JULIA REFUSED TO GO back to her parents’ house. Having saved nearly enough money for a first and last month’s rent and a damage deposit, she planned to move out in the next month or so. But now she knew she would definitely relocate sooner and only wished it could happen tonight. Running until she felt safe, she pulled her phone out and called Nate. She knew he’d come and get her, no questions asked.

She waited on the curb and when she saw his sleek sedan stop, she quickly ducked in. He smiled. She cringed. “I’m sorry, Nate. I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone else.”

“I’ll always come when you call me, sis, no matter what. No apologies. Are you okay?”

“Oh, physically, I’m just fine. I just came from a big reception for the opening of the building CGC finished. Mom and Dad were there with me and Chris and then… well, stuff just happened. I don’t want to talk about it yet. Okay?”

He gently patted her knee and drove the car forward. “Of course. I meant what I said. You never have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’ll always come whenever you call. Now where to?”

“Could we go to your house?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Are you sure? I’ll try not to impose too much. I mean, since you have your own family now.”

Nate rolled his eyes. “Don’t you mean your family too?”

“Yes.”

They soon pulled in and Ally was wide awake, dressed in a robe and fuzzy slippers. The once stylish, perfectly coifed, immaculately dressed Ally was lounging idly, and her hair was sloppy and Julia saw old stains on her robe but Ally smiled happily when they came in, and she seemed relaxed. “Hey. Didn’t you guys go to that opening tonight?”

“Yes. There was a minor incident.” Julia practically fell into Ally’s hug. The boys were tucked in bed and Ally tugged Julia over to the couch to sit next to her.

“Vickie?”

“Oh, sure. She was there too. She showed up. But this time, that’s not what freaked me out.”

“Care to share?”

Julia glanced up at Nate who shrugged and sat down. “You know, I’ve been through a lot with Vickie, so you can talk freely in front of me.”

“A lot,” Ally scoffed, glaring at him.

“What does that mean?”

Ally tilted her head. “You don’t know? About them?”

“Them? Who? What don’t I know?”

“I guess you were too young. Nate slept with Vickie before she hooked up with his dad,” Ally said, her eyebrows rising and her eyes flashing. “Classy, huh?”

Julia’s mouth hung open and she closed her eyes. “No. Oh, no.”

Ally patted her arm. “Oh, Ju-Ju-Bee, it’s no big deal. I just like to give Nate shit about it… because well, what else can I do with it?”

“Perhaps never mention it again?” Nate asked and his tone was sardonic.

Julia shook her head. “No. No, it’s that… I’m just like her. And I didn’t even know how much until now.”

“You are nothing like Vickie. Except for your appearance. I’ll give you that, since you look just like her.”

Julia’s face jerked up. “No. It’s so much more than that. I did that.”

“You did what? What happened tonight? You’re not making any sense. I thought when you called, and I say this honestly, Vickie’s cancer popped right into my mind so I assumed the shock of that news was hitting you.”

“No. I know that’s what everyone expected of me, but no. That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“I slept with a father and his son. Just like Vickie did. And Chris knew. And now that makes me just like her.”

“Whoa, back up. What are you talking about?”

Her truthful words filled her eyes with hot tears and she wiped them on her arm. “I knew what I was doing was wrong. I can’t tell you why I just went ahead and did it. Maybe, to prove a point. Or because I wanted to break out of being who I usually am. But I didn’t know at the time, I never suspected… that.”

“Julia, explain it better. What’s going on?”

“I slept with my boss, Lloyd Cartwright, for a few weeks…” she went into whole sordid affair, starting with Lloyd and Tully and ending in Chris and her. “But apparently, Lloyd is the father of the baby boy Tully raised all alone and he never even knew about him.”

“Chris,” Ally deduced. She sniffed and nodded, glancing at Nate. So did Julia.

Nate’s face remained neutral but he got up and sat next to Julia, tugging her shoulders against him in a brotherly hug. “So you’re saying that Chris was working for his dad without telling him or anyone else?”

“Yes. And then I showed up for a job and later slept with Lloyd before I slept with Chris. Chris never once hinted at their relationship.”

Ally’s mouth compressed into a line of wonder. Julia couldn’t see Nate’s face. Leaning forward, she moved out of Nate’s embrace and buried her face in her own hands. “I’m so ashamed.”

“What did Chris say?” Nate asked.

