Truth in Watercolors (Truth Series Book 2) (35 page)

My breath shuttered audibly, or maybe it sounded that way because my sight was compromised. Either way, he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, leading me up to wherever we were.

“We’re here,” he said releasing my hand, and I heard the sound of his keys reaching into a lock. “Don’t open until I say.”

“Got it.” I followed him into a doorway by the hand again. Memories of the last time he’d taken me, with my eyes closed, through a door swarmed me. He’d shown me something so special and important to him that day, and in a way, I felt like I’d taken it away. Even with purchasing the shop for him, which I wasn’t sure he even kept, taking that financial responsibility from him stripped away the importance of the shop for him. I wish I’d seen it this clearly then.

“Shit, let me say this first.” Wes’ voice wrapped around me, and my arms hugged my body holding onto it. “I’ve worked really hard on this since the night I went to our gallery. Oh, and Capri, baby, your paintings were epic. I’ve never seen anything like them. Well, except that they were me, but you know what I mean. I digress, I think this is perfect, but if you don’t, if for one second you think it’s awful, tell me.”

“Can I open my eyes already?” I asked growing impatient with his mumbled insecurity.

“Okay, yeah, yeah. Okay, on the count of three.” I heard his heavy footsteps move to my right. “One.” I opened my eyes.

“You cheated!” Wes shouted, but I had no reaction. My eyes and my thoughts zeroed in on the room I stood in. His shop and not just the empty shell of a shop he’d first taken me to but a completely remodeled tattoo shop. He’d kept it. I couldn’t hold back the tears of sheer relief mixed with pride if I’d tried.

“It’s gorgeous,” I whispered wiping away the blurred vision with my fingertips. The black and white tiled floored was outlined with brick walls on two sides. Solid wood half walls partitioned off the stations. They appeared to be a deep shade, with the way they reflected the lights of the room.

“You think so?” Wes asked from the spot that I’d left him when I started to walk around the room. Each workstation was fashioned from wood and metal and each carried a masculine feel. The whole space felt like an old speakeasy, encompassing a hidden charming vibe like I’d just discovered one of the city’s best secrets.

“Wes, I’ve never seen anything like it. You did all this?” I turned in a slow circle, motioning to every inch of the space around me. Even the waiting area had what appeared to be a set of old smoking chairs and framed artwork that was recognizably Wes’ lined the walls in brass frames.

“Well, I did have contractors, but I designed it and spent a lot of time working on it with them.” A smile tugged at my lips when he said that. Wes was never the kind of guy to sit back and have someone else do the work.

“It’s unreal. I’d almost get a tattoo if it meant I’d get it here,” I joked with him.

“Manager’s special for you.” He grinned, giving me his dimples, and strode over to the stations. “See, in the shop now, we have tool boxes for all our stuff, but here I had them put in these old barn wood shelves, and this one had an extra spot for Rocco’s claw.”

“The guys are going to work here?” I asked surprised they’d leave Blue’s shop.

“Oh yeah, everybody. Blue decide to
retire,”
Wes exaggerated the word, “but really the old guy is gonna work part-time from now on, and sell the shop to put the cash toward medical plans for all the guys here.”

“Holy crap. You guys are amazing.” My heart swelled with pride for Wes and for all he’d accomplished through his hard work and the sheer goodness of his heart. I couldn’t stop scanning over every square inch of the beauty in the space.

“What’s over there?” I asked pointing to an arched doorway in one of the brick walls.

“Lemme show you,” he said holding his hand out to me and biting on his lip. I nodded and put my hand back into his, where it fit perfectly. He walked me into the smaller room next to the shop.

“Wait, is that?” I asked, but I didn’t know why. I knew exactly what I was looking at. We faced another brick wall that had a giant mural painted almost transparently on the surface. The mermaid and the marlin picture Wes had carried with him all these years. I mindlessly walked directly to the wall and traced my hands following the contours of the paint. “It’s perfect,” I whispered and felt Wes close in on me from behind.

“It’s even more perfect than you realize.” He breathed into my ear sending a warm shiver down my spine. “Look around, C,” he added and stepped away.

I turned around slowly and let my eyes take in the space. “Oh, my God.” My hand flew to my mouth and tears blurred my eyes again. “Wes.” The room was a gallery. Wood panels that looked just like the partitions in the shop speckled the concrete floor.

I walked to the first sketch. My lips. They were parted with my bottom lip glistening just enough to show a reflection of Wes. I reached my hands up and brushed my fingers across my lips.

I moved to the next wall holding a painting of my eyes. They were hiding behind my lowered lashes and made me sad for the girl I was just a few months ago. The next painting brought a smile to my tear stricken face. It was simply me standing on a blank canvas smiling in a pair of old jeans, a white tee, and my Chucks. I pointed and laughed out loud at a larger painting hanging on the back wall. A smaller version of the mural we had worked on, except he’d added our faces to two of the silhouettes.

I spun around, taking in at least a dozen pieces of art, and they were all of me. A tingling sensation pumping through my veins overcame me, and I rubbed my arms with my hands turning toward him.

Wes stood back by the mermaid and the marlin wringing his hands nervously in front of him. I could see his chest heaving quickly under his white tee, and his hair was mussed from where he must have been just running his hands through it. I walked up to him and didn’t stop until our bodies were only inches apart. I looked up into his panicked eyes. “You love me,” I whispered, and his eyes closed tightly.

When they opened, they glistened back at me and he nodded, “Yeah, baby.”

“Since when?” I asked unable to take my eyes off his.

“Since you showed me what love is.” He blinked and a single tear fell from his eye. I reached my hand up and swiped the tear with my thumb then held his face in my hand. “I’m so sorry,” he said into my hand with his eyes still closed.

