“If we want to go to the cabin, I should tell Michael. Hell, I’ll need to give him directions to find the cabin’s location.”
“Having Michael there isn’t us alone.”
“Not to stay. He should know where we are.”
“If no one can find the cabin, it must be safe,” Julia reasoned.
“People can find the cabin if they know where they’re looking.”
Did Phillip know the location? A lot had changed on my property since he was last here, or at least, the last time I knew he was here.
“Then it’s settled.”
I lifted my brow. “What is?”
“We’re taking a break from reality—we’ve had enough lately. Besides, we should clean up the tree and decorations from Christmas before Margaret and Paula go out there to decorate for the wedding.”
The darkening sky and the mention of Mrs. Mayhand reminded me that I’d only had a small lunch. “What about dinner?”
“Soup and nectarines?”
“No nectarines in the truck or cabin. I have an idea. We can drive up to Bayfield, get a dinner to go and some muffins from the bakery for the morning. Then we can head to the cabin.”
Julia let out a long breath as she laid her head against the seat. “Thank you.”
It was my turn to reach out. Laying my hand on her thigh, I squeezed. “I’ll tell you again, I’m sorry for not letting you know about Phillip.”
When she turned, her expression had changed. Gone was the smile from seconds before.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I’m trying not to think about yesterday, but I can’t help it.”
“They didn’t win, Julia. We did. Don’t spend time thinking about someone who doesn’t deserve your attention.”
“My thoughts aren’t about what happened. I keep thinking about what didn’t happen,” she said.
My grip of the steering wheel tightened. Those weren’t thoughts I wanted Julia to ponder; nevertheless, she was.
She went on, “What happened with Phillip surfacing and the fiasco at my parents’ was a disruption, but Van, it could have been so much more. Maybe we’re wrong about the goal.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that while the goal could have been to make me change my mind about you, what if…what if I hadn’t known something was wrong? What if I’d gone along with the wedding all the way, married him? What if he hadn’t walked out on me and then…he’d done more than kiss me? What if he’d…?”
I pulled the truck to the side of the road as the wheels crunched over the packed snow. After putting the truck in park, I leaned closer, reaching for Julia’s hands. “I won’t let him near you ever again. You have my word.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded.
“If he had touched you in any other way, I’d kill him.”
Julia’s eyes blinked rapidly, causing a lone tear to escape. She quickly wiped it away. “No, Van. If you did that, I’d lose you too. He didn’t. It’s that with the more time that passes, the less relieved I am that we made it away, and the more I question the what-ifs.”
“We just applied for ourrealmarriage license,” I reminded her. “No one can stop us now. I know I just agreed to a night without security, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting rid of them. You have to know that keeping you safe is my number-one priority.”
She nodded. “I know.”
The headlights of another car reflected in the rearview mirror as we kissed. The car slowed as it drove past us before speeding up again.