She flipped her head back up. “I don’t know. Nothing so far. This just happened, at the big opening, right in front of everyone. Tully walked in and became instantly distressed—but I could not understand why—until she started yelling at him. He knew right away who she was and he quickly figured it all out. It happened so fast. I felt like I was fused to the floor until dad punched Lloyd. And in the end, it turns out I was sleeping first with my boss and then with his son.” She shuddered again. “Exactly like Vickie.”

There was a knock at the door before it opened without anyone getting up to answer. Kylie quickly entered the room alone. “Mom called. She told me what happened.”

Julia kept her head bent down, staring at her feet. “Great.”

“They’re on their way over here.”

“Who is?”

“Mom and Dad.”

Julia shook her head. “I don’t want them coming here. I don’t want to do this.”

Kylie walked over and touched Julia’s back, which was bent over at her waist. Filled with total humiliation, Julia kept her head down, burying her face between her knees, her long hair falling to the floor if she moved her head. “No. I could not stand to have some kind of family intervention over this.”

Ally laughed outright. “Oh, yes, you are, Julia Lindstrom. You’re not immune or so special you can be spared from it. I had to discuss my bulimia and Kylie had to tell everyone why she hid the rape from us. Now, it’s your turn.”

Julia didn’t rise. Heat began filling up her cheeks. “What happened to you two was neither of your faults. I did this. I set out to do it. I mean, Dad punched my boss.” She groaned and started shaking her head in defeat.

Kylie laughed, and Ally soon joined in before Nate even chuckled.

Still, Ally continued, “Okay, you get the award for giving us the biggest surprise, little sister. Getting mild–mannered Dad so irate. But you didn’t do anything terrible. You merely began a relationship, ended it, and started a new one.”

“With my boss. Then with my coworker and then I discover they’re father and son.”

“You didn’t know at the time though. You can’t be held responsible for that. Chris could. But not you,” Kylie insisted, trying to reassure her.

Julia sniffled and rubbed her nose before wiping her eyes. She lifted her head high enough to meet Kylie’s gaze. “You’re so full of shit.”

They all laughed again. Julia evil-eyed every one of her siblings. “It’s not funny. Not at all. I hate you guys.”

Nate patted her back. “No, you don’t, you love us. And it will be okay. We’ll get through this like everything else.”

“At least you were smart enough to come to us now, the day it happened, and not years later… like Kylie and I did,” Ally said.

Julia crossed her arms over her chest, in a huff. “Sure. Great. I’m the well-balanced one. A real prize.”

“Pretty bitter pill to swallow when you realize that none of us are, isn’t it?” Kylie said kindly. “I know what’s it’s like to be disappointed and shocked sometimes by your own behavior. You tend to expect so much more from yourself. But guilt only eats you up inside. It doesn’t fix anything or help anyone, it just gnaws at you.”

“Then what should I do? How do I avoid it? Or not get stuck in it like I’m prone to do?”

“You admit your part, apologize to those you need to, and listen to others—like Chris. And I guarantee you that from what I know of him, he will seek you out with his own heartfelt apology and explanation. Accept it, Julia. Let him tell you how sorry he is. I doubt any of us missed that he’s in love with you and vice versa. You can spend a day, or a week, or even a month being mad at him over it, but why? He only did it out of love, which I wouldn’t say applies in all cases, but with him it does. So you should listen and learn from what we all had to learn through our mistakes.”

“She’s right. I am sorry. And I will explain.”

Julia jerked upright. There stood Chris. In the middle of her sister and Nate’s living room. How? Why? Who let him in? Who brought him there? How did he know what they were discussing?

Then, to her further surprise, her mom and dad stepped out from each side of him. Chris blocked the hallway with his huge body. Her eyebrows lowered. “How did you…?” Julia asked her mom.

“I knew you’d call Ally or Kylie and a quick phone call got me the answer so we talked to Chris and now, here we are.”

“Great,” Julia mumbled. Then she spread her arms out wide and sneered, “Well, let’s just go ahead and get it over with, shall we? Here it is, family, I slept with my super old, disgusting boss. And we had sex. We did the nasty. With the father of my current boyfriend. I’m—”

“Please stop,” Chris said gently.

“Yes, please spare us the details,” her dad echoed, wincing.

Scowling, Julia lifted her stricken gaze to Chris. Then she looked at her dad. “I can’t believe you punched him, Dad!”

“I can’t either. I wish I could have been there.” Ally exclaimed. Julia glared at her sister who quickly stopped smiling. “Sorry, it must have been kind of epic.”

“You punched a perfectly innocent man in all this. There was no issue between Lloyd and me. I had a choice in whatever I did. And he is… and was my boss. So great. I'm most likely in the ranks of the unemployed now.”

