JULIAN'S POV
I had given Iris one week to think about it and I was nervous for her response. In one week, I sent her romantic messages flowers, and lots of gifts to woo her. I knew I was a terrible person, preying on her love for romance to get her to fall for me. I just needed her to say yes to the marriage to get my father off my back.
When I told him I had found someone I wanted to marry and she was the daughter of Henry Castille, he was ecstatic. I, on the other hand, hated him for what he was making me do to an innocent girl. It wasn't like it was totally bad, I didn't have to be in love with her to marry her. And technically, I didn't lie, I was attracted to her the first time that I met her and that was why she had been the easiest choice for marriage.
I showed up at the Brantholm house in the evening. Henry Catilles, his wife Elaine, and their three sons, Ian, Ivan, and Isaac welcomed me into their home with bright smiles on their faces.
"Iris is getting ready. She will be down soon." Henry said.
"That's alright. She can take all the time she needs."
"Come, dinner will be served soon," Elaine said and led us to their dining room. A large dining table was in the middle of the large room and there was too much food. It was just the seven of us. I had a feeling this entire show was for my benefit. It was the Brantholm effect, something about the name just made people want to kiss your ass.
It was a whole thirty minutes after I had arrived that Iris showed up. She was not dressed as casually as she was the night I proposed. She was wearing a black skirt that stopped at her mid-thigh, a white dress shirt, and a sweater. Her hair was in a high ponytail, same as the night of my birthday and she had on a bit more makeup than the last time I had seen her. She looked gorgeous and I could not help the smile that found its way to my face the moment I saw her.
She took the seat beside me and then she smiled at me. "Hey. Sorry, I am late."
I leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. "You look gorgeous, so it is worth it." That earned me a blush from her.
Conversation flowed freely around the dinner table. The Castilles seemed to be a much livelier family than mine. They talked to each other without reservation, but they had mutual respect. I admired it so much.
***
"So, do you have an answer for me, yet?" I asked her when we were alone in the living room.
"So eager, huh?" She teased.
"Very eager. I told you. I want you to be my wife." I spoke.
"Yes, I will marry you." She said finally and I pulled her in for a hug, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulder. I couldn't wait to tell my dad about this.
"But I don't want us to get married immediately. People talk and it may look like we got married quickly to cover up a pregnancy or something." She spoke.
"How long were you thinking?" I asked, silently hoping she wouldn't say a year.
"I was thinking about two months. Go out in public together, I'd move in with you… so when we get married, it won't come as a shock to anybody." She said and I smiled, my heart soared. She spoke exactly what I had been thinking.
"Two months is fine. Although, I would like you to move in right away." I told her.
"How soon?"
"Tomorrow."
Her eyes bulged in surprise. "That is too soon."
"Common, you said it yourself that we must make it believable. We can just tell people that we had been dating silently for a while and we decided to take it to the next level."
She was thoughtful for a while before she finally spoke, "I guess we have a deal."
***
Iris moved in with me the next day. The girls were surprised but they were pleased. They had lost their mother at a very young age, so they didn't know her well. In some ways, I was happy about it because that made it easier for this whole thing to come together. Zoe and Zara took to Iris almost immediately, especially after they walked into Iris' room and saw the multitude of books that she had. Zoe and Zara loved to read.
"So, do you like it here?" I asked Iris a week after she had moved in. We were on the balcony watching the stars.
"Yeah, it is alright. I miss my old room, but this isn't so bad."
The moon was shining on her face, highlighting her features. She was really beautiful, and I could not help looking at her. I had to be careful not to allow myself not to fall in love with her.
When Kate had died, it had broken my heart into a million pieces. It took me a long time to recover. The pain was more than I could bear. The only reason I didn't fully break down was because I had kids to raise. That was five years ago.
"Why are you staring at me?" Iris said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"I am just enchanted by your beauty," I said, moving closer to her. I pulled her face close to me and touched our foreheads together. I had not kissed her since the night I had proposed to her, but I had not forgotten the taste of her lips and I wanted to taste them again.
I pressed my lips to hers and she responded to my kiss immediately, granting me access to explore her mouth.
I groaned when she crawled onto my lap to straddle me without breaking the kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I tightened my hold on her waist as we continued to enjoy the taste of each other.