54. Jules
CHAPTER 54
Jules
“Look!” Halmeoni points ahead, leading Mom and Colby toward a stunning view of the distant temple. We’re walking through this beautiful garden just outside Seoul, the soft wind carrying the scent of flowers and pine.
Eomma and Halmeoni chat away up ahead, their voices mingling with the rustle of leaves. Colby’s trailing behind, his camera snapping away like he’s on assignment, and I know the little drone in his backpack will make an appearance soon enough.
The backdrop is breathtaking—blue mountains rolling into a gold and green horizon, the temple standing proud and serene against it, like something out of a watercolor painting.
Dad lingers back as we walk, me tucked under his arm, his steady presence grounding me like it always does. He motions at a bench, and he nudges me gently. “Let’s take a selfie here.”
“Okay,” I agree, settling in next to him, the perfect view behind us.
Camera in place, we pose, snapping one sentimental shot and then one goofy one—eyes crossed, tongues sticking out. Laughter bubbles up between us, filling the space with a warmth only moments like this can create.
As Halmeoni snaps close-ups of flowers for her Instagram wall and Mom and Colby grab snacks from a cart, Dad and I fall into easy conversation. We cover everything under the sun—the food, the weather, how Halmeoni and Eomma can never agree on where to eat. Nothing is off the table.
Well, everything except the elephant in the room.
Brian .
Finally, Dad shifts, resting his hands on his lap, the way he always does when a serious talk is coming.
“Do you still love him?” he asks, his voice soft but probing.
I sigh, the question stirring up knots in my stomach and a flurry of butterflies in my chest. “Yes,” I admit. No hesitation because it’s the truth.
“Have you talked?”
My hands twist together in my lap. “No.”
“You know all that was malarky. What the press said about Sydney Sun.”
“I know,” I say softly. “Colby told me it was Angi. And I know Brian had to do what he did. Colby would probably be rotting in a military jail if Brian hadn’t stepped in.”
Dad looks at me, his brow furrowing. “Then, why not?”
I sigh, feeling the weight of everything unspoken. “Why not? A million reasons...and none at all.” My throat tightens. “I’m always going to be scared. All those years ago, one photo—me, vulnerable—he took it. And ripped the rug from under my world when he did. Yes, it was a long time ago, but I’ll always have that sliver of doubt.” That and he dated Angi...though I don’t bring it up. “Isn’t that why you’ve hated him?”
He shakes his head slowly, a frown pulling at his lips. “I never hated Brian. I just...” Dad claps his hands on his lap, like he’s about to rip off a Band-Aid. “Brian never dated Angi.”
Confused, I blink. “What?”
“He never dated Angi. I hired him to watch her,” Dad explains, his eyes locked on mine. “To keep her from getting too crazy. To keep you safe and shielded. I mean, the two of you in the same school and the same grade presented me with the equivalent of dad hell.”
“He never dated Angi?” I still can’t wrap my head around it. “So he was, what? Her babysitter?”
Dad blows out a long, exaggerated breath. “Yes.”
I think back to every memory of Brian chasing after Angi, and I can’t help but smile. For all the time we spent together—them together, me the third wheel—I never actually saw them kiss. Not once.
In fact, every time she tried, his exact words were, “Get off me.” I laugh out loud. I just thought he hated PDA. The time she full-on attacked him at the bleachers and he fell backward? Priceless.
I’m still grinning when I notice Dad’s little brow twitch—his tell when he’s holding something back. Worst poker face ever. I give him a playful nudge. “What else?”
He takes a deep breath. “Brian never took that photo of you, Jules. Angi did.”
It feels like the air’s been sucked from my lungs. I stare at him, trying to process the words. “Dad! I’ve blamed him all these years. ”
“I know,” he says helplessly.
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Because I made him swear he wouldn’t,” Dad says, his voice thick with regret. “I didn’t want you hating Angi. And Brian was about to deploy...” He blows out a long breath, the weight of it sagging his shoulders. “I was just trying to protect both my girls. The only way I knew how.”
His words slowly sink in, and before I can stop myself, I pull him into a tight hug. And then I let go. Of him. Of all of it.
The flood of emotions hits me all at once—shock, anger, relief, guilt. Brian, my husband, has been looking out for me, for us —all of us—for so long. How could I have been so blind? How could I not have known?
My throat tightens, and for a moment, I can’t find the words.
Then, it all comes rushing to the surface. “I need to call him,” I finally say, standing up, already reaching for my phone.
“First,” Dad says, gently stopping me. “Bring up your food.”
“I think you mean feed .”
“Yeah, that. You promised me you’d post the shot of us and show me all the pictures you’ve taken.”
“Now?”
“You’ve kept the man waiting all this time, Jules. Another sixty seconds won’t kill him.”
“You don’t know that,” I tease, fishing out my phone.
My finger hovers, itching to dial, but I pause. Dad did just travel halfway across the world, battling jet lag like a champ. So, I nod and pull up my gallery .