“I doubt that,” Donny replied. He crossed the room.

Tracy waved at her siblings. “Do you three mind? Let us have the room for just a minute?”

“Oh, hell no. I need to hear this. Besides, Mom, it’s my house.” Ally protested. But she quickly complied after seeing Tracy’s withering glance.

Kylie kissed Julia’s cheek and muttered, “Good luck.”

Julia could barely make herself face her parents and Chris. She focused on her mom first, the one she felt least embarrassed with about the situation.

Tracy said, “Lloyd understands what happened and no one is losing their job.”

“You already spoke to him?”

Tracy nodded. “I immediately shuffled everyone out of the main entry and he and your dad and I went into a private conference room. Lloyd realizes that your dad was just reacting from his need to protect you. He apologized and Lloyd forgave him.”

“It still was uncalled for.”

Her dad, flexing his hand as if it still hurt him, shrugged. “He abused a position of power over you. He used his advanced age and wealth to seduce you. I disagree.”

This was so hard. She swallowed, straightening her back as she said, “It was mutual, Dad. He had my consent. In fact, I think I held the power over him. He liked me a lot more than I liked him. I know this is probably hard for you to hear.”

“Oh, believe me, it is.”

She glared at him. “Then try to imagine how I feel when I have to untangle Vickie and you… and then Mom and you.”

He winced. “What? So I guess we’re even now?” They held a glaring contest until his lips started to twitch, and much to her surprise, so did hers.

“Maybe.”

“Well, Lloyd isn’t firing you in any case. I believe your position with his company is where it was before all of this happened.”

“I’m sorry.” Julia’s anger was replaced by embarrassment.

Her dad got up and hugged her. “All meaningful relationships are hard and confusing, and looking back, they’re also hard to explain to others.”

She glanced up and began smiling at him. “Good old experience taught you that?”

He flicked her hair. “Yeah, brat, experience with both of your mothers taught me that. You don’t have to be sorry. I am though, for losing my temper. I erroneously assumed the situation was different than it appeared and no one messes with my little girl.”

Julia smiled, glad for his protective nature when it came to her, even now, after all she’d done and all the years that passed.

Her mom asked her, “Why don’t we give you and Chris some time alone? You two have a lot to discuss here.”

Everyone left but Julia failed to meet Chris’s glance.

He cleared his throat and sat down, his butt perching on the very edge of the chair. He kept jiggling one knee. “I thought you slept with Lloyd at the hotel. I knew then that he was my father, but I wasn’t raised by him as my dad. You know? The connection we share is strictly about work. It’s what you’ve seen. I intended to stay away from you. I really did. I vowed to, especially after I thought you two were sleeping together. But I couldn’t stay away. I think you know how strong the connection is between you and me. It’s undeniable, even though I tried to end it. By the time I came after you at the airport, all I could think of was I just wanted you. Regardless of your history, and mine.”

“Were you ever going to tell me? About Lloyd being your dad?”

“No.”

Julia made eye contact. Chris hunched forward in the chair, his hands clasped together before him. His gaze seemed contrite and solidly fixed on hers. “That’s definitive. It’s just cold and so chilling to know you would keep that kind of secret from me.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you. There are no other secrets.”

“That’s it? Your entire defense?”

“No. But I suspected if you knew about Lloyd and me, you’d never want to stay with me.”

She stared him down. “You were willing to give up the chance of knowing your dad as such, and letting him know you as his son, all to be with me?”

“Yes.” Unblinkingly, he answered.

“You were willing to give up your job too, in the beginning.”

“Yes. I still am.”

“Did Lloyd fire you?” she asked sharply. “He couldn’t fire his own son?”

“No. We haven’t spoken though. Your dad apologized and Lloyd just said, ‘You’re my son?’ over and over. He asked my mom several times why she never told him. I didn’t say much. I was too anxious to find you. Your mom left, then she came back and quietly told me where you were and asked me if I’d like to come talk to you, which of course, I did.”

“Lloyd never knew anything about you?”

“No. I was the result of a brief affair. Mom left his employment as soon as she realized she was pregnant and ended it permanently with him. She didn’t want to beg him to take care of her and figured he’d never leave his wife, you know, the typical story. And besides, she always said she didn’t want to be with him. It was only a quick affair. Her words.”

“Wow. She really owns it.”

“Maybe you should too,” he said, staring down.

She tilted her head. “What?”

