Chapter 8 - Before the Dress
I was wearing a white robe when Julian entered.
For one sick second, my body recognized him before my mind could stop it.
His familiar cologne.
His easy smile.
The man I reached for in my sleep.
“Hey, beautiful.”
He leaned down to kiss me.
I turned my head, and his mouth brushed my cheek.
“Makeup,” I said.
My mother entered behind him carrying the blue folder.
A woman with a briefcase followed.
“This is Paula,” Mom said. “She’s helping us get the dull stuff out of the way.”
Paula smiled politely.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” I said. “What exactly are we signing?”
Julian pulled up a chair.
“Household forms. Banking permissions. We talked about it.”
“Did we?”
He laughed.
“You’ve had a lot going on.”
Mom opened the folder and placed a pen beside it.
“Let’s get through this so you can enjoy your day.”
I looked at the first page.
It was the harmless household form Daniel had prepared.
The next page was different.
I turned it.
Julian put his hand over mine.
“You don’t need to read every line.”
Paula looked up.
“Actually, she should understand everything she signs.”
I liked her immediately.
Julian removed his hand.
“Of course. I just meant we’ve already discussed it.”
“No,” I said. “We haven’t.”
Mom’s smile tightened.
“Mariana.”
The warning in her voice was familiar.
Be good.
Be easy.
Don’t embarrass me.
I turned another page.
There was the broad business authorization.
“Why would getting married give you authority over Bellamy Jewelry?”
Julian’s jaw shifted.
“It doesn’t give me anything. It lets me help.”
“With what?”
“Whatever you need.”
Evelyn came out of the adjoining room.
“Then you won’t mind if I review it.”
Julian stood so quickly his chair scraped the floor.
“What is she doing here?”
“Her job,” I said.
Mom closed the folder.
“We can do this later.”
Evelyn placed a hand on it.
“I’d like a complete copy.”
“These are private family papers,” Mom snapped.
I looked at her.
“Then why do they mention my board of directors?”
Paula shut her briefcase.
“I’m not notarizing anything under these circumstances.”
She left.
Julian stared at me.
“You don’t trust me?”
There it was.
The final weapon.
Love as a test I could fail.
I folded my hands in my lap.
“If you need my signature to believe I love you, we have a problem.”
His eyes moved to Evelyn.
Then the folder.
May you like
Then back to me.
“What did somebody tell you?”
