Accidental Fiancé (Unintentionally Yours #5)

36. Julian

Chapter 36

Julian

W e left a few days later, eager to begin our new life together. The drive home was quiet, but not in a way that felt heavy or uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that settled between people who knew each other inside and out, where words weren't necessary.

Piper snored softly in the backseat, head drooping. I glanced over at Maggie; her profile softened by the moonlight streaming through the car windows. She had her hair up in a loose ponytail, her fingers playing absently with the ring that I had slipped on her finger just days ago.

My fiancée.

I couldn't stop myself from looking at the ring every few minutes. The ring, the one that Yaya had held onto for safekeeping for our brides. The one I never felt right giving to Britney. Our grandfather had decided our brides should get something special, so he had them commissioned as presents for all the boys. A symbol of hope for the future.

Since Phoebe liked women as much as men and told Yaya as much, our matriarch decided to hang onto one for her, too. I remembered the day she told her, how nervous Phoebe had been. But we all encouraged her to do it, and when the time came, Yaya didn’t let her down. She simply said, “Whoever you choose, dear, choose wisely.”

I knew I had.

It felt surreal. I had proposed to her in front of my entire family, and she had said yes. No doubt, no hesitation in her voice. She said it with her whole self. There was something about her saying yes that made every high, every victory in my life, pale in comparison.

My heart still raced at the thought of that moment and all the moments to come. I would finally get to have a life with Maggie. My inner teenager was as ecstatic as I was. It was everything I had dreamed of for so many years. I loved her with a fierceness that both exhilarated and terrified me, and I couldn’t imagine anything better in the world.

She caught me looking and smiled softly, her eyes warm and tired. “You keep staring,” she teased, her voice barely above a whisper.

I chuckled, reaching over to take her hand and bringing it to my lips for a quick kiss. “Can you blame me?” I murmured against her skin. “I just want to make sure I didn't imagine the whole thing.”

Her smile widened, and she squeezed my hand. “Well, it's real, I promise. I’m over here worrying about how to tell my parents.”

“You think they won’t be happy you’re getting married?” I blurted before my throat threatened to close.

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just… I’m not sure how we’ll integrate our lives, not to mention finances, and I know they’ll bombard me with all those questions.” She yawned, cutting herself off. “They can be a lot, but don’t let that scare you. They’ll be thrilled once they know I’ve got my head on straight about all of this.”

“They worry about finances a lot, don’t they?”

She nodded. “Number one concern for most people, actually.”

I hoped they wouldn’t object too much when I paid off their mortgage and fattened their 401(k)s and bank accounts. But I wasn’t going to tell Maggie that before I did it. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission on gifts, and I wasn’t about to let my future in-laws suffer for pride.

I kept her hand in mine for the rest of the drive, tracing absent patterns on her palm, content just to feel her silken skin beneath my fingertips. There had been so much chaos over the past week with Chloe but tonight was different, tonight was ours.

By the time we pulled up to the house, the exhaustion of it all had started to settle in. It was late, well past midnight, and our home was dark, the streetlights casting long shadows across the lawn. I killed the engine and looked over at Maggie, catching the slight hesitation in her eyes as she stared at the house.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice low so as not to wake Piper.

She nodded slowly, but her gaze lingered on the house a moment longer before turning to me. “I'm tired. It's been a long week.”

I knew what she meant. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion. It was the mental toll that had come with everything. Still, there was something about the way she said it that made me wonder if there was more on her mind.

“We're home now,” I said, squeezing her hand once more before I let go and stepped out of the car. I came around to her side and opened the door, offering her a hand to help her out.

She smiled again, shyly this time, as if still unsure. “Are we?”

“Are we what?” I asked as I pulled a sleeping Piper from the backseat.

“Are we home?”

“This is the home we own."

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “This is the home you own.”

“Ah.” I kicked the door shut and resettled Piper in my arms to carry her inside. Maggie followed along as I made the trip. “We will put your name on the deed tomorrow morning if that’s what you want. And on my accounts. What’s mine is yours, Maggie. We’re a family now, married or not.”

