After The One (The One Series Duet) by Danielle Allen Page B

upstairs. I found Julian in his office at the desk.
    “How’s Koko?” Julian asked as he typed.
    “She’s well. She’s excited for us.” He looked up and grinned at me.
    My heart fluttered.
    “That’s good,” he said, with a nod. “I’m excited for us, too.”
    “But she said something that got me thinking. Are you busy? Is everything okay?”
    “I’m just looking at my calendar.” He turned in his swivel chair and beckoned me over. “Come sit.” He patted his lap.
    I slinked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck as I got comfortable. He wrapped one arm around me and turned us so we could face the computer screen.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked, scratching my fingernails against his scalp soothingly.
    “I have my lawyers looking at the tour dates to see if I can move some dates around. It doesn’t look good though.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t think you should adjust the dates. People have already committed those dates to their schedules. It would be different if it was an emergency and you had to cancel a stop or two. It’s a whole other thing to rearrange or cancel. That’s not a good look for you or the hundreds of people who are working on the tour with you.”
    “But that means we’d have to get married in the next three months.”
    “What do you think about a New Year’s Day wedding?” I blurted out without careful consideration.
    Julian’s grey eyes held my brown ones as the question hung in the air.
    “That’s soon,” he pointed out, forehead creased with uncertainty. “Is that what you want?”
    “I mean…” My disappointment in his lack of enthusiasm dried my mouth. “I just thought it would be better for me since I may not be showing then. If most maternity clothes lack style and ingenuity, I can only imagine the wedding gown selection.”
    “I hear you, but you look beautiful in everything.” He kissed my shoulder. “Do you think we could pull off a wedding in a month though? I just don’t want you to regret anything by rushing it. I want to give you your dream wedding.”
    My heart swelled. “The wedding isn’t the dream. You are.” I kissed his soft lips and rested my forehead against his. “I love you and I want to marry you. I want to look at the pictures of our wedding and remember the moment I became your wife…in a great dress.”
    The deep timber of his chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Well then go grab your laptop and look for your great dress and I’ll contact the lawyers.”
    “Your lawyers?”
    “They’re going to need to find a wedding planner who can work fast and be discreet.”
    I nodded. “Ah, that makes sense.”
    I got up and went to find my laptop. I had it when I got home from work on Friday afternoon, but I couldn’t remember the next place I’d had it.
    “Fuck!” Julian roared from upstairs. “Fuck!”
    I jumped, startled by his outburst. Feeling panic sweep over me, I launched myself upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. My heart thudded against my chest as I skidded into the office.
    “What’s wrong? What happened?” I sputtered, looking around the room and then back at Julian. “What’s wrong?”
    Julian was slumped in his chair as anger and defeat billowed off of him. He was staring straight ahead as he held the phone to his ear.
    I tentatively approached him and stood silently beside his chair. My options were to sit on his desk where important papers were spread out or try to climb into his lap as he was clearly having an angry conversation. I chose to drop to my knees in front of him. I rubbed his knee supportively and gave him a small smile.
    Although he intertwined his fingers with mine, he did not return the smile.
    “Yeah, I get it. And there’s nothing that can be done? Can you try?” He was quiet for a minute. “I understand that, but—” He was quiet again and then he looked at me.
    He barked a few more demands into the phone before concluding the call and dropping it loudly against the