Julian (Beautiful Mine #1) (14 page)

“So, what now?” I asked. “Where do we go from here?”

“I have an idea,” he said with a mischievous grin. “But it has to be a surprise.”

I studied his face, knowing he was up to something but unable to bear questioning him just now. Exhaustion consumed me, and I hadn’t an ounce of energy left to pry. We climbed up to the top of the bed and crawled under the sheets, my head tucked neatly into his arm. I rested my eyes for just a moment, and when I awoke, it was daylight.

I peeled myself off of him and climbed out of bed as Julian’s eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, his full lips twisting into a sexy smile. “Welcome to the first day of the rest of our lives together.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. I climbed back into bed with him. Not touching him at all times was beginning to feel unnatural.

“I’m going to marry you today,” he said.

JULIAN

“Today? Are you serious, Julian?” Evie’s voice was chock full of excitement as she jumped into my arms. I’d told her once that I didn’t want to waste any time, and I was quickly proving to her that Julian Garner-Willoughby was a man of his word.

“Yes, today,” I replied as I cupped her face in my hands and brushed the hair out of her blue eyes. “I can’t let you slip away again. If we’re married, no one can tear us apart.”

“I don’t have a dress,” she said with a pout.

“We’ll take care of everything today,” I said. “And you will have a ring.”

She smiled.

“We’ll head to the bank after breakfast,” I continued. “I don’t want to waste a single second.”

She dragged me out of bed and down the hall to the kitchen, where Carys was making all kinds of racket and singing horribly to some music blasting from her phone.

“What’s up with you two?” she asked, eyeing us both as she turned off her music. “If you did anything freaky this morning, you sure were quiet …”

“You want to tell her, Julian?” Evie asked me.

“I’m marrying Evie today,” I announced, my shoulders back and my chin raised.

“What?!” Carys asked as she ran to Evie. She grabbed Evie’s hands and began to dance around excitedly. “Can I be your witness? You have to have a witness! Oh, I’m calling in today. I can’t miss this.”

Carys was nearly as excited as we were as she pulled her blonde hair into her fingers and began rattling off something to Evie about hairstyles and flowers and dresses. I stared at Evie as she smiled wide, listening intently to Carys’ ideas. I nonchalantly pulled her closer to me, pressing her body into mine. In just a few hours, she was going to be my wife. Everything else was gravy.

Carys drove us to the National Savings Bank, which housed my trust fund. Having just turned twenty-four in January, it was all mine, which definitely explained my mother’s insane obsession to preserve it. They never expected me to live past eighteen or nineteen, or twenty-one, or twenty-four, for that matter. And they certainly never expected me to fall in love and run away with some girl. That money was ours now, and I was going to give Evie the most wonderful life I could with it.

I returned from the bank a while later and climbed back in the car.

“That took a long time,” Carys said. “Everything okay?”

Evie shot her a look. “Carys.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Everything’s fine. It was just my first time going to that bank. They needed to verify a few things. I had to promise them everything but my first born, and they still didn’t believe I was me.”

We headed toward the jewelry store on the square uptown, where I proceeded to pick out a modest, white gold band and Evie picked out an antique diamond eternity band.

“You sure you don’t want a solitaire?” I asked as she eyed the sparkling diamonds that surrounded her fingers as she modeled it for me. “You can have any ring you want in here.”

“I’m sure,” she said, smiling as she admired it. “I want this one.”

The ring fit her like a glove, and I wasted no time in slapping some cash on the table and running off to our next stop.

“I never thought I’d be planning a wedding in a matter of hours,” she said as we walked down the square to the dress shop.

“Is this okay?” I asked her softly. “I know it’s probably not the wedding of your dreams...”

“Julian.” She stopped me. “It’s fine. I don’t care about the wedding. I care about marrying you.”

She reached up and grabbed a fistful of my shirt, and then planted a kiss on my lips right there on the sidewalk as cars drove by. This girl loved me. She really loved me.

“All right, you two,” Carys said, ushering us from behind. “Dress shop.”

We walked up ahead and entered a small boutique.

“I want this one,” Evie said, holding up a tea-length, strapless ivory dress covered in lace. It had a vintage feel to it, just like her vintage wedding band.

“That’s the one,” Carys said, nodding in agreement. “Try it on. I’d tell you to go wait outside, Julian, but this little wedding you two are putting on bucks all kinds of traditions.”

Evie scampered into the dressing room and emerged a minute later with the help of a saleswoman. She did a cute little spin, beaming as Carys gushed about how beautiful she looked.

“I love it,” I said as Evie turned to me for approval. “You’re beautiful.”

