Page 31 of Roman and Jules
He moved in front of her and unbuckled it from her hips. “Not that I don’t love it on you, but there’s just so much my wife can get away with in public.”
She grunted out a laugh and worked the strap off, her fingers joining his. He dropped the belt on the counter and she leaned away from him to pat Mercutio on the head. “Bye, baby. Momma will be back soon.” The dog whimpered as she headed out the door.
“Hey, Jules?” He almost didn’t get it out, and he hesitated when she swung around expectantly. What was he doing? But he knew… he couldn’t hide it from himself anymore. Jules was wrapping his heart into knots, and he did what he should’ve done the moment she’d written their song—ask out his wife. “Let’s go out tomorrow. I need to put some miles on my Harley and you… need to keep me company.”
“Oh, I do, do I?” She kicked up that cute Southern twang of hers to sound real sassy.
He knew how to match it, and he crowded her at the door, pushing it shut behind her so he’d get a “yes” out of her. “And weneedto do a bonfire at Dry Lake too.”
She giggled and played along. “And Ineedto take my guitar.”
His eyes went to her expressive lips—they curled expectantly as she waited for his response. Things were looking up. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 13
What was that kiss about?
Was that just a friendly thing or was it something else? Roman always kept Jules guessing, so she had no idea. She mused over it while she walked over to the Curtain Theater. It was only a few blocks from The Benvolio, an impressive masterpiece of architecture borrowed straight from Shakespearean England. It would be impressive if Angelica had secured their band a gig there, just not impressive enough to keep Jules’s mind from wandering to Roman.
Spending an evening with him had been a blast as usual, and she couldn’t get over how cute he’d been in his dark hoodie and board shorts that showed off those muscular, hairy legs of his.
She loved hanging out while he cooked—tasting everything and watching him be so careful when he was so unconcerned about everything else. Of course, this time was special because he’d burned the meatballs.
He doesn’t do that.
Roman had surprised her when he’d invited her to go out with him the next night. It could be that he just wanted out of the house, or maybe he truly wanted to… what? He’d made no secret of what their relationship was to him. He wanted the excuse to rile up his cousin, all the while reassuring her that this was the way to get Ty to appreciate her.
Well, his cousin did already. He wouldn’t stop texting sweet nothings to her now that she wanted nothing to do with him. It was all a big waste of time. She was deeply and imprudently in love with Roman. But he wasn’t the kind to settle down, and she needed a man who would.
What was she going to do? Jules groaned as she walked into the Curtain Theater. She needed to stop torturing herself. Now that she knew she truly wasn’t interested in Ty, there was no reason to stick around with Roman. Her heart felt heavy, her shoulders too—the thought of leaving her temporary husband made every bit of her drag her feet, but there was no use delaying what would only hurt more if she stretched it out.
Her phone buzzed with a text, and her spirits lifted when she saw it was from Roman. She was so pathetic—he controlled her emotions with only a smile. Ty’s texts didn’t fill her with even half the excitement as her “husband’s.”My husband.Her heart fluttered like it always did when she thought of him that way. What if they could make this work? What if? But no, he was just being friendly, right? She wasn’t sure.
Jules read his text:“Mercutio misses you.”And then Roman sent a picture of the puppy scratching at the door that made her laugh. And then another text:“I miss you.”She blinked, not believing the little flirt. Thirty seconds later, he chased that text with another:“Get over here. I’ve got an itch on my back that I can’t reach.”
Is that why he missed her? She was beaming now. He was as enigmatic about his feelings as ever, but at least he was hilarious about it.
Angelica gave a shout when she caught sight of Jules. “There you are!” Her band manager gathered her in a tight hug. Her friend was a happy ball of maternal energy. “Look at you—so delighted with life. Marriage does you good. Your cheeks!” Angelica patted them. “So rosy. I never see you without a smile anymore.” She didn’t let Jules reply, only stepped back, tucking Jules’s hand into her arm as she led her up the red velvet covered stairway to where the stage was. “So,” her tone turned gossipy. “Larry talked to the house manager who talked to the promotion guy who talked to the producers and they talked to me, and…” She’d always been one to draw out the suspense when she imparted news, and she made a drumroll with her fingers. “We’ve got it! We’re playing for the Halloween show, Jules!”
Jules jumped up with a squeal. Their band, PotPan, enjoyed its own notoriety now. Sure, they’d been getting a whole lot more work since she’d become Mrs. Roman Verona, but Jules didn’t want to think too hard about that. She owed her man a lot.
Angelica clapped her hands. “Yes, yes! Nan and Marshall are going to die from happiness!”
And so would Roman. Jules shot him a quick text to give him the news:“Looks like our trip to Dry Lake tomorrow will also be a celebration. PotPan got its big break. We’re playing for the Curtain Theater’s Halloween show.”
His text back was almost immediate, and her heart felt as light as the wings of a butterfly as she read it and reread it.“Oh baby! I’ve got some amazing things planned for our celebration. This is a VERY big deal!”
Angelica nudged her with a chortle. “That’shimagain, isn’t it? I had my doubts about this marriage, but I’ve never seen you so happy, Jules.”
True to form, Anjelica didn’t wait for Jules’s response, only dragged her to the board room where the producer was waiting for them in his office. They got busy signing contracts and making plans, and it took an excruciatingly long time to get home to Roman.
As soon as Jules was able to sneak inside the door to his apartment, it was dark and much too late to do anything more with their night. She tried to keep her movements stealthy so that she wouldn’t wake Roman sleeping on the couch down the hall.
A shaft of light sliced through the kitchen, and she jumped when Roman greeted her from the opened fridge door. Her hand went to her heart. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“Nope, I’m not an old man yet.” He was putting away the food—all that delicious Italian gourmet food. That had been on her mind almost as much as Roman had.
She rushed forward to catch his hands. “Oh no, don’t take it away,” she begged. “I really need some of your cooking right now!”
