Page 5 of Her Painter Bear Mate

Dee carried it further into the house, a smile lifting her lips when she saw her big sister with her new baby. With a grin, Dee held out the plate. "I'll swap you. Brownie for a baby."

Her sister chuckled. "Now that's a trade I can get on board with. Here, mind his head."

"I know, I know," Dee said, assuring her sister that she was in fact capable of holding a small human being. It did however make her smile. Growing up, they hadn't always been close. That came after they got through the difficult teenage phase but before that, it was a war zone at home. She wasn't allowed to touch, borrow, or even look at her sister's clothes. Now she got to hold her baby.

Sissy picked up the brownie and bit into it. "Mmmpf, that's good."

"Mum sent food as well," Dee said, gently bouncing little Michael up and down. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination but he looked a lot like Sissy, with the same blue eyes that ran in their family, just darker in complexion thanks to Asim. "He's going to grow up to be a stunner."

"I know, he's already a little heartbreaker," Sissy agreed, her eyes swimming with love.

Asim emerged from the kitchen with tea for two and set the tray on the coffee table. "Milk, no sugar," he announced, pointing at a green mug with lovely yellow swirls.

That was one of the many things Dee really liked about her brother-in-law. He was thoughtful and he brought a lot of colour into her sister's life. The pillows on their couch were a burnt orange, the curtains a nice forest green. There were touches of blue all throughout their house, little tasteful accents of bronze that gave everything a warm feel. Dee admired it because while she was excellent at putting colours together on a canvas, she didn't have the talent to replicate it in her own home. Not like this, anyway.

He disappeared to deal with the kitchen, giving Dee some alone time with her sister. She kept gently swaying her nephew, enjoying how happy he looked. "He's so cute. I love his little fingers."

"Does it make you want one?" Sissy asked.

Michael chose that time to start crying and Dee handed him back to her sister without feeling guilty. "Nope. Plus, first I'd have to find someone who wants to have children with me."

"You can have a baby without a partner," Sissy said as she gently rocked Michael until he stopped crying. "If you want, I can set you up with someone. Her name is Nicole, she's a colleague of mine. I think you'd like her."

"No, thank you. I'm too busy to date."

"You preparing for another exhibition?"

The mention of the upcoming exhibition made Dee's throat constrict but she didn't let it show. "Yuppp."

"How's that going?"

"Great," Dee said. In reality, it was going terrible but she wasn't going to burden her sister with that. Sissy had enough on her plate. And if Dee was honest, she didn't want to tell anyone about her painter's block. It was embarrassing and frustrating and if word got out, it would be bad for business too.

So she put on a smile and did what she did best, pretend everything was fine.

“I ran into Clarissa at the craft store. Why did you not tell me she's friends with Asim?” Dee asked, hoping she sounded nonchalant about the whole thing.

Sissy gave her an older-sister look. "Because you always go off on a tangent when anyone mentions her."

"Will she be at Michael's Crescenting party?"

"Yes, so please play nice with each other." Sissy rocked the baby in her arms. "I don't get what your problem is with her. She's really nice and funny. I don't get why you two aren't friends, you have a lot in common but you know that. Her paintings are beautiful."

"Oh, so now you think her art is better than mine?" Dee snapped.

"Woow, chill. That's not what I said. Short fuse, much? Are you still not over the time she beat you at the local fair?"

"She beat me every year. And yes, I know it's petty to be still upset over it but I am."

"It is petty but eh." Sissy shrugged. "I still can't stand Beth who pulled my pigtails in second grade so... Looks like petty runs in the family."

Dee laughed. "It does and I know exactly where we got it from."

"Mum," they agreed in unison, a little too loud.

Michael burst into tears again and needed more soothing.

His crying drew Asim from the kitchen with a concerned look. "Is everything okay? Do you need help?"

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