Page 98 of Julian

“I told her there was more to you than your looks, like how you’re hardworking and determined. Stuff like that.” She gave a shrug. “I guess she thought that because I appreciated those qualities in you, I must be in love with you.”

Julian didn’t seem to know how to respond to that. He stared at the table as he lifted his mug for another sip.

“The thing is, I could say the same for Cole, Jude, and even your dad. All three of you are attractive, but it’s your character traits that make you good men.”

“I guess I can see how Emilia might have come to her conclusion,” Julian said. “For some people, how a person looks or their wealth is what makes them most attractive.”

“I don’t happen to believe that,” Kiara said.

Kiara watched him carefully as she took another bite of her waffle. She needed him to believe that her words had come from a place of friendship, and nothing more.

“You are a bit of a rarity with that viewpoint in this world.”

“I think Elizabeth, Annie, and Angie all feel the way I do.”

Julian nodded. “And none of you were raised in this world, so it didn’t shape how you view things like this.”

But Julian had been, so it was likely that he would put more weight on how a person looked. He’d want a woman who looked stunning on his arm. Someone who looked like Emilia. Or Ava, who had both looks and smarts.

“Regardless of what Emilia said, I want to apologize for my part in how things went last night,” Julian said. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“You didn’t need to babysit me,” Kiara told him. She didn’t want him to feel like she was a burden, even though she undoubtedly was.

“It wasn’t about babysitting you.” He shifted forward to rest his arms on the table. “I should have done a better job of making sure you were surrounded by good people. So, people like Emilia wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk to you alone.”

“I survived,” Kiara said. “And it’s unlikely I’ll see her again.”

Julian nodded. “You won’t.”

Kiara had figured it would be the only event she’d be invited to, but it kind of hurt for Julian to agree so easily. It shouldn’t have hurt because she really didn’t want to attend another one anyway. However, she hadn’t guarded her emotions or her heart as well as she should have, so it did bring an ache to her heart.

“Would it be okay if we talked about the baby for a minute?” Kiara asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from a memory she’d rather not dwell on.

“Sure,” Julian said, seeming to be relieved to move on as well. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, first, his name,” she said. “Do you have any ideas? Any names you’d like to be considered?”

He thought for a minute and then said, “Honestly, I don’t have any strong preferences. If you want to come up with suggestions, we can discuss them.”

His response wasn’t too surprising, but she had hoped that he’d want to give more input into naming their son.

“Okay. I’ll see what I can come up with.” She hesitated, a bit reluctant to broach the next subject, but she knew she needed to. Now that she was in her final trimester, she found herself wanting to nail down as many of the details as she could. “Second, I was wondering if you planned to be in the delivery room when I’m in labor.”

Kiara could see right away what his answer was going to be. She had hoped that he’d want to be present for the birth of their son, but it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t feel the same way.

“I’m not sure how I’d do in the delivery room,” Julian said with a grimace. “I think maybe you’d be better off with Angie. I wouldn’t be of much help.”

“That’s fine,” Kiara told him, though from the ache in her chest, it was anything but. She felt like she was walking through a minefield of hurt. Every subject she brought up inflicted pain upon herself. “I just wanted to make sure you knew you were welcome to be there if you wanted.”

Kiara’s biggest fear was that Julian wouldn’t interact with their son the way she wanted him to. Perhaps he still had some doubts about the baby being his. Or maybe he had never planned to be a hands-on father.

“Is everything going okay with the baby?” he asked.

“Yep. The doctor said he’s growing as he should, and the ultrasound didn’t show anything of concern.”

“That’s good,” he said. “And everything is ready at the house?”

She nodded. “I’ve been buying clothes for him, and so have Elizabeth, Annie, and Angie. Annie has also made several things for him. She’s so talented. I think he’s going to be one well-dressed baby boy.”