Page 14 of Julian

“So she told you I’m the father?” Julian asked. “Duncan said she wouldn’t confirm either way with him.”

“She told Angela that you were,” Jude said. “And I don’t think she’d lie to her. She’d have no reason to.”

Julian wasn’t entirely convinced of that, but he agreed that Kiara would tell her sister the truth.

As Julian watched the man, he mused over the change in him since he’d fallen for Angela. He’d always assumed that, like him, Jude wasn’t interested in a serious relationship, let alone marriage. But there was no way that his dad would be on boardwith the pair dating if Jude wasn’t serious about a future with Angela.

What had changed for Jude? What was it about Angela that made the man abandon his bachelor lifestyle?

Though Jude had never embraced being single the way Julian had, still Jude had willingly given up his single life for Angela. Julian, however, was being forced to give up his, and because of that, he could never see himself happily embracing domesticity the way Jude had.

He’d lived his life on his own terms for over thirty years, and now he was being reined in and forced onto a different path. Whether or not he liked it, change was coming to his life, and he had no choice but to accept it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kiara tapped the screen of her tablet, watching as the virtual page turned to the next one in the book she was reading. The exhaustion and sickness that had arrived with her pregnancy had kept her in her room—close to her bed and her bathroom—for a big chunk of her time, so she’d been reading more than ever.

Reading had always been an escape for her. Through books, she’d experienced life beyond the homestead and then later, beyond Briar Hollow. And the stories she’d enjoyed the most had featured love as a main theme.

Not just a romantic love, though that had definitely been her preference. She’d also enjoyed stories that had featured close friendships and families who loved each other, even when things got tough.

She hadn’t had much love in her life, and she’d so desperately wanted more of it. The only person she’d felt loved by had been Angie, and she was so grateful she’d had that.

Though she'd experienced romantic love through the books she read, Kiara had never truly expected to find it for herself in real life. Now, with a baby growing inside her, she wondered if that dream was even more out of reach.

As a wave of nausea rolled through her, she tightened her grip on her tablet. She took slow, measured breaths, willing her stomach to settle. The medication from Doctor Misha helped, but it wasn't a cure-all. Some days were just harder than others.

A soft knock at her door made Kiara tense. She knew that Angie was spending time with Jude, so she didn’t know who else it could be.

"Who is it?" she called, tucking an errant curl behind her ear.

"It's me," came the muffled reply.

Kiara exhaled with relief. "Come in."

The door opened, and Angie slipped inside, her expression tense. She closed the door quickly behind her.

“Julian’s here,” she said as she crossed the room to sit on the loveseat beside Kiara.

“He’s back?”

She’d known he’d be back eventually, but she hadn’t expected him to return so soon. In some of the conversations they’d had, he’d spoken about how much he couldn’t wait to get back to New York and away from the estate. Though he’d left the estate for short periods of time, she’d expected that this trip would keep him away longer.

Angie nodded. “He’s back, and he’s looking for you.” She reached out and grabbed Kiara’s arm. “He knows.”

Kiara's stomach twisted with something worse than morning sickness. She set her tablet down, fingers trembling slightly. "Duncan told him?"

Angie nodded, her blue-green eyes filled with concern. "He wants to talk to you."

"Of course he does," Kiara muttered, pressing a hand to her stomach. She'd known this moment would come eventually, but she'd hoped for more time. Time to figure out what she wanted. What was best for her baby.

"How did he seem?" Kiara asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Shocked." Angie squeezed her arm before moving her hand down to intertwine her fingers with Kiara’s. “But he didn’t seem mad.”

That was something, at least. Kiara had been bracing herself for anger, accusations, demands for proof. Shock she could handle. She'd been shocked herself when she'd first realized she was pregnant.

"I don't know what to say to him," Kiara admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.