Chapter 2 #4
“Oh, hey, J Mac.” Lilly greets him now that he’s in the FaceTime frame. “Thanks for putting up with Ev so we can use the apartment. Our little sisters wasted no time taking over our rooms at home.”
Propping his chin on his hands, eyes dancing, he replies, “I mean, if I have to.”
“We’re bringing our Hawaiian friend who can’t get home for break. Cool?”
“Of course. The more the merrier. Right, babe?” He tilts his head toward me as he asks, his cheek on his folded hands.
My stomach flops. His eyes are crystal blue, perfectly framed by thick dark lashes and smiling at the corners—for me. My beautiful man. I’d agree to anything he wants.
“Of course. Can’t wait to see you, Lill.”
“Same. Okay, love birds, gotta jet and get my shit together. And Noah’s. And Seth’s.” She rolls her eyes, laughing. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” I call out as Julian curls his fingers at the screen.
As soon as I disconnect the call, Julian sits up, straddling my back, and begins massaging my shoulders, neck and biceps. It feels so good, I moan, my eyes rolling closed.
“Talk to me,” I say before I get distracted by his hands.
He drops a quick kiss on my cheek and rolls off me, reaching for our coffee mugs.
I sit up, crisscrossing my legs under me, and take one from him.
When he mirrors my posture, I smile to myself at how flexible this tower of a man is.
Facing me, he takes a sip of his coffee.
I do, too, and wait, watching him over the rim like he’s watching me.
Stretching his arm past me, he sets his down again on the nightstand, settles himself again and flattens his palms on my thighs, skimming up and down in short strokes.
“Spit it out, Julie. Who was on the phone? Taya? Did you call her?”
“I texted her. Just to check in.” When he doesn’t elaborate, my eyebrows raise, my lips curl inward. “Then she called me,” he adds.
I blink once, my eyes tracking back and forth between his, and silently wait.
“She’s coming home for break, too.”
I tilt my head and nod, kinda sassy-like because I already know this and it’s starting to piss me off a little that he’s pussyfooting around whatever it is he needs to tell me.
He exhales and drops his gaze from mine. “She doesn’t want to stay at her house.”
“Okay.” I drag the word out with an unspoken and after it.
“I thought I could offer her the apartment and ask you to stay with me. But . . .”
“Lilly and Noah are using it now.” I nod as I say it, and he nods along.
“What should we do?”
“Did you already offer her the apartment?”
“No, I suggested it as a possible option and said I’d talk to you about it.”
I’m nodding again and starting to feel like a wind-up doll.
“And she doesn’t want to stay at her house because of all the shit that went down.
” I say it out loud, but I’m more saying it to myself.
I get the triggers of places. I hate everything about Oak Valley now, the town I grew up in—except for my sister, Olivia, and her husband, Ryan.
The rest of it could vaporize for all I care.
Okay, maybe not Mrs. Franklin. And I guess Chase is okay now.
Fuck, enough with the morbid spiral. “What do we do?” I throw the same question back to him.
“I mean we have two spare bedrooms here. But that would be weird. Would that be too weird?”
“Truth? Yeah. Super fucking weird. But also, our lives are . . . kinda weird.” I shrug. “Or at least not typical. The way we met, got together, our pasts. Maybe we need to embrace the shit show for the sake of the greater good.”
His bark of laughter is my only response before he takes my mug and sets it on the nightstand next to his and sweeps me onto his lap, kissing me.
“God, I love you, sassy girl. Like really fucking love you. Sometimes, I think you must be a dream or a figment of my imagination. How’d a girl as perfect as you end up with a guy like me?
” He’s nuzzling his nose into my neck and the sensitive spot behind my ear now, making me lose my train of thought.
“Okay, okay. Stop distracting me.” I swat at his hands that are beginning to roam and push his shoulders back, wrapping my fingers around his nape.
Looking into the endless pools of his hooded gaze, I resist the urge to kiss him.
“What are we going to do with all these people? What if Allie and Ashley come?”
Taking one of my hands in his, he kisses my palm. “It’s going to get crowded, that’s what. Fuck it. We’ll feed everyone at Brew and it can be our own winter campout.”
If I don’t think too much about Taya being his ex, I find I’m excited to host and create a space where people can relax and come together.
A space I would’ve run to when I felt untethered.
That calms my system and gives me all the feels.
“Fuck it. Let’s do it.” I grin, showing all my teeth.
“Tell Taya. I’ll head over to the apartment and pack my shit, clean the place up. ”
“I’m coming with you. I’ll help. We’ll go to the store and pick up provisions for all our guests afterwards.” He stands, pulling me with him and wraps his arms around me. “I’m weirdly excited we’re doing this. Thanks for rolling with it.”
“I am, too, weirdly.” Resting my cheek against his pec, his heartbeat thudding softly against my ear, I admit, “I actually kinda like Taya, what I know about her so far. I low-key hope we can be friends.”
His arms squeeze me tighter. “My sweet Ever girl. I fucking love you.”
Tilting my head, I kiss the dimple at the corner of his mouth. “I fucking love you, too. Do you think we say that too much?”
Swatting my ass, he replies, “Do you? Wait, ask me if I care. Never mind. My answer is no. To both.”
I giggle. Perfect answer.
He adds, “Snagging two protein bars from the kitchen.” When I groan, he adds, “I’ll treat you to a killer lunch before we hit the store.”
“Deal.” I link my fingers with his and pull him through the bedroom door toward the stairs.