Page 42 of I Knew You
“He’s my friend. He’s still close with my brother, and I want to get to know Whit again. Maybe being around Bram will help.”
“Perhaps.” She hummed. “Maybe you’ll understand Bram better, too, and then I can understand him, because I don’t get this at all.”
“Kallie! Seriously?”
“Okay, okay, fine, fine. I will stop. I had to get one more jab in. I hate him.”
“I know,” I replied. “So you’ve told me, more than once. I’ll send you pictures of his house later. It’s a dream.”
She laughed. “You’re so getting boned.”
Chapter Nine
Bram |September 30, 2024
Julianna had closed the bedroom door, so I knew the conversation was meant to be private. But the house was small and quiet, and the room echoed, which made her voice reverberate down the hall like a loudspeaker.
At first, I busied myself with moving things in the kitchen that didn’t need to be moved. I contemplated turning on the TV. I even walked toward the front door to go outside and escape the temptation to eavesdrop. But in the end, I stood at the front of the hallway, taking every word in.
I wasn’t proud of it, but I had to know what she was thinking.
Hearing how much Kallie despised me was a punch to the face, but I understood. As Julianna’s best friend, Kallie needed to be the protector and truth-teller, and I had been a terrible asshole. There was no denying that.
I saw myself as reformed, but I fought every day to erasethe barrage of insults my father had placed upon me in my youth: a coward, a user, inadequate in every way. Parts of me wondered if deep down I was like him, ruining everything I touched and always wanting more of everything, no matter the cost. I could very well hurt her, even if it weren’t on purpose.
I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I heard her say she thought she still had feelings for me and intended to take my offer to stay at the farm. I wasn’t surprised. The pull between us was undeniable. When she hadn’t moved her hand in the car, I knew I was burned into her like she was me.
Julianna ended the call and opened the door, and I adjusted my baseball hat slightly so I could see her whole face from under the brim. She froze halfway out the door when she saw me.
“How much of that did you hear?”
I leaned against the wall, arms crossed against my chest in feigned neutrality.
“The important parts,” I drawled. “Like you’ll come stay in the farmhouse and let me watch after you. And who I assume is Kallie, loathes me. Understandably.”
Her cheeks flushed so hard I could see their color in the dim lighting.
“Those are Kallie’s feelings, not mine.” She crossed her arms, but her mouth twitched slightly. She was nervous. It meant on some level, I affected her.
I pushed off the wall and approached her, my steps purposeful but slow.
“And I heard you stick up for me. Which I don’t deserve,” I said. Her eyes tracked up to meet mine when I reached her. I leaned against the wall. The heat that radiated off her body singed the resolve I’d made not to pursue her. She was the sole woman who made me feel like a thousand torches had been lit under my skin, and I would burn down everything for her. Ilooked into her brown eyes, rich like soil, reminding me of all the good things I appreciated and revered in nature.
I studied her and took in her beauty. The fine lines on her face enhanced the maturity of her features, and I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten the freckle just below her left eye. I first noticed it the night I kissed her on the road.
“I wasn’t lying in the truck, sweets,” I said, my voice low. “I never forgot you. I never stopped regretting what I said and what I did.” I regretted what Ididn’tdo or say, but I kept that part to myself.
“It’s in the past.” Her words were stern, but her voice shook.
“I truly hope so.” I pushed off the wall and away from her, letting the invisible string that pulled us together fall to the ground. “Let’s return the U-Haul first, and then I’ll pack up what you want to take to the farmhouse.”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t tell you for sure that I was going with you,” she said defiantly, her folded arms falling to her sides.
“You, me, and your best friend all know what is happening here,” I replied with unwavering authority. “I remind you of the past. Maybe the bad parts, but the good parts, too. And I’m here. Not Kallie. Not Whit. They can’t be here right now, but I am, and I want to support you. I would count it a privilege if you would allow me to.”
She bit her lip. My heart raced in my chest as I waited for her reply.
“Lakey sleeps with me,” she finally said.
