Julia's Journey (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 2)

by Lowe, T. I.

  I interrupt them, “We’ll give you two a moment.” I pull Julia away from the door and close it behind us. We both laugh in embarrassment as we claim a booth.

  “I thought your sister has a problem with being touched?” I raise an eyebrow and smirk at her as I take a seat across from her.

  “That’s her husband, Lucas. I think they’ve been working on that issue.”

  “From the looks of her belly I think that issue has been solved.” We both laugh again. “It was nice to finally hear her voice. She’s got one sweet southern drawl.” I watch Julia nod her head in agreement. “Please say ain’t.”

  “No.”

  After her laughter dies down, Julia seems to notice me for the first time today and is studying me up and down. I’m wearing my Superman tee and plain shorts with my baseball hat shoved low on my head. Nothing spectacular, but the way she’s looking at me begs to differ.

  “You look so cute today, honey.” She smiles sweetly at me.

  I grimace at this. I’m a guy. Cute doesn’t do anything for my manhood. “I have well over a half million followers on Facebook declaring me sexy, I’ll have you know.”

  “All they know is the face and hot body. They don’t know the doll baby behind it. Honey, you are cute whether you like it or not.” She’s looking at me like I’m some cute puppy and that’s not cutting it.

  I lean over the table closely and gently run my fingers along the side of her face and assess her slowly. Tracing her lips as I lick my own, I can’t help but imagine tasting them. My fingers skim down the side of her delicate neck, making her breath shudder and a luscious pink to warm her cheeks. The pace of my own heart startles and picks up speed. “You calling me honey is sexy,” I say, my voice low and coarse. Her dazed eyes meet mine in a smolder and there’s nothing cute about that. Stunning…

  We sort of lapse into a spell until someone clears his voice. Snapping me out of it, I lean back away from her and look over to see we have company. Savannah is now dressed in a colorful sundress with her damp hair brushed out and her husband is more appropriately covered in a black polo shirt and khaki shorts. Savannah sits by Julia and wraps her in a hug as he introduces himself.

  “Lucas Monroe,” he says as he shakes my hand.

  “Greyson Stone.” I want to tell him he’s my hero for that scene in the office, but figure I should keep that to myself since there are ladies present.

  He slides in the booth with me and we both study the sisters. One white-blonde with baby-blue eyes. The other with dark-brown hair and grey eyes that look closer to clear. The resemblance is still evident in their bone structure. Their features are so elegant and refined.

  Savannah extends her hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Greyson.”

  I smile at her hand and lightly shake it. Last time she wouldn’t take my hand when I offered it. I can’t even remember how many years ago that was now.

  “You too, young lady.”

  “I was worried Julia had run you off for good,” she says with some sass.

  My gaze eases over to Julia and she’s looking at me, too. She’s thinking about why I was gone, but she says nothing to rebuke Savannah’s jab. Instead she sets in to giving her sister a hard time.

  “Enough about me. You mind explaining a few things? I want you to start with when exactly you were planning on telling me you’re pregnant,” Julia says as she gives her sister a stern look.

  Savannah’s cheeks color some and she looks away from her sister. “You’re a busy woman. I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “That’s nonsense.” Julia looks hurt. I wonder how strained their relationship might actually be. It’s clear they are not as close as they want to be.

  “She’s about two months away from her due date,” Lucas says proudly.

  I clamp him on the shoulder. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

  Julia is still studying Savannah when she asks, “Please tell me you are not surfing while you’re pregnant?”

  Savannah scoffs at her. “I’ve got better sense than that. But I can still swim and watch my husband surf.”

  “We’ve also got two sons,” Lucas says quietly.

  I look over to Julia and she seems to be just as confused as I am. Her mouth is agape and eyebrows drawn together.

  “We adopted them earlier this year,” Savannah adds. “They needed a home and we have a big one, so it’s a win-win.”

  “Wow. Thanks for sharing your life with me,” Julia says in a snappy tone.

