Page 6 of Believing in a Billionaire
“Oh, great. Good,” Julia said, tapping the event on Wednesday afternoon.
“And don’t worry, it’s not all teas and hat shopping. I’ve got plenty of fun stuff, too, like mother-daughter lunches, mani-pedis, spa days, purse shopping, shoe shopping, and lots of other fun bonding things.”
Julia stared at the filled month before she smiled at Sierra. “I look forward to each and every one of these.”
“Me too.” Sierra flicked her gaze up to Julia, reaching for her hand. “I’m so happy you’re back, and that Daddy didn’t screw this up.”
“I’m happy to be back, too. And don’t be too hard on him. We had a difficult relationship.”
Sierra paused, reaching for Julia’s hand, her usual flamboyance melting into something more genuine. “I just wantyou to be happy, Julia. You are like the mom I never had. This…all of this…it’s not just about fun. It’s about family.”
Julia smiled at her. “I’m happy you’re my family.”
Sierra grinned at her. “Well, I have to run and get a few things done, but we’ve got a lunch scheduled today. See you there.”
“See you later, Sierra,” Julia said as the woman rose and strode from the room.
She blew out a long breath as she studied the calendar with an amused smile until another knock drew her attention. She glanced up to find Kyle leaning against the door jamb.
Her stomach tightened as she faced him, worried about how he’d taken the news given their track record. “Kyle, come in.”
He strode inside without a word, easing into the seat Sierra had occupied. He stared down at her new ring for a moment before sucking in a breath. “So, elephant in the room…you picked Dad.”
Julia heaved a sigh, wrapping her hand around his. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
He chewed his lower lip as he bobbed his head. “Yeah.”
“I’m serious. You matter. To both me and Grant.”
Kyle scoffed at the statement. “Okay, that’s going a little far, Julia. I believe you. I don’t believe he cares.”
“He does. And I think it may be a little easier now that everything is out in the open between us.”
“We’ll see,” Kyle answered.
“I’m not saying your relationship is going to be easy, but…you’ve made a lot of progress already. Look at how you bonded over destroying Luke.”
“But we never actually destroyed him. And you yelled at us.”
Julia shrugged and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You two came together…without me, I might add, to work together todestroy a common threat. And it’s because you’re family. You’ve both worked really hard to protect this family.”
Kyle flicked his icy blue eyes to her, squeezing her hand as he offered her a slight smile. “It’s nice to hear you call me family. And no matter what, I’m glad you’re here. Even if it’s with him. I’d rather have you here than gone.”
“I’m glad to be here, too. I would have missed all of you.”
“And we would have missed you, too. Sierra freaked out when she found your note. I think I’m still partially deaf from her shrieking.”
Julia winced but a chuckle escaped her. “I’m sorry about that. I just…thought it would be easier on everyone if I just left without all the fanfare and the long goodbyes.”
“Well, it wasn’t. Good thing you didn’t stay away. Promise me that you will never do that again. That you’re not just going to disappear with a stupid note.”
“Hey, I thought it was a nice note,” she shot back.
“I didn’t like it. I didn’t want you to tell me you valued me and were grateful we met. I just wanted you here.”
“I said you could always contact me if you needed anything,” she answered.
“Big deal. It’s easy to ignore a text or a call. It’s much harder when we’re in the same house, and I can track you down and force you to listen.” His gaze lingered on her, a mix of relief and unresolved tension in his eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you’re here. You’ve brought some kind of balance to this crazy house. Just…don’t disappear on us again. It’s not just Dad who needs you.”
