Anna absentmindedly traced a pattern on my chest. “As long as you’ve thought it through.”
“I have.” I lifted her chin so our gazes met. “But none of what Juliette does or doesn’t do is on you, okay?”
Anna took way too much of the weight of other people’s actions onto her shoulders. Jules might pitch a fit, but that wasn’t Anna’s responsibility. “Okay,” she whispered.
I slid my hand along her jaw to her neck and under those golden locks. “You have to tell me if she approaches you. Promise me.” The last thing I wanted was Juliette doing something to get in Anna’s head.
“Promise.”
“Good. Now, what do you say to waffles this morning?”
Anna beamed. “That should get Justin out of bed at least ten times faster. Especially if there’s whipped cream.”
I slid my lips along her jaw. “I thought you were the one partial to whipped cream.”
“I don’t hate it,” she said a little breathlessly.
“Why don’t you tell me about that in the shower?”
“I like the way you think, Mr. Decker.”
I had the sudden urge to call her Mrs. Decker. Anna hadn’t changed her name, but I wanted her to. I wanted everything about this marriage to be real. The lines had blurred, and it was hard to tell what was pretend and what wasn’t anymore. But as I carried her to the shower and lost myself in her body, I was reminded that what mattered most was the realest thing I’d ever had. This unnamed connection between us. And soon, I would give it a name, either mine or one we chose together that would be ours.
I leanedback in my chair, staring at my computer screen. I’d run the numbers a few different times. I’d looked at a series of options. And this was what I’d settled on.
Juliette had two years of law school left. She was right that I’d told her to concentrate on that effort and not to worry about a job. I’d had to juggle a job, school, and Jules, and it had nearly killed me. I didn’t want that for her.
But there would be no more credit cards for extravagant shopping trips and vacations that miraculously got paid off each month. No more spending without a thought. I was setting up a transfer that would cover her basic expenses each month, plus tuition. If she wanted extras, she’d have to get a job.
I picked up my desk phone and dialed my financial advisor. Lucille answered on the third ring. “Morning, Mason. How are you?”
Lucille was in her fifties but sounded like she smoked a pack a day.
“I’m hanging in there. How about you?”
“Still kicking, so I can’t complain.”
“Glad to hear it. Listen, I need to change some things regarding Juliette.”
“All right.” There was a click of a pen. “What do you need?”
I walked her through what I was thinking. “I’m going to be calling Juliette next, so she’ll be aware of the changes.”
She let out a low whistle. “I’m glad you’re not leaving that to me. She won’t be happy.”
I’d worked with Lucille since I’d gotten my first big check selling the video game I’d developed. She always shot straight and was a good steward of my money. More than that, she’d been a teacher, showing me what I needed to know about my growing fortune. And in the process, she’d gotten to know Juliette and me quite well.
“I know she won’t. But some developments have made me realize that things need to change.”
Lucille was quiet for a moment. “Love that girl. But she doesn’t deal with change well.”
“Life is full of change. She’ll have to get used to it.”
“That means you need to stop standing between her and every hardship that comes her way.”
“I don’t—”
“Mason,” Lucille cut me off.
