Page 121 of Marrying the Billionaire Single Dad

"Hold on, hold on." Edward throws up his hands, "Why is all of this coming out now? Why have none of you mentioned this to me earlier? And hey! You guys had each other, while I was away dealing with my own shit, alone."

"Your choice," I growl. "If you’d stayed, we could have dealt with it together, as a team, as we always did."

"Except you didn’t." A familiar voice rings out. I turn as Julia glides into the room. She’s wearing a simple white dress that covers her from throat to wrists, tucked in at the waist, clinging to her thighs as she walks, before flowing down to swirl around her ankles. She looks ethereal and beautiful and completely not what I expected. She’s worn her hair piled up on her head and my fingers tingle to pull out the pins and have the strands scattered around her shoulders, her back, over my pillows. I’d lean down and sink my nose into the glistening locks and draw in that sensuous, exotic scent that is so uniquely Flower.

"What are you doing here?" I growl.

"Have you told them?" She moves closer, her features serene, those green eyes darting between the others, then back to me. "Tell me, Damian, do they know?"

"About what?" My heart begins to thump in my chest.Why is she here? What is she going to share with the rest?I allowed her a peek into the part of my life that is a secret from all of them, except Meredith… Hell, not even she knows the extent to which I have been caught up in my grief, unable to move forward… Until Julia had flounced in and shined a spotlight on the dark recesses of my mind. "What are you talking about?" I snap.

"You know." She tips her chin up.

"Do I?" I tilt my head, take in the set of her jaw, the nervous tremble of her fingers as she clenches them together in front of her. "What are you doing here, anyway? It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."

"Thought you didn’t want to get married," Arpad coughs into his hand.

"Yeah," Edward nods, "thought you were going to call it off?"

"Call what off?" Julia glances around at them. "What’s going on?"

"You tell me, Flower." I drawl, "To what do I owe the unexpected appearance of my fair bride to-be in what, I confess, is a break with tradition that even I find surprising."

"What’s surprising is that you haven’t revealed your secret to them," she retorts

"Secret?" I curl my fingers at my sides. A bead of sweat drips down my back. Not that the Seven wouldn’t understand why I had to keep the memory of Riley alive a little longer, but hell, some things… Some things are sacred, you know what I mean? And no one…is allowed in. And I had let her peek in where no one else had, and now I am going to pay the price. "My secret?" I glare at her.

"Of course, babe." She pauses in front of me, then places her hand over my chest. "Shall I tell them?"

39

Julia

"What?" He lowers his voice to a hush, "What are you going to tell them, Flower?"

I tip my chin up, gaze into his beautiful features. His jaw tics; a nerve throbs at his forehead. He watches me like the predator he is, a man lost in the darkness that comes to the fore in his stage performances. If I’d wanted to know what troubled him most, what drove him to leave the frantic lifestyle he used to have, only to drop out of sight, I know the reason now. And he thinks I am going to reveal his secret to the world?

"What do you think?" I mutter. "Want to take a guess at what it is?"

"I think," he snaps, "it’s time for us to leave." He swoops down to grab my wrist, but I swerve to the side.

"Hold on," I yelp, "I haven’t told them yet."

"And you won’t, either." He stalks to the door, pulling me in his wake. I dig my heels into the wooden floor, stumble against him.

He turns, rights me by the shoulders. "Hell, you okay?" He scrutinizes my features, his eyes filled with concern that takes my breath away.

"Y…yeah," I stutter." Let me just complete what I have to say?"

He schools all emotion from his face. "No." He glares at me. "Don’t do it."

"I… I have to," I mumble, "I don’t have a choice."

"You always have a choice," Damian snarls. "I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you." He releases me so quickly that I lose my balance once again. This time I right myself.

"You’re right." I flip my hair over my shoulder. "But it’s too late now." I turn, face the rest of the Seven. Saint widens his stance, Sinclair sets his jaw, while Arpad glowers at me. Weston, Edward and Jace, who’s lurking in the far corner, survey me with something like confusion.

"You should know—" I draw myself up to my full height. "You should know that—"