The dress fit her petite frame like a glove, like it was made just for her, and I walked off to the front counter to buy it for her.

We piled into Carys’ car once again and headed to the courthouse. Once inside, we found the appropriate office and filled out the paperwork.

“If you’re all ready, you can go to courtroom twelve. Third floor,” the clerk said. Thank God for slow days at the courthouse. And it probably didn’t hurt that I slipped her a hundred dollar bill to make this happen. I wasn’t above doing whatever it took to marry Evie Cawthorn as soon as possible.

The girls scrambled into a nearby bathroom and emerged a short time later with Evie’s hair slicked back into a low bun and her lips painted a rich crimson. I reached out and grabbed her hand, leading her to the elevator.

“Evie Cawthorn and Julian Garner-Willoughby,” the judge said as he looked up from his papers. We’d just stepped into the courtroom. “Please step forward.”

The three of us approached his stand as he walked around and stood before us.

“This is your witness?” he said, turning to Carys. “Carys Harrison?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, squeezing Evie’s hand.

He proceeded to spout out some sort of legal jargon-infused ceremony verbiage. “Did the two of your prepare any vows?”

“No,” I said, “but I want to say something anyway.”

Evie’s eyes lit up and she flashed me a thankful smile.

“Evie, you make me so happy. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in this world. I can’t even begin to describe the ways you’ve changed my life.” I could feel my eyes turning glassy. “I promise to be good to you, Evie, for all of my days.”

“Julian,” she replied, “you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. Inside and out. Every day with you is special, and I promise to love you and be good to you all of my days.”

“With the power vested in me by the great state of Kansas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the judge said.

I leaned in to kiss her mouth, lingering and kissing her again and again. The judge cleared his throat and Carys stifled a laugh.

We emerged from the courtroom, ready to begin our lives and create our destiny, just as I’d promised her that night in bed.

“So, where are you spending your honeymoon?” Carys asked as we walked to the car.

Evie shrugged as she turned to me, her skirt swaying as she walked. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere you want,” I told her.

“We don’t have a lot of money,” she said innocently. “I doubt your mom will pay me for last week. It doesn’t seem right to go somewhere crazy expensive.”

“Money’s not an object,” I assured her. If she only knew…

“When are you going to tell your parents about your marriage?” Carys pried, changing the subject.

“Oh, yeah,” Evie said, nibbling her nails. “I guess we sort of forgot about them, huh?”

“Should I have asked you for your father’s permission?” I asked, envisioning being chased by an angry man with a shotgun.

She shrugged and shook her head. “We should probably go introduce you, though.”

EVIE

“Please don’t have any expectations about my house,” I said to Julian as we pulled into my driveway. We’d been married all of two hours and I was about to officially introduce him to my family. “It’s probably the size of your great room.”

“Evie,” he said, “I didn’t marry you because of where you came from. Don’t be ridiculous. That’s insulting, actually.”

He took my hand as we strolled up the walk to the front door, squeezing me for a little added reassurance.

“Hello?” I called out as we stepped inside. “Anyone home?”

“Evie? Is that you?” my mother’s voice called out. I instantly remembered how angry I’d been when I stormed out of there Saturday morning. “You’re back.”

She stopped in her tracks the second she saw that I wasn’t alone.

My father poked his head out from the kitchen. “Who’ve we got here?”

“Mom, Dad,” I said. “This is my husband, Julian.”

My mother clutched her chest and my father stared down at Julian through his wire-rimmed glasses. It was never a good thing when George Cawthorn was speechless.

Julian stuck his hand out and shook their hands. “Very nice to meet you. I’ve heard such great things. You’ve certainly raised an amazing and beautiful young woman.”

My mother’s face warmed a little as she stared at him, almost mesmerized. “Thank you. We knew Evie was quite fond of you, but we had no idea you two were going to move this fast. Please forgive us for being taken a little off guard, here.”

My father remained mum.

“It was a bit unexpected for us, as well,” Julian said. “Believe me.”

“His mom tried to pay me seventy-five thousand dollars never to speak to him again,” I blurted. “She took his cell phone and tricked me into thinking he was texting me so I’d go meet him. Once I was there, she cornered me in the garden. I ran away, and that’s when I found Julian waiting by the back door for me.”

“That’s, uh, quite a story there, kid,” my father said, breaking his silence.

“We had to be together, no matter what,” I said, staring at Julian. He looked so stoic and regal, standing there like a proud husband. “If he hadn’t come down when he did, who knows when I would’ve seen him again? We were completely cut off.”

“That’s actually really sweet,” my mom said, warming up even more. She walked over to Julian and wrapped her arms around him. “Welcome to the family, Julian.”

