Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“Look, I didn’t follow the lines. I’m sorry.” Her lip is wobbly. No way will I let her cry.
“The best part about art is that it doesn’t have to be perfect either way. If you want to play around with it, you can, or you can leave it be. It’s perfect regardless.” The part she’s talking about is so minute that she could cover it with a fanning motion of her brush, and nobody would be the wiser.
“Oh, okay. Yeah, you’re right. Thank you, Sable.” When she faceplants in my chest, burying herself there, all I can do is hold her.
“You’re welcome. No tears, though, okay?” I wait until she’s ready to move from her place, hand rubbing up and down her back.
“Alright.”
“You know she’s perfect, and if you do anything to ruin this, not only will Nellie be upset with you, but so will I, so will Mom and Dad, and I’m thinking half the town will, too. Specifically Ronnie and Jude. I ran into them the other day, and they told me they’re attempting to commission a piece from Sable. The kicker is, she won’t do more than one piece at a time, and I know how much the historical society is paying her. She’s well sought after, too.” I hear Kara sing my praises. If only she knew how much Colt and Nellie mean to me already, she wouldn’t have to worry about him screwing up. I’ve been worried more that I will, but Colt saying those three words set my mind at ease.
“She is perfect. I’m not letting her go. She’s mine, and she’s Nellie’s, too. It all feels right, every single part.”
“Just checking, big brother, just checking.” Nellie moves back out of my chest without a frown in sight.
“I’m going back to work now.” I nod and give her a smile, and she turns back to the mural.
By the time I make it back to Colt, he’s standing by the tree, waiting for me, and Kara is long gone. She loves to come and go, or at least that’s what she’s been doing the past week I’ve been working here. Much like the rest of the townspeople. They’ll stop and watch for a few minutes, ask if I need anything, and then move along to repeat the process the next day.
“I love you, Colt. I also love your little girl. I know I will never replace her mom, and I don’t want to. But I’d love to add to her life in any capacity she’ll have me.” My hands slide up his chest, feeling the steady heartbeat beneath my palm.
“Fuck, Sable. You’re so damn perfect. She wants you, and I want you. We all do.” It doesn’t matter that we're out in public, that Nellie is painting a few feet away. From the very beginning, he hasn’t hidden how he feels about me, laying it out on the line when he has so much to lose in terms of Nellie.
“It’s a good thing I want you and her, too. All of you as well.” I blink away the wetness gathering at the corners of my eyes. Colt cups my cheeks, thumbs sweeping over my skin. His calloused hands are a walking contradiction to the smoothness of mine. The feeling is indescribable. And when his lips finally land on mine, every sensation pulses through my blood, and I never want it to end.
Epilogue
SABLE
ONE YEAR LATER
“Did you make a wish?” I ask after Nellie blows out the candle on her cupcake. We’re at the cemetery for her birthday and her mom’s celebration of life. I’ve now been included in this momentous occasion, even though I’ve never once asked to join them. When the time came, Nellie grabbed my hand without saying a word, led me to Colt, and we loaded up together in his truck. The day was Mother’s Day, and she changed the flowers like she usually does and had a moment alone with Brooke.
I held Colt’s hand, wanting to be there with her the entire time, especially when she brushed a tear off her cheek. He held me back, telling me the same thing Kara told him. ‘You have to let her feel all the feelings—grief, sadness, happiness. She needs this. And while all we want to do is protect her from anything and everything, we also have to let her work this out.’ Colt also mentioned that after her last birthday, he almost put a stop to her visiting Brooke but thought better of it after the talk with Kara.
“I always make a wish. You never know when it’s going to come true.” Colt and I are sitting on either side of her, holding each other’s hands. He gives me a squeeze of encouragement to keep the conversation flowing.
“I do, too, every single year.”
“Me too. Daddy doesn’t know this, but last year, I hoped for someone like you.” The air leaves my lungs. Breathing is hard to come by right now, and tears instantly slide down my cheeks. I think of Nellie as my own, as a daughter in every sense of the word. I include her in everything I can, like talking on the phone with Rafe via video call or when it’s a normal call. When it comes to taking her to school or picking her up, she gets the choice on who takes her. Nine times out of ten, it’s me. We walk to and from, and Nellie keeps the conversation going non-stop. She talks about the weather, the upcoming holidays, and what she wants to paint next.