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“I’d do anything for you,” he whispered, pressing his lips against her neck “You know that, don’t you?”

“I do” She turned and kissed him earnestly

When they broke apart, she smiled “You’ll have your birthday e’re in Italy Hoould you like to celebrate it?”

“With you In bed For a couple of days” He spread his ar the skin around her navel

“Would you like to invite people to join us in Umbria? They could come with us to the exhibition in Florence”

“No, I want you all to e for your birthday”

Julia placed her hand over his, stopping hisdeal about ht ere past that”

“We’ll be busy in September”

“Twenty-five is a milestone birthday”

“So is thirty-five”

“My milestones are only important because of you Without you, they’d be empty days”

Julia buried her face in his chest “Do you have to be so sweet?”

“Since I’ve eaten sour for most of my life, yes” With his mouth, he explored the curve of her neck and the soap-slicked skin of her shoulders

“Then I guess we’re having a party in September We should celebrate Labor Day weekend” She kissed his pectorals before facing forward once again “What did Richard say when you spoke to hiht?”

“He’d like to move back, but he doesn’t want to buy the house I think he was counting on theit You don’t care, do you?”

“Not at all I’d rather he lived here But he feels badly about taking advantage of the renovations”

“Now he can enjoy them The only problem is what to do with the furniture There’s no rooive it to Tos have seen better days” The Professor sounded pri to lie, Julianne Your father is not my favorite person But since you are” He kissed her

“Richard has things he bought with Grace that he doesn’t want to part with, and there’s soe We’ll have to move the new furniture out to make room We could offer it to Rachel, if you’d rather”

“I think it would be nice to offer it tohtened his arood to row old with”

“I hate to break it to you, darling, but your father is already growing old We all are”

“You knohat I s around his waist

“Lucky for you, I’ht I believe this is a room we haven’t christened—yet”