Epilogue #2
“Are you sure he’s ready for that?”
“He’ll have questions, and I’ll answer them. It’ll be fine.”
“If you say so…”
“Are you scared of my three-year-old?”
“I’m only scared of not doing the right things for him.”
“Look at you, already starting to think like a parent.”
“Am I?”
“Uh-huh. It’s too soon for all of it. I know it is, but I so want to get on with the rest of my life, and since you’re going to be at the center of that life, I want the kids to be there with us. If that’s okay with you.”
“It’s more than okay.”
“You say that because you have no clue what you’re signing up for.”
“I know.”
“We’ll see…”
That was the last thing he heard until he was awakened suddenly by something landing on him and nearly knocking the wind out of him.
Theo…
“Wake up, Mommy.”
“Don’t want to.”
“Yes, Mommy. Why is Mr. Julian in your bed?”
“Because I like him.”
Julian held his breath, waiting to hear what Theo would say.
“I like him, too. Can I watch Paw Patrol?”
“Sure.”
“Mrs. V said I had to let you sleep, but I told her you’d want to see me.”
“You were right.” She hugged and kissed him until he squiggled free and left as quickly as he’d arrived.
They heard him tell Mrs. V that Mommy had a sleepover with Mr. Julian.
“Did she now?”
“Uh-huh. She likes him.”
“Mortifying,” Isla said, laughing.
The rest of their conversation was muffled after Mrs. V came to shut their door.
“My house has a basement with a bedroom, living room and bathroom that’d be perfect for Mrs. V,” Julian said. “We need to keep her.”
“Really?”
“Oh hell yes. She just bought us another hour in bed.” He rolled on top of her. “However should we spend our time?”
“Sleeping.”
He shook his head.
“Yes.”
Kissing her, he said, “No.”
“Wake me up when you’re done.”
The following Saturday night, Julian left his home in a rented Bentley driven by Ernie, who was petrified about somehow damaging the priceless vehicle.
“Why can’t we just take the G-Wagon?”
“Because. I want this night to be magical for my date, and there’s nothing magical about the G-Wagon.”
“You’re kinda gone over this gal, aren’t you?”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“You ought to know that everyone at the office is talking about it.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“I mean, when one of the world’s most confirmed bachelors falls flat on his face in love, it’s gonna make headlines.”
Julian had spent most of the past week dodging questions and comments from his brothers.
His dad had cornered him in the break room to ask what was going on with him lately.
Julian had bitten his tongue so he wouldn’t ask the same question of his father.
He still hadn’t told anyone what he’d seen in Santa Barbara, mostly because he didn’t want to deal with that when things were going so well in his own life.
He was under no illusions. Eventually, his parents’ rekindled relationship would come to light, and he’d handle it when he had to and not one minute before.
He’d simply told his father that he’d been extra busy, but all was well.
All was better than well, in fact. It was exceptional, extraordinary, life-changing and life-affirming at the same time.
Being determined to stay single and childless seemed like a long time ago now, when it’d been only a few weeks.
Julian could no longer imagine life without Isla, Theo and Mila—and even Mrs. V—in the middle of it.
He rushed through his workdays with newfound concentration so he could get everything done and get home to them as early as possible.
He’d had dinner with them three nights that week and had even helped with bedtime.
Theo had asked Julian to read to him, and he’d loved snuggling in bed with the little guy while he read him three books, which was one more than Isla usually allowed.
“He’s working you,” she’d said.
“It’s fine. I like being with him.”
They were getting attached to each other, and nothing had ever felt more natural to him, which of course had his brothers—and sisters—on fire with concern, commentary and questions that he mostly ignored.
The band had booked two more big gigs at Sunset Boulevard venues, and Caleb was fielding more interest than they’d ever received.
And tonight, he got to take Isla to her first-ever Hollywood premiere, to see a film about a woman she admired and a man who’d been in Julian’s life so long that he didn’t remember a time when he hadn’t known Flynn Godfrey.
That he’d grown up to be a global superstar still amused Julian, who’d played baseball and basketball with him and Hayden Roth back in the day. Now they were connected to several Academy Award-winning films, and they owned the hottest production company in town.
Hollywood was abuzz over Valiant, with billboards throughout the city and a huge marketing campaign already underway to promote Quantum’s most personal project yet—the story of Flynn’s amazing wife, Natalie, and how she’d fought back against the governor of Nebraska, a close friend of her father’s, who’d attacked and sexually assaulted her as a teenager.
