Sunkissed Serendipity

Chapter 66

Isla

Once we are done eating breakfast (more of a brunch considering how late we got out of the hotel), Julian grabs my attention. Standing, he places a hand out toward me. "Join me?" he asks, and I look around at his parents. Lorraine waves a hand in the air, glancing at Julian. "My son asked for some alone time with just the both of you. We will entertain ourselves."

"Oh," I say, not knowing he talked to his parents.

Lorraine nods and then looks up at her older son. "No more than an hour, okay?" she orders. "And not too far."

"I got it," Julian answers, still holding out his hand. I grab it, standing up along with him. As I follow Julian, I move his tongue up to my mouth. Pressing a kiss just underneath the bracelet I gave him earlier, I smile. It was the girliest bracelet ever, with gold hearts in the center, and still he was wearing it. Julian only responds back with a smile of his own, pulling me to his side. I don't question him as I follow him through the empty steed and toward the water.

We stand where we did yesterday for pictures, and Julian takes a seat on the stone. He helps me to sit as well, and I turn my knee inward toward him. He does the same, and soon he is giving me a look, something that tells me he wants to talk to me. I grin at him, holding his hand closer to me. He takes his hand away from mine, though, and instead places it in his pocket.

"I uh," he says, eyes darting between mine. "I lied to you yesterday."

As I hum in confusion, I only get closer to him. He gives me a small shrug and says, "Remember when I said I was buying something for my parents at the gift shop?" I look up, remembering. "I actually brought something for you."

My eyebrows squint together. "You didn't walk out with anything, though?"

"I did," he says, and then I watch as he pulls something out of his pocket. Palming it up before I can see, he says, "I just hid it from you."

"You got me something," I say when the realization hits me. My smile widens when I say, "You got me something."

"I did," he says, and I watch as he hesitantly places his palm on mine. Dropping the bracelets, he moves back, watching for my reaction. I knew it was a bracelet, but when I held it up, I found the small heart pendent. On it, there was an initial, a letter J. I look at him with a smirk. "You want me to wear your initials, huh?"

"I don't what you believe it's because I own you," he says quickly. His face reddens when he adds, "Just because I like my girl wearing my initial."

"You're good!" I laugh, placing a hand on his knee. He smiles and then says, "There's something on the back."

I flip the pendent over, and sure enough, there are small words on it. Before I can really look at it, I say, "What does it say?"

Julian peers at the bracelet and reads off it, "I love you." I watch a smile come on his face at the end of the phrase, and he looks up at my eyes, his ones on mine, full of happiness and contentment, he repeats, "I love you."

"You love—" I can feel myself chocking at the phrase. I've never had someone like me to the extent of this. Relationships I've had didn't progress beyond the point of stolen kisses and hidden memories. This was something different. Julian starts to back away from my reaction, but I only pull on his hand. Holding it down to my lap, I take a deep breath in. When I breathe out, I'm giggling from the sudden excitement.

"I love you as well," I blurt out, and I cannot help but feel myself laughing. "I didn't think you felt the same way," I say, simmering down. "But I'm glad you too. And that you told me."


"So," Julian said, watching me closely. "You love me?"