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He wanted to kiss her, right there in front of everyone but he held back. It hit him, right then, that he was truly in love with her. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t planning on staying in Seaport, he’d follow her. Somehow, he’d make it work.
Kiel pulled the black velvet box from his pocket and held it in his hand. “I have something for you.”
Eloise gasped and covered her mouth. He realized that she might suspect something else was nestled in the velvet and opened the box quickly. “I saw this at the store and knew it was perfect for you.”
She touched the silver palette. “It’s beautiful.”
“You don’t have to wear it, if you don’t want to.”
“I do,” she said as she turned. He took it from the cushion and then clasped the necklace around her neck. She turned and then stepped forward. “I think you should kiss me.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded and closed the distance. “For sure.”
He wasn’t one for letting people down. Kiel bent forward and pressed his lips to hers. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
Kiel brushed his fingers along her cheek. He had so much to tell her, but that could wait. “Why don’t you tell me about your work?”
Eloise's smile beamed. “Gladly.” She clutched his hand and brought him toward her work. “This one I call Secret Admirer. It was when I knew I would submit something from our time together to my aunt. I didn’t know she would turn her showcase into what it is now.”
The painting was of Kiel looking toward the boardwalk. He was shirtless and water covered his feet. He remembered the moment clearly, he had looked back to see if she was there, and she was.
They stepped over to another and he couldn’t help but smile. “Our first date,” he said to her, and she nodded. On the canvas, he stood there with Ida’s Lemonade in his hands.
“This is First Kiss.” Eloise had painted them sitting on the beach with fireworks in the background. Even though there had been many people on the beach that night, she had made it all about the first moment they shared.
Kiel glanced down and then leaned toward her. “The first of many more to come.” Eloise blushed.
Eloise took him to the back wall, where a series of paintings hung. “This is The Love in Sunsets.” Kiel stopped counting the paintings after he reached ten. Each one depicted him or his family. And Kiel and Eloise, with the sun setting. Each painting captured a different, memorable moment of their summer vacation.
“And finally,” she said when she took him around to the one in the center where his parents stood. “I don’t have a title for this one because nothing seems to fit.”
“This is the most breathtaking painting I have ever seen,” Leona said. They stared at the canvas of an older woman and young man, holding hands. Kiel knew it was him and his mom. In the background was a younger woman, cradling a newborn in a blue blanket. It was the cycle of life, as Kiel and Leona knew it.
“Did you paint this?” Leona asked, breaking the silence.
“I did,” Eloise said proudly.
“My God, child, you are talented.”
Eloise blushed, and Kiel beamed proudly.
“Thank you, Leona.”
“Emmett, would you look at the details?” Emmett and Leona became lost in the artwork.
Eloise took Kiel’s hand and showed him the rest of the paintings. Each one with its own unique story.
Emmett approached and handed Eloise her credit card. “I’d like to buy the painting of Kiel and his mother.”
Eloise shook her head. “You can have it.”
“Yes, after I pay for it.”
Kiel groaned. Knowing them both, they would probably go back and forth. He took the card out of his dad’s hand and marched right up to Margaux who was busy chatting with his sisters. “My dad wants the one in the middle, of my mom and I. Eloise says he doesn’t have to pay, but he is insistent.”