She’d sacrificed everything to get justice, including her relationships with her parents and two younger sisters, both of whom were now back in her life. Her youngest sister, Olivia, played Natalie in the film and was already generating Oscar buzz for her star-making performance.
Ernie turned into the driveway at Isla’s home and put the Bentley in Park, exhaling a sigh of relief.
“Relax, will you? It’s insured.”
“It’s a Bentley.”
“It’s an insured Bentley.”
“Whatever you say, boss man.”
“Be right back.”
Julian was unprepared for the sight of Isla in a stunning red dress that put miles of creamy skin on display, with her hair in an elaborate updo and chandelier-style diamond earrings.
He could only stare at her while she stared right back at him.
“Mommy looks so pretty,” Theo said.
“She sure does,” Julian said in a gruff tone. “She’s gorgeous.”
She smoothed her hands over the long skirt. “In this old thing?”
“I’ve never seen anything or anyone more beautiful.”
“That’s surely not true.”
He hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “It’s absolutely true.”
“Oh my,” Mrs. V said when she came into the foyer, holding Mila. “Look at you two. You’re gorgeous.”
“Will you take a photo for us?” Julian asked her. “I want to remember this forever.”
“Of course.”
Mrs. V put Mila down and took Julian’s phone from him to take the picture of them and then another with each of them holding one of the kids. “I hope you two have a wonderful time. We’ll see you in the morning.”
He’d booked a room for them at the Beverly Hills Hotel to make a full night of their first, official, Hollywood date night.
Isla hugged and kissed her kids and then hugged Mrs. V. “Love you all.”
“Love you, too, Mommy, and you, too, Mr. Julian,” Theo said.
Julian leaned down to hug the little boy. “Aw, love you, buddy. Sleep tight.”
“Tomorrow, we go to the park,” Theo said.
“That sounds like fun,” Julian replied. “Will you show me around the park? I haven’t been in a long time.”
“You’re so silly, Mr. Julian.”
He ran off to play with Mila.
“Get while the getting is good,” Mrs. V said.
Julian picked up Isla’s overnight bag and put his hand on her lower back. “We’re going.”
Outside, she gasped when she saw the Bentley and Ernie in a black suit, standing by the back door and waiting to open it for them.
“Isla, this is my friend Ernie. Ernie, meet Isla.”
“Ma’am. You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Ernie. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Uh-oh.”
“It’s all good, except how you hate driving in Laurel Canyon.”
“I hate driving a Bentley in Laurel Canyon the most.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” Julian said, amused by him as always.
Isla was enchanted by every aspect of the premiere, from the red carpet that stretched through multiple blocks in the heart of Hollywood, not that far from where she’d lived as a child, to the celebrities she’d admired from afar, especially Natalie and Flynn Godfrey, who greeted Julian with a bro hug.
When Julian introduced him to Isla as Denny Clarkson’s younger sister, Flynn said it was nice to meet her and that Denny was an old friend.
She was so tongue-tied at meeting him and Natalie that she could barely squeak out a reply. “I so admire you,” she said to Natalie, who was resplendent in a slinky silver sequined gown.
“That’s so kind of you to say. My sister has done an incredible job of bringing my story to life on the screen. And my husband and his colleagues at Quantum did, too.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
She met director Hayden Roth and his wife, Addison, producer Kristian Bowen and his wife, Aileen, superstar Marlowe Sloane and her husband, Sebastian, and Flynn’s sister, Ellie, who worked for Quantum, and her husband, cinematographer Jasper Autry.
“You’re the divorce lawyer, right?” a feisty young woman with reddish hair asked Julian.
“That’s right.”
“You have no need for a divorce attorney,” the man with her said. “I’m Emmett Burke, Quantum general counsel, and this is my wife, Leah, who does not need a divorce attorney.”
“Not yet, anyway,” Leah said, poking the bear. “A girl can never be too prepared.”
Isla laughed at the couple’s banter and decided she’d love to be friends with Leah. “Call me.” Isla made a phone gesture with her hand. “I’ll hook you up.”
“Sounds good,” Leah said, grinning.
“That does not sound good,” Emmett said as his wife laughed at his outrage.
“I get that a lot,” Julian said. “Guys telling me to stay away from their wives and how they have no need of what I’m offering.”
“I bet there’s a lot of double meaning in that.”
“It’s because I’m a divorce attorney.”
“It’s because you’re hot and LA’s most eligible attorney.”
“Hush with that.”
Isla laughed as she took his arm to walk up the stairs to the Dolby Theatre, where the movie would be screened for a select audience a week before the general release.