Chapter Twenty-Six

· zach ·

“Every day from that moment on,” I confessed. My stomach plummeted, my heart palpitated. I almost imagined myself collapsing on the floor from a heart attack, yet as I looked into her chocolate-colored eyes, swirls of warmth surrounded me, and a weight lifted.

“Really?” Her voice squeaked out, tiny and wary.

I leaned my brow against hers and tugged her close. “I don’t want you to leave,” I whispered. “Don’t go to Boston.”

“Zach, we can’t keep this going.” She stepped back and stared, unblinking. “This is too much. I need to work. My home’s in Boston, my life—”

“Don’t freak out on me, Hilary. This doesn’t have to end,” I pleaded. “We can keep—”

“Keep what?” Her expression was panicked. My proclamation wasn’t taken with delight as I had hoped. “Keep hiding? Keep ignoring that this has gone way past fun territory and has crossed into extremely complicated? What would we be? Dating siblings? You said yourself, you’ll never be my boyfriend.”

I had no safety net to land on, but the overwhelming sensation raced through me, and I was ready to fall. She turned away, and I clasped her wrist, tugging her back to face me.

“I love you, Hilary.” My throat constricted as the words rushed out like a gust of wind. But relief filled me. My secret was out.

Her only reaction was a small smile. “I love you, too, Zach.” She patted my hand as if I were a schoolboy with a crush on his babysitter. My declaration was taken as a typical, everyday occurrence.

“No, you don’t get it.” I tugged her hand to mine, entwined our fingers together and gazed at her. “Hilary, I’m in love with you.” A gasp exited her mouth as if she had been sucker punched. My other hand gripped the base of her neck. “I’m in deep. I don’t want to lose you, lose this.”

Her hands pressed against my chest, and I spotted fear in her eyes. “We can’t.” She trembled as my lips hovered over hers. “We can’t do this. We always said we’d walk away.”

“I can’t walk away.” I took her inflexible lips to mine. She was already resisting. “I’ll talk to Evan. I’ll go to Rebecca and tell her everything.” I pressed my mouth to her pulse and felt it speed up. “I’ll make everything right. I promise.”

A hesitant smile played on her lips as her hands traveled over my torso and around my waist. “I don’t know what to think, this is…unexpected, Zach.”

“No, it’s not.” I pulled back to stare at her. “My whole life, I’ve waited to love someone, and you know that I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it. I love you, and that’s never gonna change.” She said nothing. My thumb trailed over her plump lips. She hadn’t said the words back. I hadn’t expected them. It was my confession to make, and as petrified as I was of rejection, I wanted her to say those three words and mean them only when and if she was ready. I wanted it to be authentic. “I wish I could have all of you. I wish I could know how much of me is inside your heart.”

“What?” Her voice trembled.

I closed my eyes and sighed. “You’re scared.” Before she could say more, I kissed her again. “Hey, I’m scared, too.” I wiped her tears with the pads of my thumbs. “But I want long-term. I can only see you in my future. And I know it seems crazy, and I know I haven’t done this before, and I’m sure I’ll mess up a lot, but let’s hold each other through this, kid. I’ve got you.”

“I don’t—”

“What the hell?” The door slammed open, and Evan’s strong grip pulled me off of Hilary in an instant. His two palms shoved at my chest, the force knocking me into the wall. “Are you sleeping with my sister?”

“Evan, cool it.” Hilary grabbed his biceps and tried to hold him back, but his hands reached over and clutched the fabric of my suit. He knocked me back against the wall, my breath leaving as I tried to find my defense.

“Answer the question, Zach. Are you fucking Hilary?” Evan’s venomous wrath burst at the seams, his face was red all the way to his ears. Our small group of friends spilled out of the door in a rush, and I stood motionless. I was immobile, like all those years ago when my mother shouted at me. This time was different, though. It was someone I respected. He grasped my suit tighter and knocked me against the wall again. “Answer me, Zach!”

“Evan, let him go.” Hilary attempted to budge him, but he shrugged her away. The sounds of clicks were in the distance, then scuffles and shouts from Josh telling someone to back off. My first thought was that this would end up in a tabloid. Second thought was I didn’t give a shit.

