Chapter Thirty-Three

· Thirty-Three ·

Juliet

“Oh, birdie,” Mom says, her eyes shiny with tears threatening to spill over. “I’m so happy for you.”

I smile down at my coffee from my perch on the kitchen stool, then glance back up at her and Dad, still in their pajamas, Mom in her flower nightgown and knit sweater, Dad in his lopsided robe, his hair all over the place.

“He seems like a good, kind man,” Dad says, reaching for my hand and gently patting it. “That’s what you deserve.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“And you’re all traveling up to the eclipse, then?” Mom says.

I nod. “Big road trip. I’m excited to meet his family.”

“You’ll love Isla,” Mom says. “And Isla will love you.”

“I hope so,” I say quietly.

Dad winks. “There’s not a soul in this world who couldn’t love you, Juliet.”

My heart clutches at his words. “You’re sweet to say it, but…there are certainly people who don’t love me, and I’m okay with that.” I shrug. “I only need love from the people I love, too.”

Mom nods.

“There was…one more thing,” I say, peering down at my coffee, “that I wanted to talk to you about.”

They both ease onto the stools on the other side of the island, maybe sensing that this is something to settle in for.

“I know the past nine months, I’ve worried you. My bad breakup, my health issues, quitting my job…” I blow out a breath, then meet their eyes. “You have been so supportive of me, in so many ways, and I can’t thank you enough for that. The meals when I needed them, time at home when I wanted somewhere comforting to be, all the time and conversation and love you’ve lavished on me.”

My mom bites her lip. “But…?”

I hold her eyes and say, “But at some point, it started to feel like you saw me as breakable, when I’d just been bruised, fragile when I’d only been feeling some legitimately tough emotions as I figured out my life. Yes, I hurt some days, and no, my body doesn’t do everything it used to, but I am strong, even when I’m struggling. I’m okay. I won’t pretend to know how hard it is to watch your child struggle. And I know you want to support me— I want your support, too. I just…need you to follow my lead, on how I talk about my illness, how I deal with it. I need you to trust me to take care of myself and trust that when I need help, when I’m hurting and I need you, I’ll tell you.”

Mom sighs heavily and reaches across the table, knowing this conversation is for her more than Dad. “I’m sorry, birdie. I’ll do better, promise.”

Dad reaches for my other hand and clasps it, firm and warm. “We’re always here for you, Juliet. Just say the word.”

“Thank you, both of you.” Slowly, I stand from my stool, smiling between them. “I’d stay for breakfast, but I’ve got to get going.”

“Bring Will around again, soon?” Mom calls as I start out of the kitchen.

I turn in the doorway and grin. “You kidding? I couldn’t keep him away from your cooking if I tried.”

—

Will’s home is the stuff of dreams. I feel like I’ve stepped back in time, a lady in one of my historical romances, in her long gown, walking the gardens, her fingertips brushing the delicate blooms, her gaze drinking in field after field.

The illusion would be easy to hold on to, except that Will and all my friends and sisters, his family, and a horde of tourists sit on the grass, our goofy paper eclipse glasses perched on our noses.

“It’s stunning,” Sula whispers thickly. She’s got her hand wrapped around Margo’s, their daughter, Rowan, perched in her lap.

Margo nods and brings Sula’s hand to her mouth, her eyes not on the eclipse but her wife. “Yeah, hon. It is.”

Bea sits inside Jamie’s bent legs, her hands clasping his knees, his chin resting on her head. Kate and Christopher lie side by side on a blanket, arms behind their bent heads, saying something to each other and smiling.

Toni and Hamza sit side by side, Toni resting his head on Hamza’s shoulder.

My cousin Bianca peers up at the sky from her piggyback perch on Nick, her boyfriend.

And all of Will’s family is scattered around us, too. His beautiful sisters with their fiery hair, his adorable niece and baby nephew, his mother standing beside his father, hands clasped as the world grows eerily dark.

Will’s arm curls around me, his hand softly rubbing along my shoulder. “Where’d you go?” he says quietly.

I smile up at him. “Nowhere. I’m right here, in my happy place.”

He smiles, too, his eyes dancing between mine. “It makes me real happy, knowing you’re happy here.”

I nod. “The happiest.”

As I settle in his arms, I let my gaze wander again, up to the eclipse, getting closer and closer to totality, to the crowd of people gathered around.

A tall woman with long blond hair stands up from where she was sitting on the ground, holding out a hand for another woman, who stands, too, shorter, her hair dark and shoulder length, a heart-shaped face. Something about the first woman feels oddly familiar.

I watch the familiar woman walk hand in hand with the shorter, dark-haired one as they move away from the crowd, presumably so as not to be in the way, until they stop just a dozen feet from us, to the side of our group, for a selfie. That’s when I realize why the blond one looks familiar.

Will notices my interest in them and glances down at me. “What is it?”

“That,” I tell him, “is Olivia Tobias. Huge social media influencer. You should try to connect with her, give her some Orsino Distillery merch, ask if she wants to take photos of the farm and the experiences you guys offer. It would probably give you a great boost.”

Will makes a noncommittal hum in the back of his throat.

I peer up at him. “What’s that sound supposed to mean?”

Maybe I was being pushy, telling him how to advertise his businesses, what opportunities to pursue.

He smiles down at me. “You just seem to have a good head for business. Might have to keep you around, put you on the payroll.”

My heart jumps as I think about what he said he was looking for when all this started, what he confirmed when I asked him about it at the pub last weekend, what he needed from the woman who would be his business partner.

His wife.

And it’s…everything I’m good at. Networking, wining and dining, connecting people, being my extroverted, engaging self. A scary, beautiful dream flits through my mind as I stare up at him. I wonder if Will can see it in my eyes, all that I’m already hoping for, all that terrifies me and thrills me in equal measure. The life we could share here, the incredible team we would make.

The joy we’d bring each other.

I bite my lip as I peer up at him. “I’d certainly be interested to hear what you have in mind.”

Will tucks my hair behind my ear and kisses me softly, discreetly, a quick, gentle press of his lips to mine. “I don’t want to lay my offer out on the table here ,” he says meaningfully, nodding to all the people surrounding us. “I’ll just say I think you’ll be pleased with my terms.”

Those butterflies take off in my stomach, a glorious, fluttering swoop. “Looking forward to it,” I tell him, settling back against his chest.

I glance around again and notice Olivia’s still close by, standing chest to chest with the same woman, who smiles up at her. They lean in and kiss, slow and sweet. I look away, giving them privacy, smiling to myself. I hope that’s her Basti, the woman she mistook me for at the club—she certainly looks like me from behind—short, curvy, dark hair to her shoulders, a heart-shaped face that in profile looks a little like mine. I hope Olivia’s gotten her happy ending, too.

“Still think we should try to get Olivia Tobias on board,” I tell him.

He laughs softly.

I poke his stomach. “What’s so funny?”

“That woman”—he nods toward Olivia—“she’s one of those influencer ladies whose profile Ma sent me.”

I sit up. “What, as in someone you should try to pursue?”

He nods.

“Never mind. Social media influencers with over a million followers are a dime a dozen.” I wave a hand. “We can find another one. I don’t need that kind of competition hanging around.”

“You goof,” he says, dragging me back inside his arm, tucked tight to his chest. “Like I could ever want anyone but you.”