Chapter 35
I had plannedthis dinner meticulously over the last two months because that was how long I had the ring. I had no doubts that Julia would say yes to marrying me. We had been living together for one solid, blissful year, and the girls loved their new life. I was in love with my life, and Julia was happy. I just yearned to stake my claim on her, which meant marriage for me. From the first day I met her, I knew. And I finally understood whenever someone would tell me, ‘When you know, you know.’
We were in the midst of a heavy renovation of our home. We kept Julia’s house and decided to expand it. My first request? A man cave because I was officially in a girl’s house. Julia would tease me that I would forever be surrounded by women here because of my playboy past. I guess it was a form of payback, but I never told Julia I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I invited over family and Amelia when I popped the big question. Everyone knew this was the plan, and I thought I had mentally prepared myself for the moment. Still, my body vibrated with nerves and excitement. I couldn’t mess this up. The only hiccup? Our house was a disaster from all the renovations. I had exactly six hours to transform the dining room into an eatable space. Julia was in a pissy mood and took the day off from work, saying whatever she ate last night hadn’t agreed with her but reassured me that she’d be up for dinner. I told Julia I had arranged this meal to show everyone the progress and transformation the house underwent.
We added two more bedrooms and expanded our master suite, adding a balcony and fireplace. Julia told me it was too over the top, but I saw it as our romantic oasis. A pool house with all Lucite furniture per the girls’ request. All new masonry around the front yard. I was begging for a Koi pond, but Julia said absolutely not. Oh well. I couldn’t with them all. The next project to tackle was the basement, which would be my man cave, which was still unfinished after the flood over a year ago. And finally, the kitchen. I wanted a fantastic chef’s kitchen to cook my girls the best cuisines made from the freshest ingredients—a small perk for owning a supermarket.
The hammers and drills echoed throughout the house as I raced against the clock. I sweated profusely, darting from one corner of the dining room to another, trying to transform the chaos into an inviting space. But with every step I took, my mind wandered back to the ring hidden in my pocket.
I glanced at the room, still cluttered with tools and construction materials. Panic washed over me as I realized how far I had to go in transforming this space into a suitable setting for such an important moment. But I refused to let my doubts overshadow my determination.
With each passing minute, I pushed myself harder, working tirelessly to clear away the remnants of our ongoing project. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead as I moved like a wild caveman, rearranging furniture, hanging drapes, and setting up candles. Julia”s earlier moodiness added another layer of worry to my already chaotic state of mind. I hoped she wasn”t pushing herself too hard to appease my plans.
“Shit, Brett,” said Zoe from behind as I crouched under the dining room table, scrubbing away white dust.
“Language, Zoe!”
“Please. I’m thirteen.”
“Yeah? And I’m too old for this shit.” I stretched beyond my capability to retrieve an old rubber band or whatever the fuck this was, triggering a blinding cramp in my side. Groaning on the floor, clutching my side, there was no way I was going to be able to sit up straight later.
“Look who’s saying bad words now,” Zoe taunted.
“Are you going to just stand there or help me out?” I twisted around, taking Zoe’s athletic attire, nowhere near dinner-ready. “And when are you going to change for dinner?”
“We have, like, a few hours.” She stepped closer and crouched to my level. “Why don’t you just ask Mom now?” The girls knew the plan and surprisingly could keep the big secret.
I glanced up at Zoe, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my side. ”I want it to be special, you know? I want everything to be perfect.”
“Where is the ring?”
“In my pocket.”
“Can I see it?” Zoe popped her eyebrows.
“No, you cannot.” I reached for another dust bunny under the table. How much fucking filth could there be?
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t have a box. It’s loose in my pocket, and I’m convinced it’ll fly out of my hands. You’ll see it tonight.” I winked. “I promise.”
Zoe rolled her eyes playfully. ”Fine, keep your secrets. But I hope you know that Mom is going to say yes. She”s crazy in love with you, you know?”
A warm smile spread across my face as I thought about Julia. “I’m going up there. I think it’s time.”
Zoe and I exchanged nervous glances. She stayed under the table while I hoisted myself free.
“She has to say yes, right?” I brushed away all the white powder and debris clinging to my black joggers. I stood and shot Zoe a glance. I was going to do it. A sudden urge to pop the question that had been swirling in my head for the last year needed to be addressed. Proposing to Julia seemed perfect as I jammed my hand into my pocket, clinging to the ring. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Zoe nodded and smiled. She mouthed, ‘Good Luck.’ “I’ll be in the back with Sara. Let us know when we can come in.”
I nodded at Zoe, trying to calm my racing heart. I darted up the stairs with one last glance at the chaotic dining room. The sound of the shower echoed from our newly renovated master bathroom. I sauntered into the bathroom, pushing its door open. I found Julia leaning against the subway-tiled wall as the steam filled the air and warm jets of water danced across her golden skin. Her eyes stayed closed as the water pelted her face, and she ran her soapy hands through her thick brown hair. Streams of liquid ran off her body, dripping from her nipples, completely oblivious to my hungry stare. She was so fucking perfect.
“Hey, there,” I said before I bit my cheek. Smooth, Brett…not.
Julia”s eyes fluttered open at the sound of my voice, a soft smile spreading across her face as she registered my presence. Her glistening eyes met mine through the foggy mist, her skin glowing under the pale bathroom lights.
”Hey yourself,” she murmured, pushing wet strands away from her face. Her eyes caught mine with an intimate familiarity, making my pulse thrumming in my ears. She held my gaze as she stepped out from under the shower stream, droplets clinging to her bare skin, her body glistening.
I glanced around, a comfortable silence hanging in the air as I took in the beauty of her. My heart hummed a rhythm of adoration for this woman standing before me—strong, beautiful, and unguarded. She was the epitome of sheer vulnerability mixed with raw strength.
