Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Julian stared out the passenger-side window, lost in a sea of memories he so wished he could erase from his mental hard drive.
The news of his parents’ reconciliation had opened the door to things he hadn’t thought about in years and would prefer to never think about again.
He deeply resented them asking for an audience with the children they’d thoroughly traumatized.
“Hey,” Isla said softly. “Are you okay?”
He’d totally checked out on her, which wasn’t fair. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t be. Of course this has knocked the wind out of you.”
“I fucking hate them right now. Like, how dare they have the nerve to think we owe them five minutes of our time on this of all topics?”
“It’s a big ask, for sure.”
“I’m glad you think so, too.”
“Anyone would. Your grandfather is right that none of you owe them anything when it comes to this situation.”
“Except we all work for them. I’ve never wanted to quit the family business more than I do right now.”
“Just because you work for them doesn’t mean you’re required to engage in their personal lives. That should be completely separate from the work.”
“‘Should be’ being the keywords.”
“They can’t force you to talk to them about this, Julian. You’re all adults and can make your own decisions about who and what you let into your lives.”
“Keep reminding me of that, will you?”
“Any time you need to hear it.”
He took her hand and cradled it between both of his. Thank God she’d been there tonight when the shit hit the fan. Somehow, her very presence made it easier to cope with something that would usually send him into a tailspin. “I’m sorry our date got screwed up by my parents.”
“Our date didn’t get screwed up. We got to dress up and go to the hottest movie in Hollywood and spend the night together. Plus, I got to meet your siblings—and Flynn Godfrey.”
“My siblings could’ve been nicer to you.”
“It’s fine. They’re dealing with a lot, and they’re still trying to understand the changes you’ve made in your life.”
He smiled as he considered the biggest change he’d made in his life, sitting next to him, holding his hand, offering comfort and understanding when he needed it most. As he kissed the back of her hand, he said, “Best changes I’ve ever made.”
“Your brothers and sisters don’t agree.”
“Please tell me you know that has nothing at all to do with you.”
“Feels like it does.”
“Isla, please hear me when I tell you that I love them very much, but they don’t dictate how I live my life—and I’d never tell them how to live theirs. Did we take a vow to stay single and unencumbered? Yes, we did, but things change. I’ve changed.”
She placed her free hand over her abdomen. “I still worry that you’ll wake up one day and ask yourself what the hell you’re doing in bed with a single mom of two little kids.”
“That’s not going to happen, sweetheart. I swear to you. I’m exactly where I want to be.”
“I know you believe that, and I want to believe it, too, but—”
“No buts.” He deeply regretted exposing her to his family during such an emotionally fraught moment in their own relationship. “Please don’t have doubts about us. That would break me.”
She rested her head on his shoulder as she exhaled. “I don’t want to have doubts, but it scares me when I consider how dramatically you’ve supposedly changed since you met me. We’re often told that people don’t change…”
“I have, and it’s because I met you. That changed everything for me.”
“How is that even possible?”
“If I could explain it, I wouldn’t have my siblings looking at me like I suddenly grew a second head or something. It just is, and I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m not going to suddenly change my mind or pull the rug out from under you. I swear on my life.”
“Julian…”
“I love you madly, deeply, permanently. I don’t care what anyone says or does or feels or thinks about that.
The only thing that matters is that I love you, and you love me, and we’re going to make this work.
” He heard his own slightly desperate tone and was sure that she did, too, since she didn’t miss much of anything.
All he could do was continue to reassure her that he was in this as deeply as she hopefully was, and that he’d rather die than ever hurt her or her children.
His driver, Ernie, brought the Bentley to a stop at the curb of the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Julian had booked a room for the night, and expelled a sigh of relief. “Thank God I didn’t crash.”
“I told you it’d be fine,” Julian said to his longtime friend.
“I still gotta get it back to the garage.”
“You’ve got this. Thanks again for your bravery.”
“Haha, anything for you, boss man. I hope you two have a wonderful time. Don’t think about the bullshit, you got me?”
“Yes, sir,” Julian said, intensely annoyed by the bullshit as he helped Isla out of the car and grabbed their bags. Ernie would no doubt have more to say about his parents the next time they were alone. “See you tomorrow.”
“Text me marching orders in the AM.” Ernie got him around the famously congested city of Los Angeles, ensuring he got to court and other appointments on time without worrying about parking, which was a blood sport in LA.
“Will do.”
Julian had wanted this to be a special evening for Isla, and having it waylaid by Remington family drama had pissed him off. He’d put that aside to deal with tomorrow. Tonight was for Isla, and he was determined to rescue this evening and make it memorable for her.
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life, and I’ve never been in here,” she said as she took in the opulent hotel with wide-eyed wonder that filled him with joy.