I sit back down, showing him every shot I’ve taken since arriving in Korea—temples, street markets, the bustling crowds of Seoul. He studies each one carefully, a proud smile on his face.
Then I post the one of us with the hashtag # DaddysLittleGirl .
Dad pauses, squinting at it. “ Blech , some wild Sasquatch photobombed us. You’ll have to do it again.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Right. Like I’d be lucky enough to capture a Yeti in Korea. Which, if I do, will definitely get me a bazillion followers.”
With a smirk, I zoom in.
And there he is. In the background, blurry but unmistakable.
Bigfoot.
Aka Brian.
My heart leaps into my throat because he’s in another shot. And another. I swipe through, and there he is again. And again. I keep expanding the shots, and he is everywhere .
He’s been here the whole time. I mean . . .
The.
Whole.
Time?
What in the world?
I whip around, only to find the lumberjack of my fantasies walking straight toward me. Broad shoulders strain against a fitted tee, dark hair tousled by the wind, and those eyes, intense and focused are locked right on me.
And I absolutely die.
Dad pats me on the back, his silent gesture of approval and a subtle you’ve got this. He and Brian exchange a quick handshake before he walks off and Brian steps forward.
His movements are slow, cautious, like he’s walking on razor-thin ice. He’s nervous. And with every step that brings him closer, the tension in my stomach twists, winding tighter like a spring ready to snap. And suddenly, I’m nervous, too.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi,” I reply, barely breathing.
The air swirls with electricity, wrapping around us, knotting us closer. I lick my dry lips. “How did you know everywhere I’d be?”
“Your social media manager isn’t exactly a vault.”
And when he smiles, I smile.
And then, I’m on him. All my restraint snaps like a rubber band. The flood of everything I’ve been holding back rushes through me, and I full-on leap into his arms, kissing him like crazy.
He kisses me back with a force that feels like it could rewrite the stars, shift the tides, and set the universe on absolute fire.
His hands grip me tight, like he’s terrified I’ll vanish if he lets go. For a long time, there’s nothing but us, kissing like no one and nothing else exists.
Which they do.
And since we can’t keep our hands off each other, and there’s a very real chance of us getting arrested for public indecency by the Korean police, we head for my place.
Seriously, the last thing Brian needs is another mug shot.
We race to my tiny apartment, stumbling through the door, barely making it inside before our bodies crash together again, desperate and frantic .
Clothes hit the floor, and then it’s nothing but skin against skin, quick, heated, and everything I need.
I’m so unbelievably wet that when he spreads my legs, lines himself up, he’s in to the hilt before I can even blink. I gasp.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he breathes, gruff and deep.
And I’ve missed him, too.
He moves with hard, desperate thrusts, like he’s trying to make up for all the time we’ve lost, until every wall in the room feels like it’s rattling.
It’s like we’ve been apart for two eternities, and when we finally come together, it’s a wild, earth-shattering explosion of everything we’ve held back—two galaxies colliding in a brilliant blaze of heat and light...and love.
Afterward, we collapse in a tangle of limbs, our bodies panting, slick with sweat. Brian lies beside me, a satisfied grin tugging at his lips. He rolls onto his side, his fingers lazily tracing over my bare skin.
“You’ll pay for putting me through hell,” he says, voice low and teasing.
“Gladly,” I pant, breathless. “Though, in my defense, I thought with that speech you made, you were totally gaga for Sydney Sun.”
“I was.”
“What?”
“Still am,” he says, flashing that grin, as if his bold statement didn’t just crack my heart wide open.
His hands cradle my face, his deep ocean-blue eyes locking with mine, pulling me in like they always do. “I knew you were Sydney Sun all along, Jules.”
I blink, confused. “What? ”
“From that very first shot of you. As if Taylor’s enormous sunglasses could ever hide those full lips or that adorable little scar,” he says, his thumb brushing lightly over the scar on my chin.
“You know my scar?”
“The one you got when you tested out your Wonder Woman cape by jumping from a tree? As if I could forget.”
My mouth falls open. “You knew?”
“Knew?” His smile brushes against mine, teasing and familiar. “That it was you in the coffee shop? Like I wouldn’t know your smile. Your hands. Your scent.” He breathes me in, and I feel it everywhere. His kisses trail up my neck before his teeth graze my ear. “And you weren’t exactly invisible ducking under your desk.”
I bury my face in his shoulder, giggling. “You really knew. The whole time.”
“The whole time,” he murmurs, his voice low and soft, every word sinking into my soul. With a tenderness that unravels me, he slips the ring back onto my finger and presses a kiss to it. “It’s you, Jules. It’s always been you.”
Tears prick my eyes as I stare at him, my heart swelling with so much love it hurts.
“Now, tell me you’re mine, wife , and let the punishment begin.”
“I’m yours,” I whisper against his lips. “Always and forever yours.”