Page 35 of The Story of You

He’s thinking of me and Julius having babies? “Oh God, Baba. That’s too fast even for me.” He squeezes me harder, not calmed in the least. “Maybe I should play the field a bit. Julius is only the first man I’ve dated in four years. Settling down with the first person I fall in love with might not be the best idea.”

I don’t mean it of course. I’m too gone for Julius. “The Field” is non-existent to me. I just want him to relax.

He’s too quiet for several heartbeats. “Fuck.”

“Fuck?”

“You just checkmated me.”

“I did?”

“Julius is the evil I know. The thought of you ‘playing the field’ after what happened to you is more than I can handle. Sorry, Eaglet, if he doesn’t work out, I’m locking you away in a tower after that.” I gaze up in time to see the devious expression spread onto his face. “I will buy you seven new pairs of shoes to say that thing about playing the field in front of him. The look on his face would be worth it.”

I laugh. “Are you trying to sabotage my beach day?”

He shrugs.

“All you have to do is ask. I can stay home for you. Is that what you need?”

“I … I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. Go. I’ll be fine. Lakshan will keep me company.”

No. He does everything for me. I want to do something for him. My ass is about to hate me.

Pulling away from Silas I swing around to the counter where Julius is packing enough food for an army.

“Here comes trouble,” Lakshan says.

I tune him out and focus on Julius. “Hey baby, I’m thinking we rushed into this whole relationship thing too fast. Maybe we should shop around a bit more.” I waggle my brow at him.

He shuts the fridge door and sets the bag down on the counter. “I see, Signor Randall. You think you have a choice.”

Tugging me forward by the waistband of my board shorts, he traps me in his arms. “I didn’t get a choice and neither do you. We belong to each other. No more shopping for you unless it’s for pretty, length-appropriate dresses and shoes.”

Our foreheads touch, my tummy swoops and I’m pretty sure I just fell in love with him again—is that a thing?

“Sorry, Dad. This backfired in a big way.” If I could have Julius’s babies right now, I would.

Silas finally leaves the door, his four-legged companion follows him to the kitchen island. He and Julius exchange a look. I don’t know what it means, but they seem to have reached an understanding.

“Have fun at the beach, Eaglet. Remember the sunscreen.” Silas leaves, the clip of Jarvis’s nails against the stone in his wake.

I glance at Lak.

“He’s fine, Oliver. I’ll make him a nice lunch.” I’m pretty sure that’s code for sex stuff.

“I know he’ll be fine, but I can’t shake this feeling—”

Lakshan gently grips my face in his hands. “Everything is okay, Oliver. We’ve been having some conversations. It’s stirring things up for him. He mentioned something about throwing you into his ’73 Monte Carlo and driving to Canada.”

The car. I’m old enough to remember the car. Silas drove it around until I began high school.

And now I know how he got the car. What it means to our family. How a mention of it is a window into his state of mind.

Lakshan kisses my head and releases me.

“Juli, can we have a picnic outside or something instead?”

“Stubborn Randalls,” Lakshan mutters.