He hugged her back, and I smiled as he looked slightly uncomfortable but said nothing.

“I wish we could’ve been there,” my mother said with bittersweet regret.

“I know,” I sighed. “I’m so sorry, Mom. Everything just sort of happened so fast. Forgive us?”

“What’s going on?” Alexa traipsed down the hall.

“Meet your new brother-in-law,” my father said.

“You’re freaking married, Evie?” Alexa said, her mouth gaping. “Since when?”

“This morning,” I said, pulling Julian in closer to me. Alexa couldn’t keep her eyes off of him, as if he was a sight for sore eyes.

“So, where are you guys going to live?” she asked.

“We’re staying with Evie’s good friend, Carys,” Julian said. “But tomorrow, we’re going house hunting.”

“We are?” I asked, turning to him. I had no idea.

“I told you,” he said with a wink. “I’m going to take care of you. I’m a man of my word.”

“Stay for dinner?” my mom offered.

“Maybe some other time, Mom,” I said, looking at Julian. “I kind of just want to be with my husband right now.”

“Evie, can I speak to you in the other room for a moment?” my mom asked with an innocent smile on her face. She placed one arm around me and led me aside. “You know, this may seem silly, but I’ve lived in this town all of my life. Your grandparents, too.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Your point?”

“Have you met his entire family?” she asked.

“His mom and dad, yes,” I said. “I haven’t met aunts or uncles or cousins, or anything. I don’t see where you’re going with this.”

She pursed her lips, choosing her words carefully. “I think he has siblings.”

I scrunched my nose. “He would’ve said something.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I’m pretty sure.”

“Well, I doubt it, but I’ll ask him later,” I said, thinking very little of her claims. Julian would’ve told me, or at the very least, I would’ve seen pictures around the mansion.

“I just think you should really try to know the family you’re marrying into,” she said, her eyes concerned. “You rushed this, Evie, and I don’t think you know what you’re getting into.”

“I’d know if he had siblings, Mom,” I said. “I think you’re just confused.”

She opened her lips as if to add something and then stopped, throwing her hands in the air as if she knew it wouldn’t matter anyway. I stepped away, heading back out to Julian who was waiting by the door, ready to go. I could only imagine the things my father and sister were saying to him in my absence.

We left my parents’ house and drove around town, looking at houses for sale and trying to get a feel for our options. We drove by an old Arts and Crafts bungalow on the south part of town, painted in oddly harmonious shades of olive green and deep eggplant with cedar wood accents.

“Julian, look at that one,” I said, bringing my car to a screeching halt. I pulled into the driveway to get a closer look. Judging by the slightly overgrown shrubs that surrounded the front porch, the place was unoccupied. I jumped out of the car before Julian could say anything and ran up to the window, cupping my hands around the glass to peek in. “This is it. This is our fixer-upper.”

Julian caught up and peeked inside alongside me. “Ha. How about that.”

“Call the agent,” I told him, handing him my phone. “Why not check it out right now?”

He stepped down toward the “for sale” sign and entered the number, and within minutes an older, well-dressed woman in a white Lincoln pulled up. She sauntered up the driveway with a clipboard under her arm and a smile wider than the Hoover Dam. With legs a mile long, a white, toothy grin, and a very expensive-looking haircut, she extended her right hand and began immediately rambling about the listing.

We entered the front door and were greeted by a beaten wooden staircase that was surely grand at one point in time. Then we headed left to an open living room. On the right was a dining room with original stained glass windows. Behind the dining room was a galley kitchen, and opposite the kitchen was the master bedroom.

“There’s no master bath or walk-in closet,” the agent said. “Of course, they didn’t have those things back in the twenties when this house was built.”

“Understandable,” Julian said. “You okay with that, Evie?”

“Of course,” I said, beaming as I took in the surroundings. I didn’t see scuffed wood and dated carpet—I saw potential.

“This place needs a lot of work,” the agent said while casually checking for dust on the bottom of her white pants. “But the sellers are very motivated.”

“I think it’d be kind of fun to fix it up together,” I said.

“We still need to see the upstairs,” Julian said, his eyes traveling the rickety staircase.

The three of us tromped up the stairs to see two simple, sunlight-filled bedrooms and one basic bathroom. I walked up behind Julian, slipping my hands around his narrow waist.

“This feels like home,” I mumbled into the back of his shirt. I could feel his heart beating and the warmth of his body made me glow from the inside out. I hadn’t had that inner-glow feeling in years, not since Spencer, and even now, I wasn’t sure that feeling with Spencer was real. “This feels right.”

