"Take care of yourself," she said quietly, and Julian knew she was referring to more than just the rehab.
He knew her loyalties would always be with Kiara, and he couldn’t blame her for that, but he appreciated that she was expressing care for him too.
"Thank you," Julian managed, his throat constricting around the words.
Benji approached them with his usual good humor, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. "Congrats, bro! And welcome to the family officially, Kiara." He pulled Julian into a quick hug, slapping his back with enthusiasm that felt jarringly out of place.
The small reception that followed felt like an exercise in endurance. The most awkward social event he’d been to in years.
Julian accepted a glass of sparkling cider—not champagne, he noted bitterly—and stood beside his new wife as they made stilted conversation with the small gathering. His fingers kept finding the unfamiliar weight of the gold band on his left hand, twisting it unconsciously. The gold band felt like it was burning into his skin.
"We should leave soon," Anthony murmured, appearing at his elbow. "The plane is scheduled for departure from Coeur d’Alene in an hour."
Julian nodded, relief washing through him at the news. He needed to escape this room, this moment, this entire situation.
He set his untouched cider on a nearby table, then walked to where Kiara stood with Angela. The sunlight caught in her dark curls, highlighting strands of auburn he hadn't noticed before. She turned as he approached, her expression guarded.
"I need to leave for the airport soon," Julian said, his voice low enough that only she and Angela could hear.
Kiara nodded. "How long do you think you’ll be gone?"
"Thirty days minimum." The number hung between them, a measurement of the strange limbo they now occupied. "Maybe longer, depending on… how things go."
Kiara crossed her arms. "And after that?"
Julian hadn't thought beyond the rehab. The future stretched ahead of them like an unmapped territory, full of decisions they'd have to make about custody, living arrangements, and their strange marriage.
"We'll figure it out when I get back," he said, the words feeling inadequate even as he spoke them. “Also, I won’t be able to call or text for the first little while. So just know that’s why you aren’t hearing from me.”
“Okay.”
He searched for the words to say. "Take care of yourself. And the baby."
Kiara gave him a small smile. "I will. Take care of yourself too."
For a moment, they stood there in awkward silence, two strangers who happened to be married, connected by an unplanned pregnancy and a hasty ceremony neither had truly wanted. Julian felt the weight of all the things, all the decisions that still needed to be made.
"Goodbye, Kiara," he said finally, the formality of the words hanging awkwardly between them.
"Goodbye," she replied, her voice soft.
He hesitated, then leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to her forehead. The scent of vanilla was stronger up close, mingled with something floral that reminded him of spring.
As he stepped back, Julian caught Angela watching them, her expression unreadable. He gave her a nod before turning away, his shoulders stiff under the cut of his expensive suit.
Anthony approached him. "Your bags are loaded into the helicopter, so we can go whenever you’re ready."
“Thanks. I just need to speak to my father.”
Anthony nodded. “I’ll wait for you in the mudroom.”
It was weird to think that in addition to leaving his job and life behind, he’d be without Anthony for the time he was away too.
It was probably the longest they’d been apart since Anthony had been assigned to him. But the treatment center had its own security since it catered to the wealthiest of the wealthy, so Anthony wasn’t needed.
At the sound of his name, Julian turned to face his dad.
Duncan stepped closer and spoke to him in a low voice. "I know this isn't how you envisioned your life unfolding, but you're taking the right steps."
