A Love Like This by Kahlen Aymes Read Free Book Online Page A

miss the shit out of you.”
    “Yeah, even though it is nice to have the
apartment to ourselves,” my brother nudged me and smiled before
turning to Jen. “Babe, get your sexy ass changed so we can get the
hell out of dodge.” She nodded and left us to go up to her room.
Anna and my mother were waiting at the door to the ballroom to go
with her, and Mom wrapped a hand around Jenna’s waist to lead her
from the room.
    “You’re still the consummate romantic,
Aaron,” I teased. “Shit, where did I go wrong?”
    “Not all of us can be sappy asses like you,
Ryan.”
    “Whatever. Have you talked to Dad about
Christmas yet?”
    “Yes. He knows that we may not be able to
make it since we’re taking time now to go to Hawaii. When are you
taking Julia on a honeymoon?”
    We were sitting at a table and I glanced
around the room. Harris was speaking to my dad and he looked
somber. He nodded his head in agreement to something Dad said and
shook both of their hands.
    “Uh…I think I’ll try to surprise her with a
trip soon.” I longed to tell my brother that Julia and I had agreed
to start a family and so I needed to get her away before she got
pregnant, or maybe on a quest to get her that way, but couldn’t
since we’d agreed to keep it between the two of us. “I could really
use some uninterrupted time with her. Don’t get me wrong, this
weekend has been wonderful, but we don’t have enough time to just
focus on each other these days.”
    “You deserve to get away, but will you be
able to? It was almost impossible for me to get away and it was for
my honeymoon. The hours are just ridiculous.”
    “We knew they would be,” I agreed, “but it
sucks more than I anticipated. It’s worse than med school. I don’t
know if I’ll be able to do it, but I’ll try like hell. I’d
sacrifice Christmas in Chicago for one-on-one time with Julia.”
    “Mom will be disappointed if neither of us
can get there,” he stated the obvious.
    I shrugged slightly. “She’d understand. She
knows we’re both working like dogs. She lived through it with
Dad.”
    I was watching Harris come toward us and
both Aaron and I stood. Aaron threw his big arms around the smaller
man in a light embrace. “Glad you could make it, dude. I hear
you’re heading to Canada tomorrow.”
    “Yes. Congratulations, Aaron. Jenna looks
stunning. I have an early flight so I’m going to turn in, if you
don’t mind. Have a wonderful honeymoon.”
    “Thank you. We will,” Aaron said goodbye to
Harris and then turned back to me. “I should go change and say
goodbye to the parents. We’ll see you again as soon as we can get
time off, but it might be a while.”
    After filling Aaron in on the conversation
I’d had with Harris earlier in the evening, I said goodbye to him
and wandered up to the room to wait for Julia, or not wait for
her , whichever the case may be. If Ellie was still upset, there
was a good chance I wouldn’t see her before I fell asleep. Seeing
everyone had been wonderful, but the late nights partying weren’t
helping my exhaustion. Julia was sad because her best girlfriend
was in such emotional turmoil, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she
didn’t reappear.
    I loosened my tie as I entered the room and
threw it on the suitcase along with the jacket of the tux. The room
smelled like Julia’s perfume and I inhaled the familiar scent,
saddened slightly that tomorrow we were going back to the New York
rat race.
    Julia had a trip to Europe coming up in two
weeks, the second in three months. She was usually only gone a week
to ten days, but combined with my work schedule that racked up our
time together right before and after, it would be more like fifteen
days without each other. I ran my hand through my hair, then
unbuttoned my shirt, pulling it from the waist of my pants at the
same time. Julia’s make-up and hair brushes were scattered all over
the vanity in the bathroom—the mess left in her hurry to get ready.
She did look