Page 74 of If My Wishes Came True
I nod and follow her to the front door, barely maintaining my composure.
“Thanks again, Nadine,” I say after I step out into the hall. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
She just winks at me, and I try my best not to start crying again until the elevator doors close.
When Charlie knocks on my door that night, I’m giddy—and not only because I get to see my sweet, smart, hot-as-hell boyfriend.
I can’t wait to tell him about my day. I did it. I took the leap. All I had to do was say the words out loud—I’m going to be a painter—and within minutes, I made my first sale.
I swing open the door and jump right into Charlie’s arms, and he holds me tight as ever, my feet off the floor and my heart against his, where it should be. He takes a few steps to cross the threshold with me, and kicks the door shut behind us.
“I missed you so damn much,” he whispers.
“Me too.”
Eventually, he puts me down, and we kiss as if it’s been a hundred days since we last saw each other—not only four.
“So what did I miss while I was away?” he asks when we finally take a break. “Besides the fun time you had bonding withyour sister.”
Charlie texted me often while he was in Denver, just to shoot the breeze, which warmed my heart. So I sent him live updates throughout the weekend—including all the naughty thoughts I was having about him after a few glasses of wine. Needless to say, Charlie enjoyed those messages immensely.
I smile. “Funny you should ask. I have big news…I did something brave today.”
Charlie’s grin lights up his entire face. “What’d you do?”
“I decided not to take on new design projects. And when I’m done with the ones I’m working on now, I’m going to pivot and focus exclusively on my art.”
“Wow, congrats! What motivated you to take the plunge? Tell me, please—I could use the inspiration,” he goes on with a chuckle.
“Well, it was a few different things,” I admit. “I finally worked up the nerve to show my paintings to my sister, for one thing. And she loved them. She was really encouraging. I also called a friend from home who quit law to become a writer, and asked for her advice. And she reminded me how important it is to trust yourself enough to follow your dreams.”
Charlie nods, looking thoughtful.
“And then there’s you,” I tell him, my cheeks warming.
His eyebrows fly up. “Me?”
I step closer to him, and he takes me in his arms again. “I’ve shown you who I am, Charlie. Not just the bubbly cheerleader on the surface, but the parts of me I used to be ashamed of. My dyslexia, my grief…my history of depression. And you’ve embraced all of me. You’ve made me feel so comfortable being myself that I want to lean into that. I want to be unapologetically me. And in my heart, I truly believe I’m an artist.”
“I’m so proud of you,” he says, his eyes gleaming. “I know you’re going to do great.”
“Thank you,” I say with a huge grin. “Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part! When I told my design client today that I was switching gears, she commissionedthreepaintings from me. Can you believe it?”
“Of course I can,” he says, holding me tighter. “So does this mean you’ll show me your work soon?”
I nod. “Tonight. After dinner.”
I’m not even nervous anymore. Everything in my life is finally falling into place, and my relationship with Charlie is no exception. It feels so right. Why should I waste my time worrying about it?
“Sounds good. And again, I’m so sorry I had to cancel our plans last night,” he says, his eyes losing their glimmer.
“It’s not your fault that your flight was delayed.”
“I know.” He sighs. “I just hate disappointing you.”
The angst in his gaze breaks my heart.
“Charlie…can I ask you something?”
