I looked at Julian in surprise. He stepped forward, bringing himself next to me, and inches from Scott.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean,” Scott barked.
“It means that I can vouch for where Connor was on Tuesday.” Julian smiled. “He was with me.”
I didn’t think it was possible to be more shocked than I already was, but at that point, you could have coughed in my direction and I would have toppled over. Was Julian saying what I thought he was?
“He was with you?” Scott sneered. “Since when are you two friends? I’m sure your father would be delighted to find this out.”
“Luckily for me, I don’t actually care what my father thinks, or anyone else for that matter.” Julian’s smile grew—and then he took my hand. “Connor was with me. All night.”
At that point, I wasn’t sure how I was still standing. Maybe this was a dream and I was about to wake up? Except Julian’s hand was warm and dry and felt so, so real as he laced his fingers with mine. I stared at him as confusion, and shock, and goddamn delight battled in my chest.
“You,” Scott said, choking the word out. “You and he are—” his mouth worked soundlessly for a minute, and if I hadn’t still been struggling to take in what was happening, I really would have enjoyed just how much he looked like a fish struggling to breathe.
“Well,” he said finally, when he seemed to have remembered how to speak. “I’d heard rumors about you, Julian, but I was willing to overlook them until now. Clearly that was a mistake. I know lots of people who will be interested in this news. Your boss, for instance. Anne and I are old friends. I’m sure she’ll be fascinated by what I have to say.”
“Go for it.” Julian shrugged with the kind of nonchalance I could only dream of having. “I’m not hiding anymore. Not from anyone.”
Scott shook his head. “You’ve made your decision. You all have. Now I’ll make mine.”
With a final glare, he turned and pushed his way back out through the shop.
Stunned silence reigned in The Roastery after he left, and I got the feeling everyone was still staring at me and Julian, but I didn’t care. None of it mattered. No one mattered. Except him.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I whispered.
Julian smiled wryly. “I can. I should have done it ages ago.”
“But your job. Your family.”
“Katie is the only family I care about. And my job—I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I meant what I said. I’m done hiding.” He glanced down at our hands, began to slide his fingers out of mine, but I held him tight. When he looked up, there was an unspoken question in his eyes.
“I love you.” The words floated out through my lips, straight from my heart, before I could catch them. They weren’t what I’d meant to say at all, but when I saw Julian’s incredulous smile, I knew they were the right ones. “I love you so much, and I always have, and that’s all I wanted to tell you. I get it if you don’t feel the same, but—”
“Are you kidding me? Of course I love you, you idiot,” Julian said, laughing. “God, of course I do.”
“Then why did you keep trying to shut me up, every time I tried to talk about us?”
“Because I thought you were going to give me the break-up speech again,” he said, still laughing helplessly. “I mean, can you blame me? You’ve given me enough of them.”
I couldn’t help laughing at that point myself. “I guess I have.”
“Are you serious?” Julian asked, biting his lower lip like he was trying to keep his smile from catching flight. “You really—”
“I love you. I love you, and I am an idiot for ever trying to hide it, or make you think different, or doing anything other than telling you that every day for the past ten years. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He shook his head, still smiling. “None of that matters. You’re here now. We’re here now. That’s what matters.”
I took his other hand and peered into his eyes. I wanted to drown myself in them. I was vaguely aware of other people talking around us now, but I didn’t care.
“Really?” I asked, tugging him even closer. “No regrets?”
“None.” Julian smiled up at me, then laughed abruptly.
“What?”
“Well, there is one thing I wish I’d done differently.”