After a long, stressful night filled with crying and sadness, I wake up feeling very tired and weak. It takes me a while to slide my way out of bed before changing into the clothes that I had grabbed last night, which were just a simple pair of skinny jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. I open the door before moving towards the bathroom that was across from the guestroom down the hall. I rub water on my puffy eyes from all the crying I did last night before brushing my teeth with the spare brushes we kept in here.

I could hear Julian rummaging around in our room, but I pay him no attention as I make sure I look presentable for the day ahead of me. I silently walk down the stairs and into the living room, practically facepalming when I remember that Nora was still here. She was sitting on the couch as she brushed her hair, using her phone as a mirror since we didn't have anything that she could use unless she went to one of the bathrooms. She looked dressed and ready and I was assuming that Julian had told her that he would take her to school today.

"Good morning," she says to me when she sees me walk in. I don't say anything as I start to make my coffee just like I do every day. I set my bag and tablet on the counter before leaning against it as I wait for the Keurig to spit out the liquid into my mug, but when I hear footsteps on the stairs, I straighten up. I was hoping I would be able to slip out the front door without seeing him this morning, but I guess that wasn't going to happen. I don't look up when I hear his steps on the floor traveling into the room.

He says something to Nora before he comes closer to me. I just go about grabbing my creamer from inside the drawer we held all of our coffee stuff in before staying focused on what was in front of me. I could feel him standing next to me, but I make sure to not act like I knew he was there or anything. I go to turn around and get out of the house as quick as possible, but his hand juts out to grab my arm. I freeze in my spot, hating all of this more than anything.

"Miles," he whispers, his voice sounding hoarse just like mine probably did after I've cried for a long time the night before. It's probably what I sounded like now, but I didn't know because I hadn't tried to speak this morning. "please, let's talk."

I shake my head at him, forcing myself out of his grip before making my way towards the front door. I make sure to grab my bag as I try my best to get out of the house before he could say anything else. He follows after me, telling something to Nora quickly before his footsteps match my every move. I'm able to get the front door open before he puts his hand on it, closing it shut as he leans his back against my front. His breath fans over my ear as he pants lightly, clearly frustrated with everything going on.

"Miles, listen. I am so sorry. I was clearly in the wrong and I deserve this, I know that. I deserve for you to hate me and not want to marry me, alright? I know that, but please, just trust me. You don't have to trust Nora, you don't have to trust all of my decisions, but me? Please, baby. You will always be my top priority, you know that. I would never do anything if I know that it'll bring you any sort of harm or pain, okay?" He whispers into my ear. He reaches around to press his hand flat against my chest, definitely being able to feel how crazy my heartbeat had gotten.

I didn't have any tears left, but if I did, I would be a wreck right now. I loved Julian with everything inside me, which means that every time he hurts me, it creates this pit in my stomach that was filled with all my deepest worries. What if I was just too much for him to handle? What if I finally broke him? Made him feel like he had had enough of me? What would I do then?

"Talk to me, please," he whispers, begging me at this point. I let my bag slide down my arm before it tumbles to the ground. I grab his hand from off my chest before slowly pulling him up the stairs since I didn't want Nora to hear us anymore. I knew that I probably shouldn't leave her down there alone, but she was there all night, so I wasn't too worried now. I pull us into our bedroom that was now covered in clothes like he couldn't figure out what to wear this morning.

I don't focus on that though because I just sit on the edge of the bed, running my hands together. Julian stands against the door, staring at me while he waited for me to speak. It took me a while to find the words, but when I do, I look right into his eyes to see that desperation building in them. "You invalidated me. You made me feel worthless. You insinuated that I wasn't your family, Julian. What're we doing here if I'm not your family?"

His eyes soften even more as he lets out a sigh. He slowly walks over to me before kneeling in front of my body. He places his hand on my knee and lifts my chin up so I had to look at his face. "You are my family, Miles. You are. I don't know why I said that. I was a fucking idiot and said it in the heat in the moment. I know that's not an excuse, but I don't think when I get angry. I know I hurt you so much and I'll do anything to get you to forgive me."

I slump slightly, reaching down to set my hands on top of his. His lips turn up into the smallest smile that makes my heart flutter. "I... I felt... I feel like..."

"Miles, tell me how you're feeling, please," he whispers when he realizes that I wasn't going to speak more on what I was trying to say. I tighten my grip on his hands so he flips them over so he could intertwine them with mine. I look up at his face to see that he was giving me a supportive smile that urges me to continue speaking.

"It scared me. I... I love you so much and I see you as my family. I know you do too, but hearing you say that... it just hurt me so much. I felt worthless, unimportant. I don't know," I whisper, probably sounding just as pitiful as I felt.

"I know," he whispers back, sounding so sad and upset with himself. "I fucked up and I understand that you don't want to marry me and-"

"Wait, what?" I ask, lifting my head to look at him. He stares at me for a few seconds before fishing into his pocket to find something. After a few moments, he pulls out my ring before setting it on my knee while both of us stare down at it. I shouldn't have thrown it down last night. That was unfair and not something that I should ever do. Sure, I was extremely angry and upset with him, but I can't just throw our whole relationship down because of it.

I lean forward on the bed, taking my hands out of Julian's before placing them against his cheeks. I lift his head so he was looking at me instead of my engagement ring that must've been haunting him since last night. I give him the softest smile that I could give him while I look at him right in the eyes, needing him to listen to me at the moment. "I want to marry you. You will be my husband and one fight isn't going to change that. We've had this conversation before, so just like you told me, this isn't going to change us getting married. I was angry and I fucked up too. I shouldn't have just tossed it on the floor like it was nothing because it's not. It's everything to me and I'm so sorry for that."

