Rosa gasps beside me, clearly as shocked as I am that her other son showed up.
Harrison walks over to me and wraps a protective arm around my shoulder.
Today has been a whirlwind, so we’ve been unable to talk about what’s happened over the last month we’ve been apart. Nevertheless, if he came here to start a future with me, he and Sebastian had to have at least talked.
How well that conversation went is still up in the air.
Seb puts his hand out to shake Harrison’s, and then Harrison pulls him into an embrace while we all stand quietly and watch the emotions radiating off these two.
Seb pulls back first, rolling his shoulders, then turning his attention to me. “Congratulations, Juliette.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He bows his head once, then turns and begins to walk out. To someone on the outside, they might view Seb as rude.
To us, this was monumental.
“You’re leaving already, Uncle Sebby?” Claud runs over to him, pulling at his hand.
From the corner of my eye, I see Harrison mouth something to Nate.
“Why don’t you take her with you?” Harrison calls out. “She was going home with Nate, but you should take her. You only have to stop at Mom’s for her bag.”
“Are you sure?” Seb asks Nate, who nods. “Yeah, okay.” He leans down and picks up Claud, who smothers her uncle’s face with kisses.
I see Sebastian’s change in an instant; that effect Claudina has on all of us works like an immediate stress reliever for him, too.
Claud jumps out of his arms and runs to us. “Bye. I love you,” she says, hugging both our legs quickly and then running back into Seb’s arms.
“Are you ready, fiancée?”
“Yes. Take mehome, H.”
“Hi, Robert,” I call out happily when he opens the car door for me.
He gives me a warm look, glancing down at my ring. “It’s good to see you, Juliette. I hear congratulations are in order?”
“They are, can you believe it?” I grin ear to ear.
He looks at Harrison, then me. “I wouldn’t have believed it if it were anyone but you.”
“I love that answer.” I wiggle on the spot, I’m so freaking excited I can’t even stand still.
“Let’s go.” Harrison pats my behind, then gets in behind me, leans over, and buckles me. I don’t even attempt to swat him away, too lost in my happiness bubble.
I hold out my hand, staring at my ring again.
I hope I’m not about to wake up from a dream because it sure does feel like one.
“How many times are you going to stare at it? It’s the same ring it was three minutes ago.”
“You’re not allowed to be grumpy today,” I chastise, handing him my phone. “Now, take a picture of me so I never forget this moment.”
He takes the photo and stares at it briefly, smiling to himself.
“You’re stunning, Jules.”
“Words can’t describe how happy I am, Harrison.” I hold up my camera. “Let’s take a picture together.”
