“I am. I would be honoured if you’d accept. And not just because of the best man rule.” Emily smiled tightly, looking nervous.
“I would love to! Thank you!” Natalie hurled herself at Emily, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and squeezing tightly. I realised I was grinning like an idiot as I watched them.
“So, I’m the best man, am I?” Ryan grinned, looking smug and somewhat pleased with himself.
“Of course, that goes without saying.”
There was nothing more I could possibly want from life. I had the one woman - soon to become my wife - who I loved more than I ever thought possible, by my side. A soon to be daughter - if Emily stuck to her word and allowed me to formally adopt Maia after the wedding. And my sister was finally free of my father. I was still determined to find who had killed my father, and I’d be sure to show them nothing but gratitude when I did, but until then, I was happy in my own perfect bubble where everyone I cared about was safe, and with me. For life.
Julian:
“I might need to start advertising for a new barmaid if Gemma doesn’t buck her ideas up,” Emily ranted as she walked into the office at The Lounge. I couldn’t help but smile at her angered expression. It never failed to make me hard.
“You having problems, baby?” I asked as I closed the file on my desk and stood to greet my wife properly.
“Problems? She’s taking the piss, this is the third time she’s called in sick at the last minute in the past two weeks. The club is going to be packed tonight, and now I’m a member short,” she said as I snaked my arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against mine.
“Relax, I’ll call Natalie.”
“It’s her night off, Julian. Besides, Ryan’s already on the door, she has Charlie to think about.”
“Charlie’s a big boy now; he can stay at ours with Samantha. Maia and Oliver would love to see him.”
“Okay, I suppose you’re right. I better get back to the bar, thank you.” She pressed a kiss to my lips before spinning around and heading out of the door.
“Emily, you’re the boss now; you don’t have to slog it behind the bar.”
“I want to, thank you,” she replied as she disappeared around the corner. Emily had run The Lounge for the past four years, yet she still insisted on working her fair share, along with the rest of the girls. If it was good enough for her staff, then it was good enough for her, she had repeatedly informed me. That’s one of the many things I loved about Emily. She never saw herself higher than anybody else. We were all equal, money and status didn’t even come in to it.
I heard a soft tap on the door and Adrian waltzed in before I had the chance to respond. “Hi, Julian, how’s things?” he asked as he helped himself to a pile of CCTV tapes.
“Good, thank you, Adrian. I didn’t realise you were here tonight,” I stated as though it was actually a question. Adrian was now the head of security at Allure, he only worked occasional events here at The Lounge, and I was sure tonight wasn’t one of those events.
“I’m not, just short on tapes at Allure, didn’t think you’d mind if I borrowed a couple.”
“You take whatever you need, you know that.”
“Thanks. Catch up with ya later,” he said, winking once.
He didn’t even need to ask. Anything he wanted, it was his. Although he very rarely accepted anything. He had, without a doubt, saved my life almost seven years ago. When Emily had called him back to let him know we had found Maia, and that she was safe, he had asked questions. Emily apparently hadn’t said much other than that I was in trouble, and that she hadn’t known how to help me. He had insisted on coming over to the apartment and although Emily refused, he came anyway. If Adrian hadn’t have swerved around that corner when he did, taking my father out in his path, then there was no doubt about it, I wouldn’t be standing here now. I would spend my life making it up to him. Any impatience I had felt towards him in the past had long gone, since Emily was now my wife so officially off limits, and Adrian had shacked up with Samantha shortly after her split with Michael. Everyone seemed happy, content. I no longer had to watch his every look towards Emily. He loved her like I loved Natalie. He was like a brother to her. And so he was also like a brother to me.
Emily hadn’t been wrong, The Lounge was heaving. I made my way over to the bar and waved to get Emily’s attention. A wide smile brightened her flustered cheeks when she saw me. “Hey, baby. Please tell me Natalie is coming.”
“She’s on her way, she’s just dropping Charlie at ours first,” I informed her before she tore her attention from me and served a waiting punter beside me.
When she faced away from him, to pour his whiskey, I glanced across to find him running his filthy eyes over her backside. My blood pulsed through my ears and my fists involuntarily clenched, but I managed to make it all the way to ten, just as I had been practising for years now, by counting each deliberate breath. My fists loosened and I hopped straight over the top of the bar, too impatient to walk around to the opening.
“I’ll give you a hand,” I stated, winking at Emily and taking the man’s prepared drink from her hand. I couldn’t resist pressing a deep kiss against her parted lips, as unprofessional as it may look, just to let every man standing at that bar know that she was mine. She was my wife, and I didn’t take kindly to people eye-fucking her as she served them their drinks. It was disrespectful. It was disgusting.
