Page 10 of Sinner's Vow

I smile as I look down at the supplies. “It is.”

And a small smile pulls on Noah’s face. “I promise, I’ll get you a new canvas at every stop on the tour. And when you’re done with them, I’ll make sure they make it back home.”

I don’t know where he means when he says home, but it doesn’t even matter.

This gesture is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.

“Thank you,” I say softly.

Noah nods. “Me and the guys have a sound check in a few hours, and then we need you for a few minutes at the end. But you’ve got the next few hours, if you want to go paint.”

I nod, and with a suppressed smile, Noah turns and walks out of the room.

I told Noah everything the night we got married. How I discovered I could paint when I was just four years old. How I was painting replicas of old masterpieces by the time I was thirteen. How the best art school in the country recruited me at the age of sixteen and how I completed my master’s degree by the time I was twenty-one, before I didn’t have any control over my life anymore.

My work has been featured in dozens of magazines and has been donated to dozens of galleries. As a student, I couldn’t sell my work.

That was the next step. Turning painting into a profession. But then my entire world shifted. And nothing was about me for the next three years.

But as I look down at the canvas, I think that maybe my time is coming. Sure, I’m on this tour and I didn’t have a whole lot of say in it. But I’m about to trek across the world. I’ve seen the tour schedule, and it’s to some of the most inspiring places in the world.

I’m a classicist painter.

What more could I ask for?

So, with a smile, I climb out of the bed and hurry to get ready so I can go out and paint.

I’m prettysure my heart is going to explode. It’s beating so fast, that without a doubt, it’s going to jackhammer right out of my chest and it’s going to be a big, bloody mess that someone else will have to clean up, because I will be dead.

“You’re on in ten seconds,” Maddy says from behind me.

I take in a deep breath and have to mentally remind myself not to hyperventilate.

Out there, beyond the stage, there are thousands of people. Okay, that’s a massive understatement. There are about fifty-thousand people out there. They’re screaming and cheering and singing along to every single song.

I’ve never performed for anyone before. When I sang with Noah that night, it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I’m a painter, not a singer.

But Maddy starts counting me down, and then it’s time.

“I know you’ve all been waiting for this moment,” Noah says, holding the microphone. “It seems like there isn’t a soul left in this universe who hasn’t seen the video.” The crowd goes crazy and I think my heart rate doubles. “So, I think the time has come.” Noah’s voice rises in volume and excitement. He’s an excellent showman, through and through. If I were in that crowd, I wouldn’t have any idea that he’s faking it. “I’d like to introduce you to my wife!”

I plaster on a smile and I step forward onto the stage. I walk past Gabriel, who looks a little manic with his fake smile. I walk past Owen, who has genuine sympathy in his eyes. I walk past Tyler, who just sighs once before he makes himself smile too.

I lock eyes with Noah, and I hate everything about this moment. I hate that it’s fake. I hate that that look is in his eyes, the one that says he’s sorry and shows how guilty he feels.

But I don’t let any of it show on my own face, at least I hope I don’t.

I cross the stage, and Noah reaches a hand out for mine. I take it, lacing my fingers through his, and he pulls me to him, looking down at me with a pretty convincing expression of lust.

“Isn’t she the most beautiful fucking thing you’ve ever seen?” he says in a low voice as he looks down at me. The crowd goes nuts, and I remind myself that he’s just saying it for them. “It might have been a little crazy, it might have been a wild night, but I’m pretty positive I’m the luckiest man on the planet.”

We need to get this moving, or I’m not going to be able to keep faking it. I can feel my plaster smile crumbling by the second, with every word he speaks.

And thank goodness, Gabriel begins the intro and just moments later, Tyler and Owen join in.

And just like we very briefly practiced, Noah starts singing, and when we reach the chorus, I join in.

My voice comes out nervous. There’s no way I can mask that. It shakes a bit and I feel the pressure of all those eyes out there on me.

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