He was taller than I expected, with dark blond hair and a calm, open face. He wore a navy sweater over a white shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows. A faint streak of flour marked one cheek.
His eyes moved from me to Marcus, then back again.
Recognition came slowly.
“You’re Adrian,” he said.
Not a question.
I nodded.
Julian stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
The gesture was polite, but careful.
“Evelyn knows you’re here?”
“No.”
“Then you shouldn’t have come.”
“I know.”
That answer seemed to surprise him.
He folded his arms. “What do you want?”
“To speak with her.”
“She doesn’t want contact with you.”
The words struck harder than I expected.
“Did she say that?”
“She said
she wanted to be left alone.”
“Three years ago?”
“Repeatedly.”
I looked beyond him toward the warm light under the door.
“Are the children inside?”Hire Babysitters
Julian’s expression softened. “Yes.”
“Can I see them?”
“No.”
I swallowed.
“I’m their father.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I have reason to believe—”
“You have a photograph.”
His voice remained calm, but there was firmness beneath it.
“Two and a half years ago, Evelyn arrived in Boston with two infants and a suitcase. She had no money, no family here, and no interest in being found. I met her at the resource center. I helped her find housing, a job, and medical care. Over time, we became friends.”Plan Family Trips
He paused.
“She never told me who the children’s father was.”
I looked at him sharply.
“You knew they weren’t yours?”
“Not biologically. But I became their parent in every way that mattered.”
“And then you married
her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Julian’s eyes lowered for a moment.
“Because we loved each other. Because we built something good. Because the children deserved stability. Because Evelyn had spent years believing that if she trusted the wrong person, everything she loved could be taken from her.”Hire Babysitters
His gaze returned to mine.
“She was afraid of you.”
I had heard those words before, but never from a stranger standing on her doorstep.
“Of me personally?”
“Of your world. Your family. The power surrounding your name.”
“I would never hurt her.”
“I believe you mean that now.”
The door opened behind him.
“Julian?”
Evelyn’s voice.
