Chapter <b>196 </b>


    Amber’s POV


    I didn’t usually wear dresses this color or this cut, and I was feeling self–conscious about it. Alice looked beautiful in her dress, but I didn’t feel as pretty. Yet, the minute she ran out of the changing room, whatever nerves I had been feeling flew out the window as I gave chase after my daughter.


    I followed her into the main room where Julian was waiting on one of the benches there. First he looked at Alice, and then his gaze lifted to me.


    Knowing Alice was safe, I stopped as well, my nerves flooding back to me all at once. I didn’t feel pretty in this gown, but now with Julian seeing it, I was feeling even more uncertain about it.


    But then I watched his face shift, go ck. His eyes widened a little as they slowly lowered. He took in all of me, inch by careful inch before lifting his eyes back to mine again.


    “You look…” he said, his voice trailing like he couldn’t find the words.


    My insecurities screamed within me that he mustn’t have been able to find a word to describe how badly I looked, but knowing him as I did, I knew that wasn’t what his real problem was. He was looking at me like I was some kind of vision, or like all of his dreams made real at once.


    “She’s beautiful,” Alice provided.


    “Yes,” Julian said at once. It took a moment, but he came back to himself. He smiled down at Alice, too, then. “You both look so beautiful.”


    “Like mermaids,” Alice said, grinning wide. She almost seemed… proud.


    Well, whatever made her happy.


    “I think we have a winner,” Julian said. “And the first dress you both tried. How lucky is that?”


    “You’re sure,” I said, ncing down at myself. “This is the one?”


    Julian’s smile softened as he stepped closer to me. His hand was holding Alice’s keeping her safe, so I allowed myself to lose track of her for a moment. Looking into the depths of Julian’s eyes, I lost track of everything else too.


    “Amber,” he said, his voice very gentle. “You’re a vision in this.”


    That was enough to convince me. “Okay,” I said. In that moment, with him looking at me like that, I probably would have believed anything he said.


    “That settles it then,<i>” </i>Julian said, still smiling. “In that case, I need a tie to match, so everyone there will know we belong to each other.”


    As he turned to find the sales associate, I took Alice’s hand and led her back to the changing room.


    “Daddy likes you, Mom,” Alice said.


    I already knew he did, but hearing how Alice noticed too…


    It warmed this treacherous heart that kept not listening to my more reasonable head. A romantic entanglement with Julian was such a bad idea… no matter how much it was exactly what my heart


    wanted.


    Julian’s POV


    The night of the party, I hired a car to take the three of us to Rafael’s estate for the party. Once there, we had to wait in a long line of cars to get to the front of the estate, as each car was dropping off a guest or


    two.


    When it was our turn, we stepped out and onto the porch. Rafael was there, receiving his guests. When he saw Alice and Amber, his face brightened. Leaning down he scooped Alice up into his arms and swung her around. Alice giggled the whole time.


    <b>“</b>Uncle!”


    “A little angel has arrived at my house,<i>” </i>Rafael said brightly. “We are blessed this day.” As he lowered her back to her feet, he grinned at Amber next. “And a grown angel too. Hello, sister.”


    <b>“</b><b>You </b>don’t have to call me that,” Amber said. “We don’t know yet if I’m really your sister or not.”


    “It feels right, doesn’t it?” Rafael said. “Please, go in and make yourself at home. Roman is just inside.” His gaze then falls on me. “Oh. Julian. I didn’t realize you were also here.”


    “I brought him with me,” Amber said. “I hope that’s not a problem.”


    “Of course not, dear sister,” Rafael said. “Not if you are the one who wants him here.” He said that, smiling at Amber. But the minute she looked away, he red at me.


    I clearly wasn’t wee at all. Too bad, so sad, I was here whether he liked it or not.


    Amber wanted me here, and that was enough for me.


    “Thanks for the warm wee,” I said to Rafael, trying not to let his rudeness get to me.


    Fortunately<b>, </b>our car pulled away behind us and a new car brought new guests, dragging his attention there instead. I was able to step past him and enter the house with the rest of my family.


    Just inside the door, Roman was waiting. Seeing Amber, he immediately smiled, waved, and came closer. “Amber. There you are. I was beginning to worry you weren’t going to make it.”


    We weren’tte, which meant that Roman had to be anxious just about Amber’s arrival.


    It took Roman a beat too long to notice Alice. Alice cleared her throat in a very unsubtly way.


    Roman startled and then looked down at her. “Oh! Alice! There you are. Why, it’s so good to see you…


    You’ve grown up so much. And you are wearing the same dress as your mom.”


    It was almost painful watching this, as Roman struggled to talk to Alice. Had he always been this


    awkward with her, or was this a result of their separation. Thinking back, I suspected it was the first. Roman didn’t seem like the type who was good with kids, and Alice was smart enough to clock that


    about him.


    “We bought our dresses together,” Alice said. “And it matches Dad’s tie.”


    I lifted the end of the tie a bit for Roman to see. When he did, Roman’s jaw clenched.


    “Yes. How nice.” Looking at Amber again, he said, “I wish you would have told me. I would have loved to


    coordinate too.”


    His tie was a type of coral color, not quite orange, not quite pink. It didn’t look terrible next to the aquamarine, but it was clear the two weren’t here together.


    This eased some of the possessive anger rising within me.


    “Come,” Roman said. “I’ll show you to the main ballroom. There’s an orchestra there, Alice. You might like


    that.”


    We were all about to start forward, following Roman, when I heard my name called from behind me.


    “Julian, a minute please,” Rafael said, approaching me, havinge in from outside. “It will only take a


    moment.”


    I wanted to tell him no, but he was the host of this party as well as Amber’s potential brother. And the Alpha of the pack we were presently in.


    For all these reasons, I had to at least grant him my respect, even if it annoyed me. So I dipped my head and followed him as he led me to a side room. As he opened the door and stepped inside, I realized it was his office. After I entered, he closed the door behind me.


    “I was hoping we could have a conversation once and for all,” he said.


    “What about?” I asked him, though I already had a pretty good idea, just as I imagined I was about to hate everything about this talk.


    Rafael straightened, looked at me, and said, “I don’t think you are good enough for my sister.”


    Chapter <b>197 </b>