54. Chapter Forty-Four #2
Her parents have continued to donate funds to The Prince Foundation, and I think Julian believes it’s his obligation to ensure no other kids pick on their daughter.
He’s already been speaking with scouts and schools to keep an eye on her.
It’s his way of saying thank you when the words don’t seem like they’re enough.
Pulling into the long driveway, my eyes latch onto the beautiful scenery. I’ll never get used to it—this new life I’ve stepped into. It’s like a part of me is finally complete after so long of feeling like I was missing something.
Julian Havord had been my missing piece all along.
The trees finally break, revealing the white Victorian-styled home sitting on vast open land. I roll down my window, letting the breeze through.
I look over at Julian through my whirling hair to find him already watching me with a soft smile on his face. We may not have said those three little words yet, but I feel them every time I’m with him. I feel them even when I’m not.
Ten minutes later, we’re stepping into the house and the orange cat named Pickles charges toward Julian to rub his face on his calves. He bends to scratch the top of his head, eliciting a purr and I swear to god, the moment the cat looks at me, it hisses. Who needs a guard dog with a cat like that?
“Abby?” Julian calls out, walking deeper into the house.
“In here!” she yells back.
Sensing my tension, Julian places his hand in mine and kisses the top of my head before leading me to the sound of soft chatter coming from the living room.
My tension immediately eases at the sight of Abigail, Lily, and a brunette woman in the middle of a very intense game of twister.
Michael and a rugged looking, but gorgeous blond-haired man watch them with amusement and laughter bubbling in their eyes.
“Willow—left foot green,” Michael instructs.
As she reaches for the circle, she utters a string of curse words. Lily laughs loudly at her struggle, causing her to come crashing down and knocking down both women.
Oliver helps Willow off the floor and smooths her wild hair down with a chuckle. Whatever he says has her wrinkling her nose playfully at him. He kisses it, a soft look on his face.
“Uncle Julian and Andrea!” Lily cheers, barreling toward us at full speed. Her arms wrap around both of us in a quick hug before backing up to immediately bounce on her toes energetically. “Do you guys want to play?”
“No,” Julian says easily, and I try not to grin.
“I’ll play later,” I tell her, and this must be good enough for her because she’s sauntering over to the living area, reaching into a bowl of—
“That’s enough candy, Lily Rae,” Abigail scolds lightly. “Any more and you’ll start bouncing off the walls.” She walks over to give us each a hug. “I’m happy you could visit.”
Willow approaches, Oliver a step behind her.
“You must be another secret Lily was keeping,” Oliver quips, staring at me with sharp green eyes.
“Secret?” I ask, confused.
“Ignore him. Oliver has no manners.” Willow says, hitting him playfully on the chest.
“Apologies,” he says, extending his hand to shake mine, amusement still apparent in his eyes. “I’m Oliver.”
“Hello, I’m Andrea.”
“And I’m Willow.” She pulls me into a hug, squeezing me tight. Fuck, why is she so pretty? She has those dreamy brown doe-eyes for crying out loud.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I’ve heard a lot about you and Oliver.
It’s really nice to meet you both.” When I say it out loud, I realize it’s the truth.
Maybe my instinct was that I’d hate it and not like her because I’d be insecure, but that’s not the case.
I am secure in my relationship with Julian.
It’s a surprising revelation, but a welcomed one.
“Well, it is very nice to meet you. I can’t wait to hear more about you.” The pure look of excitement on her face tells me that she’s being genuine, and it has all of my defenses crumbling.
“A glass of wine and I’m an open book,” I joke.
She laughs. “Lucky for us we’re in the perfect place.”
Julian tugs me to his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before telling Willow, “A glass of wine is what got us here in the first place.”
“It’s a long story,” I say with a laugh.
Warmth radiates from her in waves as she looks between us. “ I happen to love stories.”
It’s three hours later when we’re all sitting around a bonfire in the backyard and tipsy on wine that Julian and I’s story comes pouring out of us. Everyone listens in mere fascination as we recount the events that led us up to this one. The moral of the story is that it was always real.
Willow finds it more romantic than the others.
Oliver wipes away her tears like they personally offend him.
Abigail threw a marshmallow at Julian’s head and called him a coward for not asking me out straight away.
Michael asked to see the contract—the one now framed on the wall in Julian’s apartment.
“I love how things happened,” I assure them, looking over my shoulder at Julian from where I sit on his lap. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“No?” he asks, lifting a brow.
I shake my head. “It’s all perfect.”
There’s a big flash of light that pulls our attention to find a grimacing Willow holding a Polaroid camera that’s aimed at us. “Sorry, was that weird?”
“Yes,” Oliver answers, taking a sip of his wine.
“You’re fine,” Michael tells her encouragingly.
Willow huffs as the photo prints. “You’ll both thank me later when you’re eighty and flipping through a photo album to convince the grandkids you were young once too.”
I share an amused look with Julian as she brings it over to us. Taking the photo in his hand, we both stare at it. My heart flutters in my chest at the way we’re looking at each other.
Willow’s words echo back to me. When you’re eighty .
She said it so confidently like she knows we’ll be together.
When Willow moves to sit back in her seat, Oliver loops an arm around her waist and tugs her onto his lap.
I glance back at Julian to find the softest look on his face. “It’s a funny feeling to realize you’re standing in a memory,” he says.
“A wonderful thing, isn’t it, honey?” I whisper.