Sadness simmered in his eyes, taking Aubrey’s emotions even deeper. “You feel responsible, don’t you?”
“Somewhat, even though I understand it’s misplaced guilt. I think some battles can only be shifted when you face down the right opponents.”
“Your parents,” she said more to herself than to him. Knox had made no secret of how their oppressive lifestyle had fueled his rebellion, and now that she knew more about Paige, her mind also traveled to Landon. Landon was different from either of his siblings, more reserved, yes, but she’d also felt another vibe coming from him. She’d sensed Landon embracing a level of responsibility that was different from Knox’s. She’d written it off to his being the oldest, but now she wondered if it was driven by something much bigger.
“I’m glad things are changing for all of you,” she said. “And I’m glad I had a chance to meet your family and be part of that change.”
“I was surprised, and happy, that you stuck around and had dinner with them. You definitely struck a unique chord with my father.”
She smiled and said, “I was intrigued by the dynamics between all of you. I wanted to see what played out.”
“So we were like a puzzle you wanted to piece together?”
“Your life was, and each of them had a hand in how you turned out. And you, Mr. Bentley, had a hand in how they turned out, too. So, yes. I wanted to understand the Bentley puzzle. But your family isn’t just made up of straight edges and rounded tabs. Yours is ever changing, and I think it would take a lifetime to fully understand it.”
“Careful, babe, a guy could read a lot into that statement.” He took her hand, leading her across the room, and stopped before another painting.
The second the words it would take a lifetime had left her mouth, she’d skipped to that very same conclusion. And she wasn’t sure she minded the idea.
“Is this one of Paige’s paintings, too?” she asked while trying to refocus her thoughts.
This one was completely different from the first two, with an invitingly soft background of eggshell and buttercream. A tornadolike twist of vibrant colors swirled up from the corner of the canvas, guided by a strikingly sharp backbone of black brushstrokes. As the colors widened toward the top, they formed twists of chunky letters and words with tiny fissures throughout each one. HAP swirled into PY, followed by what looked like shards of glass, and then thicker swirls formed into wide green leaves, the type that grew on peace lilies.
“She painted dozens of pictures between the others and this one. I think they tell her story.” He led her to another painting in the hallway. Thick dark lines that reminded Aubrey of prison bars formed a background of vertical streaks, the colors of the rainbow. In front of the bars were five figures with lanky limbs, narrow, stretched bodies, and ovals for heads. They seemed to be dancing, their colors brighter than the background. Two of them faced outward, one leg stretched back toward the center of the painting, bisecting each other. The bodies of all five were arched, one arm of each angled and reaching toward the top of the painting, the other arms coming together in the center. Their bodies and arms formed a heart. There were no faces to indicate moods, just a visual feast of happiness.
“Can you see it?” Knox asked.
“The heart?”
“No. What’s missing.”
Aubrey studied the picture. “Joyce and Leon?”
Knox smiled. “That was my guess, too, but no. There’s no darkness in any of those bodies.” He pointed to the right side of the canvas, where she now recognized a shadowy figure disappearing off the edge. “The darkness she’d painted so viscerally in many of her paintings, she’d painted leaving in this one. This painting wasn’t hanging here when I left for Belize. She’d hung it up while I was away. She still has a key to my place in case she ever needs me. I guess you should know this about me. My place is always open to Paige, and she’ll always be a priority in my life.”
Aubrey’s throat thickened with emotions. “I can see that, and I’m glad. Family is so important.” She glanced at the pictures again. “Her paintings are all beautiful. Why didn’t your parents have any in their house?”
“Paige never gave them any. At first they wanted her to show them in galleries, but Paige didn’t paint them to show them off. My parents pushed a little, thinking it would help her to have that sort of attention, but they relented on the advice of Paige’s therapist and doctors.”
“Thank goodness. But why did she give them to you?”
“She said she didn’t want them in her place, but she wanted them to be with someone she trusted. Landon has some, too.”
“So she still doesn’t trust your parents?” Aubrey’s heart hurt for his family.
