Page 92 of Stone
“It takes a while for that feeling of safety to sink back in sometimes. If you have moments that are hard, it’s normal,” Dottie said before giving Juliana a hug. “Now, let me grab those snacks.”
Stone watched Griswold watch her leave the room. When the big man’s eyes closed, he led Juliana to a loveseat near Mantis.
“She has that big hiking trip in a few days so is going through the final checklist,” Mantis said, nodding to Charley who didn’t even look up. “What’s your plan now?” he asked.
Juliana lifted a shoulder. “Go back to work. Get back to life.”
Mantis’s eyes sought his, silently asking about their living arrangements.
“She’s moving in,” he said.
Chairs scraped on the floor as every set of eyes, even Charley’s, looked at them. Juliana glared at him. “That’s not exactly what we agreed.”
He raised a brow. “Then you can tell them what we agreed.”
She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he wasn’t saying. He wouldn’t need to say anything, though, because his brothers would. “I’m keeping my place,” she said.
“Are you bringing clothes to Stone’s?” Viper asked.
Juliana frowned at the question. “Yes,” she replied hesitantly.
“And your makeup?” Charley asked.
“Yes, to that, too,” she replied.
“Where will Sherman live?”
“At Stone’s. It’s bigger and has more space for him. We’re also building a fence,” she said. Hearing his name, he trotted over and set his muzzle on her leg. He closed his eyes in bliss as she rubbed his ears.
“It sounds to me like you’re moving in,” Viper said.
“She’s moving in,” Griswold grumbled, his eyes still closed.
“You may like our boy Stone well enough,” Viper continued. “But there’s no way you’re going to be separated from Sherman.”
“But you’re keeping an out,” Mantis said, studying Juliana’s reaction.
“Keeping my place is not keeping an escape route!” Juliana insisted.
Stone didn’t care all that much if she kept her place. He felt confident he’d convince her to stay with him—well, he and Sherman would. It seemed like a waste of money to him, but if that’s what she needed to do before fully committing to their future, then he didn’t mind. She loved him—she’d said the words last night. And the second they walked through the door after returning from Galt, he made sure she knew he felt the same. It hadn’t been the most romantic moment—Sherman frantically searching for his new toys, both of them grubby from adrenaline and being in the granary. But it had been real and honest.
“Cut the woman some slack,” Charley interjected. “Jeez, you all. They’ve been together for, like, a hot minute. I know you all believe that when you know, you know, so you should just ignore the fact that picking a life partner is literally life-changing, but not everyone is built that way.”
Juliana grinned when all the men turned their attention to Mantis. The big man actually blushed—well, not quite, but a slight pink tinged his cheeks.
“Don’t look at me like I’m pressuring her to move in,” he replied defensively.
“No,” Viper said. “You’d never do that. We’re just questioning why it’s taking you so long. Unlike those two,” he said, pointing to him and Juliana. “You all have been together for longer than a hot minute.”
Charley rolled her eyes and looked to Juliana. “We’ve been together for threemonths,not years. By the way they talk, you’d think we’d been together for decades and still can’t decide whether to walk down the aisle or not.”
“If you’re headed there anyway, then why not cut to the chase?” Stone asked.
Charley hesitated. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
“He’s joking,” Juliana said. Then as if realizing that he might not be, she turned a startled look on him. “You are joking, right?”
He shrugged. “If I thought you’d go for it, I’d drive us to the county clerk for a license right now.” Juliana gaped at him, her mouth falling open and her eyes as wide as saucers. “But you’re not there yet, so I’ll wait,” he added.
