Page 136 of Julian

Julian smiled, his eyes lighting up. He got to his feet, then leaned over to kiss her forehead. TJ let out a squawk, and Kiara lifted the light blanket enough to see that he was no longer latched.

She covered herself, then moved him out from under the blanket.

“Do you want me to burp him?” Julian offered.

“Sure.”

She handed TJ to him, then took a moment to pull herself together before getting up from her chair. While Julian took care of him for a few minutes, Kiara went into the bathroom to get ready for the night.

It took her a little longer than usual to change and do her nighttime routine because she spent a few minutes staring at the mirror, asking herself if she’d made the right decision. But even if it might be better for herself to tell Julian she’d changed her mind, she wouldn’t do it because of TJ.

Because they hadn’t eaten their Thanksgiving dinner until seven, it was already after ten. Kiara had no idea if it was Julian’s normal time to sleep, but he’d gone to bed around this time with her and TJ without comment for the past two weeks.

When she returned to the bedroom, he handed TJ back to her, and she carried him to the change table where she swaddled him. He was already half asleep, so he drifted off quickly as she cradled him close, swaying gently.

Moving slowly, Kiara bent to put him in the bassinet beside the bed. After she’d set him down, she stood by the bassinet, holding her breath and waiting to see if he’d protest. Sometimes he did. Sometimes he didn’t.

Thankfully, that night, he stayed asleep.

Kiara was uncertain how to react then. She didn’t know if the decision they’d just made would change how things were between them.

However, just like every other night over the past two weeks, Julian turned off the music and the gas fireplace, leaving just the soft glow of the nightlight. He slid beneath the covers on his side as she did on hers.

As silence settled between them, Kiara suddenly felt Julian’s hand take hers, reaching across the empty space between them.

“Goodnight, Kiara,” he said, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.

Tension slid away as Kiara kept hold of his hand. “Goodnight.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

“Thanks for the lift,” Julian said as he got out of the SUV.

After helping get Julian’s luggage from the back of the vehicle up to the porch, Anthony climbed into the front seat with the security team member who had met them at the helicopter. Julian stood and watched as they pulled away before turning to the door.

He’d been gone for five days, and he was thrilled to be back at the estate. Back home.

If the trip to their Iceland offices hadn’t already been on the calendar as an annual event, he would have gladly ditched it. However, Julian knew he couldn’t abandon his responsibilities at the company, just because he’d rather stay home with his wife and son.

He opened the front door, then picked up his bags and carried them into the house. The warmth was a welcome respite from the chill of the December air. With just under two weeks until Christmas, winter had truly arrived, covering the estate in a blanket of snow.

Closing the door, he spotted Kiara coming toward him from the kitchen, a smile on her face. Abandoning his bags by the door, he moved to take her into his arms.

“I missed you,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I missed you too.”

Kiara had her arms tight around his waist, and Julian made no move to release her, leaving it up to her when she wanted to end the hug. As far as he was concerned, it could last forever.

Moving back a bit, she looked up at him, and Julian couldn’t help but lean forward to place a kiss on her forehead.

Kiara closed her eyes, then drew a breath and pressed her forehead to his shoulder, her curls tickling his chin. Julian smoothed a hand down her back to her waist, letting his palm linger there.

She was soft and warm, and while she once had smelled of vanilla and florals, she now smelled faintly of baby powder and… home.

The two weeks that had passed since Thanksgiving had been wonderful. For the first couple of days, he had seen wariness in Kiara. Uncertainty. As if she didn’t quite know how things were going to go, now that they’d changed the terms of their relationship.

Though he wouldn’t have pursued anything physical right away, Julian was glad that they had restrictions put on them because she was still recovering from the birth. It meant they could just focus on getting to know each other even more deeply and also be affectionate with no further expectations.