Page 73 of Julian

There was a part of her that wondered if Julian had thought that as well. He’d never acted like he was suspicious of what had happened, even though he had no memory of the time they’d had together.

“She’ll come around eventually,” Julian said. “But I’m not going to let her around the baby if she doesn’t accept you as his mother.”

Kiara appreciated Julian's willingness to stand up for her, and she hoped that would be the case when it actually happened.

“I don’t want to come between you and your mother,” she said.

“If she chooses to have that attitude toward you, she’s the one coming between me and her.”

As they approached the security building, Julian said, “Let’s pop in there for a minute and let them know we need a UTV.”

It didn’t take long, and Anthony promised to have a UTV waiting for them at the house after dinner.

When they walked into the house a few minutes later, Kiara told him they’d been eating dinner in the breakfast room. Without Duncan and Elizabeth there, mealtimes had been a little more relaxed, which Kiara really appreciated.

Annie and Benji were already in the room and greeted Julian with smiles. Once they’d all taken their seats at the table, Annie said a prayer for the meal.

Conversation flowed differently than it had when she and Angie had first arrived. Julian was no longer sitting there,sullenly nursing a drink while everyone else had chatted. This time he was an active participant in the conversation.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Julian said to Annie.

Annie beamed. “Yes! Cole and his team won the championship, and then I won when he asked me to marry him.”

“How soon are you getting married?” he asked.

“Well, so far, no one has had a long engagement, so we’re not going to buck the trend.”

Julian chuckled. “So next week?”

“More like three weeks now. Elizabeth has been organizing some of it from New York, and I’ve already had a meeting with the dress designer.”

“These quick weddings would not be possible for the average person, I don’t think,” Kiara said. “Unless they were eloping.”

Annie nodded. “That’s true. We’re very fortunate.”

“Do you think Duncan would have guessed at the beginning of the year that within seven months, all three of his adult children would be married?”

Annie laughed. “I have a feeling that would have been his definition of a nightmare, and yet, he’s survived.”

“I would have thought Angie and Jude would join us for dinner,” Benji said. “Since they just got back today.”

“I think they’re still in their honeymoon phase,” Kiara said. “And Angie enjoys cooking, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted to cook a meal for Jude in their own home.”

“Do you enjoy cooking?” Benji asked.

“Probably not as much as Angie,” Kiara admitted. “But I can cook well enough. Once I get some groceries, I’ll probably dosome cooking as well. I appreciate being able to come here for meals, but since there’s a lovely kitchen in the new house, I should probably use it.”

“I like to cook sometimes,” Annie said. “But I’m glad for the option of coming here when I don’t want to.”

“I’ll go wherever the food is,” Julian said with a laugh.

“Now that you’re not drinking most of your meals, you look a lot better,” Annie remarked. “Was the food at the treatment center good?”

“It was excellent,” Julian said. “Almost as good as Mrs. Stevens’ cooking.”

Though Kiara had no issues with Duncan and Elizabeth, she had to admit that she really appreciated the more relaxed atmosphere within the family with them gone. And seeing Julian relaxed and interacting in a positive way with his siblings also made her feel good.

Her life was intrinsically linked to his now, so the happier and healthier he was, the better it was for her, but most especially for their son.