“Oh, dear.”
“What are you going to do?” Justin asks, pulling Roxy closer to his side.
I lift my glass in a cheers motion, forcing a smile despite the lump in my throat. “Right now, I’m going to enjoy a home-cooked meal with my family and not think about it until tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Keri
I toss and turn all night long. I finally force myself to get up and go through the motions of an ordinary day. I shower and get dressed. I meticulously apply my makeup and do my hair. I make coffee. I sit at my mammoth desk and stare at the wood-paneled walls surrounding me, my mind filtering through ideas on how I can turn this space into a gallery of sorts. By sunrise, I’m fit to be tied, ready to proclaim my commitment to the man that I love.
Our call is scheduled for eight in the morning, Dan insisting we start early to make sure the Parisian team will be ready in their time zone, six hours ahead. All of these time changes are crazy. I’m just thankful we’re going to get this over with today.
Even in the early morning, the heat presses down, the latest summer wave unrelenting. Blasting the air conditioner as Idrive, I lower the sun visor, shielding my eyes from the glare. My suitcase waits in the trunk. I’m ready to move home and be with Adam. Still, I hope my need for space hasn’t hurt him. With an incredible spirit of giving, he expects nothing in return. Despite the pain he’s endured, he carries himself with humility and a gentle heart—a heart I’m not willing to break.
He’s always been that way. A man grateful for the sun, the waves, the mountains, and the natural world we live in. He enjoys a cup of hot coffee, walking his dog, a chat with a stranger, and the chance to love on whoever is around him. I can imagine him sitting at the kitchen table with Molly asleep by his feet, his tight tee accentuating his broad shoulders and the hard muscles of his arms. His hair grazing his shoulders in sexy waves. Thinking about him has me all worked up, especially today. I feel the memories of Adam Woodbury pushing at my seams, their contents threatening to burst. The sound of his baritone voice, the smell of his skin, the taste of his kiss. That look he gives me with his tawny eyes before we make love.
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter, my blood thrumming with excitement knowing we’re about to be reunited. I don’t know if it’s the field of sunflowers I passed, or the Rand McNally map I highlighted last night, or the time I took to ponder the decision that has me feeling like the wayward pieces of myself are sliding back into place. I just know I belong here in Heartsboro with Adam. I’ve found what makes me happy, and I’m ready to settle into it.
I park on the graveled driveway, surprised I’m not greeted by Molly or Adam. For a brief second, I wonder if he’s even here. But then I see his camper van parked down by the creek, chairsplaced around the center of our last fire. The front door of the house is unlocked, and I make my way in. I hesitate in the doorway of the kitchen. The surrounding air smells like him. Coffee and sunlight and the faint scent of musk.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
He looks up from his laptop, eyes shadowed but gentle. “You’re early.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” I try to smile. “Guess I thought I’d beat the traffic.”
He chuckles at my little joke. He looks tired, his hair slipping from behind his ears, his sky-blue tee wrinkled across his chest.
“What are you working on?”
He hesitates before he shifts his laptop toward me. “Before we get on this call, there’s something I want you to see… something I’d like to show you. Please, have a seat.”
I’m nervous and excited, my blood humming like a million bees under glass. “Okay.”
I get comfortable sitting across from him. He leans forward and presses a button, the computer flickering to life. Suddenly, my face fills the entire screen—not the version I’ve trained myself to show the world, but something raw and unguarded.
I blink, startled. “When did you take this?”
“In between the poses,” he says quietly. “When you stopped performing.”
My gaze lingers on the image, confusion slowly melting into awed recognition. It’s as if I am seeing myself unveiled for the first time. An honest wonder flutters in my chest. Adam is silent, reverence glimmering in his eyes, as if a single word might shatter the fragile magic between us.
Adam has taken thousands of photos of me, but none have ever caught this. My humanity, my freedom, the soft light beneath the practiced pageant smile and years of disappointment. My throat tightens. The image shimmers with truth. I’ve spent years chasing beauty other people defined through pageants, photoshoots, and brochures, always smiling the way I thought they wanted me to.
But here, through Adam’s keen eye, this is therealme. Laughter that needs no permission. The woman who doesn’t have to be perfect. Once again, I hear his poignant words:
“No matter how I feel or how the world seems, when I take my camera and pay close enough attention, I’m able to uncover the beauty hidden in plain sight through everything else going on. As hard as it is sometimes, I keep seeking the light. I’ve learned over the years that it’s always available. I just have to choose to see it.”
The refrigerator hums in the kitchen, and I can hear a noisy flock of birds flying over the house outside. We don’t say anything, and in that comfortable silence, I realize I will never need Paris to see myself. I just need Adam.
“They want me because they think I fit their idea of beauty,” I whisper. “But you”—I look right at him, my voice trembling with clarity—“you are the magic behind the image. You shone your light on me.”
Adam’s phone alarm goes off, indicating that our meeting will start in a few minutes. We both stare at it vibrating on the table. It feels like it belongs to someone else.
“I thought Paris was my dream,” I say, each word steadying me. “But it was never really mine to begin with. It wouldn’t have happened without you. I want to thank you for capturing me as a real person, not an image. I don’t want to live a life that only looks beautiful from a distance. I want one thatfeelsbeautiful up close.”
Adam stands, and I follow his lead. He takes a step closer but doesn’t touch me. The air between us is charged with love and electricity.
