When TJ began to fuss, apparently having had enough of being ignored, Kiara stepped back, but before she moved away, she went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.”
There was nothing that could have wiped the smile from Julian’s face as he followed her to the kitchen where TJ lay in a small, wheeled bassinet. “There’s my boy.”
“Did you want some coffee or something to eat?” Kiara asked. “Angie and I made some gingerbread cookies yesterday.”
“Is it either or?” Julian asked as he scooped TJ up and cradled him in his arms. “Can I have both? Because I’d love both.”
Kiara chuckled. “Of course.”
“So how’s it been while I was away?”
They’d spoken every day while he was gone, and she’d told him everything was fine. However, he thought that perhaps she’d just been saying that so he didn’t feel bad that he wasn’t there to help her.
“We survived,” Kiara said as she poured coffee into two mugs. That was a clue right there, as she usually limited her coffee intake. “But we both really, really missed you. The nights were lonely when he woke up, and it was just the two of us.”
“Well, I’m home for awhile, so we can share those nighttime responsibilities again.”
“I’m very glad.” She put the coffee mugs and a plate of cookies on a tray. “How did the trip go?”
“It went well,” he said as they walked from the kitchen to the living room, where she set the tray on the coffee table. “I saw my mom.”
“Oh, yeah?” Kiara looked up at him. “How did that go?”
“Better than I thought it would. We went out for dinner last night.” Julian settled into the chair Kiara usually used to nurse TJ because it would allow him to rock the baby while they talked. “Her first question was when were we going to get divorced.”
Kiara set a mug on the end table beside him, as well as a napkin with a couple of cookies on it. “Then you had to disappoint her.”
“And I was very happy to do so.”
After picking up her mug and a cookie for herself, Kiara sat down on the couch facing him, tucking a leg underneath her. “So what did she say when you told her there was no divorce happening?”
Julian rolled his eyes. “She said never say never.”
Kiara’s brows lifted at that. “So it doesn’t matter if you’re happy? It’s more important to her that you’re married to someone she approves of?”
“That’s about it.” He looked down at TJ. “And then when I showed her a picture of him, she said that he lookedjustlike me.”
“Is she color-blind?”
“If only,” Julian said. “I think she just sees what she wants to see, because anyone with eyes can see that he is a good mix of the two of us.”
“That’s what I’ve always thought.”
Julian took a bite of the cookie. “Oooh. These are delicious. I hope you made lots.”
“Well, we did,” Kiara said. “However, we made up containers of the cookies to give away.”
“I guess that means you’ll need to make more.”
“You’re not the first one to tell us that,” Kiara said with a laugh. “So we have another baking day planned.”
“Perfect.”
They continued to chat, and Julian gave her more details about his trip. But there were a couple of things he didn’t tell her. He didn’t mention his trip to a jeweler, or the many phone calls he’d had with Annie and Elizabeth.
When TJ began to fuss, Julian stood up so Kiara could take the chair. Once she was seated, he handed her the baby. She picked up the blanket she used to cover herself and quickly got the baby feeding.
“While you feed him, I’m going to take my bags to the room and change.”
