“Yes, I’ll be ready to go.”
“We’ll be checking out as well, Anthony,” Julian said. “Let’s meet down in the lobby at noon.”
Kiara sat back down at the table after the men had left. “I’m going to eat a little more.”
“Go for it,” Lucy said as she headed for her room.
After finishing her waffle, she grabbed one more piece of bacon, then got up from the table.
The nice thing about traveling private was that she didn’t have to worry about what she was wearing. Comfort was uppermost in her mind when she chose her clothes in general, but especially when traveling.
Kiara gathered up her things and quickly packed her suitcase. She returned the dress from the night before to the garment bag it had been delivered in.
By the time eleven forty-five rolled around, Kiara was ready to go. She took one last look around the large suite, then headed for the door.
Lucy instructed the person who had come to get their bags where to deliver them, then they walked toward the elevator.
“Have Julian and Anthony gone down already?” Kiara asked.
“I’m not sure,” Lucy said.
Kiara wondered if Julian had said they’d be down there just so he wouldn’t have to say goodbye.
When they reached the hotel lobby, Cole and Annie were already there, sitting together on an elegant loveseat. Dawn, Annie’s bodyguard, was also there, standing close to them.
“You ready to go home, Kiara?” Annie asked as Kiara sank down into an armchair across from her.
“Definitely.”
“Me too,” Annie said. “I don’t think I’ve been missing anything by not attending events like the gala over the years.”
“You won’t be able to avoid them for the rest of your life, love,” Cole said.
“I know, and I’ll be fine with that as long as we can go home right afterwards.”
“I don’t know how Elizabeth does it,” Kiara said. “I found last night to be exhausting. I realize that part of that is pregnancy, but still… I’m ready to go back to the estate.”
“So, are we ready to go?” Cole asked.
“Julian said he was going to meet us here,” Kiara said. “But perhaps something came up.”
“They’re on their way down,” Dawn said as she looked up from her phone.
Kiara tried to ignore the relief that statement brought her. And her heart beat faster when she spotted Julian and Anthony heading toward them. Julian was talking on his phone, but he lowered it as they reached their group.
“Morning, sis,” Julian said. “And Cole.”
“Morning, bro.” Annie got to her feet, then offered her hand to Cole to help him up. “We were just about to head out.”
“Sorry. Got hung up on a call with Duncan.”
Kiara maneuvered her way to her feet with some effort. Sitting in the comfy chair probably hadn’t been her smartest idea.
“The SUVs are here,” Dawn said.
Their group migrated out to the curb, where two SUVs waited. One was for their luggage, while the other was for the passengers. Cole and Annie climbed into the third row, while Lucy went to the front passenger seat.
Dawn rounded the SUV to get into the middle row on the other side. Before climbing into her seat, Kiara turned toward Julian.
