Julissa watched Flynn's back as he strode out of the room, leaving two bank cards lying on the table. That heavy silence settled between them like a wall. Had she completely misread him? Did he really think she deserved what everyone else had, and that's why he'd handed her the money? But with his mortgage and car payments hanging over his head, why would he double down on giving her a wedding gift instead of chipping away at his debt?
As she replayed their whirlwind marriage in her mind, Julissa decided there was zero point in starting a fight over a misunderstanding. She scooped up the cards and padded into the bedroom.
Flynn was in the bathroom when she walked in. Without making a sound, she slipped the cards into the nightstand drawer, tucking them beneath a book for safekeeping. Then she settled onto the bed with her phone, scrolling through work emails.
When Flynn finally stepped out of the bathroom, freshly changed and dodging her eyes, he caught sight of Julissa curled up on the bed in her ancient, threadbare pajamas. He ran a towel over his damp hair and kept his voice level. "Didn't you buy yourself any clothes today?"
She'd barely spent a grand. What could that even get you? He figured she had only picked up stuff for the kids and left herself hanging. He couldn't wrap his head around why a young woman wouldn't want to burn through someone else's cash—especially when she'd tied the knot at twenty.
"I've already got plenty to wear, and I have a uniform for work," Julissa replied. "No need to go crazy on more clothes. The card you gave me is in the drawer. Use it if you need to pay something off. I don't have many expenses right now anyway."
Flynn's brows pulled together. He twisted around to face her. "You have a uniform for work? Hold up—you're still working?"
Julissa nodded. "Yeah, I went back today. My shift's nine-to-five, so it won't get in the way of dropping Abel and Kori off at preschool or picking them up. No worries there."
An unexpected wave of guilt hit Flynn square in the chest. Here was this young woman, pushing back on his money, pouring her energy into Kori, and even squeezing in a job during her downtime. That kind of commitment was way beyond anything he'd ever expected.
Still unsettled, Flynn threw out, "Why don't you just quit and focus on the kids?"
Julissa shook her head. "It's no big deal. The job's chill, it comes with benefits, and it doesn't eat up my whole day. I even get four days off a month."
If she quit, she'd be totally dependent on his paycheck, and the minute things went south, she'd have zero leg to stand on. In Julissa's book, a woman could let a man spend on her, but she damn well better have her own cash flow to keep things balanced.
Flynn wasn't having it. "You're really that dead set against letting your husband take care of you?"
Julissa held her ground with a firm nod. "I've got the ability to earn. Why would I lean on you?"
Her confidence in her own hustle left Flynn speechless. A dry flicker of amusement tugged at him—she actually thought her little job made her some kind of independent queen.
Scrambling for solid ground, he asked, "Aren't you beat? Working and chasing after the kids?"
Julissa let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Not at all. They're sweethearts—no drama. I drop 'em off at preschool, head to work, and they're back in the evening. You won't even let me cook, and there's a washing machine for laundry. The house stays spotless. I'm seriously not tired."
Flynn fell quiet.
The house was tidy because he'd hired someone to deliver groceries and clean during the day. If she was this stubborn about keeping her job, fine. He'd let it ride.
After drying his hair and tossing the towel aside, Flynn sank back onto the bed and laid it out. "Use the money I gave you and buy yourself some decent clothes. Those pajamas you're rocking? They need to go."
He wasn't one to mince words. If she refused to touch his money while juggling his sister, he'd end up feeling like he owed her. And Flynn Greene didn't do debts.
Julissa glanced down at her pajamas, realizing she'd been living in that same set for a solid year now. Did they smell funky or something? She took a quick sniff but caught nothing. Maybe he just hated the cutesy cartoon prints?
She remembered she had another set and scrambled up. "I'll change," she offered.
As she ducked into the bathroom to swap outfits, Flynn tracked her retreating form, leaning back against the headboard with his mind spinning. Was he seriously going to be roommates with this girl forever? She didn't want his money, and she sure as hell wasn't making moves on him. So what was her angle? Was she just into the fact that he had his life together?
That thought left Flynn more tangled than ever.
Julissa came back wearing slightly newer pajamas, this time splashed with fruit prints. The short sleeves and shorts bared her slim arms and legs. Maybe because she couldn't stand wearing a bra to bed, certain curves were more, well, noticeable—and definitely grabbing his attention.
Oblivious to anything suggestive, Julissa felt the sharp bite of the autumn night and practically dove under the covers, yanking the blankets up high. Her cheeks flushed pink as she flashed Flynn a shy smile. "Uh... let's get some sleep. It's late."
She lay down, turning her back to him.
Flynn, still propped up, stole a glance at her. The pale stretch of her neck and the sharp cut of her shoulder bones created this pull he couldn't explain. Her hair fanned out like dark, glossy seaweed.
Even with that careful distance between them on the bed, a faint, fresh scent reached him—something clean, like cut grass, teasing his senses.
It was sweet enough to freeze him for a beat, sparking a reaction he sure as hell didn't plan on. Shit, what was wrong with him?
Flynn shook off the haze, forcing himself to get a damn grip. He was a thirty-year-old man who'd never been with a woman. Feeling a stir just meant he was normal. Period.
Dead set on keeping his cool, Flynn stretched out and turned his back to Julissa.
Tonight, sleep didn't come easy for Julissa. She wasn't even sure what she was lying awake waiting for. After a long stretch of silence, when she sensed zero movement, she slowly rolled onto her side, stealing a look his way.
He was facing away, too.
People always said men were driven by pure instinct. So why the hell was he acting like such a gentleman next to her? Was it respect? Or was he just as unprepared as she was?
Maybe both. They had sprinted into this marriage, sure, but their connection was going to need time to actually grow. She wasn't ready, either.
That thought settled something inside her, and finally—finally—Julissa drifted off.
