Page 42 of Stone Promises

“Of course not,” I say. “I’m not going to be with anyone else, Julian. I’ve made a commitment to Mallory.”

He turns to her. “Do you really believe he’s going to forgo all of that for you? Have you not seen the news? Even since he’s been here. While he’s been seeing you this week—he’s still been seeing Courtney Benson.”

“He’s not seeing her, Julian,” Mallory says. “They work together. They have to make appearances together. The press, the paparazzi, they twist things around to make it look like a more interesting story. And because they dated last year, there are a lot of old pictures that give the stories credibility.”

I try not to look like I’m gloating as she defends me. But on the inside—there’s a party going on. And as the night progresses, I see her becoming more invested in this. In us.

“And you’re okay with that?” he asks her. “With him traveling around the world doing God knows what with someone he used to go out with?”

“How is that any fucking different than Mal being friends with you, Julian?” I ask. “The two of you go to dinner. You hang out all the time. Hell, she even crashes at your apartment sometimes.” I turn my attention to Mallory. “We will have to trust each other.”

“So what, you’re going to swing into town when you need a booty call?” Julian asks. “What the hell is she supposed to do the rest of the time, sit here and wait until you decide it’s convenient to see her?”

“Julian,” Melissa scolds him. “That’s not fair. It’s not like he can just give up his career or anything.”

Melissa Connelly is Mal’s best friend from college. I invited her to join us because I need Mallory to see how I can fit into her life just as much as she can fit into mine. I know she’s expecting me to ask her to give things up for me. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m willing to do almost anything for her. “I’m not saying things will be perfect,” I tell them. “We have a lot to figure out. And, no, I’m not going to just blow into town when it’sconvenient.” I give Julian a reprimanding stare. “I have commitments, schedules I have no control over, but outside of those, I’m free to go where I choose.”

Julian keeps trying to pour me more wine. I’ve already had a glass and don’t intend on having more, but he doesn’t seem to take no for an answer. When he tries for the third time, I lose it. “What’s your problem, man? I said I don’t want any more.”

“He’s a recovering addict, Julian,” Mallory reminds him. “Don’t push him. Please.”

Julian holds up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “What happens when someone else does, Mallory?” he asks. “What happens when he has that second or third glass at a cast party? I mean, he shouldn’t be drinking at all.” He puts down the bottle and looks me in the eye. “You’re reckless. Mallory doesn’t need that in her life.”

If it weren’t for the fact that I’m so fucking pissed at him, I might actually respect him. After all, he’s standing up for her. Making sure she’s safe. “Maybe I was reckless once, but I’m not anymore. That was a long time ago, Julian. I won’t make excuses for what I did back then. There are none. But it’s been three years since I was that person. I know you may not believe that because of how they make me look in the news, but it’s true. But you know what? You aren’t the one I need to convince of that.Sheis.”

I want to reach over and take Mal’s hand. Put up a united front. Mark my goddamn territory. But I don’t. They have a history together, one I have to accept and respect.

“Okay, boys,” Melissa says, trying to reign both of us in. “Can we all just agree that every relationship has its complications and yours won’t be any different? You guys will have to figure out a lot of stuff if you want to be together. But we certainly don’t need to hash it all out now.” She gives Julian a biting stare. “Do we, Julian?”

He scoffs, shaking his head.

“Has Mallory told you how we met?” Melissa asks me.

“She just said you met at school.”

She looks at Mallory. “Can I tell him?”

Mal shrugs. “I guess. It won’t be the first embarrassing thing he learns about me.”

“Wait,” I say. “This isn’t worse than when you went to the wrong house to babysit, is it?”

Julian laughs. “Oh, my God, that was hilarious.” He turns to Melissa, telling the story. “Chad and I were at my house, which was down the street from the two of theirs. We were hanging out in my yard when Mallory walked down the street to the babysitting job her mom got for her. So she sees the kids out front and starts playing with them.”

Mallory covers her eyes in embarrassment. It’s so damn cute. “She even picked up the smallest one, who was about four years old,” I say.

“Oh, shit, yeah,” Julian says, shaking his head in amusement. “That was when the mom came out and started yelling at Mallory to put down her kid.”

I start laughing at the memory. “Mallory was completely freaked out. After all, she thought that’s why she was there.”

“Chad and I rushed over when we saw that something was wrong. It took a few minutes, but we were able to figure out she went to the wrong house. The mailboxes were next to each other and when she saw the kids out front, she just assumed that was the house.”

“Hey,” Mallory interjects. “It wasn’t all that bad. Mrs. Jenner ended up hiring me to babysit those very kids. I made a lot of money that summer.”

“That was a great summer,” I say.

Julian nods. “It was, wasn’t it?”

It was the last summer we all spent together. The next year, Julian spent the summer in Brazil so it was just Mal and me. And then I moved.

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