“What is all this?”
I swallow hard. “It’s your studio.”
Tears fill her eyes, and mine almost follow. “You built me a studio?”
“I built you a studio,” I confirm.
“You built me a studio,” she repeats, turning back around to take it all in.
I lean to the side, trying to get a glimpse at her face. “Did I get the right stuff?”
“Yes,” she answers softly. She moves to the stool beside me, takes a seat, and waves her hand at the wood. “What’re these?”
I take a step back to show her. “Easels. This one is heavy and sturdy to hold larger canvases, and I’m finishing a tabletop one and a portable one you can take outside on the patio.”
She blinks. “Patio?”
“Yes,” I reply, motioning outside the window. “It’s not finished yet.”
Blake stands and runs her fingers over the finished easel. “I don’t think I’ve ever owned one this nice.” She releases a single laugh. “I never owned a new easel. In New York, I bought a lot of things secondhand to scrimp and save.”
Words get stuck in my throat.
Blake takes measured steps to close the distance between us. She reaches for my hand, lifting it as she runs her fingers over my knuckles. “Why do you keep doing things like this?”
She peers up at me through wet lashes.
“Because I love you.”
For a second, my heartbeat stammers, causing a tidal wave of nausea to build in my stomach.
I’ve stood in burning buildings. I’ve had guns pointed at my chest.
But none of that has ever left me feeling this unsteady, waiting for her reply.
Blake smiles at me in a way I’ve never seen before.
“Good.”
My brows shoot up.
“Good?”
She drops my hand, encircling my waist with her arms. “Because I love you too.”
My heart stops, and I forget how to breathe.
Her words hit harder than any punch I’ve ever taken. Not because they hurt.
Because I don’t know what to do with something this good.
The only thing I can think is:She chose me.
CHAPTER 47
BLAKE
He built me a studio. A fully stocked dream studio.
