“She's adorable,” he said, the second his eyes landed on the precious bundle in Jessie's arms. “What's her name?”
“Jacqueline,” Jessie answered.
“That's beautiful,” Julie said, as she stepped closer to her sister.
“You should probably go home,” Jessie said, and Julie let out a laugh.
“Really?” she asked. “You have no use for me now.”
“You have school tomorrow,” Jessie said, “and you got no sleep last night.”
“Doesn't matter,” Julie said. “I'm not going anywhere. I'll sleep on that couch and leave with enough time to go home and change for class. I'm your sister, and I'm going to be right here. Not to mention, I'm going to be her favorite aunt.”
“You're her only aunt,” Jessie said, as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
“When does all this emotional junk stop?” Julie asked. “I need my sister back.”
“I'm not sure I'll ever be the same again,” Jessie answered.
“You'll always be perfect to me,” Julie said, as she leaned down to hug her sister.
After a few more minutes, Julie walked Cody to the hospital doors and thanked him for bringing her dinner and being there when she needed someone. As he walked through the doors that would lead him to his car, she thought about his earlier words again. When she fell in love, he'd said. Those few words held more power than she ever thought they could, and that terrified her.
She went back to her sister's room, and she spent the next few hours looking at her perfect niece while her sister rested. Once it was her turn to sleep, she closed her eyes, but sleep never came.
When she finally got up, she looked down at her sister, asleep with her baby in her arms, and she thought about how amazing her sister was. She'd gone through months of being pregnant without anyone knowing. She'd gone through the rest of her pregnancy without a single worry. She was raising her baby alone, and that was it. She hadn't caved and called in her family or their crew. To top it all off, she'd worked until the day she'd gone into labor. She'd brought a beautiful baby girl into the world, and she'd done it alone.
“If you can do everything you are, I can at least do something,” Julie said, as she got ready and grabbed her things.
On her way home to shower and change, she made a decision. She was going to start her own company. If her dad, her uncle, and Cody could do it, why couldn't she? She had one thing going for her. Cody had mentioned it, and so had her dad. She was young blood, and that was just the thing to take her over the edge.
Julie was so damn excited as she sat in front of her laptop, during a long break at school, and picked up her phone, to call one of the companies she knew was a huge player in the game. As she offered to code one program for them for free, she knew the step she was taking was one that had the potential to change not only her life but some of the most important relationships in her life as well, so until she knew for sure she actually had a chance at a career without them, she'd keep what she'd just done to herself. What was one more thing on the already long list of secrets surrounding her?
Chapter 16
Julie
Julie brought her sister and beautiful niece home when the baby was only two days old. Jessie had set it up at work to be off for a full twelve weeks, so Julie knew she had that long before her sister would need her help more than ever.
It was time to get to work, and Julie did. She'd made a huge commitment, one that could either make or break her chances at starting her own company, and she was not about to mess it up. She came home from class each day and worked as hard and long as she possibly could before going to bed, getting up, and doing it all again, day after day.
Cody sent messages each day, and she answered them. They talked on the phone each night, but Julie made sure her work was done before she'd take his call. On the weekends, she'd get up extra early to work so she could be finished in time to see him. She enjoyed the time they spent together, and there was no way she was going to miss it. By the end of most of those evenings, she ended up with her head on his shoulder, asleep, but she wouldn't have had it any other way. She'd wake up the following morning on the couch, with a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body, with a note on the table next to her. They were always short but sweet, letting her know he hoped she'd slept well and telling her to have a good day, and she kept every single one of them.
Julie also spent time with her niece. Every chance she got, she picked Jackie up and held her. She'd hug her tight and tell her how much she loved her. There were even times she'd been able to feed her. Those were few and far between, but she took them whenever Jessie would let her.
Neither Jessie or Cody questioned Julie about the changes in her behavior. Jessie thought her tiredness was because of school and spending time with Cody, and Cody thought it was because of the new baby. Not once did Julie correct them. Did she feel bad? Of course she did, but she couldn't tell them. She needed to see what happened without anyone knowing. She had to do it for herself.
Julie was finally done, and she'd finished in record time. It had only taken her three weeks. She made an appointment and turned her project in. When she met with the team, they seemed impressed, and that made her proud, but she wasn't even close to being ready to tell anyone. Then something happened hours later that she didn't expect. She opened her email to find an offer to bid on a job with that same company. It was a large project, and she was only one person. It was a huge deal.
Julie was no fool. She knew her dad and Cody had received that very same offer. There was no way they hadn't. Just thinking about being considered along with them had her ready to scream with joy, but she didn't. She also knew how much her dad would bid on a job that size. It wasn't like she'd walked into it blindly. She'd been around the figures all her life. Yet another reason her dad should have seen her worth in his company. If she was right, Cody would underbid her dad, but not by much. She wasn't concerned about her uncle either. He'd be right up there with her dad. So, she thought about it. She'd have to underbid Cody, but not by too much. She knew how much work the project would involve. It would be worth a slight loss to prove herself. Since she was small and new, she couldn't come real close to his offer. They wouldn't find it worth the risk. She also couldn't go too low either. Then they would think she wasn't as serious as the big dogs. So, she came up with a figure that would be fair for her and make the risk they were taking on her worth it. She hit reply to the email and sent them her offer. Part of her felt horrible for trying to outbid both her father and the guy she cared deeply for, but another part of her was too damn proud to let herself feel guilty.