“I think so, too,” he said, turning to face me. “We’ll take it.”

“Great,” the realtor said, clapping her hands and smiling. “Shall we head to my office to write up an offer?”

“Just tell me how much it is,” Julian said, his eyes locked into mine the entire time. “I’ll pay cash. We need a place to stay as soon as possible.”

“Oh,” she said, nearly rendered speechless and trying to contain her excitement.

“Can we close in twenty-four hours?” he asked, turning to her. “If you can make that happen, you’ve got the sale.”

I loved bossy Julian. Bossy Julian, who moved mountains for me, turned me on like nothing else.

“Um,” the agent said. “Well, I will say this is highly uncommon for Halverford, but I think we can work something out.”

We headed to the agent’s office after Julian first stopped at the bank for a $147,500 withdrawal. We signed the papers hours later, and the owners gave us permission to move in that night, even though finalizing the sale wouldn’t officially happen for another day or two.

“Do you want me to carry you over the threshold?” Julian asked as we pulled up to our new home that night.

“Oh, God, no,” I laughed, swatting at him. “But you can do whatever you want to me once we get inside…”

His face twisted into a devilish smirk as he hurried out of the car, walking around to open my door. “I guess we should probably consummate this marriage of ours, huh?”

“Very true, husband,” I replied, taking his hand as he led me to the front door.

“I love that you’re my wife,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. “It’s sexy.”

“What are we waiting for?” I said.

He pulled the keys from his pocket and slipped them in the door. The lock stuck for a bit before the door finally flew open. “Put that on the list.”

“We’re home!” I shouted out into the empty, echoing house as I ran from room to room. “This is ours, Julian. This is where our life begins.”

Julian stood back, arms crossed and reserved smile on his face as he watched me flit about like a kid in a candy store. I ran over and wrapped my arms around him, standing on my toes to give him a kiss.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I whispered.

“I told you I’d take care of you,” he said. “I just want you to be happy.”

“As long as I’ve got you, that’s all I really need. But thanks for buying us a house.” I winked at him. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. A cardboard box would’ve sufficed. Or, you know, a little apartment.”

He smiled, but said nothing.

“Everything okay?” I asked. He didn’t seem half as excited as I was.

“Yeah,” he said.

Despite that, something just didn’t seem right. “You feeling okay?” I asked him.

“Of course,” he insisted.

I narrowed my eyes. “Okay,” I said slowly. “You need to tell me if you’re ever not feeling well. I may be your wife, but I’m still your nurse.”

“Evie, I’m fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Promise.”

“What are you thinking about right now?”

“A lot of things,” he replied, his champagne eyes fixed on mine. “So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours. I’m just trying to take it all in.”

“I’m surprised your mom hasn’t called you in missing,” I huffed.

“Nah, she’s not like that,” he said. “Once you leave, you may as well be dead to her.”

“But you’re her son,” I scoffed. “Why don’t you just call her and tell her you’re safe, you’re happy, you’re healthy, and if she wants to be a part of your life, she can? The choice is hers.”

Julian shrugged. “That’s not how she operates.”

“Call her,” I insisted, handing him my phone.

He hesitated at first, and then punched in the numbers, pursing his lips. “Yes, Juanita, it’s Julian. Is my mother there?”

He waited as the maid placed him on hold, then returned to tell him she was indisposed at the moment and couldn’t take his call. Julian hung up and handed the phone back to me.

“That takes care of that,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing his arm. “Thanks for trying. You did the right thing. Now, where were we?”

I pressed close to him, switching gears and slipping one hand around his waist as the other traced his collar bone. I leaned up on my toes again, kissing his neck.

Julian shuddered.

I stopped. “What is it?”

“You gave me chills. Keep going. I like it.”

I smiled as I continued padding his neck with soft kisses and breathing in his intoxicating scent of soap and aftershave. I wanted to breathe in every part of him. As I unbuttoned his shirt, ours eyes met for a split second. He was holding back, I could tell, ready to pounce at any moment. His chest rose and fell quickly with each undone button as the cool air met his skin.

Julian reached over and with steady, determined hands gently pulled my top over my head. All I could hear was his breathing and my heart pounding in my ears. I stuck one finger in the waistband of his jeans and began to work the button as he slipped his hands behind my back, unhooking my bra while he kissed my shoulder.

I reached behind him and flipped the light switch on the wall. Darkness consumed the space around us as our hands fumbled over one another’s bodies. We stumbled toward the living room, working off the rest of our clothes, desperate to be close again.

Under the pale moonlight that shone through the wide open windows, I saw him staring at me, his eyes taking in every curve of my body and his hands cupping the flesh of my breasts.