I roll my eyes, but I can’t fight the smile pulling at my lips. This is going to either be hilarious or a complete disaster. Maybe both.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, too. Word is, you’re quite the personality,” he quips.
She tosses her head back in laughter. “Touché, new friend. Touché. That’s a very polite way of putting it.” She winks at me, then adds, “Well, I’m positive Juliette is about two seconds from wringing my neck, so I’ll let you talk to her. See you tomorrow, whisky boy.”
I groan, shaking my head as I grab the phone from her before she can say anything else mortifying. “You’re the worst,” I mutter, but she just grins, completely unbothered.
Switching off the speaker, I slip into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind me. “Hi there,” I murmur.
“I like her already.”
I smile, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s hard not to. I wasn’t sure how busy you’d be tomorrow, but I thought maybe I could swing by with Bree, if you’ve got some time for us?”
“Always, Juliette.” There’s an intensity in his tone that makes my chest tighten. “You never have to ask.”
I swallow hard, trying to act like I’m totally unaffected, but my pulse is already picking up. It’s like he has this magic power that makes everything else fade, leaving only the sound of his voice that does things to me I probably shouldn’t let it do.
It’s honestly a blessing he’s not standing in front of me right now, because if he were? I’d probably be gripping his shirt, whispering something reckless liketake me somewhere, anywhere…just make it private.
“I appreciate that,” I manage to say. “I’m really excited for you to meet her. She’s practically my other half. Oh!” I laughbefore adding, “You might want to get extra security when Callan’s around, though. I don’t know what kind of damage those two will do when they’re under the same roof.”
He huffs a laugh. “It’ll be good for someone to give him a run for his money.”
It’s probably going to be total mayhem, but at least it’ll be the best kind.
“Well, I won’t keep you,” he says after a beat. “Go enjoy your time with the family.”
The way he understands that the two women in the other room are my family, one by blood, the other by choice, is everything. The way he accepts that without question means more than I can say.
“Thanks,” I reply softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Juliette.”
His words curl around me like a slow, lingering touch. It’s the way he says my name that makes my pulse stutter. I can’t shake the feeling that I’d love to hear him say that to me every night.
I smile when I remember what Mom always told me about soulmates. Having a soulmate is like finding the person who will steal your fries without asking, but you don’t even care because they’re the only one who gets you.
She always said I was her soulmate, and I thought she was bonkers.
I never feltdestinedto be with James. But I saw Knox just yesterday, got off the phone with him less than a minute ago, and yet, here I am, with this strange feeling that a piece of me is somewhere else. It’s like my heart wandered off and decided to stick around with him.
I wish I could talk to Mom about this, ask her what she’d have to say about all of it. But instead, I have to settle for the two wisecrackers I’ve got.
“Hey,” I say, stepping back into the living room, “what’s your opinion on soulmates?”
There’s a moment of complete silence as two pairs of wide, puzzled eyes flicker toward me. Then they exchange a glance and, simultaneously, burst into laughter.
twenty-six
JULIETTE
The moment Bree and Knox met, there was a flutter of nerves I didn’t expect. I wanted so badly for it to go well, for Bree to see him the way I did. But when Knox reached out to shake Bree’s hand and she wrapped him up in a hug instead, all the tension in my body evaporated in an instant.
I didn’t realize how tightly I was clasping my hands until Bree shot me a knowing glance that said,relax, we’re good. Watching them together brought on a sense of reassurance, like maybe these pieces of my life could actually fit together, after all.
Now, I’m sitting at one of the high-top barrel tables in the tasting room, Knox’s arm casually draped over my shoulders. I’m tucked into his side as we watch Bree and Callan exchange introductions, their banter already heating up.
Bree eyes Callan with a mischievous grin. “So, you’re the infamous brother I’ve heard so much about?”