  I glance over at Lucas and he is brushing his damp hair back, looking a little uncomfortable with the two of them bickering. I’m not crazy about it, but I’m used to Julia’s mouthy ways. Mouthiness seems to be a shared quality between these two sisters.

  “How about I go round us up some food while you catch up,” Lucas offers, and I wish I could escape with him. He’s gone before I can beg to go, too.

  Thankfully the sisters brush the tension off and set into catching up.

  “So where exactly is JP?” Julia asks.

  “Japan this week, and then on to Australia next week. He’ll be home for a while after that. He’s promised to not book anymore photo shoots until after the baby is born so he can help Lucas out with the businesses.”

  “I hope to see him before we head out.” I can see Julia is a little disappointed. She looks over at me and explains, “JP has become a hotshot photographer in the past year, thanks to Savannah.”

  Savannah colors a bit and rebukes, “No. JP had the talent. I just gave him the push he needed to get on with it.”

  Julia smirks. “More like a giant shove. She entered one of his collages in a contest without his permission.”

  Savannah shrugs. “Well, he got over it real fast when he won every blame top-award that night and had signed photography contracts before the awards were finished being handed out.”

  Julia is straining to look over the back of the booth now. I guess she’s ready to move the conversation along. “How about Miss May? Is she here?”

  “Today is her day off. I’ve finally put my foot down with that old woman and told her to let Vanessa have a good go at the kitchen. So she agrees to take two days off a week and leaves her granddaughter in peace.” We chuckle at this. Savannah is a feisty thing and I like it! “Why are y’all here?” Savannah asks.

  I think to myself, it is home. Can’t you visit home anytime you want? But then again, this is a completely different family than my own with totally different family notions.

  Julia doesn’t seem bothered by the question. She sets in to filling Savannah in on the last several months until Lucas and a waitress bring out seafood platters with a basket full of hush puppies and teas all around.

  The lunch date has been great. My stomach is overloaded and I feel quite tired. Savannah hands over the keys to JP’s beach house and we are there within minutes. It’s a cool bungalow set right on the sand.

  Before I can unpack anything Julia asks, “Can we go for a quick visit to Miss May’s? I really can’t wait to see her.”

  “Sure.” I unload a moped and drive us over at Julia’s directions.

  We pull up to Miss May’s and find her rocking away on her front porch. She looks just as Julia has described her—short, round, and warm. Her perfectly curled white hair is in stark contrast with her rich brown skin. She pushes her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and is squinting at us as though she’s trying to place us.

  As Julia steps from around me, I watch the little lady’s features light up with unmistakable joy. She slowly stands as Julia bounces up the steps and pulls her in for a hug. I stay back at the bottom of the steps to let them have their moment privately. There’s sniffling and murmuring and my throat thickens with emotion from their reunion.

  Miss May whispers in a rich southern drawl, “Honey, you’ve been healed. Praise the Lord.” The little ole lady raises her wrinkled hand to the sky and openly praises God. I can only imagine how many prayers she has lifted up on Julia’s be
half.

  They eventually compose themselves and turn their attention on me—one set of soft blues and one set of warm browns.

  “Miss May, I’d like for you to meet my most favorite guy in the whole world, Greyson Stone. Greyson, this is my most favorite lady in the whole world, Miss May.”

  The little lady pulls me in for an unexpected hug and I gladly take it. “Nice to meet you, young man.”

  “You too, Miss May.”

  “Thank you for bringing my girl to see me,” she says to me, then looks over to Julia. “It’s been too long.”

  “I keep in touch,” Julia says defensively.

  “Hardly.” Miss May scoffs.

  “I do believe that mailman of yours delivers a gift every few months and you’ve received some surprises in the last couple of months.” Julia raises her prissy eyebrows.

  “But nothing beats the gift I just received,” Miss May declares and pulls Julia in for another hug. Julia has to stoop way down to hug back. The little lady eventually releases her and points to the rocking chairs on the porch. “You young’uns sit down and I’ll get us some tea.” She shuffles inside, so we settle into the chairs and wait.