“How’s your stomach feeling?” I nodded to her flat abdomen, wishing I could trace my tongue down its center, not stopping until I reached the apex of her thighs.
“So much better.” Julia wiped the excess water spilling across her eyes. “That’ll teach me to eat supermarket sushi.” She winked because said sushi was from my supermarket.
I laughed, though. Nothing Julia said could make me turn sour. Not now, not ever. With my heart pounding and nerves on overdrive, I closed the space between us. Julia’s soft laughter faded as she studied my expression. She knew something was coming, but she didn’t know what.
Her brow furrowed as she stared at me. ”You okay?” Not missing a beat, she twisted the shower knob off and killed the water. Dribbles of water fell from the nozzle, tapping the white shower floor. She opened the glass door, and I beat her to the towel rack, wrapping Julia’s soaked body in a navy terry cloth towel and hugging her to my body.
”Yeah, I”m okay,” I whispered into her ear, my hands tightly wound around her. We stood there momentarily, absorbing each other’s warmth, our hearts speaking louder than words ever could. Pulling back slightly, I cupped her face and searched her eyes. ”Julia,” I began, the words cushioned in a gulp. My anxiousness was a thick fog over the significance of this moment.
To my utter surprise, she only nudged me gently in the ribs with a small smile playing on her lips. “Don’t tell me you’re proposing to me in your joggers while I’m only in a towel.” A playfulness in her eyes made me love her even more, if that was possible.
Julia didn’t kill the moment, but I wouldn’t do it this second. I needed to be one step ahead of her, just this one time. Instead, I twisted my face and slapped her toweled ass with my flat hand making her yelp. “Are you crazy? Go get ready for dinner.”
Julia laughed, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she pulled away from me, grabbing another towel from the rack to wrap over her wet hair. “All right, bossy.”
I watched as she sashayed out of the bathroom, her hips swaying, making my mouth dry. Listening to the closet doors slide open and shut, I waited, stuffing my hand into the pocket housing the ring. My fingers wrapped around the sharp rock, squeezing it like my life depended on it, and maybe it did. After a few more seconds, I couldn’t wait anymore. Searching the bathroom, I pushed Julia’s black hairbrush off the counter, the thud as it hit the tissue bin loud enough to raise concern.
“Shit! Jules, can you help me?” I dropped to one knee, pulled the ring out of my pocket, and extended it in front of me. And then I waited for my girl to return. And seconds later, she did. My heart pounded as I held the ring up, staring at my light.
”Brett, what the hell—” Julia”s voice stammered to a halt as she entered the bathroom doorway. Her towel-clad form froze at the sight of me down on one knee. She stood there momentarily, jaw dropped and eyes wide with shock, her wet hair dripping onto the tile. “You really are going to propose in your joggers and me in a towel.” The corner of her mouth curled, and I took it as my cue to go.
”Julia, from the moment I met you, my life changed. I can”t imagine my future without you by my side, and our love has taken on a whole new meaning. You were always enough. And your girls…our girls make the life we’re building complete.”
My head filled with the sound of my own heartbeat as I took a deep breath and continued. ”Julia,” I swallowed, my voice shaking, ”You are the most incredible woman I”ve ever met. You”re strong, you”re brave, you”re kind. Your love has made me a better man.”
Her wide eyes never left mine, and the silence in the bathroom was deafening. Holding my breath, I watched as her gaze flickered down to the ring before returning to mine. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she said nothing.
”You and your girls have shown me what family means. What love means... What happiness means,” I murmured, my voice quiet but steady now. ”And I want nothing more than to have that happiness for the rest of my life.”
Her lips trembled, a single tear slipping down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly with a shaky hand but stayed silent, watching me with those beautiful eyes.
”Julia,” I said again, even quieter this time, heart pounding in my throat as I waited for her answer. ”Will you marry me?”
She stood there for a moment, too shocked to utter a word. Then she let out an unsteady breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob. “Well, this was unexpected.” Her gravelly voice, fighting back tears, pierced the bathroom’s thick silence. “But it’s about time.” Julia half-laughed through the glassiest of eyes before dropping her towel-clad form onto her knees before me. “Yes. I will marry you, Brett.” And when the one tear slipped from her eye, she extended her hand to me so I could slip the ring on her finger.
And as I gently slipped the ring onto her finger, a comfortable silence settled over us. I leaned forward, kissing the lone tear off Julia’s cheek, and her eyes closed. I finally stood up, pulling her up with me. Her arms automatically went around my neck as we embraced each other tightly, the joy of the moment pulsing between us in an invisible bond. I buried my face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her freshly washed hair mixed with Julia”s pure and unique smell.
“I love you so much, Julia,” I whispered into her ear, my fingertips dancing along her clammy post-shower skin.
“I know you do.” Julia laughed, and I soon joined. She didn’t change; I hoped she’d never because she was mine, and I was hers…forever.
She leaned on her tiptoes, connecting our lips as we swayed to a silent melody.
“Should we tell the girls?” I asked.
“Our girls?” Julia’s eyes dazzled in the golden sun’s rays spilling through the window.
“Yes, our girls.” My chest tightened.
“Okay. Let me just get dressed first.” Julia widened the gap between us, but my hand didn’t let go of hers.
“Hey, Jules?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“You know that if I could, I’d adopt the girls in a heartbeat, right?” I swallowed, my throat clicking.
“I know you would.” Julia’s smile closed the gap between us. “But you’re already their dad, with or without the paper.” Her fingers tightened around mine. “I love you.”
“Is this what it feels like to have everything you ever wanted?” I gazed into Julia’s eyes, the ones I had fallen in love with from day one and the ones I’d get to love forever.
“No, it’s not.” Julia shook her head, grinning. “It’s just the beginning.”