take me some time to get used to that. Right now, the thought that… it just stings, but I’ll get over it.”
“That’s fair. Now listen, we gotta talk.”
Rob raised a brow. “About?”
“Ally.” Julian didn’t miss the wince Rob made and his grin widened.
“Nothing to say.”
“Bullshit!”
“Seriously, you kept quiet about Stevie for four years. It’s my turn.”
Rob then spun and began to walk back towards their childhood home. Julian sighed and shook his head.
“She’s not that girl in those papers!” he shouted.
His brother halted and quickly faced him. Rob then gave Julian a tight smile. “I know. She’s nothing like that. She’s beautiful and sweet. She’s everything I wish she wasn’t. Then I could walk away but I can’t.”
“Then stop fighting it,” Julian suggested.
“If only it were that easy.”
“It could be.”
Rob pursed his lips. “But it’s not. Not even close to being easy. Come on, let’s go back inside and make that old man tell us stories about Mum.”
“I miss her,” Julian honestly said.
“I do, too. But Dad misses her more, and sometimes, I think he just needs to talk about her in order for him to remember her with as much justification and rightness he craves.”
When they reached the door, Julian paused. “You remember when Mum used to say loving Dad made her a better person. I think I get it.” He peeked at his brother to see Rob staring at the door.
“I understand what she meant… but I’m the exception. It made me the worse kind of person. Love terrifies me, Julian. It’s probably why she’d never speak to me again,” Rob confessed and then closed his eyes tight for a second before he opened the door.
“You love Ally,” Julian stated.
His brother tilted his head slightly to the right, away from Julian’s questioning gaze and whispered, “I do. And she doesn’t deserve that.”
Annie: We’re almost at your place. See you in five.
Stevie: I thought only my dearest stepbrother was coming over. I had no idea his wicked wife was coming, too.
Annie: Stop that, Stevie! We were friends BEFORE I married your brother. I’m also NOT wicked. You could have had a terrible sister-in-law, you know?
Stevie: I know. I’m lucky to have you, Saint Annie. Now tell me, is Jarred bringing me a box of Baci?
Annie: Those Italian chocolate kisses? The ones wrapped in blue foil?
Stevie: Those are the ones!
Instead of a text message, Stevie received a picture from Annie. When she opened it, she laughed at the sight of her sister-in-law holding up the blue box of chocolates with Jarred in the picture, eyes on the road.
Stevie: That’s it! You should have put them in the backseat and buckled the seat belt around them.
Annie: I worry about you. See you soon.
Stevie: Me? I worry about YOU. You married my brother.
Annie: Nothing to worry about. I kind of enjoy being married.
Stevie: Yuck. Let’s not talk about that. You need to reserve that kind of talk for Clara. See you soon.
Stevie exited her text message conversation with Annie to see an unread message from Julian.
Julian: I love you, Stephanie Élise Appleton.
Those six words caused the warm throbs of her heart, and she felt her eyes prickle because of it.
Yep. I am that in love with Julian Overlord-though-I-don’t-believe-it Moors.
“Do you mind not trying to punch holes in my front door?” Stevie asked, irritated at her stepbrother’s heavy knocks.
Jarred pulled a smug smile. “Clara’s front door.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s my apartment while she lives with her beautiful husband in America.”
“Oh, goodness, Nolan Parker is just… Wow,” Annie practically swooned. It hadn’t even been subtle. She had even fanned herself. And for once, Stevie had to agree with her. Jarred, however, rolled his eyes at them.
“How many boxes did you bring?” Stevie asked.
“Just these two.” Jarred held up the one he held in one hand. “We’ll bring the others later. You’re not in a rush for the rest, are you?”
Stevie shook her head and then took a step back to give them the space they needed to enter the apartment. “Nope. I don’t even remember what’s in them, to be honest.”
“That’d be right,” Jarred teased as he walked into the apartment and kissed her cheek.
Annie, with a box in hand, followed and then shut the door behind them. “Where do you want us to put these?” she asked.
“Lounge will do,” Stevie answered as she walked towards the couch. “You didn’t leave the chocolates in the car, did you?”
“Nope. I had Jarred put them in the box he’s holding.”