Page 32 of If This Was a Movie

I nod, and he stands, moving around the island toward the hall. Sophie is now singing to herself, clearly keeping herself occupied but very wide awake.

“I appreciate it. Do you, uh, think it would be okay if I stay here and say good morning to her?”

He smiles wider than I think I’ve ever seen.

“I know she’d love that,” he says before disappearing down the hall to Sophie’s room. There are murmured good mornings and a low laugh before I hear Sophie’s little voice yell, “Jules!” Before feet pad down the hall.

“You’re here!” Sophie shouts. She’s in the light purple nightgown she put on last night, her hair a complete mess, her eyes a bit sleepy, but her gap-filled grin is contagious all the same.

“I told you I would be,” I say with a smile. “Princesses never tell a lie.” I probably shouldn’t lean into the wholeI’m a magical Ashlyn doll come to life, but when I see the look of joy and excitement cross her face, there’s no room for regret, not even as she runs full speed into my legs, hugging them tight.

“Are you staying for breakfast?” she asks, leaning back.

“If your dad says it’s okay,” I say, looking at Nate, who shrugs.

“Oh, he doesn’t mind. He’s in love with you. He told me! Do you like cereal?” she says like she didn’t just drop a bomb on me.

When I look back at Nate, he’s moving around in the fridge, completely ignoring me.

“I… yeah. I love cereal,” I say, deciding it’s best to just go with the flow at this point.

We spend the early morning together, Sophie somehow convincing me to help pick out her clothes and braid her hair. “Daddy can only do little braids, not French braids!” she explained. She then started packing her backpack, Nate handing her the lunchbox I watched him pack and add in a little note to while we ate.

“When are you guys going to go on a date? Christmas is in less than a month, and you still need to fall in love,” Sophie asks incredibly bluntly as her dad helps to put on her jacket.

I roll my lips into my mouth, biting on them to fight the laugh when his face goes to one of complete and total exasperation.

“Why don’t we give Jules some time to settle, Sophie? We don’t want to overwhelm her.”

Sophie looks at her dad, and some kind of silent conversation transpires before she smiles wide. “You’re right,” she agrees happily.

“All right, time to get your behind out the door,” he says, clearly trying to get her to leave before she drops some other bomb that sends me into a tailspin. “I’ll call you once I know more. Does around noon work?” he asks me.

I nod, thinking that gives me plenty of time to have a mental breakdown and make a dozen calls, both to vent and to figure out the next steps for the studio. I’m hopeful I can move my lessons this month to the community center where our actual recital is held, but I need to double check.

They’re almost gone, closing the door to lock me in when Nate turns to look at me, a smile on his lips. Somehow, I know he’s been holding in whatever he’s about to say for a while.

“Oh, and Jules?” He looks at me, and I don’t respond, but he still knows I’m listening somehow. “Unblock me, okay?”

THIRTEEN

JULES

“Hey babe,” Harper starts when she answers my FaceTime call, “Wait, where?—”

“Please hold, I’m only having this meltdown once,” I say, watching the icon where Ava’s face is.

“What—”

Ava pops on, and I breathe deep. “Oh, thank God,” I say, collapsing onto the loveseat in the cottage.

“Jules? What’s wrong? Wait, where are you?” Harper asks, looking past me at the unfamiliar location.

“Nate Donovan’s house.”

“Nate? Why is that name familiar?” Harper asks.

“Because it’s the NEW YEAR'S DUDE! Also, Jaime did a deeper dive, and it’s like this guy is from some magical world of perfect men. Comes from the most precious family I’ve ever read about, pays all of his bills on time, has never married, donates to an animal charity, sends his kid to a public preschool where his mom is a teacher, and, get this—he’s even a class parent.”

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