Hold Me

“Oh?” Leah frowns. Unlike Jennie, she doesn’t seem dazzled by his looks. “Like what?”

“Like the fact that the two of you have been friends since middle school,” Julian says. “Or that you, Jennie, were Nora’s date to the sophomore homecoming dance.”

I blink, surprised. I had mentioned this to Julian at some point, but I didn’t expect him to remember such trivia.

“Oh, wow,” Jennie breathes, her eyes still glued to Julian’s face. “I can’t believe she’s told you all that.”

Leah’s mouth tightens, and she motions at the waiter. “A slice of cheesecake, please, and then the check,” she requests when he comes over. “Their portions are huge,” she explains, even though nobody objected to the size of her order. “We can all split it.”

“That’s fine with me,” I say. I’m surprised Leah is willing to stay long enough to eat the cheesecake. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d walked out right then and there. I know she’s aware of what happened to Jake, and the fact that she’s willing to be somewhat civil to Julian speaks volumes about her commitment to our friendship.

“So tell me,” Julian says when the waiter departs, “how was your lunch so far? Did Nora already tell you the big news?”

I freeze, horrified that he’s outing me like this. Telling my friends about the baby was something I’d planned to do much later, when it was inevitable. Not today, when I could still pretend to be a carefree college girl.

“What big news?” Jennie asks eagerly, leaning forward. Her eyes are wide with curiosity. “Nora didn’t tell us anything.”

“She didn’t tell you about the gallery owner in Paris?” Julian gives me a sidelong look. “The one who put in an offer to buy her paintings?”

“What?” Leah exclaims. “When did this happen, Nora?”

“Um, just yesterday,” I mumble, a wave of relief sweeping away the sick feeling in my stomach. “Julian told me about it, but I haven’t seen the offer yet.”

“Wow, congratulations.” Jennie beams at me. “So you’re about to be a famous artist, huh?”

“I don’t know about famous—” I begin, but Julian cuts me off.

“She is,” he says firmly. “The gallery owner is offering ten thousand euros for each of the five paintings.” And amidst my friends’ exclamations of excitement, he explains that the gallery owner is a known art collector, and that my paintings are already gaining notoriety in Paris due to Monsieur Bernard’s connections.

In the middle of all this, our cheesecake slice arrives. Leah had been right to order only one; the slice is nearly the size of my head. The waiter brings out four little plates, and we split the cake as Julian answers Jennie’s questions about the Paris art scene and France in general.

“Wow, Nora, what an exciting life you’re about to start,” Jennie says, reaching for the check that the waiter brought. “You’ll tell us when you have your first show, right?”

“I’ve got this,” Julian says, picking up the check before Jennie can touch it. And before my friends can utter a word of protest, he hands two one-hundred-dollar bills to the waiter, saying, “Keep the change.”

“Oh, thank you,” Jennie says as the ecstatic-looking waiter hurries away. “You didn’t have to do that. You just had a bite of the cheesecake, not any of the food.”

“Please let us pay you for our portion,” Leah says stiffly, reaching for her wallet, but Julian waves her off.

“Please, don’t worry. It’s the least I can do for Nora’s friends.” Rising to his feet, he extends his palm toward me. “Ready, baby?”

“Yes,” I say, placing my hand in his. My few hours of freedom are over, but somehow I don’t mind. As exciting as the day had been, it feels comforting to be claimed by Julian again.

To be back where I belong.

Chapter 20

Julian

“Why did you come to meet me?” Nora asks as we get into the car after saying goodbye to her friends. “Were you afraid I might run away?”

“You wouldn’t have gotten far if you tried.” Turning to face her, I run my fingers through her hair. It’s a bit shorter at the front, but still long and even silkier than usual.

“I wasn’t going to run.” Nora frowns up at me. “I don’t want to run away from you. Not anymore.”

“I know that, my pet.” I force myself to stop touching her hair before I develop a fetish. “I wouldn’t have brought you to America otherwise.”

“So why did you come get me? I would’ve been home in an hour anyway.”

I shrug, not wanting to admit how much I missed her. My addiction is completely out of control. No matter what I’m doing, I’m constantly thinking about her. Even a few hours apart are intolerable these days, as ridiculous as that may be.

“Okay, well, I’m glad Leah didn’t freak out too much,” Nora says when I remain silent. “I thought she’d run or call the police when you first showed up.” She looks down, then glances up. “If you hadn’t mentioned the big news, things would’ve been very awkward.”

“Really?” I say silkily. “Maybe I should’ve told them the really big news.” It was what I’d originally intended—to ask if Nora had already told them about the baby—but the horrified expression on her face gave away the truth before any of her friends could speak.