Page 88 of Do It With Me

CHAPTER 39

ELLORA

A few weeks after our success at the board meeting, the sound of laughter and bad pop music echoed through Second Story. I was officially back in my store.

Yesterday, Holden and I had moved all my stock back in, and today, we were finishing up the walls. New floors had been installed, making the whole place feel fresh and new. New light fixtures hung from the ceiling and the walls. It was like new life had been breathed into the space and it was gorgeous.

A fresh coat of paint on the walls had been exactly what the doctor had ordered to complete the store’s glow-up, but instead of having Holden’s team do it, I’d wanted to do it ourselves. The teams had plenty to keep them busy and I didn’t want to risk them painting over the one sunshine yellow wall my mom had painted herself. That wall would remain exactly as it was for as long as I could swing it.

Besides, I’d thought it would be fun for Holden and me to do the painting, but I hadn’t realized that he somehow didn’t seem to have painted anything himself since kindergarten. I had paint in my hair, paint on my shirt, and even paint on my elbows.

I had no idea how that had happened, but I also really didn’t care. All around me, my dream was coming to life and a few smatterings of paint wouldn’t change how completely thrilled I was that I would be getting to reopen soon.

Holden stood on a ladder beside me, smirking as he looked down into my eyes. “My paint lines are totally straighter than yours. What are you even doing, questioning whether I can remember how to paint? Obviously, I do. I’m great at this.”

I laughed. “I love you, but you literally painted over the tape.”

“It’s called creative freedom,” he said with a grin that was way too smug for a man with a blue streak across his cheek. “Look it up. It’s in the dictionary right next to most awesome boyfriend who has ever lived.”

“Uh-huh,” I said, dipping my brush into the tray and flicking a little paint in his direction.

A perfect blue dot landed right on the collar of his very not-paint-appropriate white T-shirt. He stared at it, then at me, those blue eyes filling with amused indignation. “You just assaulted a billionaire.”

“Please. You’re barely a billionaire after paying off all those demolition crews.”

He laughed and climbed down from the ladder, coming up behind me. “Do you think that scares me?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice coming out a little breathless when his arms slid around my waist, strong and warm. My pulse skyrocketed. “Now you’ll have to actually start working hard again to recoup your losses.”

He chuckled, the muscles in his arms flexing as he pulled me closer. “I have been working. I even work two jobs, I’ll have you know.”

I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder. “Poor baby. I hope you didn’t lose too much or you might have to take up a third job and then I’ll never see you.”

He chuckled and buried his nose in my hair. “Nah. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even feel the hit.”

“Rich people problems,” I teased. “I suppose you already have a third job though, being an advisor for Second Story.”

“Hey, I love that job,” he murmured against my temple. “You know, you could’ve stayed in my class. I could’ve given you terrible grades just to keep you motivated.”

I turned my head to look at him, feeling a smile spread on my face. “Yeah, but now I get private lessons. For free. Straight from the source.”

He smirked. “You’re saying you dropped out because you’re dating the teacher?”

“Pretty much.”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “I approve of your reasoning.”

We went back to painting, falling into a comfortable rhythm. My mind wandered as we worked, drifting with the lazy strokes of my brush. As Holden and I had been rebuilding—literally and metaphorically—we’d been growing so much closer.

It had been a busy, but quiet few weeks, with us finally having the opportunity to just enjoy meals together, talking, laughing, and sometimes crying as well. There was still one thing I didn’t know, though. A question I’d been dying to ask but hadn’t had the courage to.

I glanced over at him now, watching him move the roller up and down like he was falling into a trance, his strong body flexing and releasing with the motions. A slow grin spread on his lips even though he hadn’t even looked at me. “What is it? I can practically hear you staring at me.”

“Well, I mean, you are pretty hot. I happen to like staring at you.” I chuckled, hesitating for just another moment before I finally just came out with it. “I was, uh, it’s just that there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what happened with your ex-wife? Why did you end up getting a divorce?”

Holden froze mid-stroke, the roller hovering in front of the wall. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to tell me after all, but then he let out a long breath and set the roller down on the tray.

“She didn’t want the same things I did,” he said finally, turning to face me as he raked his fingers through his hair. His gaze was a little unfocused, but at least it didn’t look like it was hurting him to talk about this. “When we first got married, we talked about kids and she said she wanted them. I believed her, but after a few years, it turned out she liked the idea of being married more than actually being married.”