“Nate, you need to be selling these.”
He grins, lopsided, and shakes his head. “Na, they’re worthle—”
“Stop! They’re so good. Stop putting yourself down and take a compliment, will you? Nate, these are incredible. Definitely good enough to be sold. You should open the gallery to the public.”
“Music takes up too much of my time. I couldn’t put my soul into a gallery, not like I’d like anyway.”
“Then have someone else run it… you paint, they sell. That would work best for when you’re touring and stuff, too.”
He purses his lips, looking around the open expanse. “Youreallythink I could sell these?”
“Nate, Iknowyou can. You asked me to trust you, so please trust me in this.You’re. Good. Enough!”
He exhales and nods, swallowing hard.
“Nate!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll look into it.”
“Promise?”
He pulls me in for a hug. “Promise…”
“I’m really super impressed, Nate. I’m in awe of you right now.”
He smiles so wide as I look up at him. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this all means to me.”
“I think I do. But these shouldn’t be hiding away in a dingy back alley. They need to be out there for the world to see.”
“You have so much faith in me.”
Smiling, I caress his cheek. “I see your potential, Nate.”
His smile is soft and warm, and then he leans down, placing a quick kiss on my lips before he pulls back, looking past me. I turn to see him looking at a doorway. “I wanna show you something I’ve been working on, but I don’t wanna freak you out.”
I raise my eyebrow in curiosity and chuckle. “Well, now I really do have to see it.”
He inhales and nods, takes my hand, and walks me over to the door. After opening it and walking me through, we step into a studio where paints and empty canvases line the walls. The cloth-covered canvas on an easel catches my attention, piquing my interest immediately.
Nate walks me over to the easel and stops, taking a deep breath. “Okay, so I did this for you, but I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”
“Nate, just show me.”
He pulls off the sheet, revealing a canvas with a dove, the same dove he always draws for me. However, this dove is inmuch finer detail. Behind it, the background bursts with vibrant colors—soft blues, pinks, and golden hues— blending to create a highlight around the dove’s form. The colors swirl as if the dove is floating in a world of light and color.
I can’t help the gasp as it escapes my throat, and my hand shoots to my mouth in utter shock.
I’m amazed, shocked, overwhelmed, and tears well in my eyes.
It’s stunningly beautiful.
It’s perfect, and I love every stroke he’s put into it.
“Your eyes are welling up…shit, Ria. I didn’t want to upset you.”
With my hands, I reach out, grab his, and look into his eyes as fat tears roll down my cheeks. “No, you have it all wrong, Nate. I love it so, so much. I have no words. It’s perfect.” I pull him to me in a tight embrace, and he seems genuinely startled by my confession because he’s delayed in hugging me back.
“Really? Youreallylike it?”
