Page 61 of Beyond Repair: Part One

Her big gray eyes widen with each sketch she comes across—and there aremany. One entire wall, almost floor to ceiling, has my drawings taped to it.

"Ridge." Her hand flutters up to her mouth as she slowly steps into my bedroom. "What is this?"

"I'm moving in," I joke, but all she does is glance at me like she already knew that. I clear my throat and rub my neck while Nina studies each sketch like they're gold. "They're you. A lot of you. And the guys."

"You drew us," she murmurs, sounding reverent.

"I sketch what I love."

"Ridge..." Her eyes look pained when she looks at me. "Where's the color? You did suchbeautifulcolor."

"My life lost its color when I lost you, Nina." Honesty feels easy because everything I have to offer revolves around her. Nina is my world. "I started working with charcoal a lot to feel closer to you." Charcoal was Nina's medium of choice.

No response is needed, and I'm content with the look of understanding and heartbreak in her gaze.She understands.Tears track down her cheeks as she nods. I smile and wait to see what she'll do next.

She sniffles while looking at one I made last week while she and Kai were chatting on the couch. Both were slumped against the cushions with only their heads turned towards each other while they spoke quietly.

The room is silent as she makes her way through my artwork. The next one Nina wipes a tear at is one of her and Henry snuggled up by the fire together. I wasn't able to recreate the look of pure serenity on her face.

Pointing at it, she glances at me with a little frown and watery eyes. "I don't look like this, Ridgie."

I stay where I am, not wanting to interrupt her moment. "What do you mean?"

"You made me..." She looks at it again. "Beautiful. Happy..."

Fucking hell. Screw giving her space. Closing the distance between us, I grab her jaw and tug her around to look me in the eye. "Nina, are younothappy?"

Watching her eyes glaze over for a moment while she thinks about her answer physically hurts me, then she gives me the tiniest of nods. "I think I am."

"Say it," I demand, needing her to own the fact that she is, in fact,happy.

"I'm happy," Nina mutters. I raise a brow and she giggles a little laugh. Louder this time, she announces, "I think I really am happy, Ridge."

"And beautiful," I sneak in, but she doesn't fall for it. "Don't make me tell Trev you were talking shit about yourself. I know he keeps threatening to spank you and this might just be the time he follows through on it."

Gray eyes narrow at me. "He wouldn't."

And like absolute divine intervention, Trevor walks in. "Who wouldn't what?"

"Nothing!"

"Tell me, cousin," I drawl, slowly stepping back from my girl to point at a sketch, "do you think Nina looks pretty in this one?"

Trev comes closer and takes in the image of him plopping a piece of popcorn on Nina's tongue. "Absolutely exquisite."

"And this one?" I gesture to another where she's pushing my glasses up my face with her nose.

"Beautiful," he agrees, nodding while he continues to admire all my artwork. There are so many of Nina alone that I'm shocked she hasn't called me out for being weird. "This is my favorite, though."

Trevor plucks one off the wall of just Nina. In this image, her face is canted down, but her shining eyes are looking up at me. Her waves tumble near her cheekbones, making her lookinnocent and sad. Her bottom lip sticks out in a little pout too, so it's no wonder that's Trev's favorite.

"I...Thank you," Nina stutters and shifts in place. When I look over, I catch her checking me out. Then she bites her lip and I can't keep myself from stepping back toward her. Snapping her gaze up to my face, her cheeks instantly redden.

"Where are Kai and Henry?" My tone is thick. Actually no, that's my cock.

"Date night," Trevor replies easily.

Humming, I take another step toward my wiggly girl. "What do you say we have our own?" I ask my cousin in a low voice that promises wonderful things for us if he agrees.

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