His grip on the steering wheel tightens. “And how is that going?”
“I’m finally happy.” I take a deep breath. “So freaking happy but also terrified that the feeling might disappear again, and then I’ll be sucked back into that dark place.”
“It could happen. You could slip back into another depression, and that isn’t something you can control.”
“I know.” I fidget with my hands.
He reaches over and interlocks our fingers. “But that doesn’t mean you have to go through that kind of feeling by yourself anymore.” His hand squeezes mine.
“I’m afraid to depend on people.”
“Your issue isn’t depending on people but rather finding the right people to depend on.”
It takes me a good minute to wrap my head around that one. “Did everyone see what I was clearly missing?”
“No, although I wish I had.” His hold on my hand loosens, so I tighten my grip to stop him from slipping away.
“You wouldn’t have known regardless.” Keeping up false pretenses was a craft I honed over the years, making sure no one could see through the mask I held in place to shield my anxiety, insecurities, and relationship issues.
“Maybe, maybe not. But I regret not owning up to my actions and trying to reconnect with you.”
No amount of deep breathing will save me from the ache in my chest. “We both need to let go of our regrets if we plan on moving forward.”
It takes him a full minute to say anything. “I can do that.”
“Do you think…” I bite down on my cheek.
He peeks at me out of the corner of his eye. “Do I think what?”
“That we could remain friends, even if I move back to San Francisco?”
“If?” His fingers stop tapping against the steering wheel.
“When.” I power through the next sentence before I second-guess myself. “Our families are so happy that we’re all together, and I’d hate for things to be strained again if we have a falling out or things get weird between us.”
“If or when you move back, I don’t plan on letting things go back to the way they were before.”
My brain takes his statement and runs a marathon with it until Julian interrupts my overthinking power hour by stopping his truck at the intersection leading out of town. “Put this on.”
I check out the silk eye mask. “Is this surprise a kinky one?”
“Don’t take it off.” His burning gaze is the last thing I see before he pushes the mask down, blocking my view.
My body trembles, a fact Julian notices based on his low chuckle.
The engine roars as he takes off again, driving for another twenty minutes before the car finally rolls to a stop.
“Wait here,” he announces before climbing out of the car.
I have no idea what surprise Julian has planned, but I can’t wait to find out.
He opens my door and helps me out.
“Can I take off the blindfold now?”
“Give me a minute.” He grips my elbow and leads me into the unknown. Funny how two months ago, I didn’t trust him near me with both eyes open, yet now I’m willingly taking a blind leap of faith with him.
Gravel crunches beneath my boots as we walk uphill.
I strain my ears while searching for clues about our location. “Where are we?”
“Lake Aurora.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see in a second.”
I’m not sure why Julian brought me out here, but anticipation bites at my heels. Lake Aurora was founded ten years after Lake Wisteria and was heavily influenced by London architecture. With houses of every color and rows of unique townhomes that stretch for miles, the town is a designer’s dream.
After ten more steps, Julian holds true to his promise as he rips the eye mask off. I blink a few times, allowing my eyes to adjust before I take in the massive mansion in front of us. The Queen Anne-style matches the Founder’s house style, although this one was kept in slightly better condition.
“What’s going on?”
He holds up a pair of keys. “You said you were bored.”
“So you bought me a house?”
“I thought we could fix it.”
“Together?”
The slight tightening of his throat gives his nerves away.
“What happened to destroying houses to build neighborhoods?” I ask.
“I still plan on doing so.”
“Oh.”
“But unlike our town, Lake Aurora has plenty of land to spare without me needing to tear down historic homes in the expansion process.”
“I like this plan more and more.”
The moon highlights the faint blush creeping up his cheeks. “Do you want to check it out?”
Shy Julian might be my favorite Julian, especially when it comes with surprises like this.
I slip my hand into his and lock our fingers together. “Let’s go inside.”
The fresh scent of cleaning solution fills my nose as we walk into the house. The tightness in my chest becomes impossible to ignore as I consider Julian hiring someone to get the house ready for me to see it.
I catch him devouring my reactions like a ten-course meal as we walk through the perfect mansion.
A room full of empty shelves begging to be lined with books and accessories. A sunroom facing the lake and the surrounding tree line. Windows lining the whole back wall, allowing plenty of moonlight to stream inside.
With each room, I fall more in love with the property. Sure, it could use an interior designer’s touch, but the bones are stunning, and the view of the lake is a huge selling point.
“I thought you didn’t like restoring houses.” I turn and find his eyes already focused on me.
“The Founder’s house and Gerald’s story may have changed my mind.”
“Oh, really?”
His Adam’s apple bobs from how hard he swallows. “And you.”
“I did?”
“Yes.”
“Who knew I was such a good influence?”
He wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his warm embrace. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
“Good, because you’re in charge of it.”
“Me?”
His right brow rises. “I thought you wanted a challenge.”
“This is…” Everything I could have dreamed up and more.
I blink hard and fast. “What’s your timeline?”
“I was thinking the team could get started on demo next week.”
My brows jump. “So soon?”
He breaks eye contact. “I don’t want you to be bored here.”
“Why?”
He takes so long to answer, I almost give up waiting for one.
“Because I want to give you a hundred different reasons to stay.”
Wait. What?
“Julian,” I plead.
He holds my chin in a firm grip, cutting me off. “I need to get this out.” Instead of five deep breaths, he takes one long inhale.
Progress.
“Tonight, when you told Lily we weren’t together, I wasn’t angry…”
My lungs stop working.
His arresting stare holds me hostage. “I was disappointed because of how much I wanted us to be.”
“I never meant to hurt your feelings,” I rush to get out.