  Miss May comes back a few minutes later with glasses brimming with tea, ice, and lemon slices. I gladly take the offering even though I’m pretty sure I downed at least a gallon of tea at the restaurant. The south sure knows how to make tea.

  We rock in the comfortable chairs, sipping tea, as we fill Miss May in on the road trip, and she seems so delighted by it. Julia has just finished telling her about Rivertown and how much she loved it there.

  Miss May comments, “Sounds like you found your home.”

  I look over at Julia for her response. She shrugs her shoulders. “I live in New York.”

  “You can live anywhere and everywhere, but you only find your home once. It sounds like you found yours in Rivertown, honey.”

  Julia changes the subject quicker than I like. “So what do you think about our Savannah being a mommy?”

  “I think that ole stubborn girl is doing a mighty fine job. You should see her with them young’uns that hang out around the inlet. She pretends like she doesn’t like ‘em. But you ort see how she gets all worked up when one of ‘em don’t show up. She near ‘bout pitches a hissy fit ‘til she finds out they okay. She even adopted two of ‘em and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Julia laughs. “I can only imagine.”

  “Lucas keeps her grounded. Those two make fine parents.” I can hear the pride in her words.

  Julia looks wistful, but abruptly changes the subject after stealing a curious glance at me. It makes me wonder if she has any desire to be a mother. “Okay, Miss May. I need your help on something of dire importance.”

  “Okay,” the lady agrees.

  “Greyson is on a mission to find the best BBQ the state of South Carolina offers, and I think you are just the woman to help us out.”

  “Well, y’all in luck. My cousin owns Bubba’s BBQ just inland of here. He won ‘Best in Town’ for pulled pork and his secret sauce. That’s where I’d take the boy.”

  After promising to go to church with Miss May on Sunday, Julia and I set back out to the beach house to unload our bags and to chill out for a while before heading to Bubba’s for supper.

  I take JP’s guest room. After plopping my bags down, I look at the king size bed and it looks so comfortable. I give in and stretch out. Suddenly fatigue clamps down and renders me useless. There’s nothing I can do but give in to it and rest.

  The next thing I know I’m waking up to a new day. I’m shocked I slept that long and then scared. I’ve not slept like that in months. I head for the shower, hoping it’ll clear the cobwebs away. I get out and towel off, but before I dress I give my body a good long looking over in the mirror on the back of the door. I find no evidence of anything peculiar, so I rub my hands firmly over various spots, anywhere a knot could be hiding. I take my time, not wanting to miss anything unusual. I find none, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. I start to tremble and drop to my knees right here in the bathroom and claim my verse.

