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That embrace we shared in front of my apartment gave me a rush of feelings. It felt good. I would go as far as to say it felt right. But at the same time, my heart rejected the affection because it was too soon. I hadn’t healed yet. I still needed more time.
I was in the gallery when my family surprised me. Conway and Sapphire stopped by, along with Carmen.
“Wow, it looks so nice in here,” Sapphire said. “You’ve got paintings on every wall, and they’re all new.”
“I make a few paintings every week to keep the walls stocked,” I said. “I’ve actually been selling paintings pretty consistently. I started an email list, so old clients come back and buy new paintings. I just ship them out.”
“That’s awesome,” Conway said. “It sounds like your gallery is a success.”
“Yeah, it is.” Thanks to one special person who made all of this possible. My father could have done the same for me, but I never would have accepted it. He’d done so much for me already. “How was the honeymoon?”
“Beautiful,” Sapphire said with excitement. “I loved it there. We were right by the harbor with all the ships…and the food…I could go on and on about the food.”
“Pregnancy will do that to you,” Carmen said. “I can’t wait to be pregnant.”
“You hardly eat as it is,” I countered.
“But when you’re pregnant, you can get away with it,” Carmen said. “And people think it’s cute.”
“I think my wife is cute no matter what she does,” Conway said, his eyes on Sapphire.
Carmen and I both made a disgusted face.
Sapphire beamed brighter than before.
“Anyway,” I said. “Did you guys just stop by? Or did you want to get lunch?”
“Yes,” Carmen said. “You have an hour to spare?”
“Of course,” I said. “The shop can close for an hour.”
We left the gallery and walked up the road.
“Maybe you should hire someone,” Conway suggested. “Someone who can run the gallery while you aren’t there. You could spend that time painting.”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ve only been in business for a few months, so I wanted it just to be me for a while. But pretty soon, I may need the help. So, where did you want to go?”
“How about that bakery over here?” Carmen said. “They’ve got good sandwiches.”
There was a slight hint of anxiety in my chest since that was Antonio’s favorite place. I didn’t want to run into him, not when my family was in tow.
“Let’s go,” Sapphire said. “I could go for a turkey sandwich and a decaf.”
“Whatever my muse wants,” Conway said, not really caring.
Looked like I was outnumbered even if I wanted to make a protest. “Sounds good to me.” We walked inside and ordered, and of course, my billionaire brother had to be the big shot and pay the bill.
We sat at a table near the window with our coffees and lunch and talked about the wedding and the honeymoon. My brother seemed happy with Sapphire, even happier than he was before. He was different before she came along, a lot quieter and brooding. All he cared about was money, success, and booze. But once the jewel of his life came along, his priorities changed. He showed a more vulnerable side that I liked to see. Even if I hadn’t liked Sapphire personally, I would love her because she made my brother better. But fortunately, she was an awesome sister to have.
“What’s new with you?” Sapphire asked me. “Besides the gallery.”
All three of them looked at me, wanting me to talk about Antonio. They all knew about him because my father couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut. “Nothing, really. I sold a few paintings this week. It’s been a pretty hot summer, so I’ve been eating a lot of gelato.”
They all wore a look of annoyance, wanting me to discuss the elephant in the room.
But I refused to mention Antonio, not when he was just a friend and nothing more. I drank my coffee and kept my eyes on my food.
Conway stared at me but didn’t press me on it.
Carmen practically exploded because she’d been holding her breath for so long. “What about Antonio? Have you seen him since?”
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up, Carmen.”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “We’re all thinking about him, so you might as well spill it.”
“There’s nothing to say,” I said. “He’s just my friend.”
“Her apparently hot friend,” Carmen said to Sapphire. “If he didn’t already have a thing for her, I’d be swooping in…”
“Then swoop in,” I said. “You can have him.”
Carmen laughed sarcastically. “That would drive you crazy, and you know it. You like the guy.”
“I don’t want to talk about this, alright?” I said. “He’s just a—” I almost dropped my coffee when Antonio walked inside, dressed in jeans that hung low on his hips and a t-shirt that made his arms look incredible. His chiseled jaw was as sexy as ever, and I remembered exactly how those big arms felt wrapped around me. I remembered the heat between us when he held me close. I remembered losing my breath because the chemistry was so scorching. My body naturally hummed to life when I looked at him because I found him deeply attractive, his mind and his body.
