Page 273 of If You Give an Artist a Killer Muse

Briar gives me a radiant smile despite looking tired. “It went perfectly, angel.” She squeezes my hand and kisses me softly. She places a hand over my chest and smiles, “You have a new heart, Rurik.”

I glance down to see the plaster covering my chest and gently touch it. “It’s weird to think I’m using someone else’s heart. Who do you think it belonged to?”

“I don’t know, but I wish I could thank them for giving you another shot at life with me,” Briar says, kissing the plaster gently. She pulls away and sighs, her hand on my face as she strokes my cheek with her thumb. “I prayed for you to come back. I waited out there for hours, not knowing what was happening. My own heart kept pounding every hour you were in the surgery room, and I felt like I was going insane.”

I take her hand and kiss her fingers. “I’m here now, Briar. I’ll never leave you.”

“I know that now,” She whispers with a small smile. “Thank you for coming back to me, Rurik.” She teases, “I should also thank whoever your guardian angel is because they’ve been looking out for you.”

I shrug. “That, or this whole time, you were sent my way to watch over me instead.” I grin when her cheeks turn pink. “I think it’s you who’s my angel, baby. Which is perfect because that means you are not allowed to leave my side ever again.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmhmm. That’s your job. Every time you leave, I feel at a loss,” I pout pathetically. “You don’t want your angel to get lost, do you?”

She rolls her eyes, grinning. “That would suck. I’d have to find another, and I don’t want to go through that work again.”

“I agree,” I nod. “Besides, you won’t be able to find another who would put up with your crazy shit like I do.”

She ducks her head, but I could see the smile tugging from those lips. She sighs before looking back at me, relieved and happy.

I grin. “Did you miss me, Briar?”

She grins back, looking so gorgeous and all mine. “Yes.”

Epilogue 2

Briar — Two Years Later

“Happy birthday, baby! You can open your eyes now.”

I open my eyes to see a grinning Rurik pulling a blanket off a canvas. My eyes widen as he gently pulls me to him, waving his hand over the painting.

“Ta-Da,” Rurik sings teasingly, spreading his arm toward the canvas as if he’s presenting it.

It’s a painting of me.

To a stranger, it shows me having a great time in the middle of a party. But I know where I am in this painting—at Nat and Oscar's wedding.

How the hell did he even had time to paint this during the wedding?

“What do you think?” Rurik asks softly.

I’m holding a drink, grinning at something. But it’s not the setting that captivates me; it’s how Rurik sees me.

In Rurik's eyes, I am radiant. Beautiful. The delicate details—my eyes, bright with a subtle shade of mischievousness, the way my hair falls around my shoulders, the gentle curve of my lips, the glow on my skin from all the dancing—are all rendered with such love and care.

I can't stop staring at the painting, my eyes tracing every brushstroke, color, and detail he poured into this artwork.

Damn, is this how Rurik sees me?

I look like a goddess…

I can’t help but let out a small laugh as I take in the art. Despite how often I’ve seen him paint and how familiar I am with his work, he always enchants me with his talent.

Is it conceited to say that this is my favorite painting of his?

“Wow, Rurik,” I turn around to tell him I love it. “This is seriously the best…”

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