Page 31

Juliette

“T he restraining order will be in place tomorrow,” Lux told me as I got settled against her, my head on her chest.

Bella needed me to read Goodnight Moon five times before falling asleep tonight, and even then her little hands were gripping me so tightly I couldn’t slip out until she was sound asleep.

I hated seeing her like this and knowing there was nothing I could do about it. But Lux was already ahead of me. And for that, I was grateful.

I knew it was coming. She was nothing if not efficient, and I knew her lawyer would work quickly—still, this was a hell of a lot faster than I expected.

“That's for the best,” I murmured, then went quiet. Finally, after a day of trying to make sure Bella was okay, I had time to let my mind wander.

The thing that had been bugging me all day was how did she find my aunt? Or was it my aunt who found her? Either way, it felt icky. It felt like an invasion of privacy, and I definitely didn't want those two talking. Who knew what kind of havoc they could wreak if they were together?

“What are you thinking about so hard over there, Angel?”

“I don't think it's a coincidence that she found my aunt,” I said after a moment.

Lux exhaled. “There's no such thing as a coincidence with my mother.” Annoyance filled her tone.

She reached up to brush her hand over my back, soothing me.

There were still tingles every time we touched, but this time I could actually revel in the comfort it provided.

“I have someone working on it, don't worry.

She's gone too far, and I am not going to sit still this time.”

I nodded and let out a long breath. I could trust Lux. She was a good person, and even if she didn't like to show it, she cared a lot.

“Who is this someone ?” I asked, unable to help myself. “Sounds mysterious.”

I could feel her laughing. “I may or may not have a very reliable information broker who can look into things like this for me.”

I paused for a second. Maybe I shouldn’t ask, but I needed to know. If we were to fight whatever this was together, I had to know all the facts.

“Lux, I don’t mean to pry or make you tell me things if you’re not ready to, but what happened? Why is your mother being such a?—”

“Gigantic bitch?”

A smile tugged at my lips.

“Exactly.”

She hugged me closer with a sigh.

“She should never have had children,” she said after a short pause.

“She hated me for some reason and made it known as I was growing up. Part of me worked so hard in high school and college to spite her. I was thinking that if I was successful afterwards, she’d finally have no choice but to respect me. ”

“People like her don’t change,” I murmured, thinking of my own aunt.

“No,” she agreed. “They don’t. But I was young and naive, thinking that if I could just prove how useful I was to her, maybe she’d rethink everything.

But she’s still the same mother who chose my sister over me.

The one who obviously loved only one of her children.

It’s why she wants Bella so badly. She doesn’t care about her.

She’s just the last part of my sister left in this world. ”

My hand found hers and squeezed.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You deserved better than that.”

Poor Lux. I hated imagining how she was neglected like that as a child. She didn’t deserve it.

“Bella deserves better.”

There was another pause.

“But you do too. You know that, right?” My thumb ran circles over her wrist. “Past Lux, a child unable to fight for herself, and present Lux, an adult forced to protect her niece against her own mom… Both of them are worthy of love.”

I could feel her swallow and her chest catch, but I didn’t move. I let the words simmer between us.

“Thank you, Angel… for always knowing what to say.”

“Just being honest,” I whispered and placed a small kiss on her skin. I ran my hand over her heart, feeling it beat in her chest. “I wish I could help somehow.”

“You help more than you’ll ever know.” Her hand came to grab mine again. “Since I met you, my life has only changed for the better.”

Maybe it was the darkness that gave us the ability to talk like this. To spill our deepest worries and secrets. But it also made me worry. Worry about our future. Worry about what would become of us.

All of us.

“I don't want Bella to know how we met,” I said quietly. “I don’t regret it at all, but that's not for a little girl to know. On top of that, I don't even know how we’ll explain our relationship to her.”

Lux’s other hand went to my chin, making me look at her even though I could barely see her in the dark.

“I know. It's my fault. I went after you, but I didn't think hard enough about what we would tell Bella. I should've prepared for this. I'm sorry.”

The vulnerability in her words caused my chest to tighten.

“It's not your fault,” I told her, grabbing her hand. “We'll think of something together, okay? But if we're serious about this…”

“I've never not been serious about you, Juliette.” My heart soared at that. “Even though I knew we shouldn't, I couldn’t help myself. There is no one better for me in this world than you. We just happen to have met under not-so-great circumstances.”

