“Congrats on your engagement,” Mr. Brown begins. “Can I ask what impact the sentencing of Clare Reyes has had on your relationship?”
Julian clears his throat and leans closer to the microphone. “The trial had nothing to do with my relationship with Miss Truman. Next question.”
I place my hand on Julian’s thigh and give it a squeeze.
“How do you feel about your mother being sentenced to fifteen years for attempted murder?” Another reporter asks.
Julian’s facial expression remains neutral as he answers, “The sentence was well deserved.”
Luckily another reporter asks, “Miss Truman, how does it feel to be engaged to such a powerful man and one of California’s most eligible bachelors?”
I take a deep breath before I answer, “I don’t see Julian in that light. To me, he’s the man I love.”
A man in the front row asks, “Are you telling us the status that comes along with marrying Mr. Reyes means nothing to you?”
Seriously?
I smile, sweetly at the man. “Sir, at the end of the day, status means nothing. I love Julian because he’s caring, loyal, and… he’s everything to me.”
“If a movie had to be made about your romance, who would you want the actors to be?”
I blink at the question, then begin to chuckle but quickly try and cover it up with a cough.
The questions keep coming until Stephanie steps forward. “That will be all. Thank you for joining us today.”
As we rise from the chairs, reporters keep yelling questions. Holding his hand, I stick close to Julian’s side as we walk toward our personal guards, who escort us out of the hotel to our waiting car.
Julian opens the door for me, and I slip into the back seat before he follows.
With all the media coverage our relationship has been getting, it has made it harder to move around, and Julian has insisted I have security with me at all times.
Joseph climbs behind the steering wheel while Brian gets in on the passenger side. As we pull away from the hotel to go home, I think back to how Julian proposed to me.
I didn’t see it coming.
Because of our shared love for music, he flew us to New York, where we had a private performance by Hans Zimmer.
The night was out of this world, to say the least.
Julian dropped to his knee in old fashion style on the Bow Bridge in Central Park and promised his undying love to me.
I squealed.
Then I cried.
A smile forms around my lips, and it has Julian asking, “What are you thinking about?”
“Just how happy you make me.” I place my hand on his knee.
Joseph pulls up the driveway of the Reyes mansion, and seeing Mr. Reyes sitting on the bench and reading a book, my smile widens.
A month ago, we moved into the mansion because Julian’s father insisted a hotel was no place for us seeing as we were getting engaged. I was worried at first, but it was for nothing. Mr. Reyes has become the father I never had.
Climbing out of the car, I hook my arm through Julian’s as we walk toward the front door.
This house is where we’ll get married in two months' time.
This house is where we’ll raise our children.
Stopping on the porch, I reach up and lightly frame Julian’s jaw, and standing on my tiptoes, I press a kiss to his mouth. “I love you, Julian.”The End