It felt like only seconds after she hit the send button that her phone rang, and she jumped to grab it. Seeing her mom's face sent a wave of guilt, larger than any she'd felt yet, straight through her. Her mom was a huge part of one of the two companies she was competing against, and that hurt. Julie was close to her mom, closer than any of her siblings. She always had been. They were passionate about the same thing, and that was something the others didn't have. For her mom, it wasn't about money, not one bit. It was all about the coding and amazing programs that came from it. It was true passion through and through, and that was exactly how it was for Julie too. With Julie wanting to start her own company, she needed to think about money as well. She just wasn't sure exactly how she felt about that yet.
Just before she knew her phone would stop ringing, Julie took a deep breath and answered it, making sure she was in her room with her door shut. The baby was in her crib asleep, and Jessie was asleep on the couch.
“Hey, mom,” Julie said, as soon as she answered.
“Hey, baby girl,” her mom said. “How's it going?”
It was as if she knew, Julie thought. It really was, or maybe it was just the guilt making Julie feel even worse than she already did.
“Great!” Julie answered. “How's it going with you?”
“Good,” her mom answered. “It would be better
if your father wasn't so pissed that you weren't here, but that's his problem, not yours.”
“That's his fault,” Julie said, quickly defending herself. “He was so wrapped up in Gavin being his right hand man.”
“I know it,” her mom said. “I'm not blaming you at all. How are your classes going?”
“Very well,” Julie said. “I honestly love teaching, especially the people that really want to learn. It feels good. How's Gavin? Is dad giving him shit?”
“Julie,” her mom snapped.
“I know,” Julie said. “Sorry.”
“He's doing really good,” her mom said. “When he first got hurt, I wasn't sure he would make it. I really wasn't. I don't mean the physical wounds either. It was very hard on him, and for a minute, I was afraid we were losing him too, but it's not like that now. He was only home a few days when he started smiling and returning to the man that left. I was actually pretty surprised. You know he has his own place, and now that he's at the fire station with the guys, he's perfect. Being in an office was never going to be his thing.”
“I know that, and you know that,” Julie said.
“Don't be so hard on your father,” Julie's mom said.
“It's not as easy as it sounds,” Julie said.
“I know,” her mom said. “Just give him a chance. He really wants you here with him.”
“No, he doesn't,” Julie said. “He wants me there for him. There's a big difference.”
“You two are so damn frustrating,” her mom said. “I didn't call to argue. I called because this weekend will be six months since we lost Jack. We're all getting together with Josh, Lisa, and Gracie. We want you and your sister here to support Gracie. She's doing great, but she needs her crew. You know, the one that won't let the parents in.”
“Mom,” Julie said, with surprise in her tone.
“What?” her mom asked. “Do you all honestly think we're just a bunch of dumb parents? You couldn't be more wrong about that if you do. We know your game, every last one of you. We have a secret too. We're so damn happy you're all close. How does that feel?”
“Very funny,” Julie said.
Just as Julie's mom laughed, a sound Julie was really beginning to miss hearing, the baby cried out.
“What was that?” her mom asked, her laugh dropping off immediately. “It sounded like a baby.”
“Yeah,” Julie said, silently cursing herself for the lie she knew was about to come out of her mouth. “I'm at the store. I'll call you back when I get home. I think it's about to get loud in here.”
“You're both coming this weekend, right?” her mom asked.
“I'll let you know when I call back,” Julie said. “Bye.”
Without even waiting for her mom to say goodbye, Julie hung up the phone, dropped it on her bed, and took off for Jackie's room.
She scooped the baby up into her arms and walked out into the living room, where Jessie was already getting up and sitting down on the couch. Jessie stuck her arms out, so Julie handed her the baby.
“I could have watched her for a bit,” Julie said.
“Two more months,” Jessie said. “I only have two more months with my precious baby girl before I have to go back to work. Believe me, you'll be helping me enough then. There's no way I'm going to abuse that privilege now. I can't have you running away from us yet.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” Julie said. “I will always be here for you and my favorite niece.”
“What are you going to do if you have another niece?” Jessie asked.
“Like that's ever going to happen,” Julie said, with a laugh. “I don't think Gavin will ever settle down. You're too busy with this one to go and have another. Our other brother is way too young to even think about that.”
Julie noticed a sadness in her sister's eyes, but there was no way she was going to ask. Since Jessie and the baby had gotten home, her sister had cried more than she'd ever seen her cry in her life.
“Who was on the phone?” Jessie asked. “I heard you talking.”
“It was mom,” Julie said.
