Page 48 of You. Me. Us.

Julius watched Hillary, marveling at the transformation he’d witnessed since setting her up for the audition. The woman standing before him was a far cry from the timid, uncertain journalist he’d first met at con. Her eyes sparkled with newfound confidence, her posture straight and proud, her smile radiant and genuine. She might not fully know her worth yet, but he wasn’t done showing it to her.

“You know, I always knew you had it in you,” he said softly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “From the moment I first saw you, I could see the fire burning inside you, just waiting to be unleashed. And now look at you, stealing the show and shining like the star you were always meant to be.”

As expected, Hillary ducked her head, trying to hide a blush.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she whispered, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt. “You believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. You pushed me to be better, to take risks, to step out of my comfort zone. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.”

Julius shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. “You don’t need to thank me, Hil. Seeing you like this—confident, happy,glowing from the inside out—that’s all the thanks I need. You didn’t need to change for me or for anyone else, but seeing you embracing your true self, letting the world see the amazing woman I swore lurked inside of you is a wonderful gift.”

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against hers. In that moment, nothing else existed. Not the buzz of the set around them, not the demands of their careers, not the uncertain future that lay ahead. He had a million hours to figure out what this was between them, and the longer he spent with her, the more confident he was that this was the real deal.

“Hillary, we’re ready for you.”

“Didn’t you say on set you’re called by your character name?” She lifted a brow as she stepped back from his embrace.

“Some sets, when you truly embody your character do that,” he gave her a playful shove. “Now go before you get us both in trouble.”

“I see your priority,” she chuckled as she turned to jog back over to Vera, Ethan and Samantha.

Julius watched as Hillary returned to the set, her smile radiant and her eyes sparkling with newfound confidence. The transformation was stunning, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride and affection as he watched her work, delivering her lines and captivating everyone around her, if even stumbling a few times. They weren’t off book yet, they were merely blocking.

He found himself lost in thought, an idea taking shape when all that should be there was lines. He wanted to do something special for Hillary, something that would show her just how much he believed in her and how proud he was of everything she had accomplished.

Spotting Vera across the set, Julius made his way over to her, his charm turned up to full wattage. “Vera, my favorite director,”he said, flashing her his most winning smile. “I was wondering if there might be a bit of wiggle room in the budget to make a small change to the filming schedule.”

Vera raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What did you have in mind, Julius?”

He leaned in conspiratorially, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “I want to surprise Hillary, do something special for her. She’s worked so hard and come so far, and I think she deserves a little celebration.”

Vera pursed her lips, something he knew meant she wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t denying him just yet. Julius held his breath, hoping she would agree. He knew it was a lot to ask, but he also knew that Vera had a soft spot for Hillary and would want to support her in any way she could.

Finally, she nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I think we can make that work,” she said. “Leave it to me. I’ll take care of everything, but it’s twenty-four hours. Longer than that and you’ll have the rest of the producing team to answer to.”

Julius grinned, his heart soaring with excitement. He couldn’t wait to surprise Hillary, to sweep her off her feet and show her just how much she meant to him. With Vera’s help, he knew he could create a moment that would show Hillary he wasn’t playing around when he said how attracted he was to her.

Hillary had come into his life like a whirlwind, turning everything upside down in the best possible way. And now, as he watched her shine, he knew that he would do anything to make sure she never lost that light again.

twenty-one

. . .

Julius glanced at his watch,tapping his foot on the tarmac as he let his hand rub gentle circles on Hillary’s back. The private jet should be arriving any minute now. He’d tried to get Hillary here without any delay in her surprise arriving, but it seemed the weather had other plans for the chartered plane.

Next to him, Hillary pulled her cardigan tighter around herself, eyes scanning the horizon as if she knew what she was looking for.

“Julius, what’s going on? Why did we leave the set? Who would we need to pick up at a private airport?” Her brow furrowed in confusion.

He tried to hold back his smile, not wanting to give anything away until the moment the hatch door opened on the plan. “Can’t a guy surprise his favorite co-star with a little gift? We’ve been working nonstop, Hillary. You deserve a break. And it took me about two weeks to get this sorted, try to remember you enjoy my surprises”

She arched an eyebrow. “A break? What was the yacht?”

Julius chuckled. “Absolute perfection. Trust me, you’re going to love this just as much, for different reasons.” He hoped hisvague answers would satisfy her journalistic curiosity, at least for now. This surprise had taken weeks of careful planning. He couldn’t let it slip out prematurely.

“Have I ever told you that I don’t actually like surprises?”

He chuckled. “Actually no, I just thought you liked guessing them. Consider this my official last surprise.”

Hillary opened her mouth to press further, but the growing roar of jet engines interrupted her. They both turned to the jet still in the sky. The sleek white plane touched down gracefully on the runway before taxiing toward them. Julius watched her eyes widen in surprise.

---