust a man who works for the police department, not with your father’s line of business.”
“Not that it matters, but how do I know you’re telling the truth? This could be you undercover again.”
I nodded. I didn’t blame her for being suspicious. Hell, if I were her, I wouldn’t believe me either. I took out my phone, scrolled toMom, and hit speaker, holding the phone between us.
It rang twice before my mother answered. “Sweetheart? I didn’t expect to hear from you this soon.”
“Hi, Ma. Quick question—why did I quit the NYPD?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll explain later. Can you just tell me why I quit?”
“You moved out to California to be near Juliette.”
Juliette’s eyes flicked between me and the phone.
“And why do I want to be near Juliette?”
“Because you’re crazy about her, and you picked a chance at true love over your career. I hate that you gave up a good job, but I’m proud of you for following your heart. It’s so romantic.”
I kept my eyes locked with Juliette’s. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I ended the call and spoke in a low voice. “I’ve spent every single day missing you since I left California, Juliette.”
Her face softened. Then she seemed to catch herself, and the angry mask she’d been wearing slid back into place as she cleared her throat. “Three minutes and counting.”
“I never got to apologize to you in person. I am so sorry for hurting you, Juliette. I never wanted that—not for a second. The truth is, you caught me completely off guard. Every day I fell for you a little more, and then suddenly it hit me all at once, and I didn’t know what to do about it. You might’ve come into my life as part of my job, but somewhere along the way, it stopped being about work. It stopped being about anything but you. You made everything else fade into the background and become unimportant. I wish I could take back the hurt. Every single word, every lie by omission. But all I can do now is tell you the truth. Every part of me longs for you, in a way I never knew was possible because I didn’t understand what love was before you walked into my life…”
I felt myself getting emotional, and my gut reaction was to try to push it down. But I couldn’t. It was too powerful. Tears spilled down my face and my voice broke. “I am so damn sorry, Juliette. And I will do anything and everything in my power to prove that you can trust me again. I’m here, and I’m staying.”