Evan’s hand gripped under my chin, fingers curled around my jaw, and he squeezed tight, my focus remaining on him. “Answer the fucking question,” he growled slowly between clenched teeth.

I swallowed and nodded once. He jerked me from the wall and punched. Pain shot over my eye like a vehement fire. His fist flew toward me again, this time on my jaw. I stumbled back but stood again. Shocked faces and cries echoed around us. I waited for the next blow. Josh, Dean, and Ben pulled Evan away, while Grace, Marla, Jaime, and Renee surrounded Hilary.

Evan shoved arms off of him and advanced. His eyes were menacing and dark. “You were supposed to be taking care of her, not screwing her. You were the one giving her hickeys, having fun with her, weren’t you? How long has this been going on?” My response was to freeze, like prey falling into the predator’s midst. Maybe if I pretended to die, he’d stop the attack. But that was unlikely. His voice boomed. “How long, asshole?”

“Thanksgiving,” I whooshed out in a despondent exhale.

Everyone around us gasped, while Evan’s hands curled into fists. He was ready to kill, and I’d let him. I deserved it. His response shifted from rage to grief. “I knew something was going on with you...but this? You hurt my family! You fucking lied to me.”

“It was me, Evan,” Hilary called out, trying to step between us. “I wanted this. Zach said no, he only wanted to help me. It was all me.”

Once again, his emotion switched to indignation as he glared at her. “What the hell is wrong with you, huh?” Veins popped out on his neck, and one stood in relief on his forehead as he shouted at his little sister. “You know he’s never been in a relationship, Hilary! He’s not the guy for you.”

“It’s not his fault,” Hilary argued back. Her attempt to defend my honor was sweet.

“You both are at fucking fault, but he should’ve left you alone. He should’ve had respect for our family, for you. How could you allow yourself to be his plaything?”

“It’s not like that!” she yelled. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand how you two could agree to do this behind everyone’s back!” He moved toward me again, and I made no effort to shield myself. Whatever he wanted to dole out, I would take. The guilt that had eaten away at me for months radiated through me, and I closed my eyes, waited for the beating. Instead, he stared at me, his eyes intense. He raised his fist as if he were ready to punch, but uncurled his index finger in my face. “You’re done. You’re fired.”

He walked away. I swallowed the large, dry lump in my throat and stumbled over my words. “Evan, wait. Let me explain…” How would I tell him that I was in love with his sister? I couldn’t find the proper words when everyone was staring at us.

His body stiffened, his back toward me, as everyone watched. He turned. “There’s nothing to explain. You have a week to buy my shares of the restaurant.”

I exhaled as dread prickled down my spine. He owned one-third of Roots. The investment he’d made was large, plus the loan he’d given. I couldn’t pay it back until the place was established. It would take years. I could barely get the money needed to run the place, let alone buy his shares within the week.

“Evan,” Josh spoke to Evan with his smooth voice, “what the hell are you doing?” Josh was part of the investment team, and if Evan retracted his endorsement, everything could fall. We needed Evan’s A-list clout.

Evan put his palm out to stop him from saying anything else. Panic bubbled in my chest. Evan glared at me again. “One week to buy my shares, Zach. My asking price is one-point-five million.”

“It’s not even worth that, Evan. Not yet.” Josh defended me, but I was convinced he was protecting his own investment.

“If Zach wants it, he buys it at that price,” he said derisively. “For anyone else, I’ll give it to them for three hundred thousand. Last I heard, the owner of the restaurant across the street is annoyed with the competition. I’m sure he could come up with the money for me.”

Hilary gasped and grabbed his forearm. “Evan, don’t do this.”

He shook her off. “You have a week, Zach. And I never want to fucking deal with you again.”

He stormed off, and the silence was painful. The looks of pity and disbelief among friends were overwhelming. They gradually made their way inside, reviewing what had happened. Luckily, most of the others were still eating and having a great time, ignorant of my shattered world. In the distance, I spotted Graham as he leaned against a wooden post with a smirk on his smug face. Ramming into him, taking out all my stress by treating him like a punching bag seemed like a great idea. But he didn’t give me a chance as he walked to the street, lifted his hand, and hailed a cab.

