Page 215 of Poison Vows

“What?”

“You, the fiercest woman that can slit a throat without blinking an eye, you’re going to stick beside your man?” King asks, shaking his head. “Love is dangerous, I tell you. It can tame even the most vicious of butterflies!”

The whole room agrees, with Noah’s eyeing his fiancée all lovey-dovey and shit.

When we hear my wife waddling back, I quickly shoo away the imposters so they leave through the back door, leaving the room with only me and my wife.

“Where did everyone go?” she questions, eyes wide.

“To the bathroom.”

“All of them? At once?” She deadpans, folding her arms.

“Yeah, I don’t know what those idiots do in their spare time. God only knows what kinks they get into.”

“Emmett.”

My heart jumps in my chest when my sweet wife says my name.

She communicates so many emotions just by the way she calls me. I know now she’s impatient and curious.

“I have something for you, baby,” I tell her and grab her hand. “Will you come with me?”

“Hmm, am I going to like this?”

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully and then lead her to the room off the library where we were just gathered. “Please close your eyes. Or I’ll blindfold you again.”

A tingle of excitement zaps through my wife as soon as I say the magic B word.

“Behave, Mrs. Easton. There’ll be plenty of playtime later,” I whisper to which she giggles.

Our bedroom has been very interesting lately, but now’s not the time to dwell on that so she closes her eyes, and I lead her where I need her to be.

“Now, open your eyes.”

IVY

I do as I’m told and come face to face with a huge studio-like room.

To the left, there are some white cubicles, like the ones found in a museum or in an art gallery, with paintings of different kinds… abstract, pencil sketches, watercolors, oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, frescos, hell there are even pastel canvases…

“Is this your studio?” I whisper, my heart racing.

I’m seeing Emmett’s studio for the first time since we met almost two decades ago! This is a huge deal!

As I gawk at the space, my heart leaps in my chest with a vengeance.

I take a step into the room, with my eyes stuck on the nearest a painting.

Is that? No, it can’t be!

Before I know it, I move past Emmett, walking into the room as fast as I can, I almost run until I’m right in front of the painting only for my mouth to drop open.

I look at the next painting, and the next and the next… each one confirming my initial thought.

All of these paintings… are of me!

“Oh my God,” I gasp, my breath catching in my lungs.

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