Page 56 of Scrubbing In
My smile falters just a little. “I’m not sure, it’s kind of late notice, don’t you think? What if I have plans?” I hedge.
“What kind of plans would trump your parents visiting you?”
“That’s hitting below the belt, Mom.” I sit on the edge of my bed that I hardly sleep in anymore. Blowing out a breath, I decide to go for broke, done playing games. My mom would win anyways, she’s too smart for her own good. “I’ve missed you guys too. I would love for you to come down.”
“Fabulous! Now tell me, what should we plan on doing?”
“I think we’re done playing this game. What about dinner with me and Leena?” She gasps. “If she’s up for it, that is,” I add.“This may be a little too much too soon, and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”
“Julian, of course! I’m just thrilled you two have finally come together. And that you’re not hiding it anymore,” she gushes.
If she only knew . . .
I’m not upset we're still hiding our relationship, I just hate that I can’t love Leena out loud. Because I do love her. Very much.
“I’m happy we’re together, too.” Quietly, almost reverently, I continue, “It feels exactly like I knew it would. Perfect. And right. She’s the one, Mom. I know it, just like you said.”
She sniffles and says, a little weepy, “This makes me so happy for you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for my children—to find a love like the one I share with your father.”
“I get it now.” We’re both silent for a moment, lost in our own thoughts. Then I look at my watch, anxious to grab dinner and get to my girl. “Listen, I gotta go. I’m having dinner with Jace. But I'll let you know if you need to be on your best behavior tomorrow night or not.”
“I’m always on my best behavior,” Mom harrumphs. My dad’s snort comes from the background. “Hush, Lucas.”
“Good night, Mom. I love you.”
Exiting my room, I rap my fist on Jace’s door.
He opens with a brow lifted in question. “How’d it go?” he asks with barely suppressed amusement.
I spin on my heel with a roll of my eyes. “Let’s go. I’m hungry. And I need that drink because now I have to ask Leena if she’s up to meeting my parents tomorrow.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Leena
The bed dippingbehind me wakes me from a fitful snooze. Julian slips one arm under my head, the other around my middle as he tucks himself tightly around me. Smiling into the pillow I’m hugging, I savor the moment as he softly kisses my neck. I’ve gotten so used to sleeping next to him most nights that when he crawls into bed with me long after I’ve laid down, I melt into him.
Without realizing it, Julian has knit himself into my life with ease.
We soak up each clandestine moment we can find at work, stealthily stealing embraces or covert kisses. He comes over on nights he is able to leave the hospital at a reasonable time. When he’s not at work, I miss him. When he works late and doesn’t slip into my bed, I find sleep elusive. I love that he chooses to come home to me. His exhausted face splits into a dazzling smile when our eyes meet. I love the way his arms envelop me, holding me close for long, silent moments as if I help restore his equilibrium.
He continues to bring me coffee each morning that he’s not able to spend the previous night with me. When he’s off, he insists on driving me to and from work on my long Fridays,already waiting in the parking lot when I get off, usually with some sort of take-out we devour in the quiet of one of our kitchens. I enjoy sharing tranquil moments over coffee cuddled in bed, or in the hush of the dim evening light chatting about our days with our heads huddled together on the pillow.
How this man has completely infiltrated my life in such a short span of time is completely astounding. It’s in those moments that I find I’ve given myself over to Julian completely, handing him piece by piece until he owns all of me. As I suspect, is exactly what he wanted. And that scares me, but it’s also thrilling because I feel alive and safe in a way I never could have imagined.
Calling it falling in love is so accurate. I feel as if I am free-falling, but Julian is my harness, keeping me secure and protected.
Opening my eyes, I see it’s dark in my room. Julian must have turned off the TV before crawling into bed with me. I had been trying to wait up for him, but the last thing I remember is fighting heavy eyelids while reading my Kindle as some reality show rerun played on the TV for background noise.
Scooting and wiggling my ass back into his lap, I press my face into the pillow and giggle when he starts to get hard and groans.
“I was sure you were asleep.” He grips my hip and grinds against me.
Laughing, I reach out to tap my bedside touch lamp. The room is lit with a soft glow that barely lights up the entire space, but I missed him tonight and want to see his handsome face. Right away, I spot my e-reader plugged in. Julian either found it after falling to the floor or plucked it from the bed, but either way, my heart melts. It's just one of the many little things he does for me, all without seeking praise.
“Did you have a good time?” I ask while snuggling back into his embrace.
“It was nice catching up. Jace’s been pretty busy with work in Saltmeadow, lots of showings.” Nibbling on my neck and earlobe, he hums. “He was telling me how he ran into my parents this morning. They told him they would love to come and see his place since I’m staying with him.”
