“I expect an answer to my question,” Gabriel spoke, his voice stiff and cold as a frozen lake. “Why are you here?”

Julia tried to step away. The verbal picture Paulina had painted repulsed her, and she wasn’t sure she could stomach the answer, whatever it might be. Gabriel caught Julia’s arm, pleading with her with his eyes not to flee.

“I came to see you, of course. You wouldn’t return my calls, and Carson said that you’d be with your family.” Paulina sounded irritated.

“Are you on your way to Minnesota?”

“You know my parents don’t speak to me. Anyway, Gabriel, I need to talk to you.” She gave Julia a venomous look. “Alone.”

Gabriel was conscious of the fact that the kitchen was still within hearing range of the living room. He took a step closer to Paulina, his voice hovering above a whisper.

“Allow me to remind you that you are a guest. I won’t tolerate your disrespect for anyone, especially Julianne. Do you understand?”

“You never treated me like a guest when you were in my mouth,” Paulina muttered, eyes flashing.

Julia inhaled sharply, her stomach rolling. If she’d met Paulina a few weeks ago, the encounter would have been awkward and uncomfortable. But meeting her now, after having spent hours in Gabriel’s bed, was incredibly painful.

Paulina knew what it was like to be intimate with him. She knew his sounds, his smell, the look on his face when he climaxed. She was taller, more sophisticated, and far more beautiful. And it was clear that unlike Julia, she had no hesitation about performing oral sex. Furthermore, and far more damaging, she’d created a child with Gabriel, something he was now unable to do with anyone else.

Julia tore herself from Gabriel’s grasp, turning her back on the former lovers. She knew it would be better if she and he maintained a united front. She also knew it would be better to stand her ground rather than retreat. But her spirit had taken a beating at Kinfolks restaurant, and she no longer had the energy to fight. Emotionally exhausted, she shuffled up the stairs without a backward glance.

Gabriel watched her walk away, and he felt his heart plummet to the soles of his feet. He wanted to go after her, but there was no way he was going to leave Paulina alone with his father and sister. He excused himself for a moment, disappearing into the kitchen to tell Rachel that Julia had fallen ill and to ask if she would check on her.

Rachel climbed the staircase and found Julia exiting the washroom on the second floor. “Are you all right?”

“No. I need to lie down.”

When Rachel obligingly opened the door to Gabriel’s old room, Julia disdained it and walked across the hall to enter the guest room. Rachel watched as her friend slowly removed her shoes, placing them on the rug next to the bed.

“Can I get you an aspirin or something?”

“No. I just need to rest.”

“Who is that woman? And why is she here?”

Julia spoke through clenched teeth. “You need to ask your brother.”

Rachel’s hand tightened on the doorknob. “I will. But the fact that I don’t know who she is tells me something. She can’t have been very important if Gabriel never brought her home.” She turned to leave. “That should tell you something too.”

Julia reclined on the bed, hoping that sleep would take her quickly.

* * *

Gabriel walked into the kitchen three hours later and found Aaron and Rachel engaged in an argument over the correct way to make Grace’s famous chicken Kiev.

“I’m telling you, you need to freeze the butter first. That’s the way your mom used to do it.” Aaron sounded exasperated.

“How do you know? She didn’t say anything about freezing the butter.” Rachel gestured to the recipe card.

“Grace always froze the butter,” said Gabriel, frowning. “She probably assumed everyone would know that. Where’s Julia?”

Rachel turned on him, wielding a very large wire whisk. “Where have you been?”

His jaw tightened. “Out. Where is she?”

“Upstairs. Unless she decided to go back to her father’s house.”

“Why would she do that?”

Rachel turned her back on her brother and resumed beating a few eggs. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you went out with one of your ex-girlfriends and left her for three hours. I hope Julia dumps your ass.”

“Honey…” Aaron reproved her, touching her shoulder.

“Don’t.” She pushed his hand away angrily. “Gabriel, you’re lucky Scott isn’t here. Because he’d have dragged you outside by now.”

Aaron frowned. “What about me? I could drag Gabriel outside, if I wanted to.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “No, you couldn’t. And right now, I need you to freeze the God damned butter.”

Gabriel muttered something unintelligible and walked away. He took his time as he climbed the stairs, trying desperately to formulate an apology that would be worthy of her.

(Not that it was possible, even with his silver tongue.)

He stood outside the door while he gathered his bearings, inhaling deeply before entering. But the bed was empty.

Puzzled, he searched the room. No Julia.