“What do you think?”
“Can we move in here and stay forever?”
“That can be arranged.”
“I’m joking, Julian. Making a joke. Do not move us in here, do you hear me?”
“Yes, dear.”
He’d picked up their key earlier, so they went straight to the elevator.
“Julian? I thought that was you.”
Julian suppressed a groan as he turned to find a former client whose name escaped him. He hadn’t seen the guy in years.
Julian shook his hand. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”
“Better for me than for you. Saw the news about your folks. That must’ve come as a shock.”
Julian stared at him, stunned that he’d have the audacity to bring up that subject during a casual encounter. He pressed the Up arrow and prayed the elevator would get there quickly. “Have a good night.”
“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”
The fuck you didn’t.
Julian turned his back on the man and kept his focus on Isla, in complete disbelief that they had to endure this madness all over again. For that, he’d never forgive his parents.
“He was completely out of line,” Isla said after the elevator doors closed to take them to the fifth floor.
“That’s how it goes. Been there, done that more times than I can count. It’ll probably be even worse this time because my dad has turned himself into a family law expert used by every network in the business when celebrities split. Now he’s the story, and I’m sure they’ll eat it up.”
The utter misery of having to face this crap again threatened to consume him, until Isla wrapped her hands around his arm and gave a gentle squeeze to remind him everything was different now.
He had her and she had him, and they’d get through this together.
Knowing that gave him strength he wouldn’t have without her there to keep him focused on what truly mattered.
“You know what we should do?” he asked.
“What’s that?”
“Get the fuck out of town for a few weeks. Let’s pack up the kids and just go.”
“Where would we go?”
“Anywhere you want.”
They held hands as they walked from the elevator to the suite he’d booked, hoping to spoil her a little.
Instead, the vibe of the evening had been ruined by his freaking parents and TMZ.
Bitterness churned in his gut, resurrecting the sort of resentment he hadn’t experienced at this level in years and had hoped to never feel again.
“This is unbelievable,” Isla said of the suite as she took it all in. “I feel like I’m Vivian in Pretty Woman.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She rested her hands on his chest and gazed up at him. “I love it. Thank you for all you did to make tonight special for me.”
“It was fun for me, too.”
“You’re tight with tension. What can I do for you?”
“I don’t know. I want to shake it off, but I learned a long time ago that it’s not that simple.”
“Don’t feel like you have to shake it off on my account.
I’m so happy to be here in this beautiful place with you and to know my babies are sound asleep with someone who loves them like I do.
” Her close friend Mrs. Ventura was with the kids.
She was like a mother to Isla, who’d lost her parents when she was young, and a grandmother to Theo and Mila.
Julian rested his forehead against hers. “I hate feeling this way when I have a night alone with you.”
“How about we order some room service and change into comfy clothes and just try to relax?”
“That sounds good.”
She reached up to unknot his bow tie and released the top button of his shirt. “Would you prefer to be alone tonight?”
“God no. Please don’t think that for a second.”
“Okay.” She removed the studs in his tuxedo shirt and then the platinum cuff links with his initials on them. “Those are beautiful.”
“My grandfather gave them to me for my eighteenth birthday. We all got cuff links or a necklace.”
“He seems like a sweetheart.”
“He’s the absolute best and always has been.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Let’s make that happen soon. He’ll love the kids.”
She removed his shirt and the T-shirt under it and then wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. “Let it all go for a few hours.”
He held her close and breathed in the scent that’d become so familiar to him in recent weeks, a bewitching combination of elements…
A hint of roses, maybe, on top of her own essence.
Whatever it was, he couldn’t get enough of it.
Julian closed his eyes and focused on breathing and existing in this moment with her.
Nothing could get to him there, not now, anyway.
He had no doubt it’d be waiting for him in the morning, but for now, he was determined to enjoy this rare time alone with her. “What do you think about running away?”
“I’ll do whatever you want to, but this feels like one of those ‘you can run, but you cannot hide’ situations.”
“It is, but if I run away, I won’t have to see him at work and be forced to pretend everything is fine when it isn’t.”
“That’s true. Where would you want to go?”
“Anywhere but here. Where have you always wanted to go?”
“Italy, but we don’t have passports.”
“We’ll do that someday soon. What’s your second choice?”
“Is Ojai an option? The kids haven’t stopped talking about the animals since we were there.”
“That’s definitely an option, but it may not be far enough away from here.”
“It could be if we turn off our phones and leave the world behind for a few days.”
“That sounds perfect.” His siblings would never forgive him, but he’d worry about that later. “I need a day at work to handle the pressing stuff, but after that, let’s run away.”
“I’m with you, love.”
“That’s all I need.”