Page 110 of I Knew You
I sat up and scooted back against the headboard, unable to do anything more than pull her into me, where she snuggled.
“How did it go? What did he say?”
She became misty-eyed as she recounted their conversation.
“I love that for you, sweets,” I replied, kissing her twice. “New beginnings all around for us. I think Grams would be proud.”
“I think so, too.”
“Whit is going to hate me once I tell him about the wreck.”
As strongly as I felt about protecting the woman in my arms, Whit felt the same. When he found out what I’d kept from him,it would be hard to get him to understand that Julianna had done it for him and that I had, too. I had a hunch he would only hear the part about me lying to him for fifteen years.
“Even if he forgets himself in the moment, he will forgive you eventually, Bram. I’ll make sure of it. We have to get the band back together, as Grams would say, and I will make it happen.”
I pulled her down to me and kissed her deeply.
“How will we pass the time tonight, wife?” I asked in a low voice. Her breathing hitched at my words, her eyes glazed over, and she leaned toward me.
“Take me home, Bram.”
I froze.
“Shit. Melanie is staying with me. Her apartment sold, so she’s moved in for a while.”
“She told me when she called,” Jules said. “I’d forgotten. That’s okay. If you don’t want me to see her right now, it’s okay.”
“How did you talk to her anyway? How’d she have your number?”
She shrugged, but with a coy look that made me laugh.
I grabbed her, gently pulling her directly onto me until her head rested on my shoulder, where I settled my arm around her.
“I can’t think of anything better than having my three favorite girls under one roof.” I smiled, meaning it with my whole heart. “You will love Mel once you know her better. She’s opinionated, but she means well.”
“She and Whit would get along famously.” She laughed. “Do they know each other?”
“No,” I replied, thinking about it a moment. “They’ve never met.”
“Hmm. Maybe a good idea?” She smiled slyly.
I shook my head. “Whit and Mel in the same room? Not a good idea. I’m not sure the world could contain it.”
“We’ll come backfor everything else later,” I said definitively, closing the front door.
“We’ll see,” Julianna replied, echoing how I treated her the last time I insisted she was coming home with me. I swatted her butt as she walked toward the truck.
The drive to the farmhouse was smooth. The weather was still lovely in the early evening, and the sun was setting right behind the mountain tops.
“We’ve seen so many sunsets together,” she remarked, and I reached over and squeezed her thigh, resting my hand across the console. I was holding onto her like I’d always wanted to, satisfaction engulfing me.
“I won’t be happy until we’ve seen as many sunsets together as we have apart.”
She didn’t reply, but I didn’t miss the smile that blossomed across her face.
“So, should I call your sister Mel or Melanie? Any topics I should avoid?”
“Just be yourself, you’re perfect. I didn’t mean to make her sound intimidating earlier. Besides, I’ve hyped you up so much. She already loves you.”
