AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Last night, I’d sworn I wouldn’t love her anymore. But it was I lie. I couldn’t stop it, no matter how I wanted to. What if I’d asked her to marry me that day? Where would we be right now?
“It’s constant,” Mulaney said. “All these years, the way you feel about each other steadily grows. If you throw this away,” she tapped the picture, “you’re both fools.”
“I love you.” Juliana’s voice was quiet, yet strong. “I always have, and I’ll never be able to turn it off.”
“Then why are you with him?”
Mulaney slinked back, and I edged closer to Juliana.
“I’m not. We’re friends. Only friends. Ever.”
I fought the urge to smash something, namely my fist into his face as I imagined them gallivanting all over the place I’d wanted her to see first with me.
She placed a hand on my arm. Her touch burned and soothed. “He doesn’t have any family. They closed the dorms for the holiday, and nobody should be alone on Christmas.”
I let out a long sigh. Her compassion was one of the things I admired most about her. She was a friend to anyone who needed it. As much as I hated her newest one, I wouldn’t change that about her.
“I never kissed him. Never dated him. He’s rooting for us. Got me a ticket to the Sugar Bowl to see you play.” Her face was earnest as she spoke. “And I’m sorry for the way I told you about the trip.”
“You mean the way you didn’t tell me?”
She nodded. “It was wrong. And if you’d done that to me, I wouldn’t have handled it nearly as well as you did.”
“You didn’t trust me to support whatever you want to do. I’m always behind you.”
“I know.” She touched my cheek. “Yesterday morning was the first time I’ve felt whole in months. I’ve missed you like crazy.”
I leaned into her palm. Could I let this go? Get past the knot of hurt tangled up inside of me?
I gripped her hips. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Is this still what you want?” I pointed back and forth to her and then myself.
She clutched the front of my shirt. “Yes.”
I narrowed my gaze. “No one else, Jules.”
“There couldn’t be.”
“Right here on this spot, you showed me what the future could be, showed me what I’d known I wanted all along,” I lowered my head and brushed my lips against hers. She shivered and pulled me closer.
I dropped to one knee. “My sister just showed you I’ve loved you my whole life. And I always will, even in the next one.”
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“I don’t even have the ring with me, but I can’t wait any longer.” I took her hands in mine. “Will you marry me?”
She threw her arms around my neck and sank to the ground in front of me, pure joy radiating from her. “Yes. A million times yes.”
Epilogue
Juliana
Six Months Later
“I’m going to Paris.”
