“For you? Of course,” I agree easily.
“I can’t wait to see that,” Ace pipes up. “We have to make a night of it and there must be popcorn.”
Rian giggles, but a few more brothers agree and they’re not just shining her on. They love her, I can feel it in the room, and they would do anything for her.
“Will you dance with me?”
She’s looking up at me with the same whiskey-colored eyes I have never been able to say no to. Not trusting my voice, I nod and she kisses me on the cheek before skipping back to the present she hasn’t finished opening.
“I love you, Tiny Dancer,” Everton husks against my temple. “I love how you love our girl. Everyone here loves her, but you’ve given her something we couldn’t—a mom.”
Fear engulfs my heart for a split second, and I forget how to breathe. But then something amazing happens. Love refuses to be forgotten and every bit of it that I have for Rian fights back. And wins.
I let out a slow breath. No panic. No fear.
“It’s an honor,” I whisper.
“Oh,” Rian blinks down at the canvas she’s uncovered. It’s a cropped shot of a photo I took when she was dancing. Her feet aren’t perfect, but there’s something there. Something unpracticed but determined. Her eyebrows pull together and she looks up at me with uncertainty. “Is this me?”
I nod and swallow past the lump in my throat. “I took it when we were dancing together,” I tell her. “The next one is the whole picture, that one is for you dad.”
Rian lifts the canvas and hugs it against her chest like it’s cherished and I can’t help but smile. A smile takes over her face as she looks down at the second canvas. When she holds it up for Everton to see, his breathing turns ragged.
I’m spun before I even know what is happening. Everton kisses me like he’s just breached the surface after almost drowning.
The sound of his brothers hooting and hollering has me tensing, not that my man lets me get away with it. His hands slide into my hair, and he holds me in place.
When I hear Rian’s giggles over everything else, I let myself completely melt into the kiss. Even when he pulls back, he doesn’t go far. His forehead rests against mine as his eyes study me closely.
“You took that picture of our girl?” When I nod, he murmurs, “You’re amazing, Brielle.”
I feel the change in the room before I register the sound of a woman approaching in heels. When I turn, I see a blonde woman who is botoxed within an inch of her life and covered in designer brands. Her eyes sweep over Rian, and I swear her lip curls up in disgust.
My spine straightens and the only thing that stops me from slapping this bitch is the way Everton tucks me into his side. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed and the woman turns her attention toward me.
She looks at me like I’m gum she just stepped on and is too important to even deal with. When her eyes land on my man though everything changes. Her entire being softens as she puts on an act of innocence and poise, as if he wouldn’t have noticedher before her mask was in place. As if she didn’t already sneer at his daughter.
“Shania,” Everton’s tone is glacial and I stiffen next to him, “what are you doing here?”
This is Rian’s mom? This woman who looks at her daughter with disdain?
When I look at Rian, her face is tilted down and it’s as if someone flipped a switch inside of her and the light turned off. I hated the woman in front of me already, but now I’m enraged. I won’t let anyone make my girl feel badly about any fucking thing.
My spine turns into steel.
The temperature in the room has dropped and I don’t have to look around to know everyone is glaring at Shania like she doesn’t belong here. Because she doesn’t.
“What do you mean?” Shania bats her eyelashes at Everton like she’s about to take fucking flight with her fake lashes. “It’s my daughter’s birthday. Where else would I be?”
Everton’s body is strung tight and I can feel the second he snaps. His fingers tighten their hold on me, his touch an apology before it’s even required. He kisses my temple and then steps closer to Shania. The idiot actually titters like she’s getting everything she’s ever wanted.
All I can do is roll my eyes at how ridiculous she is.
When my man grips Shania’s arm, he’s not gentle about it. He hauls her toward a hallway. I don’t know where he’s taking her since I didn’t get a full tour of this level of Elysium. Before I move to follow them, unwilling to let this bitch be alone with my man, I meet Ace’s eyes and then flick my gaze toward Rian.
He puffs up his chest slightly and gives a nod.
As I follow behind Everton, I hear Ace’s voice behind me, “Show me that photo, Little Dancer. Oh, it’s good. I think I’ll need to ask Brielle for a copy for myself.”
