Page 111 of The Secrets We Built Together

I blinked, reality rushing back in. My back ached from standing so long, and my mouth was dry. "What time is it?"

"Almost five. I brought you water." He handed me a glass, which I drained in one long swallow. "How's it going?"

I stepped back from the canvas, seeing it with fresh eyes. It wasn't finished—not even close—but the bones were there. The composition, the light, the feeling I wanted to capture.

It was good. Maybe the best thing I'd painted in years.

"It's going well," I said, unable to keep the wonder from my voice. "Really well."

Xander studied the painting, his expression thoughtful. "Is that...?"

"It’s a willow tree. Well, it’s Willowbrook. It’s how this place makes me feel.”

"It's beautiful, Blake," Xander said, his voice low with emotion. "You've captured something... essential."

Pride swelled in my chest. Not the defensive, desperate kind, but something warmer, more confident. "It's just the start."

"Of the painting, or something else?" Xander's gaze was searching, like he could see beneath my skin to the shifting currents beneath.

"Both, maybe." I set down my brush, suddenly aware of how much I'd accomplished in a few hours. "I think I want this series to be my story, be our story. The beginning of it, anyway."

He smiled, and the warmth of it filled all the empty spaces inside me. "I never doubted it. You want to keep going? I can make dinner."

I shook my head, setting my palette down. "No, I think I'm done for today. Besides, I want to be ready when Amelia gets back. I miss her."

"Me too."

We spent the next hour cleaning up my supplies and preparing dinner, moving around each other with the easy familiarity of people who'd been sharing space for years rather than months. Every now and then, Xander's hand would brush mine, or I'd catch him watching me with that soft expression that made my heart flip. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

When Booker and Reece returned with Amelia, she was beaming, her cheeks pink from the afternoon sun. She squealed when she saw me, her little arms reaching.

"Someone missed her mama," Reece said, handing her over.

The word hit me like it did every single time I heard it. Mama. Not aunt, not guardian. Mama. It was everything I wanted and I couldn’t even believe there’d been a time when I thought I wouldn’t want the title.

"Did she behave?" I asked, burying my face in Amelia's sweet-smelling hair to hide the sudden tears pricking my eyes.

"Like an angel," Booker confirmed. "Even when Dex accidentally dropped a hammer six inches from where she was napping."

"He did what?" Xander's voice rose sharply.

"Don't worry, I already threatened to kill him," Booker said cheerfully. "But she didn't even flinch. Just kept right on sleeping. Kid's got nerves of steel."

"Wonder where she gets that from," Reece said, her gaze flickering between Xander and me with a knowing smile.

After they left, we fell into our evening routine. Dinner, then bath time for Amelia, who splashed happily in the tub, oblivious to the water soaking my shirt. Xander read her a story while I cleaned up, his deep voice carrying through the cottage. By the time I joined them, she was drowsy in his arms, her eyelids drooping.

"I think someone's ready for bed," I whispered, taking her from him.

"I'll finish cleaning up," he offered, dropping a kiss on Amelia's head before heading toward the kitchen.

In the nursery, I settled into the rocking chair, cradling Amelia against me as she drifted toward sleep. Her tiny hand clutched my finger, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Did you have fun today, sweetheart?" I murmured, stroking her soft cheek. "Everyone loves you so much. Uncle Booker and Aunt Reece, and Delaney and Trace, and even Mrs. Schulster and that weird dog of hers."

Amelia blinked sleepily up at me, her little rosebud mouth forming a perfect 'o' as she yawned.

"You know, I didn't think I could do this," I continued softly. "Be a mom. I didn't have the best example growing up. But I'm trying, baby girl. I'm trying so hard to give you everything I never had."

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