CHAPTER THIRTY #2
He was dressed for dinner at the main house, wearing black slacks and a long-sleeved, dark green button-down shirt. His hair was styled, and he looked very handsome.
She’d gotten ready first, then sat down to nurse TJ while Julian got ready. Hopefully, this feeding would hold the baby over for a while so that she didn’t have to nurse him again as soon as they arrived.
“Yes. I think he’s done for now.”
Julian came over to where she sat and bent to take the baby from her. “Does he need to burp?”
“I burped him already, so he should be okay.”
As she got to her feet, Julian smiled. “You look beautiful. Very festive.”
Heat crept into Kiara’s cheeks. “Thank you. You’re as handsome as ever. Our outfits go well together.”
She’d chosen a red satin blouse with long full sleeves that had cuffs at the wrist and a bow at the neck. The bodice was fitted and flared out over the straight black skirt she wore.
As Julian put TJ in his car seat, Kiara pulled on her heeled boots. The diaper bag was fully stocked, sitting on the counter. Once they had their coats on, they transferred everything to the UTV in the garage, then Julian helped Kiara into her seat before sliding behind the wheel.
“Did I tell you that I’ve settled on a car?” Julian asked.
“Really?” They’d talked about getting a vehicle now that Julian was spending more time at the estate. He wanted his own set of wheels.
“When we get home later, I’ll show you the pictures and tell you more about it.”
He’d asked her opinion, but since she knew nothing about cars, she’d deferred to him. Kiara was sure that he’d pick the best vehicle for their family.
As usual, when they arrived at the house, TJ was quickly claimed by someone. Duncan was a little slow that day, so he lost out to Annie.
Julian took Kiara’s hand as they followed the others to the living room. Everyone was there that night except for Benji, who wouldn’t be home until the next week.
Kiara hoped that his heart was healing from the breakup with Amelia. She’d met the girl a couple of times when she’d come to see Annie, who helped design and sew her skating costumes.
Amelia had come across as sweet, if a little reserved. Kiara admired her for going after such a lofty goal as the Olympics, even at the cost of her own heartbreak.
Julian led Kiara to the loveseat and sat down beside her, still holding her hand.
When Kiara glanced at Angie, she was beaming at her. They’d talked about what was happening between Kiara and Julian, and Angie was completely on board with it, so happy that her sister had also found happiness in her life.
And even though Julian hadn’t yet told her he loved her, it was clear that he cared for her, and that was enough for Kiara. She prayed each night that their relationship would always be a positive thing and would be honoring to God. She hoped that Julian wanted the same thing.
Angie had shared about how she and Jude read the Bible and prayed together each day. That wasn’t something that she and Julian had done, but maybe that would come as they both continued to grow in their faith.
“Dinner is served,” Mrs. Stevens announced.
It smelled like they were having roast beef, which Kiara was thrilled about. It was one of her favorite meals.
Once they were standing, Julian offered her his arm. They were the last to leave the living room, while Annie walked ahead of them with Cole, still holding TJ.
“When you get tired of holding him, Annie, just hand him back,” Kiara said.
“I’ll never get tired of him,” Annie told her. “And I’m looking forward to seeing how well Cole does in preparing my plate tonight. We’ll see if he’s learned anything from Julian.”
As they walked into the formal dining room, Kiara’s eyes widened and her steps slowed. The room had previously been decorated for Christmas, but all those decorations had been removed and replaced with different ones.
The room had been turned into a whimsical wonderland with cream-colored glittery tulle intertwined with gold ribbon draped around the windows and other surfaces. The decor on the table carried on the cream and gold-colored theme.
There was a beautiful floral arrangement made of red and cream roses with lots of greenery. Warm-toned fairy lights were woven throughout all the greenery in the room.
It was all so beautiful. And confusing. Until her gaze landed on a pile of presents stacked on a small table set under the window. Was this for her…?
When she looked up at Julian, he smiled at her. “Surprise!”