“Shit!” Jessie snapped.
“Don't worry,” Julie said, “I told her I was at the store. You're going to owe me huge. I hope you know that. I'm not a liar.”
“I know,” Jessie said. “ I owe you for a lot more than that. Did she call to beg you to come home and save dad?”
Julie let out a nervous laugh knowing that her dad would definitely not be happy if he knew what she'd just done.
“She called for me to come home,” Julie began, “and she wants you there too.”
“What?” Jessie snapped out.
“This weekend marks six months since we lost Jack,” Julie said, and she watched her sister instantly tense.
When they lost Jack, Jessie was the one that had been there for Gracie. She'd cried with her and comforted her. Each of the crew dealt with Jack's death in their own way. For the twins, it was different. They'd lost one of their closest friends, but they'd also kept their brother. They'd thought that they'd lost him too, but they hadn't. He'd been injured, but he was okay. Their emotions had been all over the place, and just thinking about it again had Julie's eyes welling up with tears.
“I can't believe it's been that long,” Julie whispered. “It feels like yesterday.”
“It sure does,” Jessie said, as she hugged her little girl close. “Are you going?”
“Are you?” Julie asked.
“No way,” Jessie answered. “I can't.”
“You can,” Julie said. “We haven't been home. We need to be there. Don't you want to be there for Gracie?”
“I can't,” Jessie said, as she looked down at her little girl and kissed her on top of her head.
“Come on,” Julie said. “Mom and dad are going to find out about her eventually. You need to tell them.”
“Tell them all at once?” Jessie asked, as she shook her head. “Not happening.”
“Jessie,” Julie began, but her sister cut her off.
“Do not Jessie me,” Jessie said. “What do I tell them? They're going to be so disappointed.”
“No they aren't,” Julie said. “They're going to be pissed and hurt. That's what they're going to be.”
“Not yet,” Jessie said, as she stood up with her baby in her arms. “I need more time.”
“Jessie,” Julie called out, as her sister walked away.
“The anniversary of Jack's death is not the time,” Jessie said. “You go. Tell them I have to work.”
“Fine,” Julie said. “but you can't put this off forever.”
“Next time,” Jessie said, as she walked into her room and closed her door. “I'll go next time.”
“Why don't I believe you?” Julie mumbled, as she walked into her own room. “It's only one secret. How bad can it be?”
Chapter 17
Cody
When Cody walked out of work on Thursday night, there was only one place he wanted to be. Things had been different the few weeks before, and he wasn't happy about it. It was Julie. She'd been more tired than usual. She was helping her sister with the new baby and had a full load of classes to teach, so he knew that was part of it, but there was more to it. There had to be. When they talked on the phone each night, things weren't the same. She seemed distant. When they'd go out, she'd be tired and ready to go home before dinner was over. When he showed up at her place, she'd fall asleep before they could get through one movie. Things had changed, and Cody couldn't take it, not one more minute.
As he walked up to her apartment door, with pizza boxes in his arms, he had no idea if he'd made the right decision or not, but he didn't care. They needed to talk. Cody shook his head, as he thought about how pathetic he probably looked. Not once had he ever been as unsure as he was in that moment. He'd been through millions of dollars worth of deals with huge companies, and not one of them had him as nervous as he was right then. Was she pulling away from him? Was there someone else? Was there ever anything between the
m at all?
The door in front of him opened, and he jumped, but he wasn't the only one.
“Shit!” Julie yelled out, as she collided with the boxes that were in front of him before looking up from her phone with a smile on her face.
She hadn't been paying one bit of attention, and that irritated the shit out of him. That smile, what the fuck was that about, he wondered? Who was on the other side of that phone?
“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped out, unable to hold back one second longer.
“Me?” she asked, finally taking her eyes fully off of her phone.
“Yes,” he growled out from deep in his chest. “You came out, closed the door, and started walking without once ever looking up from your damn phone. Someone else could have been out here. Do you know what could have happened?”
“Seriously!” she snapped out at him. “I haven't done anything to piss anyone off, so I'm pretty sure my front door is safe, but I could ask you the same question. What the hell are you doing?”
“I brought pizza, but it seems you already had plans,” he said, as his eyes moved to her phone before moving back up to her eyes. “I'll just go.”
Before Cody could turn all the way around, he felt her hand on his arm through the jacket of his suit.
“No,” she said. “I was just going to run out and grab something for dinner. You saved me a trip. Thank you.”
“You sure,” he said, as he narrowed his eyes at her. “No hot date?”
She shook her head and laughed.
“Definitely not,” she said, as she looked down at her t-shirt and jeans.
Julie turned around and opened the door quietly.
“Jessie is rocking the baby to sleep,” she whispered, as she grabbed the pizza boxes from his arms and walked toward the kitchen. “Can you go tell her you brought dinner?”
Cody nodded as he kicked off his shoes and headed down the hall. When he got to the baby's room, he quietly opened the door and took a step forward, but he stopped the second he heard Jessie's words.
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