Page 71 of The Bitter Rival

Walking to him, I wrap my arms around him and feel him relax against me. “This means a lot to me. That you’d try. That you’d spend time with both of us here.”

Bending down, he kisses me on the nose. “I want to be here.”

“I’m going to put the leftovers in the oven to heat up. Why don’t we open a bottle of wine, and you can see the show?”

“I think I’ve had enough of your shows for a while.”

Laughing, I pour him a glass before doing the same for myself. “Not that kind of show.” Handing him a glass of Sangria, I add a few berries I’ve rinsed from the fridge. He smiles in my direction and follows me down the hall to Austin’s room. As we walk in, I hear an audible gasp.Oh, hell, here we go.Turning to redirect him outside of Austin’s room so that I can explain the situation better, I watch as he steps around me. Stepping back a few paces, his mouth falls open in awe. This isn’t the usual expression I see when I have to explain Austin’s proclivities to people. He looks totally and completely enthralled with what’s before him.

Sebastian drags his hand down his face before reaching behind his nape. “This is utterly incredible.”

Austin turns around, facing Sebastian. “You like the leaves?”

“Austin, they’re phenomenal. That you took that sketch at the lake and created… this.”

My eyes well with tears, the pride in my son is overwhelming in this moment. Abruptly, Sebastian’s facial expression changes as he examines the wall more closely. Turning to me, he looks alarmed.What on earth?

“I don’t understand. What do you do when he’s finished?”

“Take a picture,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

He looks at me in horror.Yeah, welcome to my world, buddy.“You can’t possibly paint over this.”

I just nod at him feeling sad at the thought of its eventual demise.

“There has to be another way. Perhaps we could build a large structure that could be nailed into the wall? The painting could be removed, and a fresh canvas applied when he’s finished?”

The only word I heard waswe. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Sebastian repeats his thoughts, and I answer, “He doesn’t like painting on canvas that’s sitting on an easel. It’s too restricting.”

“Austin, you don’t mind painting on canvas so long as it covers the whole wall, do you?”

“No.”

“We would just have to pull the structure away once each piece was done to remove it from the housing and prepare it for the next.”

There’s thatweagain.Don’t get ahead of yourself, Bella. He’s just a thinker. He’s simply thinking out loud.Solving a challenge.I turn and sit in my usual seat, watching Sebastian fully absorb the painting in front of him.

“I have a friend you’d enjoy meeting, Austin. Mr. Hansen. He’s an incredible painter. He likes painting nature, land, and seascapes.” Turning to me, he continues, “You know him, Bella.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Well, you didn’t actually meet him, I guess. He was the patient in the OR the day I… well…”

Sebastian’s cheeks turn pink, and his eyes are downcast. His embarrassment clues me in immediately.

“Ah, yes. So you’re friends now?” I tease.

“Yes. Well, I hope so anyway. He’s an amazing man. I bet he’d be impressed with your work, Austin.”

Austin’s completely unphased by this and continues the fine detail work on the leaf he’s constructing.

In the distance, I hear the oven timer. “Are you going to be okay here?” I try to mouth to Bas before exiting the room. I don’t want him to become overwhelmed his first night with us.

“Can I steal your front-row seat?” he teases.

“Sure. Dinner should be ready soon. I just have to finish the salad.”

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