Returning to the hall, he wondered if she’d sought refuge in Scott’s room, but she hadn’t. The bathroom, likewise, was unoccupied. His eyes alighted on the closed door of the guest room across the hall. He opened it.

Julia was lying in the center of the bed, sound asleep. He contemplated leaving her to her dreams but rejected the idea. They needed to talk, away from prying ears, and at least for the next little while his family was preoccupied.

Wordlessly, he removed his shoes and crawled into bed, spooning behind her. The surface of her skin was smooth but cool. He wrapped himself around her.

“Gabriel?” She blinked sleepily at him. “What time is it?”

“Six thirty.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”

“They were waiting for me.”

“Waiting for you to do what?”

“I was out. When I came back, Richard wanted to speak with me.”

“Where did you go?”

He looked away guiltily.

“Were you with her?”

“Her driver’s license is suspended because of the DUI. I dropped her off at a hotel.”

“Why were you gone so long?”

He paused, his expression conflicted. “We were talking.”

“Talking? At a hotel?”

“She’s upset about the turn her life has taken. Her appearance here was a desperate attempt to change direction.”

Julia began curling in on herself, drawing her knees flush against her chest.

“No, no, no,” he chanted, tugging her arms and knees away from her body, trying desperately to relax her defensive posture. “She’s gone, and she won’t be coming back. I told her again that I’ve fallen in love with you. She has my money and she has my lawyers, and that’s it.”

“That’s never been enough for her. She wants you, and she doesn’t care that you’re with me.”

He put his arms around Julia’s unyielding body. “I don’t care what she wants. I’m in love with you, and you are my future.”

“She’s beautiful. And sexy.”

“She’s malicious and petty. I saw nothing beautiful in her today.”

“You made a child together.”

He winced. “Not by choice.”

“I hate sharing you.”

Gabriel scowled. “You will never have to share me.”

“I have to share you with your past—with Paulina, with Professor Singer, with Jamie Roberts—with countless other women I’m probably going to pass on the street in Toronto.”

He set his teeth. “I’ll do my best to protect you from such embarrassing encounters in the future.”

“It still hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “If I could change the past, I would. But I can’t, Julianne, no matter how badly I wish I could.”

“She gave you what I can’t.”

He leaned over her body, his hand pressing down on the mattress next to her hip. “If you were thirsty and someone offered you water from the ocean, would you drink it?”

“Of course not.”

“Why?”

She shuddered. “Because the water is salty and dirty.”

“And if someone gave you the choice between that water and a glass of Perrier, which would you choose?”

“The Perrier, of course. But I don’t see what this has to do with her.”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you?”

He moved, bringing his chest to hers, kneeling in between her legs so he could press their hips together. “You don’t see the comparison between you and her? This is my water.” He pressed himself against her again. “You are my water. Making love with you is all I need to quench my thirst. Why would I throw this away for water from the ocean?”

He moved against her as a reminder. “She has nothing to offer me.”

He lowered his face so their noses were inches apart. “And you are beautiful. Every part of you is a masterpiece, from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. You’re Botticelli’s Venus and Beatrice. Do you have any idea how much I adore you? You captured my heart when I first saw you, when you were seventeen.”

Her body began to relax incrementally under his touch and his quiet words. “How was it left with her?”

“I told her that I didn’t appreciate her dropping in on me and that she was never to do it again. She took it as well as could be expected.”

Gabriel was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. “Come in!”

He rolled onto his side just as Rachel walked in.

“Dinner is on the table, and Tom and Scott are here. Are you two coming downstairs?” She looked from her best friend to her brother and back again. “Do I need to send Scott up here?”

Julia shook her head. “Did he bring his girlfriend?”

“No, she’s spending Christmas with her parents. I asked him to invite her but he gave me a big song and dance.” Rachel looked annoyed. “Do you think he’s embarrassed by us?”

“More likely he’s embarrassed by her,” said Gabriel. “She’s probably a stripper.”

“Professors in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Rachel glared at her brother and stormed out.

Julia looked puzzled. “What was that about?”

His expression tightened. “My dear sister is less than impressed with Paulina—and me.”

Chapter 9

Jt was a different Christmas Eve than any of them had ever experienced. Grace’s absence was felt most keenly by her husband and children, Aaron wished that he was already married, and Rachel wished that her chicken Kiev was even half as good as her mother’s, frozen butter or not.

After dinner, Gabriel, Tom, and Richard retreated to the back porch to smoke cigars and drink Scotch while the rest of the family enjoyed coffee in the kitchen.

“How was Italy?” Aaron asked Julia as the two of them refilled their mugs from the coffee maker.