Page 68 of Unpredictable
Unease pricked my veins. In trying to protect my daughter, I was betraying the woman I loved. I didn’t like sneaking around. And I didn’t want Juliana to feel like my dirty little secret. But I couldn’t just drop this news on Olivia, especially not while she was over five thousand miles away.
Before Juliana could dart off, I said, “Actually, we were going to discuss the wedding plans with Connor. Remember?”
“Oh.” She glanced between the two us then flashed us a bright smile. “Right. That’s right. Be right back.” She darted off, and I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not.
The only sounds in the room were my heartbeat whooshing in my ears and the air conditioner cycling on. Connor was silent, scrutinizing me. And I held his gaze, determined not to break.
“So.” I turned for the fridge, unable to handle it anymore. “How’s work?”
“Good.” He accepted a glass of water and took a few gulps. “Busy. How’s the wedding planning going?”
“Good.” I smiled, thinking of Juliana as I pulled out the ingredients to prepare the meal.
“I know I haven’t been very involved—certainly not as much as I’d like. But work has been insane lately.”
I nodded, still not entirely certain I understood his job, despite my extensive research. Sure, he worked for a private security firm. And they specialized in border issues and human trafficking, but what did that really mean? Was he collecting intel from a cushy office chair or actually out in the field? There was a big difference between pushing paper and kicking asses. Though, if you took into account his hours, travel, and physique, my guess was that he was involved with the latter.
“Just so long as my daughter is your first priority.”
“She is—always.” He tightened his grip on the knife, chopping the vegetables as I prepared the fish. “But there was another reason I thought you should be the one to plan it.”
“Oh yeah?” I arched my brow, surprised by this revelation. “Why’s that?”
“Well, considering it’s your money—and a lot of it—I thought you might prefer to be the one making the decisions.”
I nodded. I’d never really considered that angle before. But it made me realize that Connor respected me by having respect for my finances.
“Besides, if it were up to me, we would’ve already eloped.”
I glared at the spatula and opened my mouth to respond. Before I could say anything though, Juliana returned.
“So, Connor—” She dropped her elbows on the counter, smiling, and I envied her ease. “I’m not sure I’ve heard the story of how you and Olivia met.”
“Really?” He chuckled, leaning his hip against the counter. He told her about the Spines for Soldiers program.
Olivia had developed it while working at Igloo Books as a way to help current and former military personnel. It was a sort of reading buddy program, matching people from across the world and giving them access to free books. And more importantly, someone to talk to. When Connor and Olivia had been matched, they’d initially butted heads. But then something had changed; they’d bonded over their love of books. They’d found something in each other that made them feel understood,seen. I found that I actually enjoyed hearing the story from his perspective, and it revealed just how much he cared about my daughter.
When he finished, Juliana smiled. “Wow. That’s quite the story.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I figured she would’ve told you by now.”
“We had to focus on accomplishing as much as we could in the short time we had before she left.”
He nodded. “I wish I could be more involved.”
“Well…” She grinned. “Here’s your opportunity. We can walk you through the plans so far and see if you have anything to add.”
“I’d like that,” he said as we sat down to eat.
Juliana launched into an outline of the events. As she listed everything we’d done, I was honestly impressed by all we’d accomplished. We made a good team, and I enjoyed working with her. Connor listened intently, occasionally asking a question. Until finally, Juliana asked, “So, what do you think? Any suggestions or requests?”
“You’ve got pink peonies. That’s super important to Olivia. I, um—” He cleared his throat, tugging on the neck of his shirt. “I’d really love it if we could find a way to honor my mom.”
Juliana nodded, her expression thoughtful. “You could have a song played in her honor, or a poem or scripture read.”
Connor shook his head. “Those are all nice, but I guess I was hoping for something…I don’t know. More personal.”
“Of course.” Juliana furrowed her brow, considering it. “Well…” She tapped a finger to her lips, drawing my attention to them. Her skin was sun-kissed from our day outside, and I wanted to suck her lips into my mouth. To trail my tongue along her body. “This is just one idea, but we could reserve a seat for your mom.”