“I think she does, at least more now than ever before, but she feels like they’d always wish she’d put them in a gallery even if they no longer talked about it. She wants her paintings to be seen for what they represent, not to be ogled by strangers. They’re her personal journey, one that will always shadow her, and along with them come good and bad feelings.”
“I can understand that. She feels safe with you, Knox. That’s so special.”
“Yeah. I know. But I think she also gave them to me as a reminder of what holding things in can do to a person.”
“Mr. Pushy? You blurt out everything that pops into your head.”
He gathered her in his arms with a cocky smirk and said, “Like how you’re lucky we’re meeting Graham and Morgyn in half an hour, because I’d really like to devour dessert before dinner?”
She pressed her smiling lips to his, amazed at how quickly he’d switched gears. “Yes, just like that. Speaking of dinner, we’d better go. You can tell me what you hold in on the way. I want to hear about the secret thoughts of Knox Bentley.”
His eyes smoldered as his gaze dropped to her diamond-studded leather choker, and lower, lingering where the draped neckline of her royal-blue sweater exposed a deep valley of cleavage. He licked his lips, his lustful leer igniting fire in her veins as his eyes traveled down her second-skin leather pants all the way to her heeled suede boots. He made a guttural noise in the back of his throat. She’d chosen the outfit hoping to turn him on. As he helped her on with her bomber jacket, his jaw clenched tight, and she knew she’d chosen perfectly. She loved when he had to try to restrain himself, as he would over dinner, because when he finally let loose, they were combustible.
“Don’t worry, Wattsy,” he said roughly. “I plan on sharing all my darkest secrets with you, starting with what I’m going to do once I finally peel those leather pants off you.”
GRAHAM AND MORGYN arrived at the restaurant moments after Knox and Aubrey. The girls squealed and ran into each other’s arms like they hadn’t seen each other in years, which was funny, considering Aubrey had just finished telling Knox that she’d seen Morgyn last summer in Oak Falls.
“I was so bummed to have missed you when I saw Grace and Amber before Christmas. I can’t believe my little Morgyn is married!” Aubrey gushed.
“I know, right?” Morgyn waved her wedding ring. “And I can’t believe you got to see Brindle’s proposals and I didn’t. Life changes so fast.” Morgyn was a bohemian girl through and through, from her colorful serape and wide-brimmed hat to her embellished boots, torn jeans, and long sweater. She and Graham had met at a music festival last summer and had been inseparable ever since. “I couldn’t believe you were the woman who had Knox all tied up in knots when we were in Belize!”
Aubrey glanced at Knox with a warm expression as she said, “Neither could I.”
“Good to see you finally made your move,” Graham said as he embraced Knox.
Graham and Knox had hit it off at MIT. Graham was half adrenaline junkie, half careful, methodical engineer. But he had a knack for investing, and he and Knox shared a passion for helping the environment. Together they’d formed B&B Enterprises, an investment company that specialized in eco-friendly businesses. They helped companies get off the ground, and they also owne
d several eco-friendly businesses themselves. Graham knew the good, bad, and the frustrating about Knox and his family. Knox had also confided in him after he’d first gotten together with Aubrey, confessing that even after spending only one incredible night together, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Graham winked and said, “Looks like you didn’t need Taylor as your wingman after all.” Before leaving for Belize, Graham had teased Knox about needing Taylor as his wingman. At the time, they’d both believed Taylor to be a man.
“Dude,” Knox said as his friend embraced Aubrey. “You’re not going to believe this, but Taylor is a woman.”
“What? No way.” Graham looked like Knox was trying to pull one over on him.
“She is,” Aubrey said. “A beautiful woman. She uses a male persona for work to keep creeps away. She’s my assistant Becca’s sister. I had no idea Knox thought she was a guy until the New Year’s party! You should have seen his face when he found out. It was epic.”
“Epically ridiculous,” Knox said. “Taylor and I email each other all the time, and sometimes we joke around. I kept trying to remember if I’d ever made any jokes that could even remotely be considered offensive.”
