"Jake D'Amato and Michael are on their way over. Apparently there's something urgent they need to discuss."
"Your business partners?"
"Jake is both partner and friend. We went to university together," Julian said, already wheeling back from the counter, domestic moment forgotten as he shifted into business mode. "They'll be here in twenty minutes."
I fought down a stab of disappointment. So much for our morning together. "Should I make myself scarce?"
Julian paused, looking up at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher. "No. You're my husband now. There's no need to hide you."
My husband. The words still felt foreign, like a coat that was slightly too big but might fit perfectly with time.
"Right," I said, sliding off the stool. "Should I change? Put on one of those fancy new outfits?"
Julian's eyes swept over me, and despite the business call that had just interrupted us, I felt the familiar heat of his gaze like a physical touch. "If you'd like. Though you look..." He paused, as if searching for the right word. "Approachable. It might be good for them to see that side of you."
The side that isn't wrapped in designer clothing worth more than a used car? I wanted to ask, but held my tongue.
"I'll stick with casual, then," I agreed, running a hand through my hair in a futile attempt to tame it. "Though I make no promises about behaving myself."
That earned me another almost-smile. "I wouldn't expect you to."
I followed Julian as he wheeled toward the living room, mentally preparing for my first "public appearance" as Julian Montgomery's husband. Not just to hotel clerks or store associates, but to people who actually knew him—who might question what a billionaire CEO was doing with someone like me.
The thought made my stomach clench, but I squared my shoulders anyway. I'd survived my own mother trying to drug and sell me. I could handle a couple of Julian's rich friends.
Probably.
Julian's associates arrived with the punctuality of Swiss trains, exactly twenty minutes after the call. I watched them step off the private elevator into the foyer, two men who couldn't have been more different from each other.
The taller one—Jake, I guessed—had the easy confidence of money, his designer suit worn like a second skin. The other man was built like a security vault, his expression equally impenetrable as his eyes performed a threat assessment the moment he saw me standing beside Julian's wheelchair.
Michael. The human granite block I'd met briefly after our hasty wedding ceremony.
"Julian," Jake said, striding forward with a grin that softened his sharp features. "Always a pleasure to—" He stopped short when he spotted me, his eyes widening slightly before he recovered. "And who's this?"
Julian's posture shifted subtly, straightening even further in his wheelchair. "Jake, this is Connor Montgomery. My husband."
The word hung in the air for a beat too long. I could practically hear the mental calculations taking place behind Jake's eyes.
Showtime.
"It's great to finally meet you," I said, stepping forward with a warm smile and extended hand. "Julian's told me so much about you both."
A bald-faced lie, but delivered with enough sincerity that Jake took my hand without hesitation. His grip was firm but not challenging—the handshake of someone who didn't feel the need to prove anything.
"Husband?" he repeated, his surprise evident despite his polished manners. "This is... unexpected."
"Love often is," I replied smoothly, as though I'd been rehearsing this moment rather than improvising wildly. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Water? It's a bit early for anything stronger, but Julian keeps an impressive bar."
Michael hadn't moved, his eyes still locked on me with the intensity of a sniper scope.
"Water is fine," Jake said, recovering quickly. His eyes darted between Julian and me with undisguised curiosity. "When did this happen?"
"Recently," Julian replied, his tone making it clear the subject was closed. "Let's move to the living room. Connor, would you mind getting those drinks?"
"Of course," I said, letting my hand rest briefly on Julian's shoulder as I moved past him.
The contact was brief, casual to anyone watching, but I felt the muscles in his shoulder tense under my touch. His eyes flickered up to mine for just a moment, dark with something that made my pulse quicken.