Everyone joined in with Julian, and Kiara was overwhelmed. She immediately started crying as she realized that these people thought enough of her to not just plan a simple birthday dinner. They’d gone to the trouble of decorating the room, buying her presents, and surprising her.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Julian wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“They're good tears,” Kiara heard Angie say. “She’s just a little overwhelmed.”
“And my hormones are still in an uproar,” Kiara said with a sniff. “Not fair!”
Julian chuckled. “Sorry, my love. I should have taken that into account.”
“It’s fine.” She looked up at him from within the circle of his arms. “In fact, it’s perfect. Thank you.”
Julian ushered her around the table to her chair. Once everyone was seated, Jude was the one to say grace before they ate, including thanking God for Kiara.
“Oh, it is roast beef,” Kiara said as the dishes of food were brought to the table. “It’s my favorite.”
“That’s why it’s on the table,” Angie said. “These are all your favorites.”
So much time and attention had gone into this meal, and Kiara was struggling to grasp it all. Angie had always tried to make her birthday special, just like Kiara had tried to do the same for Angie. However, they’d always been constrained by their budget.
There had definitely been no elaborate decorations. Nor had there been roast beef dinners. And the pile of gifts had usually been a pile of one.
This was just so much, and Kiara refused to take it for granted. She had a man who cared for her, a healthy baby, and a brand-new family. Even without the meal and the presents, this would be the best birthday she’d ever had.
Following the meal of roast beef and all the fixings, Mrs. Stevens brought in a beautifully decorated cake with several candles on it.
There weren’t enough to represent every year of her life, but there were enough to make them a challenge to blow out.
It was a rich chocolate cake with a silky buttercream frosting. So decadent.
Then came the gifts. Kiara needed nothing, but still the gifts were things that she loved and which spoke of the family’s love for her.
Elizabeth and Duncan had given her a matching set of diamond earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. She’d never had anything so beautiful and expensive.
Annie and Cole gave her an ankle length, black woolen cape with fur trim. She never would have bought it for herself, but it really appealed to her sense of romance, for some reason.
Angie and Jude’s gift to her was a gorgeous copy of her favorite book, which was Anne of Green Gables. This book had painted page edges and a gilded cover. It was a far, far cry from the worn paperback she’d read as a girl.
“Thank you so much, everyone,” Kiara said when the table was empty of gifts. “I don’t have the words to describe what this means to me. This has already been a wonderful year, but now I can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned for me in the year ahead.”
“You actually have one more gift,” Angie said.
“What?” Kiara glanced around. “I absolutely don’t need anything more. You were all more than generous.”
“Don’t you want a gift from your husband?” she asked.
She hadn’t even realized that she hadn’t opened anything from Julian. He’d already given her so much that she didn’t need or expect an actual gift from him.
Julian pushed his chair back from the table, then bent down on one knee beside her. Kiara frowned, confused by what was happening. If they hadn’t already been married, she might have thought he was proposing.
“When we got engaged,” Julian began, “it wasn’t the most romantic moment. In fact, it wasn’t romantic at all. Now that we’ve decided to make a go of our marriage, I don’t want you to have missed out on the romance of a proposal. As well as receiving an engagement ring.”
Kiara stared at him in shock as he pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring.
“I’m not going to ask you to marry me because we’ve already passed that point,” Julian said as he reached for her hand.
“But what I do want to do at this moment, as I give you this ring, is to pledge my love to you. I love you, Kiara, and I want you to know that I am so thankful to God that you are my wife.”
He loved her? Tears came to her eyes again. So maybe there was one gift he could give her, and he had.
“I love you too, Julian.” The relief she felt at finally being able to say those words to him was immense. “And I couldn’t ask for a better husband or a better father for TJ.”
He slid the ring on her finger, then leaned forward and gently cupped her face as he kissed her.
They’d kissed twice before. Once at their wedding, and once the night he’d come home, but this one lingered just a little longer and was filled with emotion and promise.
“You and me forever, my love,” Julian murmured.
Forever…
At one time in her life, forever hadn’t felt like a positive thing because she and Angie had been stuck in a situation that wasn’t very good. Now, though, forever was a promise she wanted and embraced with all her heart.