Page 93 of I Knew You
“I have meetings.”
“You’re always late anyway.”
“Smartass.”
“I’m learning from the best.”
Without overthinking it, I walked back to her and wrapped my strong arms around her petite frame in a chaste embrace. “I appreciate you,” I said.
“I always wanted a big brother, and now I have one. And a boss. Not sure which role I like you in more.”
“Good answer,” I muttered into her hair. I left her standing in the doorway with a wave, grateful anew that she was in my life.
The driveback to the farm was a blur. I parked the truck outside the garage and killed the engine. I planned to go in, spill my guts, beg Julianna for forgiveness, and convince her I wanted to change because I did want to change. If it came down to choosing to wallow in pity or to be with her every day, I’d pick her every time. Forgiving myself and moving on from my past mistakes was the best way to honor Julianna’s commitment to me, paving a path forward for us to be together.
If that’s what she wanted.
What if I was too late?
I remained as stealthy as possible as I moved through the house. Lakey met me in the living room with a wagging tail, and I petted her before making my way up the creaking stairs. My bedroom door was half open, and I pushed it open gently, thinking she was probably in there.
Empty.
The bed was made with not one wrinkle on the sheets. I raced to the bathroom and flipped on the light. It was empty. The vanity was cleared of her things. Frantic, I looked around for her bag. It was nowhere to be found. I checked the other two bedrooms, and they were undisturbed.
I ran down the stairs and grabbed my phone, which I’d deposited on the dining room table, pulling up her number. It rang as I searched the downstairs rooms. I even stuck my head in the cellar. I trembled as her phone continued to go to voicemail.
I switched to text and received a notification that her phone was set toDo Not Disturb.
Wherever she was, whoever she was with, whatever she was doing, she was icing me out. Kallie must have picked her up. I let Lakey outside to do her business before putting her back in her kennel. I wouldn’t be okay until I knew Julianna was safe and until she would listen to all the apologies I needed to make. I headed towards Grams’ house.
Chapter Twenty-One
Julianna |October 14, 2024
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”
Kallie had been delayed with a bakery emergency and wouldn’t be in Mill Creek until almost midnight. I was so far removed from Uber or taxi services out in the country that it was laughable. So, I called the only number I had of someone in the area, and someone I knew would make Bram angriest.
Hunter Kearsley leaned against his vehicle, arms crossed loosely, amusement playing across his face as he spied me walking toward him.
Was I losing it? Yes. I acknowledged and accepted that I had lost my mind.
I could have taken Bram’s Jeep, but how could I stay away from him if I stole his vehicle? I also wasn’t yet cleared to drive after the surgery.
I’d left Lakey out of her kennel. It felt wrong to cage her since she usually spent nights free in the house, and Bramwould be back eventually. I wanted to take the pup with me, but she wasn’t mine to keep. None of it was mine: the house, the bed, the Jeep, the precious fur baby who whined when I closed the front door behind me. Even my title as Bram’s wife wasn’t mine to keep. Bram had invited me in and told me to make myself comfortable, and in less than a few weeks, I had staked a strange claim over his space.
You love him.
I pushed the feelings down. I locked them away so deep inside that I couldn’t feel them, not as Hunter stared at me with those gray eyes.
When he saw me carrying a bag, he jogged over and took it from my grasp.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” I said sheepishly. “Everything is still kind of tender.”
“You shouldn’t be carrying anything,” he admonished. “I am not past doing favors for beautiful women or patients who just had surgery.” He laughed then, blushing a smidge. “But this is not something I’ve done before.”
I was in crisis mode and didn’t care about my state of dress. And for once, I didn’t worry about what he may or may not have been thinking. He didn’t seem to mind my unglamorous looks, my aloof demeanor, or the fact that I had asked such a huge favor.
