Little did she know that where they stood was where his parents had met almost thirty years ago. His father had bumped into his mother on a cold autumn’s day. And when he’d first laid eyes on her, his father claimed he’d fallen in love with her eyes. Then he had asked her for one walk. That was it. Plain and simple. One walk around Carlton Gardens. A walk to remember. An afternoon walk that his mother claimed was when she had all but fallen in love with Arthur Moors.
“You must really love this place. I walk past it daily, and I’ve never looked at it the way you do,” Stephanie admitted.
“Well, this is actually where my parents met.”
She faced him with a curious gaze. “Really? How? Tell me?”
Julian brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand like he had done back at the office. “First that walk,” he instructed and led Stephanie towards the French fountain.
By the time they had reached the bronzed winged children-featured fountain, Stephanie had snuggled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder. They watched water spurt down to the basin below and Julian exhaled. “My dad was late to class,” he finally said.
Stephanie looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. “Yeah?”
“Yep. He thought going through the gardens would get him there quicker. He was running to catch up with Noel’s dad—all our fathers grew up together—and didn’t see my mother taking a photo of the dome. He crashed into her, and my mother’s camera smashed to bits.”
“Your poor mother,” Stephanie chimed in.
“Nah, she was all right. To my father’s surprise, she laughed it off. He told me that the moment he helped her up and looked into her eyes, he fell in love. He knew he was looking at someone special. Said he wanted a future with her the moment she told him her name. That’s when he didn’t care about class or Noel’s dad. He asked my mother for one walk around the gardens—though he was sure that she’d say no. But she surprised him and said yes. They ended their walk at this fountain and my mother asked if she could see him again. She had this habit of surprising the old man. And that was how they met and fell in love here at Carlton Gardens.”
Stephanie untangled herself from him. Her hands settled on his hips and shifted his body to face her. Then she cupped his face and smiled. “Rob never told me that story before. It’s quite beautiful.”
Wrapping his arms around her, Julian brought her in close. “He doesn’t like talking about Mum. They were close. She’s who got him into rowing. It’s still hard for him.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
“I finally understood what my father meant when he said he fell in love with my mother’s eyes first,” he said in a soft voice and then placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “He saw forever in them. He saw a future. He saw a life. And he saw the love that would unfold. He saw everything in them. Like I saw so much more than everything in yours, Stephanie.”
Her eyes glazed over as she whispered, “Just like I see so much more than everything in yours right now.”
A grin consumed his lips. “Great answer.”
This time Stephanie kissed him lightly. “It’s the truth.”
“Your honesty is beautiful.”
“Your love for me is beautiful, Julian,” she admitted.
“Other way ‘round, Blondie. Your love’s beautiful. Unexplainable and incomparable. I love you, Stephanie Élise Appleton.”
“I love you, too, Julian I-have-no-idea-what-your-middle-name-is Moors.”
And then Stephanie burst into the most beautiful, alluring laugh he had ever heard in his life.
True story.
Ten seconds.
I can’t be pregnant.
Nine seconds.
It’s impossible.
Eight seconds.
He never used a condom.
Seven seconds.
I don’t even know where he lives.
Six seconds.
Or if he wants to be a dad.
Five seconds.
I don’t know how to be a mother.
Four seconds.
I’m eighteen.
Three seconds.
I can’t be pregnant.
Two seconds.
I can’t. There’s no way.
One second.
I’m pregnant.
The two blue lines confirmed it. Pregnant. Stevie’s missed period was already an indicator. The home pregnancy test confirmed it. She was pregnant with Julian’s baby. It had been almost five weeks since she’d snuck out of the Thai villa and left him. Contraception was a thought she hadn’t had. All she’d wanted was to feel him and be with him. The repercussion of that one slip-up was the sight of the positive pregnancy test. Stevie clenched her