He cleared his throat. “Maybe you should just own what you did with Lloyd and forget about it. Instead of feeling so awkward and ashamed, just own it. So what? Who cares if you slept with Lloyd? You were single and free. You made it clear to him it wasn’t sexual harassment. And you felt more powerful in the situation and your place than he did. It’s strictly between you and him. It has nothing to do with us either… or your parents, or… mine.”

She tilted her head. “Really? That’s what you think?”

“Really.” He stared at her, his gaze going from neutral to warm as their eye contact persisted. He rose to his full height, making her head kink from staring straight up at him. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression turning fierce. If she didn’t know and trust him so well, his stance might have caused her to gulp with fear. “Just like us.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached down and pulled her up into his arms, letting his gaze rove over her face. “What happens between you and me is strictly between us. We understand it. Even if no one else does. When everyone that we work with finds out, so what? Let them talk. Let the neighbors gossip. Let family members who disapprove of us and our situation talk until their ears turn blue. It’s their problem, don’t you see? Not ours. We don’t have any problems. We should have stayed at the opening together tonight. We can still separate our professional lives from our personal, but we don’t have to hide either.”

“Except with your father.”

“Yeah, my father. Who never heard about me. Or got to know me. He didn’t raise me. And, you slept with him. But so what? I look at your parents, Donny and Tracy, and I wonder why you can’t follow their example? If they had done what society deemed they ‘should’ have done, considering the circumstances they found themselves in, they wouldn’t have the life and love they share now. A relationship you constantly tell me how much you admire and love because you were raised in it. You have Tracy because of their generous decision. It was the best decision for them, no one else, and it turned out to be the best one for you too, right?”

“Yes.”

“I want things like that with you too, Julia. I want to be with you. So what if I didn’t tell you that you inadvertently slept with my father? He didn’t know it either. No one did it maliciously or did anything wrong. Not even me. I just voiced my feelings too late. It was… I don’t know… bizarre circumstances, which I don’t believe could possibly ever happen again. Maybe all the stars were aligning in a way like never before.”

She sucked in a breath. Chris made such a compelling case. One that would let Julia off the hook and easily allow her to continue to stay in his arms. She leaned forward, touching her lips to his. Despite all the hurt, anger, and horror in discovering the reality, she also discovered she loved Chris. He made her heart lift and ache in good ways, ready to explode in joy, even when she got mad at him, which was rare. The idea of living without him only made Julia shudder. Is that how her dad felt with Tracy? Despite his past with Vickie and sharing a baby?

If they managed to find a way to be happy, why couldn’t she and Chris?

She touched his face. “It must have been… I don’t know, gut-wrenching to see me with a man you knew was your father.”

“If jealousy were a living, breathing thing that could eat your guts out, I swear, that’s what was happening to mine.”

“But you still wanted me, knowing what I’d done with him?”

“You see my muscles, right?”

Her eyebrows quirked down. “Yeah.”

“So you think I’m pretty strong?”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. Where was he going with this?

“I wasn’t strong enough to resist you. My feelings for you outweigh anything I’ve ever felt before.”

She stared downwards, gulping before she lifted her head back up, locking her gaze on his. “Then… Okay.”

His entire body froze. “Okay? What?” He ran a hand over his slick head. “Jesus, Julia. Not the best time to be so calm and cool. What does that mean? Okay? Okay, take a hike, Chris? Okay, you love me, how nice to know? Okay, but you still can’t forgive me? Okay, you can’t live without me? What?” His unmasked frustration tinged his words.

She slid her hands up so they circled his neck and rose to her tippy toes. “The last one you said. Okay? It’s the last one. I love you and can’t live without you.”

He swept her up in his embrace and his chest released a huge whoosh of air. “You just about took five years off my life.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He kissed her eyelid. “I promise I won’t keep anything from you again.” He kissed her cheek. “And I refuse to care about what anyone else thinks. Now it’s only what you and I think.” He kissed her mouth in a long, soft, lingering union of just their lips and it left Julia weak-limbed and burning.

When they parted, he caught her staring up at him. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Turn from being the biggest, scariest guy I’ve ever seen in the mortal world into… you. The kindest, sweetest, truest, most honest person I’ve ever met.”

“Looks don’t define the person. Your looks don’t say anything about you. You’re beautiful, but that doesn’t reveal anything about your core. Not the whole package. Not the reasons why I love you.”

She nodded and they shared a smile that convinced her it was for real.

He released her and she crossed the room to ask her parents back in. Her parents hugged her and beamed their approval, which pleased Julia. She found it hard to imagine after all they witnessed that they could still be happy with her. Much less, approve of her. None of this was what she pictured, yet in so many ways, exactly what she wanted and needed.