I couldn't help but smile.

“I actually think the circumstances were pretty great,” I joked.

“I’ll show you circumstances.”

And even after it all, Lux made me forget everything else in the world.

* * *

We were both sitting in the kitchen when Bella came out, dressed in a sparkly pink dress. This time, she had a small bandanna on her head, but it was slightly tilted, so I took the chance to fix it for her.

“Very cute,” I commented with a smile. “Where did you come up with this one?”

“I saw a couple of girls wearing one at school,” she replied with a big smile.

I had seen a couple of girls wearing them in the pickup line, so I had actually added a few of those to my shopping list.

Lux cleared her throat, causing us both to look at her.

“If you want to go to school, I'll definitely take you, but I wanted to offer… a mental health day?” she asked, sounding almost unsure. “We can do whatever you want. Go get ice cream, go to the park, go to Adventureland… Just me and you. Juliette gets the day off today.”

I looked at her suspiciously.

What is this about? And why is it the first time I’m hearing about it?

Bella let out a noise of excitement and jumped up and down quickly. “Let's go to the mall!”

Lux smirked. “Deal. Then maybe, since it's Juliette’s day off and all, she'd like to join us. We can split ways and then meet again in, like, an hour or two?”

I still didn't understand what she was up to, but I agreed, so we packed up to go to the mall.

Lux called in for Bella, citing that she wasn't feeling well and that she would be back tomorrow. I had to sit in the backseat with Bella and try to stop her from giggling and blowing her cover.

It was cute—even a little wholesome—and I was glad to see both of them enjoying themselves.

It wasn't until we got there, parked, and entered that Lux pulled me aside and explained in a little voice, “I decided how to tell her. We’ll have a fun day, and then before we meet again, I’ll let her know that I've liked you for some time and I want you to be more than our nanny.”

Ah, I see. The talk.

My heart warmed. She might have made these plans on a whim, but they were both gentle and attentive.

“I think it’s perfect,” I said, giving her a smile.

Only then did I realize how nervous she was. Pulling at her clothes. Her eyes moving back and forth, shooting between me and Bella. Even her hands were a bit shaky.

I wanted to kiss her, but I quickly brushed her arm and mimicked taking a deep breath instead.

“It'll be fine,” I reassured her. “It's really thoughtful of you to do it this way.”

“Do you… want to do it with me?” she asked, her voice unsure. “I feel bad about making you go off on your own.”

How cute.

“You’re not making me do anything,” I said. “It’s best this way. She should hear it from you. I don’t want to pressure her into accepting it just because she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. Plus… this is a bonding moment for the two of you.”

She took a deep breath and nodded.

“You have my card. Use it. Do whatever you want. Maybe even get your hair and nails done. Pamper yourself.”

My smile widened.

“I have my own money to spend, Lux. You pay me, remember? I really don't think this is a proper use of a black card.”

She gave me a look. “Do I really have to remind you?”

I raised my brow at her, confusion washing over me.

“I told you you're worth every penny. I don't care whether it's five dollars or five million. You spend that money and treat yourself. And you bet your fine ass that if you don't spend enough, I'm going to come back here with you and show you how to really spend money.”

God. Why does she make butterflies go off in my stomach so easily?

Lux could just look in my direction and they’d be off. But there was something oddly comforting about someone wanting to spend money on me. No matter how random it was.

“Okay,” I replied and motioned for her to go back to Bella’s side. “We'll meet in two hours. Text me where you are.”

She nodded, quickly squeezing my hand before turning to take Bella farther into the mall, but not before the little girl turned back and waved at me. I waved back with a smile.

I waited a moment before moving away, making sure that they were fully out of sight.

To be honest, I hadn’t ever thought about pampering myself. It was a foreign concept. I never had the money for it. Pampering for me was a nice meal that I couldn't usually afford or an article of clothing that I had my eyes on for a while.

With the whole mall at my disposal, I had no idea where to start.

And honestly, after living with Lux and Bella, I didn't really need much anymore. My housing was taken care of, I ate delicious food every day, and I didn't really need any new clothes or shoes or anything like that.