"He was patient," Kiara replied, unable to suppress a small smile at the praise. "I was pretty nervous at first, but he kept telling me I couldn't possibly be worse than Benji was on his first time driving one of these."
Julian laughed. "I heard about that. Apparently, he nearly drove straight into the garage door. Though that was a few years ago, so I assume he's improved since then.”
The UTV emerged from the tree line, and Kiara gasped. Before them stretched a small lake, its surface rippling gently in the rain. The water reflected the surrounding trees in smudges of autumn colors—fiery oranges, deep reds, and golden yellows.Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks partially obscured by low-hanging clouds.
"It's beautiful," she breathed, easing the UTV to a stop in a flat clearing near the shore. She put the vehicle in park and turned off the engine, letting silence settle around them.
"This is one of my favorite spots on the property," Julian said, his voice softer now that the engine's rumble had ceased. "Not many people come out here."
Kiara unbuckled her seatbelt, but she didn’t open the door. Unfortunately, the rain was falling a little more steadily, though it still wasn’t torrential.
“It’s nicer when it’s not raining,” Julian said. “But it’s still a nice spot.”
The interior was heated, so it was comfortable to sit there and talk. Their conversation was light, not delving into any subjects too deeply.
It reminded her of the nights they’d spent talking in the library, only without the alcohol. She was glad to know that they could still have those conversations and communicate face to face because it would hopefully build a solid foundation for them in the future when they had to co-parent their son.
There would be some big decisions that lay ahead, and Kiara wanted to know that, despite them not being a family, Julian would continue to have their son’s best interests at heart.
Having moments like these with him grew her confidence that despite the rocky start to their relationship… their friendship… they would be able to raise their son to know that he was loved and wanted.
That desire had become almost an obsession. Because of how she’d been raised, she wanted to do everything in her power togive her son the opposite of that. And if it meant she had to put aside her own hopes for love, she could do that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Julian felt refreshed after spending time at the small lake with Kiara, even though it had been raining. After a hectic couple of weeks, the outing had been a welcome slowing down.
When they left the lake, Julian asked Kiara to drop him off at the main house since Elijah would be arriving shortly. Kiara had opted to head back to her house, so Julian stood and watched as she slowly pulled away in the UTV. Once she disappeared from view, he turned and went into the house.
“Good afternoon, Son,” Duncan said as Julian walked into the living room. Also present were Elizabeth, Annie, and Cole.
Julian greeted each of them, then said, “Elijah is arriving in a few minutes.”
“His room is ready,” Elizabeth assured him.
“No room for him to stay at your place?” Annie asked.
Julian hesitated to respond because he didn’t know why he hadn’t taken Kiara up on her offer of the basement space for Elijah. “We don’t really have an actual spare room. Just a pull-out couch in the basement.”
“I guess the girls didn’t figure they’d need to have space for guests when they designed the house.”
“Each suite has two bedrooms,” Julian said, “but I’ve got my second room set up as an office, and Kiara’s extra room is now a nursery.”
They chatted for a bit more before Julian received a text on his phone letting him know Elijah had just passed through the front gate. Julian excused himself and went to the mudroom door to wait for him since that’s where he’d park his car.
It was great to see his friend again, and after he took his stuff up to the room where he’d be staying, they set off for the rec center. Elijah was eager for some physical activity after being in his Jeep for the past three days.
Benji ended up joining them at one point, and when he did, Julian took a seat on one of the benches that lined the wall. The competitiveness of the play amped up considerably with Benji’s arrival, and Julian couldn’t keep pace with it.
They kept playing until it got close to dinner. Julian headed to his house while the other two returned to the main house to shower and change.
It was quiet when Julian let himself into the house. He looked toward the door to Kiara’s suite, but it was closed.
Though he wanted to check on her, he went to his suite instead. She knew what time they needed to be there for dinner, so presumably she’d be ready on time.
In his suite, he changed out of his casual clothes into a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeved dark green button-down. He brushed his hair into its usual style, adding a bit of product to hold it in place.
When he left his suite, Julian saw that Kiara’s door was still closed, and he felt a bit of concern. He walked toward the door, planning to knock on it.
