"Tell me everything," he says as they sit, and Ro finds the carvings made by younger versions of us in the stone.
She looks so innocent sitting there with Eli's father—withourfather.
Like any girl who might want to gain the approval of her boyfriend's dad. We've already told her not to mention anything tied to Ambrose or what we're planning, so the version she tells isn't entirely accurate, but it's as close as we can allow.
For his own peace and safety.
If he knew the meeting date was set and all Aurora's flights and travel were booked, courtesy of Ambrose's new assistant, he'd flip.
Julian laughs when she tells him about Ellie, how she didn't want to accept our offer to stay with us until she noticed that her dog seemed to trust us.
"Animals know these things," Julian agrees. "But I'm surprised at you, Atticus," he adds, shifting to face Atty. "You allowed a dog in the house?"
He shrugs. "Ellie's a good pup. And she's very well-trained."
Julian appears dubious, and I can tell he knows there's something we aren't telling him. I think he might even know what it is.
When he shifts back to face Ro, he looks over her a little more appraisingly and then to me, to Eli, back to Atticus, and then finally, back to Ro. He leans in. "They all have a little thing for you, don't they?"
She bites her lower lip, and he pats her on the thigh.
"Then you're a lucky girl," he tells her. "They're good men. Loyal men. Maybe a little rough around the edges…"
He winks at me, and I smirk.
"But there's no one better," he finishes, and there's something soft in his eyes that sparks at a memory.
Then his eyes are up again, scanning the tree line and the footpath opposite the one we took, the one that leads back to the house.
"Where's Flo?"
Aurora places a delicate hand on Jules's arm, drawing his attention back to her, and something cracks in my chest.
"She had an appointment," Ro says in a soft tone. "Remember?"
Aurora doesn’t flinch from his confusion. She doesn’t redirect with clinical detachment like the nurses do. She’s meeting him where he is, in the fog someplace between memory and forgetting, and she’s juststayingthere with him.
Like it’s the easiest thing in the world. And I can tell he feels that.
Jules blinks, and then releases a hollow laugh. "Oh yes. I remember."
13
SPLINTERING
ATTICUS
"You know," Julian says to Aurora. "You should come up to the house. You can meet my wife when she gets back."
A soft smile plays on Aurora's lips as she tucks a strand of dark hair away from her face. "I'd really love to meet her, but I'm not sure if we have time to wait."
Julian frowns, not ready to give up so easily, and I sense the shift in the air around him. Feel it grow heavy as the dark clouds roll into his mind. He's losing his grip. Or maybe finding it. Either way, it won't be long now before he remembers…and then unravels.
I gesture for the nurse, but she's already paying close attention to Julian's state and has started to pull some supplies from her bag.
"At least come and see some of her work." Julian laughs like he doesn't understand what the big deal is, and I'm already beside Aurora, taking her by the arm to help her stand. She pulls out of my grip, but when she sees my face, she stops and looks between Jules and me.
When she realizes what's happening, her jade eyes betray strained emotion.
