Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Laurel
“I’m going to miss you girls so much.” I smiled at them over Facetime.
“We’ll miss you too, Mom,” Stella said.
“Why can’t you come with us?” Sara whined.
“Because I have to work and it’s a special day with your grandparents. I’ll see you tomorrow night. I want you three to be on your best behavior.”
“We will be,” Sophie said.
“I love you girls so much.” I blew them a kiss.
“We love you too, Mom,” they all spoke simultaneously.
After ending the call, I set my phone down and thought about Julian. I wasn’t sure if going to his house tonight was a good idea. Closing my eyes, my mind went to our Facetime call in his boxer briefs. The moment he answered, my eyes instantly diverted to the bulge that was impossible to ignore. Between that and his muscular body, I couldn’t help but take care of myself that night .
The opening of my office door jolted me back to the present.
“Do you have a second?” Parker asked.
“I do.” I smiled, folding my hands on my desk.
“We have a new case that I’m handing over to you. The clients would prefer a female attorney.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
He handed me the file. Opening it, I read it over.
“They believe a woman would be more sensitive and understanding,” he said. “Honestly, I’m a bit offended. But they are the clients, and they’re willing to pay whatever it takes. They’re coming in tomorrow morning at nine a.m.”
After finishing up some work, I left the office and ran some errands before heading to Julian’s house. I was a bit curious to see his home and where he lived. Was he a slob? Was he a neat freak? I’d find out soon enough.
As I strolled down the bustling sidewalk toward a store I had been eager to visit, my eyes wandered across the street. Suddenly, I halted abruptly, my heart beating as I spotted a striking familiar figure. The person, a man with a brisk stride and a distinct posture, turned sharply on his heels and disappeared into the crowd before I could fully process the encounter and vanished. Furrowing my brows, I shook my head. I was either really tired or losing my mind.
I pulled into Julian’s driveway and stared at the outside of his home while putting the car in park. It was big, modern, and I couldn’t wait to see the inside. Walking up to the porch, the door opened, and Julian stood there.
“Welcome to my humble home.” He grinned.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked.
“My security system. Come in.” He gestured.”
I stepped inside, and his scent instantly smacked me in the face. “Wow, your home is beautiful.” My eyes scanned the immaculate space.
“Thanks. Dinner will be ready soon. You didn’t have to bring wine.”
“I wanted to.” I followed him into the kitchen. “It smells good in here.”
“I hope you like surf and turf.” He smiled.
“I do. It’s one of my favorites.” I walked over to the sliding door and stared at the large pool with several lounge chairs.
“Nice pool. That was the one thing I wish my house had. When we lived in San Francisco, the girls loved to swim every day at the apartment pool.”
“You lived in an apartment?” he asked, opening the wine and pouring some into a glass.
“Yeah. I knew San Francisco wasn’t long term.”
“Is Los Angeles? Because you rented a house instead of buying one.”
“The home I want to buy will be my forever home, and I didn’t have the time to look for said forever home. So, I’m renting for now.”
He turned to the stove, and my eyes diverted to his perfectly sculpted ass in his docker pants. I swallowed hard as I tipped the glass to my lips.
“This house is really big for a bachelor. How many bedrooms?”
“Four bedrooms, five baths, thirty-six hundred square feet,” he replied. “It was in foreclosure when I bought it, so I got a great deal. So did Parker.”
“Where does he live?”
“Next door. And Roman lives down the street. The owner of this house also owned Parker’s. He’s our client and had to file bankruptcy when his business went under. ”
“Speaking of your brothers, tell me the story about your dad.”
“I already told you that he was cheating on all three of our mothers, and he impregnated them at the same time.” He set the food on the table. “Let’s eat.” He smiled.
“How was it growing up with three moms?” I asked.
“We got bullied a lot in school, but that all stopped when we beat the shit out of the kids who made fun of us.”
“I bet you three had a lot of suspensions.” I smiled.
“We did. But our moms always told us to stand up for ourselves. So, they weren’t too mad about it. What about you? How was your childhood?”
“It was great.” I cut into the filet. “I was born and raised in North Carolina.”
“Is that where you met—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have?—”
“No. It’s fine. Jason and I met at Duke when I was nineteen. I got pregnant with Stella when I was twenty and had her when I turned twenty-one.”
“Before or after you graduated from law school?”
“Two days after I graduated.” I smiled. “After I found out I was pregnant, Jason proposed, and we got married in a courthouse and had a small reception with family and friends. Then I got pregnant with the twins two months after having Stella.”
“That must have been a shock,” he said.
“A total shock, but even more shocking when we found out it was twins.”
“So, you worked as a lawyer in North Carolina?”
“Yeah. I worked for a small firm. After Jason passed, I needed my parents. So, that’s why I packed up and moved to San Francisco.”
“What does your father do?”
“He’s retired now. He was a financial analyst and invested wisely over the years, allowing him to retire at a young age. They’ve really been a huge help. If it weren’t for them, I’m not sure what I would have done.”
“May I ask how Jason died?”
“It was a kayaking accident. He and his best friend took an overnight trip. Kayaking was Jason’s passion. I begged him not to go because a bad storm was coming. He told me where they were going, it wasn’t supposed to rain. But the storm hit where they were, and it hit fast. Jason’s best friend, Brendan, was behind him in his kayak when both capsized. He made it to the surface, but Jason never did. They searched for his body for a couple of weeks and finally concluded that it was swept away in the current.”
“He wasn’t wearing a life jacket?”
“Brendan said Jason was, and he took it off for a minute to switch it out because the zipper had broken. But before he could reach for it and get it on, the storm came and—” I looked down.
“I’m sorry, Laurel. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No.” I smiled, shaking my head. “It’s fine. The girls and I are doing well and building a new life. It’s been two years, and they really miss him.”
“Of course they do. He was their father,” Julian said.
“Enough talk about Jason. We need to go over our case strategy,” I said.
“I agree. And we could have talked about it in the pool if you had brought a bathing suit.”
“I have one in the car.”
“You do?” His brow arched.
“I bought it after work because I told the girls I’d take them to the beach on Saturday, and I needed a new one.”
“Perfect. Go get it and put it on while I clean up the kitchen. We’ll bring the wine and enjoy the pool while we review the case.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. ”
“Okay. Then I’ll enjoy the pool while we go over the case, and you can sit in the lounge chair.” He grabbed the plates from the table and set them in the sink. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.”
I glanced out the sliding door at the pool, lit by the moon's light. I loved to swim, and his pool was inviting.
“Ugh. I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I mumbled as I went to my car and grabbed the bag with my new bikini in it.
Stepping into the bathroom off the kitchen, I heard Julian’s voice.
“Laurel?”
“In the bathroom changing,” I shouted.
“You changed your mind?” I heard his voice near the door.
“Yeah. I did.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you out there.”