by J. J. Bella
Julian had assured her repeatedly that she didn’t need to be nervous. But no matter what he said, or how tightly he held her, she was still afraid to be doing this. She looked over at him. He looked so sexy in the morning light coming through the car window. They should have had sex that morning. It might have calmed her down a bit.
“We’re here,” he said.
“I know.”
“You’re going to do fine. Nothing bad can happened. Just tell the truth. That’s all anyone’s asking of you.”
“I know.” She blew out a hard breath. “I just don’t want to look at him and tell a roomful of people that he held a gun to my head and tried to force me to marry him.”
“They already know it. You’re just telling your side.”
She nodded. They walked into the courtroom hand in hand and sat to wait to be called to the stand.
She watched Julian with pride when he went up to talk. Always so cool and confident. She wished she had a little more of what he had when it came to stuff like this.
When it was her turn, she almost tripped getting up there, and it didn’t help her racing heart. Her armpits already felt sticky and she thought she should have worn a cheaper top. This new design—one of her own—retailed for several hundreds of dollars and the silk was much too fine for a lot of sweat. It would be ruined.
She put clothing out of her mind and focused on what was being asked of her. She answered the questions, told her side of things, and was highly relieved to sit back down at Julian’s side.
He squeezed her hand. “You did great.”
As the trial went on, Leah grew anxious. There were many doctors involved. Caleb’s defense involved sighting a mental illness for reasons of temporary insanity. She heard for the first time the long list of medications he had taken, the numerous therapists he’d seen, the times he was hospitalized. She didn’t have a clue that he had any sort of mental illness.
When the prosecution brought up his police record, she was even more disturbed. He’d gone after previous girlfriends for ending things with him. One of them had landed in the ICU after he’d beaten her.
She was more than relieved to have escaped with no injuries. He might have shot her or Julian or himself. When he was sentenced to serve his time in a maximum security mental hospital, she was glad. He would get the help he needed, and he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone in the meantime.
They left the trial and she fell into Julian’s arms in the car. “You saved me from a terrible life. If you hadn’t come into Brew House, if you hadn’t found out what he was doing and helped me… I can’t even imagine my life right now.”
He stroked her hair and kissed her. “Then let’s be glad it’s all over. He’ll get help and he can’t touch you again.”
“Thank you.” She rested her head on his chest and enjoyed the feeling of his closeness as they drove off.
“Want to head to Cafe Blue for lunch?” he asked. “I know you love it.”
“Ehh. We’ve been there so many times lately. Let’s just go home. I think Simon is a better chef anyway, to be honest.”
“That’s just because he cooks things exactly how you want them.”
“Then why should we ever go anywhere else?”
“Good point.”
She listened to his heartbeat and thought about something she’d been thinking about a lot lately. “I have to tell you something.” She sat up to look him in the eyes. “You said you love me a few weeks ago, and I haven’t said it back.”
“And I told you that was okay. I don’t want you to say it until you feel it.”
“But I do. I did then, and I don’t know why I didn’t say it sooner. Julian, I love you. I think I was afraid to love you after all that happened with Caleb, but I can’t deny it anymore. I love you.”
“Good. I’m glad, because I have this thing here.” He reached into a small compartment in the back of the car’s seat.
“What!” She gasped as he pulled out a ring box.
“If you don’t want it, I understand. Took months for me to convince you to wear that bracelet.”
She looked down at the diamond bracelet he’d given her when all this started. Then she took the ring box with a shaking hand. They hadn’t discussed marriage at all. She had never shown him the ring, though he always had his ways of finding things out.
She opened the lid and tears sprang into her eyes. It wasn’t exactly the ring she’d dreamed of. The triangle shaped diamond in the center was about twice the size of the design she’d seen. But everything else was the same.
“Aren’t you supposed to ask me something?” she said.
“Do you like it?”
“You know I do. This is my dream ring. Well, with an upgrade.”
“Good.” He kissed her. “Maybe you’ll wear it then.”
She pulled her eyebrows together. Was this not meant to be an engagement ring?
“I already know you’ll marry me,” he said. “I’ve looked into your eyes and seen our future children.”
She shoved him playfully. “Oh, my God. You did not just give me the cheesiest line ever when you were proposing to me!” She laughed and kissed him. “You are still an arrogant prick.”
“But you love me anyway.”
She sighed and picked up the ring. “Did you ask my mother first?”
“About a month ago.”
“A month!”
“Well, I was kinda waiting to make sure you loved me. Bad form to propose without that step.”
“I loved you then.”
“But you didn’t know it yet,” he said.
“I know it now.”
“I know. Just like I know that you’ll say yes, when I say, ‘Leah, will you marry me?’”
“Oh, so you are actually going to ask. Well, in that case, yes, I believe I will marry you.”
“Good. That was expensive ring. I’d hate to have to take it back.”
She kissed his cheek, and he slid the ring into place on her finger. “It’s a perfect fit.”
“Just like us.”
