Before heading down the stairs, Julian pointed out the other wing as well as the rarely used sitting area on the landing between the two wings.
He’d never brought someone to the estate before, and he was kind of surprised that Duncan had agreed when he’d asked if Elijah could come back with him. It probably helped that Elijah was wealthy in his own right—though not as wealthy as the Burkes—and wasn’t after their money.
As they descended the grand staircase, Julian couldn't help scanning the entry hall for any sign of Kiara. The space remained empty except for one of the housekeepers dusting a side table.
"This place is even more impressive inside," Elijah commented, his voice echoing slightly in the high-ceilinged foyer.
Julian nodded. "I’m not sure why Duncan wanted such a large house with so many bedrooms. This is the closest we’ve been to filling them all, and even then, there’s still two or three that are empty."
He showed Elijah the main living areas—the formal living room with a wall of windows overlooking the mountains, the dining room with its massive table that could seat twenty, and the less formal family room where they gathered sometimes.
"And this is my dad's office," Julian said, gesturing to the closed double doors. “And his and Elizabeth’s suite is further down there.”
He led him toward the kitchen, planning to take him to the rec center, but he heard voices in the mudroom.
Julian felt his pulse quicken as he led Elijah toward the voices. He hesitated for a moment, suddenly uncertain if he was ready to see Kiara face to face again after weeks of letters and just that one brief meeting at the treatment center.
"Everything okay?" Elijah asked quietly from beside him.
Julian nodded, took a breath, and stepped into the mudroom. Angela was there with Annie, both of them hanging garment bags on hooks along the wall. However, there was no sign of Kiara. The disappointment that washed through him was unexpected and unsettling.
"Julian!" Angela spotted him first, her face lighting up with a smile. She crossed the room and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you made it."
"Wouldn't miss your big day," he said, returning her embrace.
“Welcome home, brother,” Annie said, then surprised Julian by giving him a hug. “I’m glad you’re home. You look so much better.”
"Thanks," he said, feeling oddly touched by her comment.
The treatment center had been good for him physically—healthy food, regular sleep, exercise. But it was more than that. Something inside him felt different, freer but also more grounded.
"And you must be Elijah." Angela extended her hand to his friend. "I'm Angela, one of Julian's sisters."
"It's nice to meet you," Elijah said, shaking her hand. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home."
Annie also greeted the man and introduced herself.
"Where's Kiara?" Julian asked, trying to keep his tone casual. “Elizabeth said she was with you.”
"She went right upstairs," Angela said. "She wasn’t feeling so good. The nausea and exhaustion come and go. This pregnancy has put her through the ringer, especially when we've been running around all day. But she'll probably be down for dinner."
Julian nodded, still not sure how he felt about seeing her again.
For the duration of his time in the treatment center, he’d shared things with her in letters that he might not have if they’d been speaking face to face. It had been easy to just imagine she was a friend because there had been no romantic interactions in their letters. They hadn’t even closed their letters withLove.
Being there in person was going to be different. Everyone there knew they were married, but they weren’t living as if they were. It was going to be awkward, and Julian didn’t do well with awkwardness when it involved him.
He didn’t want people asking him if they were going to try to make a go of it. And he didn’t want to have to constantly watch his interactions with Kiara, so people didn’t get the wrong idea. He counted Kiara as one of his friends now, and he wanted to keep their interactions a reflection of that.
While in treatment, he hadn’t thought a lot about the fact that he was married. His focus had been on getting through the withdrawal and then learning how to live with what he’d done as a child. But now he was back, and there was no avoiding that one of the people at the estate was his wife.
“Well, I’m going to give Elijah a tour,” Julian said. “We’ll be back in a bit.”
Leaving the girls to their wedding prep, Julian led the way out of the house. Over the next half hour, he showed Elijah the security building and then the rec center.
“Do you play basketball?” Elijah asked as they stood on the basketball court in the rec center.
“Not really. Benji is the one who uses it the most, and also Annie’s boyfriend when he’s here.” When Elijah jumped and pretended to shoot an invisible ball at the hoop, Julian said, “Do you play?”
