Page 78 of Julian

As Angela spoke, Julian saw a radiance in her. A happiness that eased some of the pain he carried for his actions all those years ago.

Conversation flowed easily as they ate, more easily than Julian might have thought it would with Jude being part of it. It gave him a glimpse into his siblings’ lives—as well as his wife’s—that he hadn’t had before. Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to have before.

Now, with his mind and his emotions free from the hold of alcohol, his interest in life had been renewed. Where previously his only interest had been in his work, now, he wanted to have these connections with the people in his life.

After they finished the meal, they all got up to help clear the table before Angela brought dessert to the table. It was a brownie cheesecake, which was the best Julian had ever eaten. When he told Angela as much, she beamed at him.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said. “I’m having fun learning new recipes and trying them out on Jude.”

“My kitchen has never gotten as much use as it has recently,” he said with a chuckle. “And I’ve had to work out twice as hard to offset all the great food I’ve eaten.”

“If you’re going to have a dad bod soon, you’d better have a kid to go with it,” Benji said with a smirk.

Jude scowled at the teen. “I’m not going to have a dad bod.”

“But I’m not opposed to having a baby soon,” Angela said as she grinned at her husband. “There's no reason to wait.”

“It would be nice for baby boy to have a cousin close in age,” Kiara said, running her hand over her bump. “So don’t wait too long.”

“Well, that’s two votes for getting pregnant ASAP, love,” Angela said.

Annie’s hand went into the air. “Three!”

“Four!” Benji called out.

“Let’s make it five,” Julian said, enjoying seeing Jude’s expression turn incredulous.

“We’re not making a decision about having a child by group vote,” Jude growled.

“I think it’s the perfect way to make this decision,” Annie said. “We’re family, after all.”

Laughter filled the room as everyone seemed to enjoy having fun at Jude’s expense. It was something Julian had never experienced before, especially with his family. He’d kept his distance from Annie and Benji over the years, using alcohol to cope with the secret he couldn’t share.

But now, the family bonds were tightening. However, for once, they didn’t feel like a noose.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Kiara tugged her dress into place over her bump. She’d rarely worn dresses over the years, since they’d never been practical. But now that it was summer, dresses were more comfortable for her.

Stranger than her wearing a dress waswhyshe was wearing one. As she scrunched product into her curls, she wondered if she still had time to back out.

When Angie had asked her the previous night if she wanted to go to church with her and Jude, for some reason, Kiara had said yes. Her sister had seemed so excited at the prospect, and Kiara hadn’t wanted to disappoint her.

For their whole life together, Kiara had tried her best to protect Angela and to make her happy, if possible. So, not wanting to see Angela’s happiness dimmed by declining the invitation, she’d said yes.

Surely, she could survive an hour in church. She’d done it before, so there was no reason why she couldn’t do it again.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go to church. It had more to do with not knowing what to expect, or what expectations Angie might have because Kiara agreed to go with her.

Once she was ready, Kiara left her room and went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast before Jude and Angie picked her up. She needed to make sure she had something in her stomach.

As the kitchen came into view, Kiara’s steps faltered. Julian was standing in front of the coffee pot, dressed like he was headed out somewhere.

Usually, he wore jeans and a T-shirt around the estate. Right then, he had on a pair of black slacks and a light blue button-up shirt, tucked into his pants. His hair also looked like it was styled, rather than lying in loose waves the way he’d been wearing it lately.

Was he headed somewhere on business? He hadn’t mentioned anything about a trip, but that didn’t mean much. After all, he didn’t owe her any details about his schedule.

He glanced up as she approached, a smile growing on his face as he greeted her. “Good morning.”