“Those things are just your professions, Kristin. Does it really matter? Julian is making a career change because he’s not completely happy with what he’s doing. Jared did the same thing. He wasn’t movie-star famous, but he gave up control of a very high-powered real-estate business to go back to doing what he loved: restoring historic homes. Luckily, he was wealthy enough to do what he wanted after so many years of trying to prove himself. Circumstances change. People change. What might have been important to Julian years ago might not matter to him now.”
Julian had basically said as much, but Kristin found it hard to believe he could walk away from megastardom that easily. Then again, she’d seen the hunted look on his face when he was being stalked by fans. And he seemed perfectly content, even happy, to be writing and creating a movie screenplay.
“We’ll see,” Kristin answered vaguely. “We still have a little time in the trial period before the divorce.”
“End the trial now,” Mara said urgently. “This is no good for either one of you. If it’s still there, it’s going to drive a wedge between you. You’re already doubting your marriage is for real.”
Kristin did feel that rift, the enormous fear that the temporary happiness she had with Julian would never be . . . real. “We made an agreement to wait.”
“You’re scared,” Mara accused.
No, she was freaking terrified. “Maybe I am.”
“Then cut the crap and get the temporary marriage off the table. Make it real.”
Make it real?
For Kristin, she was rather afraid things with Julian had always been far from artificial and fake.
Her thoughts were halted as she saw her mom and dad rolling out the wedding cake. It was enormous, and the cart they were wheeling looked like it was going to give with the strain of carrying several tiers of the decadent dessert.
People cheered and whistled, but what Kristin noticed was the reaction of the man in the corner all alone, his eyes glued on the enormous, gleaming knife in her father’s hand that brushed along Xander’s leather jacket as they moved past him to the center of the room with the wedding cake.
First, he looked panicked.
Then, he looked angry.
Finally, he got up and strode out of the room, a look of anguish on his face that Kristin couldn’t ignore.
“I’ll be back,” she told Mara hastily as she spoke into her friend’s ear so she could hear her, and then set her cocktail on a nearby table.
Kristin raced as fast as she could on her high heels, pushing on the door that Xander had just used to exit, seeing a flash of black as he turned into one of the teaching rooms.
She knew she hadn’t imagined his reaction, or the sense of terror he’d just experienced.
A knife. A big blade in a public gathering.
She stopped short at the doorway of the classroom, noticing that Xander had opened the window, even though it was below freezing outside. His shoulders were rising and falling, and she could hear his breath sawing in and out of his lungs as he stood braced against the window frame.
Moving slowly, she walked to his side and touched his back lightly. “Xander?”
“Don’t fucking touch me.” He whirled around as the guttural growl left his mouth.
Kristin felt her cheek explode with pain and her body immediately moved backward until she hit the wall on the other side of the room. The violent movement had been so intense that she slid down the wall in shock.
“Kristin?” Julian’s voice suddenly interrupted the silence. “Baby? Are you okay?”
Suddenly, Julian was there at her side, lifting her onto his lap. “What happened? Talk to me.”
“I-I’m okay,” she whispered, putting a hand to her face.
Julian looked up and saw his brother standing over them. “Did you fucking hurt her? Did you hit her?” he rasped to Xander.
“I did it,” Xander said flatly.
“I’ll fucking kill you. I don’t care if you’re my brother,” Julian bellowed, reaching up to grasp Xander’s ankle and yanking his feet out from under him. The quick action worked, and his younger brother toppled to the ground.
Kristin suddenly got her bearings and grabbed Julian’s arm. “Don’t. Please. It wasn’t his fault.”
She held tight to Julian, desperate not to see him do something he could never take back.
Xander looked at her, their eyes locking for a moment before he got up and strode out the door. In that short, unspoken exchange, Kristin knew she’d connected with Julian’s younger brother, if only briefly.
“What in the hell do you mean that it wasn’t his fault?” He was still cradling her body on the floor.
“I’m fine. Help me up.” It was going to be difficult to get out of his hold and into a standing position in heels and a dress.
He stood, still holding her tightly, then lowered her feet slowly to the floor. “Are you dizzy? You’re going to end up with a hell of a shiner tomorrow. Bastard! I still want to kill him.”
“Don’t, Julian,” Kristin begged. “You don’t understand.”
“Then fucking enlighten me before I go beat the living hell out of my brother.” He pulled out his phone and quickly called Dante, asking him if Sarah could come and meet them in the classroom to look at Kristin.
“Tell me,” he insisted once he’d hung up the phone, holding her hand while he seated her in one of the chairs.
Sarah and Dante arrived before she could say anything more, and her explanation had to wait.
CHAPTER 20