Star-Crossed(104)

“I’m gonna miss you,” Tino whispered in a broken, childlike voice, making it obvious he was crying harder than Romeo. “I hate this. This whole thing fucking blows.

Unfair.”

One of the things Romeo’d always loved about Tino was his ability to speak a truth no one else had the ability to give voice to, and this time was no different.

“It is unfair,” Romeo agreed. “We gotta ask God to deal us a new hand.”

“You think he listens to guys like us?”

Romeo sighed. “I sure hope so.”





* * * *





Jules had a headache that wouldn’t quit. It throbbed at her temples, and for some unexplained reason she couldn’t locate anything to help. She or Wyatt was always nursing some minor sporting injury, and they usually had a surplus of ibuprofen, especially since that had been Clay’s pain reliever of choice when he’d lived with them.

It appeared the drug fairy had visited and eaten every last one of them, because she couldn’t find a single bottle. Frustrated and stressed, she took a long shower instead, willing the hot water to wash away the horrors of the day.





269

She was still in the dark over Romeo’s injuries, but Clay had assured her they were more than survivable. Serious enough to take him out of the fight with Lipton, but nothing a seasoned MMA fighter couldn’t recover from. Somehow that didn’t make her feel better.

Clean and still bursting with nervous energy, Jules brushed her wet hair and then donned a thin, white nightgown. Not seeing Romeo was driving her crazy. She was kicking herself for overreacting and pushing him away before she could get real answers.

Damned hormones.

What if he was in trouble? What if he needed help? Had she mentioned to Romeo that one of her greatest strengths in life was her ability to stay collected in a crisis? If he needed someone who thought fast on their feet, Jules was his girl, but maybe he didn’t know that. Maybe he didn’t care.

Jules thought back on all the terrible things she’d said to him and bit her lip to fight a fresh surge of tears. All he’d wanted was to marry her, and what had she done to repay something that was actually very sweet and romantic if not rash to the point of insanity? She’d called him a criminal.

It was possible Jules overestimated her ability to keep cool in the face of adversity—she was coming apart at the seams.

Refusing to cry one more time today, Jules decided to use all her nervous energy for good. After doing the dishes and cleaning her own room, she ended up in her father’s old room. Most of the room was exactly as it’d been the day he’d died, all the way down to the sheets on the bed and the glass on the nightstand.

She dusted and kept it clean, but she knew after so many years it was something that needed to be changed. Out with the old; her daddy wouldn’t have wanted this. He wouldn’t have wanted Jules and Wyatt to grow old with only each other for company either.



270



She picked up the picture of her mother on his nightstand, studying the young, beautiful blonde in her prime. This woman was a stranger, but seeing her never failed to make Jules hurt. Not for herself—she’d done just fine—but for her father who had never stopped loving and missing her.

Like Wyatt, who’d never faltered in his loyalty to Tabitha, her father had lived most of his life devoid of a partner because she’d been snatched from him too early.

How unfair was that?

Jules looked up at the sound of wheels against the gravel in the driveway and placed the picture back on the nightstand, being careful to face it toward the bed the way she’d found it. She went to the curtains covering the sliding glass door to the balcony. The headlights helped to illuminate Romeo’s black Ferrari, and she opened the door and rushed out.

Jules leaned against the edge of the railing just as Romeo got out. He wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, but to Jules he looked amazing, especially considering the heart-stopping worry she’d been battling all day.

“Romeo!” she called out to him.

He paused and looked up, seeming stunned to see her there. He walked around the car, coming to stand under the balcony. It was a full moon, and the light of it illuminated his bemused smile as he said, “Hey, Juliet.”

“I’m coming down.”

Jules rushed back into her father’s room, leaving the glass door wide open, the curtains blowing in the breeze as she brushed past them. She sprinted down the long hallway and rushed down the stairs before she unlocked the front door.

Romeo was standing on the other side, and Jules leaped at him. He gasped but caught her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist.

She kissed him before they could discuss all the hurt, drowning out two horrible days of worry and heartache. It was the best way she knew how to soothe the painful wounds and remind herself why she’d fallen so hard for him to begin with.