After he got her settled on my lap, he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “She was already tossing and turning when I peeked in on her.”
“Mm-hmm, sure she was.” I flashed him a grin to let him know I wasn’t upset.
“I showed Mommy the banana buster trick, Daddy,” Harry cried.
“Did she like it?” Julian asked, reaching out to ruffle our son’s hair.
Harry nodded as he swallowed the big chunk of banana he’d shoved into his mouth. He was in the middle of a growth spurt and was eating pretty much everything he could get his hands on. Somehow in the short time I’d been talking to Julian, he’d managed to finish the entire piece of fruit.
“Go wash your hands, sweetie,” I instructed, smiling as he scampered off to the bathroom. Tilting my head back, I smiled up at my husband. “That was an impressive magic trick for a five-year-old.”
Julian shrugged his broad shoulders. “What can I say? The kid’s got talent.”
“I’m not surprised since his dad is one of the best magicians in the world.”
“Only one of the best?” he echoed on a growl, narrowing his eyes.
“Okay, okay. The best as far as I’m concerned,” I laughed.
He bent down to brush his lips over mine. “As far as you’re concerned, I’d better be the only magician that matters.”
I flashed him a sweet smile full of love. “With all the magic you’ve brought into my life, you definitely are.”
Extra Epilogue
Anna
I gasped when I opened up the envelope that had just been delivered and saw the new flyer mockups I needed to approve. The glossy 8x10 photos all featured a gorgeous blonde in a glittery, sleek blackbody suit, posing seductively under spotlights, on a raised platform. There were deep red curtains parted behind her, revealing a beautiful, antique box of mystery. The same type of box my husband had kidnapped me in a decade ago.
The Lenox Hotel and Casino Present:
Renowned Illusionist,
Lulu Abbot
This had to be a mistake. There was no way Drew was replacing Julian. Ten years here and he still sold out every single show. Not to mention that I was the head of his PR department! Why hadn’t I known about this before now?
I tossed the offending mockups onto my desk and hit the speaker button on my phone. Then I hit a speed dial and stood up to pace while I waited for them to answer. Drew’s line rang and rang, and when it finally went to voicemail, I glared at the phone as though he would feel my anger through it. Drew almost always got back to me within a short period of time when he missed my call.
But I was fuming and didn’t want to wait, besides I had a niggling feeling he might be avoiding me. If ever there was a time to circumvent the chain of authority, it was at that moment. I stabbed a different number on my phone and resumed pacing.
After two rings, Autumn—Drew’s wife—picked up. “Hey, Anna! Looking for a lunch date?”
“What the hell, Autumn?” I practically shouted. “I need to talk to your husband right now. And you might want to say your goodbyes because next time I see him, I’m going to kill him!”
“Oh, crap,” Autumn whispered. There was a muffled sound, and then I heard her yell, “Did you send those flyers to Anna to approve, Drew?” A low voice murmured something in return, and Autumn groaned. “What were you thinking?”
He must have walked up beside her because I heard his answer clearly. “Well, obviously, I wasn’t thinking. It was just a habit. Sorry, baby.”
“You should be apologizing to me and my husband, you jerk!” I yelled, hoping he heard me.
I gasped when there was muffled laughter on the other end and tears filled my eyes. “I thought we were friends. I—”
Julian chose that moment to stroll into my office. When he saw my state of distress, he rushed over and took me in his arms, instantly calming me. “What the fuck? Why are you crying?”
“Um, so that’s my husband’s fault,” Autumn piped up through the speaker.
Julian was startled at first by the disembodied voice coming out of nowhere, but he recognized Autumn and glanced down to see my phone in my hand. “What are you talking about?”
Autumn sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
“You can’t honestly be firing Julian?!” I yelled.
“Oh, shit.” It was a little freaky when Drew and Julain said the same thing at the same time. But Jullian’s face was the only one I could see and he was staring at my desk.
“Drew accidentally sent the flyers to Anna instead of Kyler.”
Kyler worked directly under me, managing the front line with our staff. Were they firing me too?
Julian groaned. “Thanks for the heads up,” he said calmly. “Tell Drew he owes me. Big time.” Before anyone could say another word, he lifted my phone from my hands and hung up.
“I don’t understand what’s happening…” I trailed off, thoroughly confused by Julian’s laid back attitude when our employers and, I thought, friends were giving us the axe.
Julian wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek, then he looked down at me with a rueful smile. “Drew hired Lulu at my suggestion. I saw her act last year at The Venetian and I knew she’d be a good replacement”—he put a finger over my lips when he saw I was about to speak—”temporary replacement for me. She’s filling in, baby. Not permanent.”
“Okaaaay, then why was everyone hiding it from me?” I queried, my mouth curled down in frustration.
“Because the reason she’s taking my place for a while is—or was supposed to be—a surprise.”
My brows shot up and Julian chuckled. “I’m making us both disappear.” He winked at me, which set off a group of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It didn’t matter how long we’d been together, he still had that effect on me.
“Stop talking in magician-speak and spit it out,” I snipped, less angry and frustrated, but still a little annoyed.
“Baby, I’m taking you on that European vacation you’ve always talked about.”
My jaw literally dropped, and my eyes went wide. “What?”
Julian laughed and his green eyes sparkled. “Yep. I paid attention to everything you said and started making plans years ago. But I knew we wouldn’t be able to do it until the kids were a little older because you wouldn’t want to be so far away from them for a long period of time. Plus, it took a while for me to find a replacement I felt was worthy of the job.”
“How long?”
“Well, we’ll be gone a month—”
“A month?” Was he nuts? I wasn’t leaving my babies for a whole month.
“Baby, you wanted me to spit it out, so close your pretty mouth and let me speak. Or I’ll close it for you.”
I thought about how he would accomplish that and heat trickled through my body, going straight to my core and making my panties damp. A slow, sinful smile spread across his face, proving he knew exactly where my mind had gone.
“You can talk some more later, and I’ll give you a demonstration,” he teased with a smirk. I nodded and he went on. “You and I will only be by ourselves for two weeks. The kids will join us for the last two.”