  “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; Oh Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. Heal me, Lord. Please heal me.” I beg naked and completely exposed to Him. I press my forehead to the cool tile floor and cry like a baby. I just don’t feel strong enough yet to go through another round with this disease. It’s a long harsh fight, and as I lay crumbled on this floor, I feel like such a frail excuse for a human.

  ~~~~

  It takes me a while to pull myself together, reclaiming the verse several more times. I splash cold water on my face, hoping to relieve some of the puffiness and pounding in my temples. I slip on a pair of shorts and am about to pull my shirt on when I notice which one I have grabbed. I walk out to my suitcase and toss the Superman shirt back in and pull on a plain one instead. There’s nothing superhero about me today.

  I’m relieved to find Julia on the back deck with Savannah, so I pull on my shades to hide behind and join them outside. There’s a stack of to-go boxes on the table along with cups of coffee.

  “Good morning, ladies,” I say as I sit down. My voice sounds rough from crying, but I hope it passes for more on the lines of just waking up.

  “How’d you sleep?” Savannah asks, and Julia seems very interested in the answer. I guess I was their topic of conversation this morning.

  Without thinking, I answer, “Like the dead.” I wince when I notice Julia’s beautiful face pales. I wish I could suck the stupid words back into my stupid mouth. The word insensitive skips through my thoughts. I should apologize.

  “Are you okay?” she asks.

  I look at her, and then smile over to Savannah. “No. I’m starving.” I decide to just play it off.

  Savannah smiles and passes me a box and a coffee. I open the lid and study the food oddly. It’s biscuits, but they are piled with some white lumpy sauce. It doesn’t look appealing at all.

  Savannah laughs at me. “That’s the best biscuits and sausage gravy your Yankee behind will ever have. Now eat up before it gets cold.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I answer, taking a cautious bite and finding it surprisingly delicious. I then dig in and devour all of my plate and most of Julia’s.

  Man, was that stuff good and rich. I pat my belly and declare, “That should hold me over until Bubba’s.”

  This statement eases the worry off of Julia’s face. It’s clear her thoughts are in the same place as my own. I have scans already scheduled for January, but I shot my mom a text after my episode in the bathroom and asked to see if she could get them moved up a few months. She said she would get on it and for me to come on home. I sent back, No worries. Just wanting to be precautious. She sent back, I want you home. I sent back, Soon. I promise. I’m just going to try to leave it in God’s hands and finish out this journey I started.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Greyson

  Bubba’s BBQ did not disappoint. It is hands down the best BBQ I’ve found this entire trip. So good, in fact, that we’ve eaten there several times in the last few weeks. We’ve spent a lot of time with Miss May. She’s fed us just about every night and we’ve gone to church with her. This woman has one lively church. Now, I’m not from a stick-in-the-mud church, but I’ve never seen anything like this one. The preacher dances around the pulpit while he preaches with gusto and the congregation shouts and sings through the whole service.

  I was pretty surprised to see Savannah and her quiet husband there. Lucas doesn’t say much so I would have never guessed him to be in such a place full of so much chatter. Miss May says him and Savannah are there every Sunday with their two boys by their side. The picture of a happy family is what they are, and that longing pulls at me.

  Even though Lucas doesn’t say much, he is the kind of guy you want to beg to be your buddy. He’s so even keel all the time. He’s completely opposite from my buddy Crowley, but I totally see him becoming a close friend.
/>   Today we are stretched out in lounge chairs on the beach. It’s nice to just take in the salty air and be lazy. Julia’s been spending a lot of her time with Miss May at the restaurant. And even more time than that with Savannah. They have shopped and decorated the baby’s nursery. I don’t mind, but I do find myself missing her quickly.

  I reach over now and run my hands through Julia’s silky hair. She turns her face into my hand and kisses my palm. She’s not tried to kiss me anywhere close to my lips since that first night in Rivertown. More importantly, she’s finally learned to keep her clothes on around me and others. Her new reserved behavior and modesty is more of a turn-on than ever it was when she used to prance around naked, advertising she was free for the taking.

  It’s getting harder to keep all of my feelings for her held back. I feel myself slipping and anytime she’s near I just have to touch her hair, or her hand, or her face… I pull my hand away from her soft face now so I can rein it all back in. Just touching her innocently sets me on fire.

  I’ve promised myself not to start something on this trip, because this isn’t the real world—as much as I want it to be. I don’t think I can handle having her now only to lose her in a few months when we go back to our daily lives. Julia’s life is in New York and I’ve already decided that mine is not there anymore. I got a text from my real estate agent just last week, letting me know my apartment finally sold. It’s official now. I’m homeless. And to be truthful, my eyes are set towards Rivertown. And that’s a long way from New York.

  After that first night here, I’ve felt an urgency to wrap this trip up. Mom is texting and calling daily to check on me. I reassure her that I’ve felt fine and have had no other episode, but she’s not appeased. So I mentioned to Julia about heading on down to Savannah, Georgia to see Stan. He called and wants us to stop in for a quick visit before we head to Florida. I really want to complete the entire mapped-out trip. I don’t want to leave it undone.

  Julia has been hesitant on leaving. The restaurant always throws an end of the season party and this year they’ve planned it to be a surprise baby shower for Savannah and Lucas. Julia doesn’t want to miss it, so I’ve agreed to stay another week.