Page 82 of Painted Truths

As we all absorb the painting on display, several gasps are heard around the table, mine among them.

Two blonde-haired boys, almost identical but for some slight differences, are holding hands with two vastly different girls. One is raven-haired and blue-eyed, with a small smile playing around her lips as she looks at one of the blonde boys.

The other girl has hair so blonde it’s almost white, with big brown doe eyes that just look sad, and I can’t stop the wave of sorrow that washes over me. The boy to her left is smiling broadly, in total contrast to her expression.

The foursome is set amongst the glorious colours of summer, and it is, hands down, one of the most detailed, enthralling pieces of art I’ve ever seen in my life.

Silence rings like a church bell throughout the room before Cade stands, all eyes drawn to him, watching him approach Henry.

"It's perfect, brother." The two men embrace for long minutes as Layla sniffles beside me.

Reaching for her hand, I give it a reassuring squeeze. "It's beautiful."

She hiccups, squeezing me back. "It’s almost like being back there. With them—I don't know how he does it."

Nate, seated opposite, leans across upon seeing the obvious confusion on my face.

"Those two boys are Caden and his twin brother, Archer. And that's Layla in between Archer and Caden. We all grew up together, but Jesus, Henry has an eye for detail like no other."

Something finally clicks inside my head. "Henry painted that?"

The man of the hour sidles up behind my chair, dropping a kiss on the top of my stunned head as he chuckles deeply in his chest. "I'm a man of many talents, Peach."

Wiggling his eyebrows in a comically seductive manner, the whole table erupts into laughter, and though the rest of the evening is entertaining as all hell, I can't stop my mind, or my eyes, from wandering to the most beautiful artwork I've ever seen.

On the way back to our villa, I realise I never asked about the second girl.

Leaning my head against Henry’s chest in the backseat of the chauffeured car, I plant a kiss on his stubbled jawline and find his eyes with mine. “Who was the second girl in the painting?”

He sighs deeply, dropping a kiss on my upturned mouth before taking a moment to respond.

“I’m glad you didn’t ask at the meal, baby. I was unsure whether to put her in there or not, but realistically, the four of them were joined at the hip for the majority of their childhood years, so it wouldn’t have felt right to leave her out.”

He inhales heavily. “That’s Summer. She was like a sister to the boys, lived with the North family after her dad, who was a chauffeur for the family and her only living relative, died. She ran away when we were… maybe sixteen, I think. It wasn’t too long after Archer’s death, that much I do know.”

“Did she ever come back?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Tore Caden to shreds. Not so much Layla, despite what Cade thinks.”

We sit in contemplation for the last few minutes of our trip and once we get back to the villa, I find that Henry has organised for me to have a full body massage and a mani/pedi. Henry and Nate made plans earlier to meet Caden for a bit of downtime before his big day tomorrow, and after the island staff arrive to pamper me, Henry lays a massive kiss on me before leaving for Caden and Layla's place.

By the time the staff has left, I'm completely blissed out, so decide to spend the remainder of the evening relaxing in our own private hot tub. It's there that Henry finds me when he returns from his time with the boys. Earlier than anticipated, but nonetheless more than welcome.

After the most epic massage of my life, I'm still a happy puddle of a human being, so I'm entirely unprepared for his mood change.

"Do you have something you'd like to tell me, Olivia?"

I lift my head from where I've been resting it against the back of the tub. I look up at him with my brows drawn together in confusion.

Olivia? What happened to Peaches?

I may pretend not to like it, but secretly I adore it.

He is looming right above me, closer than I had thought when I'd had my eyes closed. His jaw is tight, and his eyes are glistening emerald fire right at me.

He bends to a crouch and gets right down into my face when I don't answer before spitting his words at me through gritted teeth.

"I said, do you have something to fucking tell me?"