Page 158 of His Juliet

“I think this is a good place to stop for today,” Sofiya said. “This week has been a lot. We’re all exhausted, and tensions are high. Let’s schedule a call a few days from now to iron out the details.”

“Agreed,” Elira said.

I smirked as I played with Juliet’s hair. We men were clearly superfluous to this conversation.

“Juliet,” Elira said, making her jump. I soothed my hand up and down her back. “I’m sorry for how you got caught up in everything.” She sounded genuinely remorseful, not that it changed what I thought of her. “It’s not what I wanted. Maybe one day we can talk about your mother.”

Juliet kept her gaze on her lap, her fingers tightly interlaced. I covered them with my hand and gently squeezed.

“She will reach out if she wants to talk,” I said.

Matteo recovered enough from his stress-induced stupor to wrap up the call. He hung up, leaving us all staring at one another.

“We’ll figure out how to manage this alliance going forward.” Matteo’s words to Juliet were gentle. “But the important thing for you to know is that you have people on your side. We’re on your side, obviously, but Elira and her women are, too. If you’re ever in danger, you have hundreds of people to call upon.”

“That’s a really nice way to think about it,” Juliet said. She slumped against my chest, clearly worn out.

Matteo stood, holding his wife in his arms. “We’ll head out and leave you to rest.”

“Let us know if you need anything,” Sofiya said.

“I wouldn’t say no to a chocolate cake,” I said. It was Juliet’s favorite.

Matteo grumbled but Sofiya grinned. “You’ve got it.”

Everyone trickled out of the apartment and closed the door behind them.

Juliet let out a deep breath.

“You did good, sweetheart. I know that was a lot.”

She didn’t respond, and I didn’t press her to speak. For Juliet, I would learn to be patient.

“It’s weird knowing I have a family,” she whispered. “Or at least an aunt. It’s what I always dreamed of, but now I’m not even sure if I want to get to know her. All of it is wrapped up with so much pain.”

I kissed her forehead. I knew a bit of what it was to live estranged from family because of past pain and trauma, but my situation was not nearly as bad as Juliet’s. “You don’t have to get to know her if you don’t want to. It’s all your choice.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

I squeezed her hand. “Do you want to take a nap?”

She shook her head. “I’m tired, but I also feel wired. I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

“I understand, angel.” I felt the same. Every muscle in my body was tense, like I was preparing for a fight. “Do you want to play Mario Kart?”

Her eyes lit up, and a little smile curved her lips. “Yeah, I do.”

I got the game set up and settled beside her on the couch. She immediately scooted close to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“Are you doing okay?” she asked.

I looked down at her, confused. “Me? I’m fine.”

She hummed and found her way back onto my lap. “Everything that happened must have been horrible for you.”

For once, I was speechless. She was the one who had been kidnapped and drugged. Why was she asking how I was doing?

She ran her fingers through my hair and my eyes floated shut with how good it felt. Her lips brushed against my cheek. “It’s okay to have a hard time with it. I don’t know what I would do if I thought you had died.”

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