Her footsteps died next to me just before I reached the front door.

I turned to face her and found the strangest look on her face. “What is it?”

“I’m not… I didn’t… you know this isn’t about your money, right? I didn’t say yes because you’re loaded.”

I laughed, then worried for nothing I’d wake Piper. She didn’t even stir. “Baby, I know that.”

“If you want, I’ll sign a prenup.”

“Absolutely not. Not unless you want one.” I strode to her, watching her pretty face in the moonlight shift from apprehension to something unreadable. “Any lawyer would probably yell at me for what I’m about to say, but I want us bound in every way possible. If that means you could take me to the cleaners in a divorce so be it. But that’s how much faith I have in you. It’s a non-issue for me. What about you?”

Her lips moved for a moment like she was torn between crying and laughing. She went with laughing. “I have a great ceramic cactus collection I’ve been working on for years. If things somehow don’t work out, I’m taking it with me when I go.”

I snorted a laugh and she kissed me. “Deal.”

We walked inside, the familiar creak of the front door welcoming us back. The quiet house enveloped us like a warm blanket. Such a difference from the constant hum of Mom’s full house. There were plenty of insomniacs in my family, so there was always someone buzzing around that place at all hours during Yaya’s week. Here, it was just us.

I kicked off my shoes, tossing the keys on the entry table. I tucked Piper into bed as Maggie stood in the doorway, watching. When I closed the door, she asked, “She’ll sleep through the night?”

“She might, she might not, given her night terrors and the crazy week she just had. What makes you ask? You’ve seen her?—"

“I’ve never seen her this tired before.”

I smiled and nodded, leading the way back to the kitchen. “Seeing family and playing with her cousins wears her out. Me too, as a matter of fact. You want a drink?”

She stretched as she spoke. “No, I think I just need to shower and get into bed.”

There was something else in her voice, something beneath the surface, but I didn't push. Instead, I watched her walk upstairs, the sway of her hips doing things to me that I was too tired to fight. My mind might have been weary, but my body still thrummed with desire whenever she was near.

I followed her up the stairs, my eyes on the curve of her back, the way her fingers absent-mindedly played with the ends of her hair as she walked. She disappeared into the bedroom, and by the time I caught up, she was already slipping out of her clothes, her back to me as she headed toward the bathroom.

I leaned on the doorframe, watching her in the soft glow of the bathroom light. Her bare skin gleamed, the muscles in her back flexing as she turned on the shower. The sight of her, so natural, so familiar, stirred something deep inside of me. I had memorized her shape years ago, but she was no longer that teenage girl. Her body was curvier, her face, prettier… she mesmerized me.

“Maggie,” I called softly, stepping into the bathroom.

She turned to look at me, her expression soft but tired. “Yes?”

I crossed the small distance between us and pulled her into my arms, my hands sliding over the warm skin on her back, her waist, as I pressed a kiss to her temple. Her body melted against mine, her arms hanging around my neck as she sighed into the embrace.

“I love you,” I whispered, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear. The words came easier now as if they’d been waiting fifteen years to be said out loud.

She pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, her own shimmering with that same mixture of exhaustion and something deeper, more vulnerable. She whispered back, “I love you too.”

I kissed her then, soft and slow, the kind of kiss that reverberated through time. My hands roamed down her sides, feeling the soft curve of her waist, the sweet warmth of her body pressed against mine. She moaned against my lips, her fingers tangling in my hair, as I deepened the kiss, pulling her tighter against me.

There was no such thing as being close enough. I didn't know if it was the relief of the past week being over or the euphoria of knowing she was mine for real this time, but everything in that moment felt heightened. My hands couldn't move fast enough, my lips couldn't cover enough of her. I kissed down her throat and collarbone, trailing down to her tits.

She pulled me into the shower, the warm water cascading over our skin as we moved together. Exploring her wet skin was a new delight. I loved how the water made her shine like she was a present just for me. Every touch, every kiss, felt like a promise, a reminder of what we had fought for, what we had won.

