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Pulling me against him, he leads me out of the kitchen. A stupid grin hovers on my lips. Nothing feels as good as being pampered by Julian.
After the day I had yesterday, I deserve a little treat.
River lets go of me when we reach outside his room. Moving forward, he pushes the door open and gestures for me to walk inside.
I step inside and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve walked inside a posh haute couture showroom. All the empty floor space is taken up by tall racks that have the most gorgeous gowns hanging from them.
There’s every shade of color here. Reds, pinks, blues, greens...
I move toward a rack and let my hand slide over the elegant fabrics. “How do you choose one?” I whisper almost to myself.
Julian moves beside me. “That’s the hardest part,” he says. “We’re going to have so much fun choosing.”
“Did you really pay for them all?” I ask in a hushed voice.
“Yep,” he says. “But, I can always return the ones we don’t like.”
I stare at him. “How richareyou?”
Julian winks. “It’s my mates who’re filthy rich. I bought these from the allowance I get.”
“We haveverydifferent definitions of the word ‘allowance’,” I say, shaking my head.
“Forget about the price tags,” he says. “Just choose the dress you want to try out first. After that, we’ll go through these accessories.” He opens a sliding door, revealing a wardrobe set alongside the wall.
I stare at rows upon rows of handbags, purses, and shoes.
“Did you bring home the entire store?” I say, my mouth hanging open.
“Caleb wouldn’t let me take you to the store, so I brought the store here.”
A rush of emotions surges through me and I suddenly find myself lunging at Julian, wrapping my arms around his neck and tightly hugging him.
He rubs soothing circles on my back as my tears dampen his shirt.
Maybe it’s my emerging hormones. Maybe it’s just my fucking emotions.
No one’s ever gone to such lengths to make me happy. I don’t care about how much money he spent. It’s the gesture that has taken my breath away.
He’s doing everything in his power to make me feel better, I realize, clinging to him.
Julian’s like a pillar of unwavering sweetness and warmth. He’s the only support that’s keeping me from breaking down completely over the pain my parents inflicted on me.
“Can I stay like this a bit longer?” I ask in a muffled voice.
“Sure,” he says, continuing to rub my back. “I’m all yours.”
I close my eyes as pure relief floods through me. As long as he’s with me, I can deal with anything life throws my way.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
21
Iris
The days leading up to the governor’s charity gala are spent playing dress-up with Julian. It’s extremely tedious to try on heavy gowns one after another, but I do it with a smile on my face because it seems to make Julian happy.
Seeing him smiling is like getting a shot of dopamine. I’m addicted.