Hilary made her way to me. Her face glistened with spilled tears. “I’m sorry, Zach. I’m so sorry.” Her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. Her fingertips roved over my face, and I flinched from the pain. I kissed her forehead and wrapped my arm around her neck. I buried my nose in her hair, inhaled her sweet scent. If I had her, it would be okay. But I didn’t have her completely. Not yet.

“This was bound to happen—everyone finding out.” I kissed her temple and held her close. The furtive glances, the alibis, the secretive behavior were behind us. Being out in the open, the weight on my shoulders minimized, but only marginally. A new set of complications had surfaced—like how in the hell I was going to come up with Evan’s demand of a million and a half dollars. In a week.

“I should’ve never come here,” Hilary sniffled. Her hands were on my waist, but her grip weakened, and she let them drop. “I never thought he’d react that way.”

“I did.” I chuckled. “It’s okay, Hilary.”

“No. This whole thing was a mistake.” She was trembling, and I wanted to calm her down.

“No, it wasn’t.” I smoothed a stable hand over her head and down her neck. “I always said you were worth the risk.”

“At the expense of your future? Your career? No.” She choked back more tears. “I can’t be here. We can’t do this. You’ll resent me, Zach.”

If it were possible, I loved her more, but my heart was breaking at the same time. “I won’t. We talked through this.”

“You already risked too much. I’ll talk to Evan.”

My traitorous voice quaked. “I won’t lose you, though.” I took her hand in mine and pressed it flat over my heart. “Please, be brave. Stay here with me. We’ll work it out, as a team.”

“No.” She exhaled. “I’m sorry, Zach, no. I’m taking the job in Boston. You’ll stay here, run your restaurant, open others, and become a successful financier.” She darted her eyes over every surface but my face. Her body was tense as she backed further away as if she couldn’t stand to be around me. “I’ll set up my studio and continue to freelance where I can, and all will be as it should be.”

A hopeless sensation flowed through me. “Should be? How’s that? Alone?” I stuffed my hands into my pockets and shook my head. “I thought I was the coward, but look who’s running now.”

“What? I’m not running!”

“You’re wimping out on me.”

“Am not, Collins! I’m doing what’s best for you, what’s practical. I’m fixing it.”

I crossed the porch to stand toe-to-toe with her. She tilted her head back to look up at me. Her hands were on her hips as if it would make her taller. Even in her damn sexy stilettos, I loomed over her. “You’re retreating into your little bubble again, Hilary. You’re fucking terrified of what we have, you think it won’t work.”

“No, I’m being realistic.”

I caged her against the wall with my hands. Her chest was heaving, and it took all my strength to keep my eyes on hers, desperate for a response. She struggled for another excuse, but failed. She held back her declaration of love, the love I saw hidden under fright. I had constantly been apprehensive about Graham’s presence in her life, how she wasn’t over him, or how I’d never compare, but after tonight, I knew she had moved on. She wanted me. Why was she so terrified?

“Bullshit. Work with me here,” I implored. “At least try. I know I don’t deserve you, but I’ll work forever to be the man who eventually does.”

She resisted, and her hurt made my heart hurt. We were interrupted as the door opened. One of my waitresses whose name I couldn’t recall hesitated before speaking. “Zach, you’re needed in the kitchen. Isabella’s having a freakout.”

I gave a curt nod and listened to the door close. Hilary and I were alone again. Thunder and lightning were in the air, as if the weather had picked up on the energy and turmoil inside both of us. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Don’t leave me,” I pleaded once more and lifted my palm to her cheek. Instead of pressing into it as she had in the past, she twisted her face away from me.

“Isabella needs you, Zach.” I lowered my hands and stared down at her until her sharp eyes landed on mine. “Go.”

I’d been brokenhearted before. Not caused by women, but by my parents. As I walked away from her, I could say with one hundred percent certainty that this was worse. She’d said clearly that I wasn’t worth the fight. After everything I’d given up—the only family I’d ever known, my best friend, my career—I wasn’t worth it. However, that wouldn’t make me change a thing. My heart would belong to her for the rest of my life. I’d given it once, and I swore to myself right then, I’d never do it again…and I knew that would be a promise I’d never, ever break.