I licked my way down her body, savoring every echoing gasp when I found a new spot she liked. Her nipples hardened as I plucked them, and when I kneeled before her, she stopped breathing entirely.

She latched onto the shower bar when I lifted her thigh over my shoulder and dove in, face first. The way Maggie tasted was almost enough to make me come on the spot. I loved it, craved it. Especially when she grinded against me and cried out. No bigger ego stroke than that.

I worked her clit with my tongue, my lips, anything to get her there. My fingers crept along her inner thigh until they reached their target. All that wetness, all for me. I dipped a finger in, then a second one. Her core gripped me in pulses as she closed around them. Slowly, I fingerfucked her while I sucked and kissed and nibbled her clit. She had no choice but to come for me, and when she did, her sounds were amplified by the tiles.

A sound I memorized to replay when I was alone.

By the time we made it to the bed, our bodies were slick with water, our breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. We fell onto the mattress, the cool sheets a contrast to the heat between us. I moved over her, our bodies sliding together, her skin soft and smooth beneath my fingertips. The way she looked up at me, her eyes heavy with desire, made my heart race even faster.

I kissed her, slow and deliberate. I savored the way she moaned into my mouth, how her fingers gripped my shoulders. I wanted her like this forever, underneath me, beside me, with me. She made time stand still. The magic this woman possessed left me breathless.

Every movement, every breath was in sync, as if we were made for each other. She cried out my name, her body writhing beneath mine. I loved the way she jutted her hips up to take me deeper. When she cried out this time, I couldn’t hold back. I followed her over the edge, my heart pounding in my chest as I whispered her name in turn. Afterward, we lay tangled in the sheets, the room filled with the sounds of our breathing.

Maggie's head rested on my chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles on my skin. I was tired, and my body was heavy with satisfaction. But there was something about the way she was touching me that told me she couldn't sleep just yet.

“What's on your mind? I asked softly, my fingers playing with the ends of her damp hair.

She was quiet for a moment, her fingers stilling on my abs. “I've been thinking about the bakery.”

I stiffened slightly, my mind immediately going back to everything with Chloe, the fire, all the pain that had come from that nightmare. Truthfully, I had hoped the sex would send us both to sleep. I knew she was exhausted—I certainly was.

But if she wanted to have a conversation through the night, I was down for that. I just hoped her concern wasn’t Chloe-related. I had enough of her in my life. I didn’t want to think about her in bed, naked and relaxed.

I asked, “What about the bakery?”

She shifted slightly, propping herself up on one elbow so she could look at me. Her eyes were filled with the kind of sadness I hadn't seen in a long time. She whispered, “I miss it. I miss baking. I miss the smell of bread, the feel of my hands in dough. I miss creating something that was mine.”

My heart clenched at the vulnerability in her voice. I reached up and cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb over the smooth skin. God, she was pretty. How could I be so lucky that she had agreed to marry me?

I put the thought out of my mind. Otherwise, I’d get stuck on that, and the conversation would go south. “Do you want another one?”

She blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. “Another what?”

“Another bakery,” I clarified in a steady tone. “Do you want to open another one?”

She looked at me as if she weren’t sure if I was serious. But I was dead serious. “Maggie, if that's what you want, then let's do it. Let's get you another bakery.”

Her eyes searched mine, her expression a mixture of disbelief and something resembling hope. “It's not that simple, Julian. It took everything I had to get that one off the ground. And now…”

I shook my head, silencing her with a kiss. When I pulled back, I looked her straight in the eyes. “We'll get it figured out. You've been through hell, and you deserve to get back what was taken from you. If opening another bakery is what you want, then we'll make it happen.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she smiled, a genuine smile that made my heart swell and break at the same time. As if kindness was something she never saw coming because she never had it before now. “You really mean that?”

“Of course, I do," I said, brushing a stray hair away from her face. “You've got me now, remember? And I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you want, we'll figure it out together.”

She kissed me then, slow and sweet, and I could taste the love that flowed between us.