AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“See you soon,” I holler as I grab my shovel and toss it in the job trailer. Then, I’m in the hot truck cab and heading toward the sitter’s place for my son. It’ll be a short night with Kate, but that’s okay. She has plans and I’ll need to get Max home, bathed, and in bed for school tomorrow. But at least I have something to look forward to this weekend.
Essentially, some much-needed alone time with my Kate.
* * *
“Do you want to check out the library before the pizza gets here?” Kate asks as I get Max situated with some cartoons in the family room.
“Yeah,” he replies, glancing toward his son. “Hey, Max, Kate and I are going to be down the hallway in the library. Holler if you need us, okay?”
“’Kay!” he replies, not once taking his eyes off the cartoon dogs on the large screen.
As we exit the large, comfortable TV room, I reach for her hand, reveling in the feel of her skin against mine. We’re down the hall in just a few seconds, and before she has the opportunity to open the closed door, I pull her against my body and press my lips to hers. This kiss is gentler than the one earlier in the backyard. With my son just a handful of feet away and the knowledge we can’t do any more than just kiss, I don’t want to get either one of us worked up in a frenzy. It’s bad enough I can only indulge in stolen kisses and tender touches, so the last thing I need is to sport a hard-on the entire night because I can’t keep my hands and my tongue to myself.
“Hi,” she whispers, the feeling of her smile against my lips already doing things below the belt.
“Hi.”
“Well, come on. We can’t stand out here all night and make out like teenagers.”
“Well, we could, but Max will eventually come looking for us when he gets hungry,” I tell her, reaching for the doorknob.
Our hands are still locked as I slowly push open the door. The room is bathed in light, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows that face the backyard. They are a special glass that allows you to see out, but not in. It’s dusty in here, thanks to more than a decade’s worth of dormant house, and the first thing Kate does when she steps in is sneeze.
“I’ve got to get this room cleaned out. It’s horrible in here,” she says. “That’s my plan for this weekend. I’m going to sort through my dad’s desk and find out from the attorney what needs to be saved, if anything. Some of the old books I want to keep, but honestly, I have a ton of my own books I’d love to bring in here and fill the shelves with. I’ll keep some of his favorites, but I’ve already talked to the used bookstore in town, and they’ve agreed to take them for me.”
“Max and I can help, if you need it,” I offer, hoping like hell she agrees. “He’s going to Mom’s in the afternoon on Saturday, but I’ll have him back in the morning on Sunday.”
“I’d love your help,” she agrees, a warm smile on her lips. “Maybe instead of dinner out, we can just order in and hang out here,” she offers.
“I think that can be arranged,” I say, slowly making my way toward the easel by the window. I can already see the painting perched upon it, even though it’s quite dirty from years of sitting. My heart starts to pound in my chest as I approach, my mind reeling at the image she created. I run my finger across it, knocking off a little dust and grime.
“That’s us,” she whispers beside me. I didn’t even hear her approach.
“It’s amazing,” I tell her, taking in the gorgeous scenery of the ocean and the backyard before the recent re-landscape, as well as the young couple standing on the shore. “I remember that night,” I whisper, taking in the way our arms are entwined and our bodies pressed together. It was the night I told her I was going to marry her. No, it wasn’t a proposal, but it was a declaration.
A promise.
One I never got to fulfill.
Kate swipes at a bit of dust gathered along the top, her eyes pinned to the canvas. “I was planning to give it to you,” she says with a shrug and it feels like my heart is starting to break open. “I started it that night after you left and worked until the wee hours in the morning. Your birthday was coming up. You’d always wanted one of my paintings,” she adds.
“But you never thought they were good enough,” I finish for her, remembering how she never saw the talent the way the rest of us did. I blamed her mother for that. She wasn’t supportive of Kate’s talents, always considering them a pesky hobby she’d grow out of. Annabelle Elliott was always more concerned with appearances than what could benefit her own daughter. She’s a piece of work, that’s for sure.
She gives me a sheepish grin and glances at the half complete painting in front of us.
“I still want this one,” I tell her.
“But it’s not finished.”
“So finish it,” I suggest, reaching around her hip and pulling her into my side.
“I haven’t painted since that night,” she reiterates, reminding me of an earlier conversation about why she stopped painting.
“Well, then I think it’s time to grab a brush, Butterfly. Choose your own destiny,” I add. I don’t know why I said that last part, but it felt right, like it might be something she needed to hear.
Again, she grins up at me and then back to the artwork. “I’m not sure I’m any good anymore.”
I blow an exasperated breath. “Are you kidding? I’m sure it’s just like riding a bike.”
