Page 56 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

The accuracy of it catches me harder than sympathy would have.

I glance down at my plate. “Probably.”

He waits.

I exhale softly. “Yes. It did.”

Julian gives one slow nod and reaches for his wine. He does not ask me to explain myself further, and somehow that makes me want to.

“My mother never fell apart,” I say.

“At least not where we could see it. She worked, came home, helped us with homework, paid bills at the kitchen table, and figured everything out. Watching her made it difficult to believe there was much value in waiting for someone else to make your life secure.”

“That makes sense.”

“I got very good at being prepared.”

“I’ve noticed.”

I glance at him.

“You say that like it’s a criticism.”

“It isn’t.”

“No?”

“No.” Julian holds my gaze.

“You learned to make yourself difficult to disappoint.”

The words land somewhere deeper than I expect. For once, I don’t have a clever answer ready. I take another sip of wine instead.

When I finally look at him again, the intensity in his eyes has softened but not disappeared.

“What about you?” I ask.

“You’ve spent a lot of time asking about me.”

“I noticed.”

“See? Deflection.”

“I’m not deflecting.”

“You absolutely are.”

His mouth shifts. “What do you want to know?”

“Where did you grow up?”

“Mostly Connecticut.”

“With Adrian?”

“He would’ve been difficult to leave behind.”

I laugh. “You know what I mean.”