Page 96 of Accidental Fiancé

Julian

We left a few days later, eager to begin our new life together. The drive home was quiet, but not in a way that felt heavy or uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that settled between people who knew each other inside and out, where words weren't necessary.

Piper snored softly in the backseat, head drooping. I glanced over at Maggie; her profile softened by the moonlight streaming through the car windows. She had her hair up in a loose ponytail, her fingers playing absently with the ring that I had slipped on her finger just days ago.

My fiancée.

I couldn't stop myself from looking at the ring every few minutes.Thering, the one that Yaya had held onto for safekeeping for our brides. The one I never felt right giving to Britney. Our grandfather had decided our brides should get something special, so he had them commissioned as presents for all the boys. A symbol of hope for the future.

Since Phoebe liked women as much as men and told Yaya as much, our matriarch decided to hang onto one for her, too. I remembered the day she told her, how nervous Phoebe had been. But we all encouraged her to do it, and when the timecame, Yaya didn’t let her down. She simply said, “Whoever you choose, dear, choose wisely.”

I knew I had.

It felt surreal. I had proposed to her in front of my entire family, and she had said yes. No doubt, no hesitation in her voice. She said it with her whole self. There was something about her saying yes that made every high, every victory in my life, pale in comparison.

My heart still raced at the thought of that moment and all the moments to come. I would finally get to have a life with Maggie. My inner teenager was as ecstatic as I was. It was everything I had dreamed of for so many years. I loved her with a fierceness that both exhilarated and terrified me, and I couldn’t imagine anything better in the world.

She caught me looking and smiled softly, her eyes warm and tired. “You keep staring,” she teased, her voice barely above a whisper.

I chuckled, reaching over to take her hand and bringing it to my lips for a quick kiss. “Can you blame me?” I murmured against her skin. “I just want to make sure I didn't imagine the whole thing.”

Her smile widened, and she squeezed my hand. “Well, it's real, I promise. I’m over here worrying about how to tell my parents.”

“You think they won’t be happy you’re getting married?” I blurted before my throat threatened to close.

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just… I’m not sure how we’ll integrate our lives, not to mention finances, and I know they’ll bombard me with all those questions.” She yawned, cutting herself off. “They can be a lot, but don’t let that scare you. They’ll be thrilled once they know I’ve got my head on straight about all of this.”

“They worry about finances a lot, don’t they?”

She nodded. “Number one concern for most people, actually.”

I hoped they wouldn’t object too much when I paid off their mortgage and fattened their 401(k)s and bank accounts. But I wasn’t going to tell Maggie that before I did it. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission on gifts, and I wasn’t about to let my future in-laws suffer for pride.

I kept her hand in mine for the rest of the drive, tracing absent patterns on her palm, content just to feel her silken skin beneath my fingertips. There had been so much chaos over the past week with Chloe but tonight was different, tonight was ours.

By the time we pulled up to the house, the exhaustion of it all had started to settle in. It was late, well past midnight, and our home was dark, the streetlights casting long shadows across the lawn. I killed the engine and looked over at Maggie, catching the slight hesitation in her eyes as she stared at the house.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice low so as not to wake Piper.

She nodded slowly, but her gaze lingered on the house a moment longer before turning to me. “I'm tired. It's been a long week.”

I knew what she meant. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion. It was the mental toll that had come with everything. Still, there was something about the way she said it that made me wonder if there was more on her mind.

“We're home now,” I said, squeezing her hand once more before I let go and stepped out of the car. I came around to her side and opened the door, offering her a hand to help her out.

She smiled again, shyly this time, as if still unsure. “Are we?”

“Are we what?” I asked as I pulled a sleeping Piper from the backseat.

“Are we home?”

“This is the home we own."

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “This is the home you own.”

“Ah.” I kicked the door shut and resettled Piper in my arms to carry her inside. Maggie followed along as I made the trip. “We will put your name on the deed tomorrow morning if that’s what you want. And on my accounts. What’s mine is yours, Maggie. We’re a family now, married or not.”

Her footsteps died next to me just before I reached the front door.

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