“Weak stomach,” Julian scoffs.
Grace giggles and I laugh with her. “Can I go to Uncle Christian?”
Julian nods. “Yeah, sweetheart, go ahead.”
I set Grace down gingerly before she runs a short distance to her uncle. “Boo!” She laughs, wrapping her arms around his leg. “I got you!”
My heart melts as Christian slaps a hand over his heart and gasps. “Gracie! You scared me!”
She laughs loudly and he squats to pick her up in his big arms. I turn away and give them their quality time, and Julian sits beside me. “So? Is he still taking care of the garden?”
I snort. “That garden is his baby, Julian. I’m scared to touch it,” I say. “I’m convinced it was more for him that it was for me.”
He chuckles. “How is he?”
I shrug and hug my new giant stuffed llama. “Good, but I think you know that.”
“How would I know that?”
“He goes to the gym every morning,” I say, then shoot him a look. “And you know something I don’t.”
Julian sighs and glances over at Christian and Grace. “He still hasn’t told you?”
I shake my head. “Should I be scared?”
“No,” he says quickly, “you shouldn’t be.”
“He seems to think that whatever he has to tell me will make me hate him,” I murmur.
“Are you asking me to tell you if I think you will?”
My lips curve down, a weight pulling at the corners of mylips. I watch him interact with his niece, a grin on his face as he makes her laugh and squeal in conversation. I imagine how wonderful he’ll be with our own children. He wants us to have two girls one day, and I think he’ll be the best father.
“I know I won’t hate him,” I rasp. “I just…worry.”
“I can’t tell you,” Julian says. “It’s his story to tell. But every day I see him at the gym, he asks me how to talk to you about it and I always tell him the same thing.”
“What do you tell him?”
“Talk to Lana.”
“What does that?—”
“It means he needs to stop thinking he’s going to talk to a detective or a judge, and he needs to remember he’s talking toyou.Someone who has loved him through everything,” he tells me. “But he’s still kind of a scaredy cat.”
I snort. “I see where Grace learned the term.”
Julian chuckles, his shoulder shaking in tandem with the deep sound. “I’m trying not to curse around her.”
“I’m surprised you’ve held out for so long.”
“I’m really trying.” He shakes his head. “It took a while for her to stop sayingshit.”
I belly laugh loudly and Christian’s eyes fly over to me with a beatific smile on his face. “Youtaught her that.”
“Not on purpose,” he mutters. “But how are you, Lana? Really?”
“Impatient,” I whisper. “But I’m trying.”