“I believe you, Wes, but you hurt me. You tore me apart bit by bit, piece by piece, until I felt like nothing more than a smear. No edges, no lines, just a smudge of heartbreak.” I pulled my hand from his face, but he reached up and grabbed it with his own holding it to his face again.

“Can you forgive me?” He stared so intently into my eyes; I was captured by their sincerity. My mom’s words from earlier in the night rushed to the forefront of my mind.
You forgive him regardless for yourself so you can move on to whatever direction your life goes whether it’s with him or not.

“I’m not letting you go.” He continued assuming my silence was hesitancy. “I’ve loved you my whole life, since I was a kid. I’ve stood up for you, I’ve looked up to you, and I’ve teased you all out of love. That’s all changed though because over the last few months I’ve fallen. Hard. I’ve fallen for you, Capri, and I am completely hard for you.”

My mouth fell open.

“Wait, that didn’t come out right.” He shook his head with his eyes cinched tight.

I laughed. Loudly.

“Shit.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, that’s not how it was supposed to come out,” he said disappointed in himself. It was so cute that I tried to tame my laughing. I shook my head in understanding, trying to let him know that I knew what he was trying to say and that it was okay, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Then he kissed me. Hard. And I shut up.

“Can you stop now so I can tell you this right?” he asked, and I nodded devoid of words.

“Capri Hunter, I have fallen completely in love with you. I love you, C. Can you forgive me?” He squeezed my hand that was still in his.

“I forgive you, Wes,” I said knowing that this wasn’t forgiveness to move on without him, but forgiveness to move forward with him. “And I love you so much.” I stood on my toes and leaned up to his lips. He quickly caught me in his arms and lifted me the rest of the way, pulling my toes from the ground and sending his lips colliding with mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly and quite honestly, kissed the living crap out of him.

When our kiss slowed, he lowered me to the ground where I stumbled on my footing. He took my hand again and outstretched his arm presenting the gallery. “This is yours,” he said ignoring the way my jaw fell. “If you want it. I wanted to give you a piece of the dream you gave to me and make it a dream of yours.”

“This.” I pointed to the concrete floor below me and tried to wrap my head around what he was saying.

“This.” He laughed at my shock. “I want this gallery to be yours. You can display your art, you can host other artists, you can even have some of the kids you are working with at the youth center put some of their stuff up here. Whatever you want. It’s yours. If you want it.”

“I want it,” I said immediately, and then covered my mouth in a fit of giggles. “Oh, my gosh, my own gallery.” I couldn’t stop. Wes’ own throaty chuckle mixed with my laughter and I ran back into his arms. “Thank you. I love you so much,” I whispered into his neck.

“I love you too, baby, and I’ll make sure you know it for the rest of our lives.”

“Y
ou ready to get out of here?” he whispered, kissing down my neck.

“Mmm, just a few more minutes,” I mumbled staring off into the dark ocean with Wes’ arms wrapped tightly around me from behind. “Did you just whimper?”

“Yes. I’ve been waiting all night to get you out of this dress.” He pulled my earlobe with his teeth, and then covered it with his mouth.

“I thought,” I sighed enjoying Wes’ tongue against me, “I thought it was a pretty cute dress.” After Kensie found out about me being colorblind, she completely changed her wedding colors to all white. I insisted that she stick to her original plan, but she promised this was something she’d always wanted but never had the guts to do. I told her that I’d happily be her excuse.

“It’s so far from cute,” Wes mumbled into my neck while tugging me in close enough the feel the bulge in his pants press against me. “It’s the sexiest piece of clothing I’ve ever seen you wear and the bastard has been taunting me all night. I can’t wait to rip it off your body and show it who’s in charge here.”

I giggled and turned around in Wes’ arms wrapping my arms around his neck. “It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?” I asked tickling my fingers through his hair and over the back of his neck.

“So pretty,” he groaned and licked my lips. I allowed him in, briefly sucking on his tongue before pulling away.

“The lantern was something,” I whispered looking up at him, and his eyes softened in the moonlight. He reached up and tucked a piece of my wavy hair behind my ear.

“It was,” he said and kissed me on the tip of my nose. Kensie and August got married on one of the cliffs at Sunset Cliffs. The ceremony was simple with only thirty people in attendance. We all stood together on the cliff as Kensie and August read each other their vows. With the ocean roaring behind them, it was impossible to hear what they’d said to one another, but the way they stood forehead to forehead eyes closed, and hands held tightly together, I was sure whatever words were spoken came from the deepest parts of their hearts.

After the ceremony, the party moved to one of the houses just above the cliffs where Kensie had a relaxed atmosphere set up with an open bar and small dance floor that all looked out over the water. She had changed out of her lace mermaid wedding gown and into a white cocktail dress so she could dance comfortably. Although, it looked difficult for her to get much dancing in with August glued to her side and attached to her lips.

As the night came to an end, she invited our family and closest friends out to the beach for a surprise. She had a special Chinese lantern made with recreations of Ella’s pictures, and we all stood together on the beach as we watched August send it up into the night sky. As the rest of the family made their way up to the house and to their cars, I’d asked Wes to take a walk with me down the beach. Not for any other reason than that I just wanted to enjoy the quiet with him for a little while before we left.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I said standing on my tiptoes to give him a hug, but he was quicker in his movement and squatted down to scoop me up. “Let me go.” I giggled as he carried me up the beach peppering my skin with kisses.

“Never.” He grunted and trudged up the sandy stairs with me then set me down on the top. “Never, C.” He held my face in his hands and looked at me.

“Good.” I smiled and kissed his lips but pulled away quickly when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. “What is that?” I asked pointing the monstrosity attached to the back of Wes’ car.

“A U-Haul.”

“I know that. Why do you have a U-Haul on your car?” I folded my arms across my chest.