Page 46 of Beauty Of Her

“Hey, slow down.” I met Julia halfway, planting my hands on either shoulder. “Take a deep breath, baby. Do you need water?”

“Oh my God. I think I need everything.” Julia’s shoulders deflated, and I hugged her quickly and kissed her head.

“You can relax now. You’re here.”

“Thank you again for your help this afternoon. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you weren’t around. Peter, of course, went missing.” Julia sucked in a deep breath, putting her weight on me.

Well, that answered my question about Peter’s whereabouts. I knew I wasn’t supposed to like Julia’s ex-husband because, why would I? But I didn’t like Peter because he gave me so many reasons not to. “It’s okay, babe. Let’s go watch the girls.” As we walked toward the soccer practice, I motioned to the field, watching the kids dart back and forth. I didn’t pay much attention to all the gossipy mothers.

“Were the girls nice to you? How about Zoe?” Julia pressed a hand to my chest.

“They were great, don’t even worry.”

“Zoe can be hard to converse with, but she’s getting much better.”

“Oh, she’s always been this way?” I peered into Julia’s tired eyes.

“No. Ever since the divorce, she changed. But I see the old Zoe slowly returning,” Julia admitted.

After the girls finished up their practice, we got into my car to head home. It was right around dinner time, and my stomach growled the entire ride home.

“Is anyone hungry?” I glanced at Julia and then at the girls in the backseat.

“I’m actually starving.” Julia raised her hand.

“Me too!” Sara added.

All eyes fell onto Zoe, and when I saw the signature eye roll, I couldn’t help but smile. “I could go for some pizza,” she mumbled.

“Just some?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Fine. A lot of pizza,” said Zoe.

“It’s done.” I slapped the steering wheel. “A shit ton of pizza for dinner it is!”

“Shh! Language, Brett,” Julia warned.

I winked at Julia but then looked in the rearview mirror, purposely finding Zoe’s eyes. When she looked at me, I made an exaggerated eye roll, and there was no mistaking the grin Zoe tried to hide.

We pulled into the parking lot of the local pizzeria, and the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked dough and melted cheese filled the air. The girls wasted no time forcing their way out of my backseat. This two-door sports car suddenly didn’t seem that cool or convenient, but that was something else to tackle later. I took Julia’s hand, trailing behind the girls, all hypnotized by the smell of fresh bread and baked cheese.

“This is my treat tonight,” Julia insisted, fishing out her wallet from her bag.

“Are you crazy? Put that away before I toss it down a sewer drain.” I wasn’t kidding, either.

“Come on, I owe you.” Julia thrust her wallet to me.

“You don’t owe me anything. I don’t operate with strings when it comes to you, Julia.” I was almost insulted this needed explaining, but it suddenly reminded me how maybe Julia was never treated correctly. Was she never taken care of while caring for everyone surrounding her? She was an object of beauty; all I yearned to do was treasure her forever.

“Are you sure?” Julia frowned.

“Look, if you really want to make it up to me, maybe a great blowjob later.”

Julia threw her head back, laughing. “You really do like those, don’t you?”

I pulled her close, my lips brushing against her ear. “You’re the best I’ve ever had. So, fuck yeah, I like them from you.”

Julia shivered against me, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and grabbed the door for her to enter the pizzeria. The twins were already ordering at the counter, and Julia joined them seconds later. Something tugged in my chest as I watched all three girls at the counter in my heart. This was a routine I could get used to, and despite my age and whatever differences Julia and I may have, tonight felt great.

---