He nods his head, tears now lining his eyes. "I'm sorry too."

I pull him into my arms so his head was pressed against my chest. We both fucked up big time yesterday and I wasn't going to let that affect us anymore. We both apologized and saw our mistakes and we would move on from it. I needed to get used to the idea of Nora in our lives, no matter how much I distrust her for some reason. He needed to get used to that fact because I wasn't going to hide it. I won't explicitly show my suspicion with her, but it would probably be glaringly obvious that I didn't like her. I just couldn't help it. Something about her just made me feel uncomfortable.

"Why's she here?" I whisper into his ear once I knew that he had stopped crying. He pulls back from the hug to wipe at his eyes lightly before looking up at me. He gives me a smile to show me that everything was okay and that made me feel a bit better.

"Um, she visited her dad in jail yesterday and he apparently said something to her. She wouldn't tell me exactly what it was, but I know how angry he can get, so it must've not been good. She told Mom that she was staying at a friend's, so I didn't feel the need to take her home," he tells me, sounding a bit sad while he spoke. I was a bit upset that he said 'Mom', but I also knew that he had a soft spot for the woman. I don't know why, but he's a smart person. He can make his own decisions. Even though he will definitely still hear my opinions about things. I couldn't help that. 

I clear my throat before grabbing his hands again. "You trust her?"

"I do," he whispers before getting off of his knees. He sits down on the bed next to me, both of us turning so we face each other. He gives me a knowing look before gripping my hands. "but you don't."

He wasn't asking because he already knew the answer, but I nodded anyway. "I don't. I don't know why, but there's something there that just makes me worry. I know that you see her as your sister, but I don't. I see her as someone from your past and that worries me. You've already been so hurt before. I don't want anyone to have the chance to do it again."

He smiles, loving that I cared so much for him, even after all this time together. He looks down at our hands and I realize that he had placed my ring back on his knee since the last thing either of us wanted was for it to be lost. "I respect that. I know you feel like she's from my past, but she's not, Miles. I didn't know her before I came out to my parents. I didn't know her when they first hurt me. I didn't. She's new and someone that I feel like I need to get closer with."

"And I respect that. I'm not asking you to not contact her or help her. That's 100 percent your choice. I just like to be in the know. I want to know when you give her your phone number or when you talk to her or if she's being hurt. I know that she means something to you, so she obviously means something to me. I'm just a bit wary and I have the right to feel like that," I tell him.

He nods immediately. "You definitely have the right to feel that way. You want to protect me and protect yourself as well, so I'm not asking you to like her or even trust her. I just want her in my life. If there ever is proof that she is intentionally hurting us or trying to con us, I'll listen to you. I promise you I will."

"Okay," I whisper to him because I could live with that. We had different opinions and I was okay with just letting it be. This wasn't going to tear us apart, we wouldn't let it. I'm not going to let this girl take over my life and ruin the good things that are in it. I would just have to let it go and let him have what he wants. As long as we respect each other's opinion, then we would be okay.

I watch as he picks up the engagement ring before glancing up at me with a hopeful look in his eyes. He runs the ring over his palm for a few moments before finding the courage to grab my left hand. "Can I put it on you?"

"Of course," I whisper. Both of us smile as he slides the beautiful band onto my ring finger. I've realized that I feel much more comfortable with it on my hand and I've grown accustomed to the weight it had. I usually freaked out if it wasn't there and I might be too attached to it, but Julian saw no problem with it, so I didn't either.

I wrap my arms around Julian's neck before connecting my lips with his. It felt like forever since I've touched his mouth and I was going to make do with the limited time we had this morning. I wouldn't do anything besides kiss him, but he definitely had other plans. He sticks his tongue into my mouth, exploring every crevice he could before he lightly moans against me. I chuckle lightly when his hands reach down to grip my waist with a tight hold.

He grabs the belt loops of my jeans to pull me out of my spot on the bed so he could throw my legs over his body. I was now straddling him as our lips attacked one another. I moan when his hands grip my ass in his rough hands, immediately sending a spark to my groin. I pull away, knowing that we can't get too heavy, especially not now. He gives me a confused look before I point my finger to the floor to remind him of who was currently in our living room.

"I'll call Jonah, he'll take her to school," he tells me in a raspy voice before reaching for his pocket where his phone was. I set my hand on his arm to stop him from doing that and he gives me another confused look.

"I have to go to work," I remind him.

He scoffs, looking amused. "You can be a bit late today. It'll be alright."

I shake my head before sliding off his lap to stand next to the bed. I fix my clothes so they didn't look awkward on my body from what we were doing and then sit on the bed in front of him. "I'm going to visit the venue for the fundraiser today. I absolutely cannot be late."

He sighs, knowing that I was right. He leans forward to press a softer kiss to my lips that didn't lead to anything that would make my arousal anymore heightened. When we pull away, he settles his forehead against mine before sighing lightly. I stare into his eyes with amusement at the fact that he was so horny after just a little make-out. "Yeah, you're right. But tonight, that's a different story. You're not getting away from me then."

I chuckle, nodding my head against his. "I can live with that."

We kiss one more time before going down the stairs. I make no move towards the living room because I didn't want to see Nora before I left. There was no need for any of that. I pick up my bag before giving Julian one more kiss that left me wanting much, much more. "I love you, baby boy."

I smile against his mouth before pulling away. "I love you too. See you tonight?"

"Tonight," he agreed before winking and turning towards the living room. I watch him walk away before I hear him say something to Nora, which earns a laugh from her. I let out a soft sigh, hating that he trusted her, but also loving that he trusted her. He had a soft spot for her and I couldn't be mad at him for that. I just had to learn to live with it.