Page 35 of His Wild Storm
He gasps, his little head nodding so quickly I’m a little afraid it’ll launch off his slim shoulders. “Yes,” he exclaims. “I noticed that too. There were some angles where there was nothing I could do to get the lines looking right.”
I lean over his sketch pad before reaching for his pastels. After grabbing a color that is different from the one he used, so he can see the changes I’m making, I point at his drawing. “Can I show you? I could walk you through it, but I think if I show you a few tips and tricks then you may be able to see it better.”
“So, it’ll become our drawing?”
For a moment, my heart sinks at the idea of him not being into sharing a drawing with me, but when I look at him it becomes clear how wrong I am. The smile he’s shooting metakes up his entire face and his blue eyes are sparkling with excitement.
“It’ll definitely become our drawing,” I assure him. “We could draw together anytime, Wilde,” I promise him knowing I’ll do anything in my power to keep my promise. Always.
When Wilde points at the first box on the page that’s wonky, he goes to the side that gave him the most problems right away. “See, this right here is the part I couldn’t get right no matter what I did.”
He looks up at me expectantly. A weight that feels like importance settles in my chest. He’s trusting me to be able to back up my words. His willingness to learn from me is humbling as fuck.
I won’t let him, or his mom down. I can’t. Too much depends on me being exactly what they both need.
CHAPTER 12
HAVEN
I pull at my clothing, again, even though there is nothing wrong with what I’m wearing. I’m just nervous. No, nervous kind of downplays what I’m feeling right now. It feels like my heart is going to escape up my throat and out my mouth. If it does make it out, I won’t be able to catch it.
The butterflies in my stomach have never felt this big. The strange thing is I’m not exactly worried about this date. It’s more like I’m anticipating it because I know it’s a big deal.
It could be everything and that is scary as hell.
After art class over the weekend, Knox sought me out with Wilde right next to him. He was holding a very bedazzled treasure box, looking rather smug. Did he know I was considering making a run for it, but would never admit it?
“Mommy,” Wilde declared, “check out the treasure box.”
He waved wildly in the direction of the box in all its sparkly glory. His excitement was written all over his face and I couldn’t help but chuckle at how eager he was. Knox’s grin was lopsided and cute as hell.
“It’s very sparkly.”
“Of course it is,” Wilde sounded affronted, “it’s a treasurebox.”
“Treasure on the inside and the outside, huh?”
Knox chuckled and winked when I met his gaze. “I had some help glittering it up,” he admitted. “I asked Monroe to take care of that part.”
Even though it made zero sense, jealousy like I had never felt it before hit me right in the chest. It was such a sharp feeling that I reached up and rubbed the middle of my chest absently. Knox’s eyes snapped down toward the action and then back up to meet my eyes. He tilted his head which made it clear he was curious about my reaction to his words.
I wasn’t going to say it out loud. Hell no.
As if he could read my mind, Knox explained, “Monroe works at Vibrant Ink. She’s nice,” he told Wilde, “and her art is really unique. I have no doubt that she would love to meet both of you.”
When his eyes came up and met mine, I knew he was telling the truth and wasn’t trying to hide anything from me. It was refreshing.
And fucking terrifying.
“It looks like she enjoyed making it all sparkly,” I offered, my words like a bridge over my strange feelings of jealousy.
Knox’s smile was disarming as hell.
“I was grateful because the plain wooden box was not worthy of a treasure. She’s the craftiest one amongst us,” he admitted with a shrug.
There was something almost bashful about it. It felt so authentically him.
Which must have been why I gave him my number without a second thought when he asked. He didn’t stick around too long after I gave it to him. It was like he didn’t want to be around if I were to change my mind.
