AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jules lets me walk her to her car when we leave, but there’s no kiss. Once she’s in her car and drives away with a small wave in my direction, I slump against the hood of my car and think about the fact that there was no kiss. But she looked at my lips before she turned around and pulled her door open to get in.
While I would have rather kissed her, knowing that she was thinking about it makes me feel a little lighter when I finally get in my car. We’re circling each other in a holding pattern, but things have changed somewhat, because we cleared the air. I hate knowing that I hurt her, that she thought I was willing to just walk away from her and never look back. But on the other hand, it’s good to know what she’s thinking.
In fact, the next weeks are easier for me to get through. It’s like Julie’s a happy place in my head again. It’s not quite like it was when we were together, obviously, but the hope that we find our way back to each other makes me lighthearted. Now when I go to Ryle’s games, I make sure to sit by her—even if Dani and Eric are with her. I don’t crowd her. I know pushing my way back into her life isn’t the answer.
But now I know how important it is that she knows I want to be with her. I want to be a family with her and Ryle.
She’s around more now. I suppose I have Harper to thank for that. Seems like every time I go to my sister’s these days, Julie’s there. Harper might be inviting her over, encouraging her to hang around, but when they’re not looking at me watching them, I see their friendship growing. With Mabry, too.
As much as I appreciate Harper for befriending Julie again, in our adulthood, I still feel weird talking to her—after the big reveal of the crappy thing I did to Julie and Ryle. It’s not like I can just bury it again, not with Harper apparently orchestrating this opportunity for me and Julie to reconnect. I guess I’ll just hold my breath and hope that Harper keeps it to herself—not something I care to discuss with my mom. And that maybe if Julie and I would ever reconcile, Harper might bury it for me, and we’d never discuss it again.
“Hey.”
Julie’s shiny glossed lips tip up in a smile when she opens the door to me. I’m here to pick Ryle up. He doesn’t know it yet, but we’re going to play Frisbee golf.
“He’s finishing his lunch,” she tells me and nods for me to come inside.
Ryle waves at me with a mouthful of what I’m guessing is grilled cheese, based on the torn edges of crust on his plate.
“Are you ready for an adventure?” I join him at the table.
“Yep.” He nods, takes a gulp of milk, and puts his glass back down.
“Finish your vegetables,” Julie reminds him as she grabs the skillet off the burner and slips it in the sink. Ryle looks at me as he picks up a carrot stick. I can’t help but laugh out loud when he rolls his eyes. Julie turns from the sink and eyes me suspiciously. “What?”
I shake my head, but from the corner of my eye, I see Ryle grinning.
He climbs off his chair when he shoves the last bite in his mouth, hands his plate to Julie, and hurries out of the room. I watch him go, but when we’re alone, I look back at Julie. She’s wearing a yellow sundress and simple flat sandals. With her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she looks eighteen—carefree and happy.
“What’re you doing while we’re gone?”
She must have a date. And though I suspect I would feel the same pit in my stomach no matter who it’s with, I hold my breath, assuming she’ll say Jerad.
“Nothing.” She shrugs. “Thought about updating Ryle’s scrapbook.”
“You still do that?”
When Ryle was a baby, she made detailed scrapbooks and shared them with my mom. She gave me one, but mostly, she gives me small photo albums. I didn’t realize she still did the whole scrapbooking thing.
“Not like I used to,” she admits. She stands with her back to me, hands in the soapy water, washing the skillet.
“You look awfully pretty to sit by yourself and scrapbook.”
She looks up at me when I join her at the sink. Her cheeks are tinged with pink, but she offers me a tiny smile.
“I had coffee with Mabry this morning.”
I feel my whole body relax. I know she keeps telling me she’s not interested in anyone else, but the more I see her, the more we talk now, the more aware I am of how badly it would hurt to watch her fall for someone else.
“That sounds fun.”
She nods as she works, turning her attention back to the skillet. “Yeah. I like her. She’s a perfect match for Twain.”
“So.” I take a deep breath and decide to go for it. “Wanna go with me and Ryle today?”
She doesn’t flat out tell me no. Instead, she tips her head back to look at me for a moment. “What’re you guys going to do?”
“Thought we’d try a few holes of Frisbee golf.”