“Apparently you never said anything bad,” Aubrey said. “It turns out Taylor and Becca were matchmaking and sending us to all the same events.”
Morgyn took off her hat and ran her fingers through her long blond hair. “You never spoke with her on the phone?”
“No. We’ve always done everything online. She was experienced, came highly recommended, and her resume spoke for itself. I mean, let’s be real. She said she uses a male persona for a reason, and she’s very good at keeping her real identity under wraps.” Knox explained. “But you can be damn sure that from now on I’m talking directly to anyone I do business with.”
“Damn, that’s crazy.” Graham reached for Morgyn as they headed into the restaurant.
The trendy restaurant was one of New York’s hot spots, known for the atmosphere more than the food. Various street artists had decorated the space with urban-abstract murals and other artwork that depicted the history of the city. Graffiti, faces, skulls, birds, and other enormous, vibrant images adorned the brick walls. Textures came alive with a mix of brick, iron, glass, and wood. Strings of lights hung from the ceiling, and ivy and other verdant plants were plentiful, bringing nature indoors.
They were seated immediately in leather chairs surrounding a small round table near the windows. As they settled into their seats a waitress took their orders. Morgyn caught Aubrey up on her and Graham’s latest adventures. She’d recently closed her secondhand shop, where she’d sold gently used items that she’d repurposed. She had begun selling them on consignment through other businesses, several of which were high-end venues in the city. “We spent the fall and Christmas holiday in Oak Falls so I could build up more inventory, and as you know, since I heard you were in Oak Falls right before New Year’s, we spent that holiday with Graham’s family in Pleasant Hill, Maryland. It was wonderful. And today we spent the day with Graham’s cousin Josh Braden and his wife, Riley.”
“Josh and Riley Braden? The fashion designers, as in JRB Designs?” Aubrey’s eyes widened. Josh and Riley were world-renowned designers.
“Yes!” Morgyn exclaimed. “They’re so down to earth, and they’re opening a boutique on Cape Cod, where Josh’s oldest brother, Treat, owned a resort. What was the name of it?” She glanced up at the ceiling and said, “Ocean Edge, that’s it. Anyway, they want to work with me to bring an eclectic vibe with a mix of our designs. It’s so exciting!”
“Holy cow, Morgyn,” Aubrey said. “You’ve gone from small-town consignment-shop owner to big-time designer.”
“No,” Morgyn said, lowering her gaze to her lap.
“Yes, she has,” Graham said. “I’m so proud of her.”
“Oh, please.” Morgyn waved her hand. “Anyway, Josh and Riley have the cutest little girl. Abigail. She’s two and all chubby cheeks and big brown eyes.”
Graham looked at Knox and said, “That reminds me. Pierce sent me new pictures of their little boy, Theo.” Pierce was several years older than Graham. He’d taken Graham under his wing and showed him the ropes of investing when Graham was in college. Knox had met Pierce several times, and their companies now held a few joint assets.
“Look at that face,” Graham said as he handed the phone to Knox.
“I want to see!” Aubrey leaned closer, oohing and ahhing over the adorable little brown-haired boy.
“Scroll through,” Graham said. “I have pictures of Jake and Fiona’s little boy, Cannon, and Emily and Dae’s daughter, Seraphina.” Jake and Emily were two of Pierce’s younger siblings.
Knox scrolled to the next picture, and his heart melted at the two little ones sitting in the grass with three puppies crawling over their legs.
“My ovaries are going to explode,” Aubrey declared.
“The puppies are my cousin Ross’s. Ready for Ross and Elisabeth’s adorable twins?” Graham pointed to the phone and said, “Go to the next picture.”
Knox did, and Aubrey put her hand over her heart. “Oh, Graham. I can’t…I just can’t…”
Knox laughed at her reaction to the little boy and girl sitting on a blanket with Ross and Elisabeth. The little girl had blond hair and bright green eyes. The boy had darker hair and dark eyes, Braden traits.
