Anthony greeted him with a smile as he took his hand, then he reached out to clap Julian on his shoulder. “It’s good to have you back. You look good.”
“This is Elijah,” Julian said, gesturing to him. As the men shook hands, he added, “This is Anthony, the man responsible for keeping me safe and mostly out of trouble.”
While a couple of guys were taking care of their luggage, they climbed into the SUV and headed for the house.
When they reached it, his dad and Elizabeth were waiting there to greet them. Julian tried to ignore the knot in his stomach as he greeted them, then introduced them to Elijah.
“It’s lovely to have you here,” Elizabeth said with the graciousness she always showed. “And Julian, welcome home.”
She approached him and took his upper arms in her hands as she smiled up at him, then offered her cheek for his kiss. They’d never been super close, but she had always been kind to him.
“The girls have gone to pick up the dresses for Saturday,” Elizabeth said. “But they should be back soon. In the meantime, let me show you to your room, Elijah.”
Before they could move, Duncan said, “Julian, you might need to contact your mother sooner rather than later. She’s been hounding me about you for the last few days.”
Julian winced. “I’ll give her a call later.”
He had no idea what she would say to him, but he suspected it would be something along the lines of him not having a drinking problem. Prior to going to the treatment center, he would have appreciated hearing that. But now, having addressed his drinking, he knew he certainly had had a problem with alcohol.
Elizabeth led them upstairs to the wing opposite Kiara and Angela’s rooms. Julian always stayed in the same room, and Benji’s was just down the hall.
“Here you go,” Elizabeth said, stepping through the open doorway opposite Julian’s. “If you need anything, you just let us know.”
“Thank you,” Elijah said. “This is very nice. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Wonderful.” Elizabeth gave him a smile. “I’ll leave it to Julian to give you a tour, but I hope you’ll make yourself at home. You’re very welcome here.”
After she’d left them, Elijah turned to Julian. “She seems very nice.”
“She is,” Julian agreed. “She was our nanny after my parents divorced following the kidnapping, but she’s always been closer to Annie than to me. My mom was still very active in my life, so Elizabeth never took on the role of mother for me the way she did for Annie.”
“She reminds me of my mom,” Elijah said. “I’ve always wondered how she ended up with my dad. At least your dad seems to be a decent enough guy, unlike mine.”
“He is.”
Though Julian still had mixed feelings about his father, if Duncan was one thing, it was respectable. He might be a hard nose in the business world, but he was fair.
“Speaking of parents, I need to call my mom and let her know we’ve arrived safe and sound.”
“I’m sure Elizabeth and Duncan would be fine with her visiting you here, if you’d rather have her come here instead of you going to where she is.”
Elijah stared at the phone in his hand. “I might do that. I’ll see how eager she is to see me.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of one of the security team with their bags and Elijah’s guitar case. He’d had the instrument at the treatment center, but Julian hadn’t heard him play it yet.
“When you’re done talking to your mom, do you want a tour?” Julian asked. “We should have time before dinner.”
“Sure. This shouldn’t take me too long.”
Julian had barely finished unpacking his bag when Elijah reappeared.
“Ready to go?” Julian asked.
At his nod, they left Julian’s room and headed down the hallway.
As they walked, Elijah said, “Were you surprised that Kiara wasn’t here to greet you?”
“A little,” Julian admitted, trying to stick with his desire to be open and honest with Elijah. “But I understand that they are in the midst of wedding prep, and Kiara is matron of honor, so it makes sense that she has things to do with Angela.”
