Page 118 of The Charmer

"Yes, it is," Julian replied.

"Thank you so much for having us," I said wholeheartedly. "I'm already enjoying the festivities."

"That's what this is all about. We were very lucky to have such great weather, but if it changes, we’re ready to take the party inside."

"It's usually not outside?" I inquired.

"No," Mrs. Landry replied. "It depends on how long the Carnival season is. We always wait until after Mardi Gras to have the party, but it usually doesn't end so late in the year." She waved to someone off to the side and then smiled at us. "I hope you have fun. Maybe we’ll catch up later."

"Of course," Julian replied.

Once we stepped away, he kissed the side of my head again. I loved when he did that. "You okay?"

"Sure." Even though I knew Kyle was attending, I was remarkably relaxed. Honestly, I didn't really much care about him anymore. I was strong now. I wasn't sure when that had changed, when he'd lost the power to hurt me, but I knew Julian had a lot to do with it. I’d changed since he came into my life. And I couldn't be happier about that.

"Should we find Robert?" I asked.

Julian nodded. "I already spotted him."

Robert was near the long table where there were a lot of different dishes. This truly was a party after my own heart. I even spotted a band at the side of the yard. I couldn't wait for some dancing.

He was picking up a bottle of beer. Clearly, he liked the casual atmosphere too.

"Hello, Robert," Julian said.

He glanced up from the table. "Hey." He shook Julian's hand and then mine. "Nice seeing you two here. I think I'll come back for food later. Want to walk with me for a bit?"

"Sure." Julian took my hand. I liked being completely glued to him. I craved every touch, and his nearness in general.

"Have you given my offer more thought?" Julian asked.

“Jumping right into business, huh?”

Julian didn't reply, but I knew he was getting impatient. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd wanted to seal the deal.

"We're here to relax," Robert said, and Julian shook his head.

"Look, Robert, I'll be honest. This has been dragging on for far too long. I'm going to take it as you're not interested. No hard feelings, but I need to move on and find someplace else."

Robert's face fell, and I felt a small amount of satisfaction. My man had some sweet negotiation techniques.

"Damn, you LeBlancs are always in a hurry. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I've actually been doing some digging about you and Kyle too. I’d much rather you buy my buildings."

I swear I could feel Julian's rib cage expanding in pride. I wanted to jump up and down with joy. Yes, yes, yes. I was extremely happy for my man and also ecstatic that Kyle was out of the running. It was nothing less than he deserved.

"That's great news indeed," Julian said. "How fast can we move forward? I can have my team draft up some contracts for tomorrow."

Robert chuckled. "I don't usually move that fast, but if your team does, and all I have to do is ask mine to double-check it, go ahead. Terms are the same as discussed, what you gave me on the proposal sheet. And between you and me, I do need to get rid of those buildings fast. They're just eating up money since there are no businesses in them."

"I'm happy to take it off your hands," Julian said smoothly.

"So, how are you two doing?" Robert asked, looking from me to him. He genuinely seemed interested.

"We're good," Julian replied.

"Any plans for the future? Just saying that if there's a LeBlanc wedding, I wouldn't mind getting an invitation."

I stiffened. Julian simply laughed.

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