“Declan and Delaney,” Graham said. “And don’t ask about ages, because I can never keep any of them straight.”
Aubrey pushed the phone away. “God, Morgyn. I hope you didn’t drink the water when you visited.”
“Right?” Morgyn said. “Geez, between all his cousins’ children and Brindle and Trace’s baby being due next month, it’s baby overload. And Graham’s cousin Luke and his wife, Daisy, adopted a little girl from Guyana. Her name is Kendal. She’s a little over a year old and so stinking cute.”
Aubrey gulped down her drink and moved away from Knox.
“What’s wrong, babe…?”
“I just got used to the whole dating thing. This makes me nervous.” Aubrey crossed her legs.
Morgyn giggled.
“Thanks, buddy,” Knox said to Graham. “Any other scary news you’d like to share?”
Graham slipped his phone into his pocket and said, “Hey, I was just catching you up on family pictures. I didn’t know Aubrey was afraid of babies.”
“I’m not. I want children one day in the very distant future. I have a niece I adore. I get to love her up and send her home. For now I’d like to keep my baby relations that way.”
Knox chuckled as Aubrey reached for his drink. At least they were on the same page. Knox was in no hurry to start a family, but he wanted one eventually.
“Let’s see what else we can find out about Aubrey. How do you feel about threesomes?” Graham asked.
Aubrey choked on Knox’s drink.
Knox laughed as he patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. Graham isn’t into threesomes. He was just trying to lighten the conversation.”
The rest of the evening they steered clear of baby talk. Over dinner they discussed various projects they were working on, like a sustainable community they were developing in Seattle, which had been Morgyn’s brilliant idea. They were starting the project in early spring, and they talked about taking a trip out together, the four of them, for the ground-breaking ceremony.
“That sounds fun.” Aubrey looked at Knox and said, “It will be exciting to see one of your projects from the start, and I’ve never been to Seattle.”
He loved that she was thinking in terms of a future for them and wondered if she realized how much had changed or if she was just caught up in the moment.
Graham asked about the movie for Charlotte’s book, and Aubrey told them about the Monroe House. She was so enthusiastic, describing all of the elements in the inn that made it perfect for the film, right down to the trees for the dreamscape scene. Knox silently vowed again to do whatever it took to ch
ange Landon’s mind. He’d come up with a plan earlier that week to try to get Landon thinking more clearly, and the gears were already in motion. His brother had been avoiding his calls, but Knox knew Landon would eventually see that the benefits to the inn outweighed his discomfort. And damn it, it wasn’t like Knox ever asked for favors. A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that Landon didn’t ask for favors either. The difference was, Landon never had to ask. Knox had always done what he could to help his siblings—even when they didn’t realize they needed him.
“The inn is perfect, but Landon has a thing about the media. I know Knox is finessing the situation, but just in case it doesn’t work out, I’m still researching backup locations. I found one that looks promising in Maryland. The only thing that’s missing from either of them is Snow White’s cottage,” Aubrey said.
Snow White’s cottage?
“That was my favorite scene!” Morgyn exclaimed. She turned to Graham and said, “Remember, I read it to you? It’s the one where she shows him the house her great-grandfather built? The replica of Snow White’s cottage?”
“Oh yeah, I remember. I’ve actually seen the house her great-grandfather built. It’s pretty damn remarkable,” Graham said.
“Wait,” Knox said. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about this cottage?”
Aubrey shrugged. “I don’t know. I was so focused on securing the inn, and this is something really specific. Char’s great-grandfather built one on her property, but she likes her privacy and doesn’t want to use that cottage for the movie. We figured we’d just use interior shots and build a set for those scenes.”
Knox took out his phone and said, “Maybe you won’t need to. When we were scouting properties in Seattle there was a house like that for sale. They even called it Snow White’s house.” He navigated to the house on his browser and said, “I remember wondering who would build, much less buy, a house like that with droopy roof lines and short doors.”
Making You Mine – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls) Page 16