The man’s eyes lowered to his hands as I took Emily’s place and handed him his drink. No matter how long we had been together, and how sure I was that Emily only had eyes for me, I still couldn’t help my raging jealousy. I had simply taught myself how to deal with it in a more appropriate manner than dragging any man who looked at my wife outside and giving him a good hiding. I was a father now, I had responsibilities, and I had an example to set. I didn’t want Oliver to grow up like his daddy, fighting with every person who manages to piss him off, and unable to control his temper. I wanted him turn out like Emily, kind and gentle and forgiving. Maia was barely more than a baby herself, in my opinion, but at just ten years old she was already exactly like her mother. She had the most caring nature I had ever known of, but even then she didn’t take kindly to people taking the piss. I liked to think I was to thank for that particular trait. If someone was trying to take advantage, she could spot it a mile off, especially when it came to her little brother. I would regularly catch her watching Oliver in the playground when I arrived to collect them from school, and as soon a boy had even looked at him the wrong way, Maia had stomped over to stand protectively in front of Oliver as she gave the boy a piece of her mind. I should probably have intervened and told her the rules of speaking politely to people, but I didn’t, it was too damn funny to watch. She had made me prouder than I had ever felt that day. She had proven to me, without knowing it, that she not only had balls, so to speak, but she would also do anything to protect her baby brother. Of course, he was no longer a baby either, as he constantly reminded me whenever I let the word slip out, “I’m not a baby, Daddy. I’m six now, that’s a big number”.
I didn’t care how old they were, ages were just that - numbers. They would both always be my babies.
“You ready to go, baby?” I asked as I glanced around the now silent, empty club.
“I certainly am. I can’t wait to get you into bed!” She flashed
that
smile at me and I was instantly hard.
That was another of the many things I loved about Emily. It didn’t matter how tired she was, how long a day she had had, she always had time for me in the bedroom. And you’d never hear me complaining.
I followed Emily silently into Oliver’s bedroom first. He was fast asleep, clutching a teddy tightly against his chest. I could feel the wide smile on my face as I watched him, his small chest raising and falling deeply as he no doubt dreamed beautiful dreams. No nightmares, no haunting memories, just sweet peaceful dreams like every child should have. I crouched down beside his bed and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. He inhaled noisily and rolled over, but he didn’t wake.
“Daddy loves you,” I whispered before covering his freed leg with the duvet.
As soon as I crouched beside Maia, she stirred and her large blue eyes blinked open. “Hi, Daddy,” she mumbled in a voice so angelic it made my heart clench.
“Hey, you. You should be sleeping.”
“I was sleeping. You woke me up.”
“Sorry, angel. I just wanted to say goodnight to my favourite daughter.” I stroked my hand across her forehead, removing the long chestnut waves that strayed dangerously close to her eyes, and kissed her temple. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy. Goodnight,” she whispered before her eyes closed.
It never got old, hearing my two beautiful children calling me daddy or telling me they loved me. Each time was just as special as the first.
Emily:
I gazed up at the large black and white photo that hung above our bed of Julian kissing my temple on our wedding day and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, as I never had been able to since the day Julian became my husband. I could still remember that very moment like it happened yesterday. We had just finished cutting our wedding cake and Julian had laughed carelessly as he had attempted to feed me a spoonful of it, only to miss my mouth entirely and land the squidgy mess on my cheek. He had wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side as he pressed a firm but loving kiss against my temple whilst desperately trying to mask his amusement. I still had the splodge of cake on my cheek in the picture, but it was so natural that I loved it. It showed the real Julian. The carefree Julian that had emerged since his father had been killed. The Julian that laughed and joked and played childish tricks on me. The Julian that I loved more than life itself.
I glanced down at my mother’s ring on my finger and felt my cheeks rise with a wide smile as I thought about what it represented. The fact that my dad had given it to Julian was overwhelming in itself, but the fact that my mum had told him to pass it on to me the day I married someone worthy of me, warmed me as much now as it had on our wedding day. Julian was that one man who was worthy of me, and my father had known it from the very beginning. I finally felt like I had a part of my mum, like I
was
a part of my mum.
On the opposite wall was a large studio photo of the four of us together. Oliver was just a year old when the photo was taken and Julian was gazing down into his eyes as he held him in his arms as Oliver smiled back at his daddy. It didn’t matter how many times I looked at the two of them together, it melted me every time. Julian had argued that the photo that would take pride of place on the bedroom wall should be one where we’re all looking down the camera and smiling, just as Maia and I are in this one, but I had simply refused to chose another photo. I loved this one, the way Julian looked so natural with Oliver, and the way they looked at each other, both of their eyes equally filled with so much love and adoration, this one simply had to take pride of place. It was beautiful. And my final favourite picture that stood proudly on my bedside cabinet was of Julian laughing with Maia on the day he officially became her father, shortly after the wedding, as promised. I was sure I had never seen him looking happier than he did that day, and this photo captured that moment perfectly.
The bedroom door opened, disrupting my imaginary slideshow of all the happiest moments of my life, and Julian walked through it, kicking it closed softly as he unfastened his tie with a wicked glint in his eye. Within seconds he was pinning me to the bed beneath his solid body as his mouth ravished my neck.
Even after seven years of marriage, each time we made love was just as passionate as the first, and I couldn’t imagine that ever being any different. Julian was my everything, he had saved me. He had morphed my entire life into one that was so fulfilled, so full of excitement and so full of love, and I could never thank him enough for that. He had bought me to life. He had freed me.