I knocked on the door and waited, somewhat, impatiently until the door swung open. "Excuse me? Can I help you with something?" In front of me stood a beautiful brunette, carrying a baby girl on her arm. For a girl to open the door at a place that's not hers, must mean she's quite comfortable there and familiar with the homeowner. For a second, a wave of jealousy washed over me. But then realized something. If only I would have paid a little more attention to what was happening around me rather than to business only, and then remember things that were said to me, I would have known immediately that this was Julian's sister. Besides, that, the evidence was clear. This woman was a spitting image of her brother. They had the same eyes, the same nose, and even the same mouth, although her lips were a bit fuller.

I smiled at her and offered my hand for her to shake. "You must be Hannah. It's nice to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you from Julian. I'm Lucy." Hannah stood there and gave me a quizzical look. It was now that I noticed that I may have been a little overdressed for a house visit where I knew would be kids. "I just came from a meeting and didn't have time to change my outfit. Didn't Julian tell you I was coming over?"

Hannah opened the door a bit further. "He didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, I don't think he knew you were coming after all. He just went out to help my husband out at the bar for a bit. But please, do come in. I think he'll be back in about half an hour. Can I get you anything to drink?"

I felt slightly disappointed, but I couldn't blame him for going his own way when I supposedly wasn't showing up. "It's okay. I can wait. I'd love a cup of tea or just some water." Hanna smiled and already made her way over to the kitchen. "It's okay. I can get it myself. Besides, you seem to have your hands full as it is already." I looked at the little bundle of joy in her arms. "She's beautiful. How have you been since giving birth? I can only imagine how tired you must be with not only a baby but with her brother as well." This earned a smile from Hannah and she gladly sat down.

"It's okay. I'm not going to lie to you, it's tiring like hell. But it's absolutely worth it. They are worth it." She looked at her children and there was no other emotion in her eyes than love. I focused my attention back on filling the two cups with hot water. "Have you ever considered children?" Her question surprised me and made me lose focus on my task. Instead of pouring the water into the all over my hand. "Ouch!" I quickly set the water boiler down and opened the cold water tap and put my hand under it.

Hannah, seemingly oblivious to what just happened, was still waiting for me to answer. "I like the idea of becoming a mom someday. But I don't know. I never gave it much thought as it never seemed like the right time to think about it. I was either swamped with work or there was no one to have a child with." I looked over at her to read her first reaction from her face. But that was of no use. She was as unreadable to me as her brother is. "Does that make any sense?"

"Of course it makes sense. I think that's something all women experience. I mean, I think it's every parents' wish for their children to grow up in a safe and stable environment. Ideally with both a mom and a dad. So I get where you're coming from." The little girl in her arms started to fuss a little. "Can you heat a bottle for her? There's one in the fridge."

I closed off the cold water tap and carefully dried off my hand. Then I got a bottle from the fridge and put it in the microwave for 90 seconds. That should suffice. While the bottle was heating up, I went back to my task of making Hannah and me some tea.

"Do you think you can see a future with my brother? Please, be honest. I can see you're a good girl and that you have good intentions. But do you really think he can fit in your life?" She rocked the baby in her arms. "Don't get me wrong, but it seems like your work is your baby. I mean, you rushed over here from a meeting that you prioritized over coming here to meet your man's sister. And I get it, you're trying to save your family business and that takes time. But what after the company is saved and everything is going smoothly again? Will you be able to set different priorities?"

Her direct questions should've made me feel uncomfortable. But the thing was, I totally understood where she was coming from. Heck, if this was my brother I would have done the same thing, if not worse. So I put on a smile on my face because I had no reason not to. "I will. Because this never should have been my life. It isn't the life I dreamt of when I was a little girl, or even later on."

Hannah looked at me quizzically and just as I was about to elaborate my answer, the microwave beeped, signaling that the bottle was heated. I took it out and brought it over to Hannah while carrying two mugs of tea. I sat down next to her and took a deep breath. "I was forced into the position of the business. It never should have been mine in the first place. My brother was set on this position and he would've got it if he hadn't been in an accident that took four years of his life. He has been in a coma. He woke up about two months ago."

A look of sympathy was showing on Hannah's face. A look that I've grown accustomed to over the years. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How's your brother doing?"

Only the thought of my brother brought a smile to my face. "He's doing well, considering. My brother is just so stubborn, he gets that from our dad. He keeps pushing himself to get better and it seems like physical therapy is his new religion. We have now split responsibilities over the company. And I hope, in due time, that he can take over the heavy lifting. It's too late for me to achieve all the dreams I had, but there are plenty left that I can achieve." I looked over at Hannah to see if I could sense if I've given the right answer in her books, but her face remained blank. She just sat there, feeding the baby. It's annoying how much she and her brother are alike when it comes to this. "So to answer your question, I can't wait for the day that I can afford it to reset my priorities."

Finally, Hannah gave me an approving smile. "That's good to hear. I can't deny that I was worried."

"Worried? Why?"

"It's just... He's my brother. It's my job to look out for him. Especially him. You see, my brother doesn't fall in love fast. But when he falls, boy, he falls hard. I just don't want to see him hurt, again." The sad look in Hannah's eyes concerned me.

"Again? Hannah, what happened to him that made him so cautious?"

Hannah shook her head. "It isn't really my story to tell, Lucy. I'm sorry. All I can ask you is not to break his heart."

Her comment didn't sit well with me. She thought I was going to break his heart? Okay, my track record isn't that great when it comes to the subject of honesty, but I thought Julian and I hashed that out. "It's not my intention to hurt him or break his heart." Apparently, I had been so lost in my thoughts that I missed the apartment door opening and closing.

"That's good to know," Julian said before he walked up to me and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I'm sorry I missed your message and wasn't here. I hope Hannah kept it nice and not awkward while you were here."

He walked in so happy, so oblivious to that little bomb his sister dropped only seconds before he walked in. The atmosphere in the room had turned awkward, something that hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Okay, you two are way too quiet for my sake. What happened? Did you fight?" If the vibe hadn't been this weird I would've laughed. Hannah and I fighting wasn't something I could imagine. I thought we got it on well.

It was Hannah who broke the lingering silence. "I think we should go." She turned to address Nick. "Come on, baby. Go get your coat. We're heading home". Nick totters to the coat rack where his coat is. She then turned back to us. "I think it's time you two talk."

I stood up to say goodbye to Hannah and immediately she pulled me in a hug. "Don't let him off the hook. It's time he tells you why he has his walls up. You're good for him." She whispered in my ear before she let go of me, pressed a kiss on Julian's cheek, and put the baby in the pram. "Say bye-bye to uncle Julian."

Nick ran up to Julian and gave him a big hug. "Bye-bye uncle Julian." He said and then gave me one final wave before Hannah took his head and lead him out of the apartment.

"So, according to my sister, we need to talk. What was that about?"

The cheerful vibe Julian walked in with, now made room for a worried one. What happened to spending some time with the guy I'm falling in love with after a long day of work?

I walked up to him. "It's nothing. At least nothing we have to talk about tonight. Because tonight, I just want to enjoy your company." I whispered in his ear, wrapping my arms around his neck.

A grin spread on his face. "Oh, do you now? Do you have anything in mind?"

"Surprise me."

"Trust me. I will." And with that his lips were on mine, kissing me deep and willingly.