CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Dani
When Talen and I finished breakfast, something was off between us. Our conversation had been great through the entire meal. We talked and laughed. It was easy and fun. Then, without warning, something shifted. Talen grew quiet and became more closed off than ever. His eyes were dark, and his face was pinched. I’d never seen that expression on his face before, and I didn’t know what it meant. When he did speak to me, he didn’t sound angry, but his body language said something different. I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn’t know what to say.
He disappeared into his bedroom after we cleaned the kitchen. I didn’t see him again for the rest of the day. Trying to take my mind off him, I painted. My show was coming up faster than I expected. My nerves were already beginning to peak. The more I painted, the better I felt. I was determined to show all new pieces. I didn’t want to recycle a single old painting. This was my fresh start, my new beginning. I wanted my work to reflect that.
It was late when I finally finished working. I painted three new pieces that day, and I loved them all. Each one made me feel like I was finally moving in the right direction. Despite my “marriage” to Talen, my life seemed to be falling into place. I was finally getting my mother into a safe place, my art was better than ever, and I was finally rid of my toxic relationship with Perry. Everything was beginning to improve, and my paintings reminded me of that. I stared at them for a long time, smiling and letting the success wash over me. I only hoped the guests at my show liked them half as much as I did.
“Hey,” Talen said from behind me. I jumped slightly and whirled around. “Those are wonderful.”
I smiled as I watched him gaze at them with a look of awe. “Thank you.”
“You did all three today?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I guess I was kind of in the zone.”
“Wow.” He looked at the paintings and smiled. “You hungry?”
I hadn’t realized it until he asked, but I was starving. Painting often overwhelmed me and made me forget everything else. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. My stomach growled like a bear, answering Talen’s question for me.
“Let’s go,” he said and poked me in the belly. “I’m starving. I know a place.”
“Okay.” I look down at my spattered clothes. “Just let me change first. I have paint all over me.”
Talen nodded, and I hurried toward the guest room. Closing the door behind me, I threw on some clean clothes and smeared light makeup on my face. My hair was still a mess from the morning, so I yanked it out of the ponytail and let it fall loosely over my shoulders. It still needed a good wash, but it looked better this way. I wasn’t at all suitable for a fancy restaurant but something casual would do. I hoped Talen wasn’t planning anything nice.
“Is this okay?” I asked as I walked back into the living room. “You didn’t say where we’re going.”
“Just a little diner down the street,” he said, his eyes sweeping down me. “We can walk. You look great.”
“Okay.” My heart fluttered at his compliment, but I forced myself to relax. The last thing I needed was to prove Madison right about my feelings for Talen. “Let’s go.”
Talen and I walked outside together. We turned down a side street, and Talen led the way toward the diner, reaching out to take my hand. Our fingers linked together as if we’d done this a million times. I didn’t know the area, so I wasn’t sure where we were heading. I followed along silently. We didn’t talk on the way. The weather was pleasant, and the neighborhood was quiet. It felt nice to just be with him like this. We were so often tense around each other. Between familial obligations and business deals, we hadn’t had much time to just relax together. The walk to the diner felt like the perfect chance.
And it was. We didn’t speak, just held hands as we walked together. He never once looked in my direction. Part of me thought he was still upset, like he had been at breakfast, but his face seemed relaxed. I was sure he was just enjoying the cool evening air like I was. I tried not to let my mind wander as we approached the diner.
“Here we are,” Talen said, pulling open the door and guiding me inside, his hand lingering on my back.
The diner was small and quaint. There were red booths and old-timey barstools all around. This place was perfect. I’d been craving a good cheeseburger, and I could tell they would have just that. There was a painting of a dancing milkshake on the far wall, and I laughed when we passed by it.
Talen shot me a look. “What?”
I pointed to the milkshake. “This just doesn’t seem like your kind of place. Not nearly fancy enough for Talen Gaston.”
He grinned. “Well, I have layers, you know? I’m not just a spoiled rich kid.”
“You’re not?” I teased.
“Ha, ha,” Talen said as we slid into a booth and picked up the menu.
An older woman came to take our order. She greeted Talen by name, and I was once again surprised. Of all the places we’d been to together, this was the last thing I expected from him. He seemed like the kind of man to have food delivered more often than not. When he went out, I just assumed it was to hip, trendy places. This diner was anything but.
“I love it here,” I said when the waitress brought us our drinks. I sipped my coke and looked around.
“Why?” Talen laughed.
“It’s just… perfect. I’ve been craving a cheeseburger. I can’t wait.”
“You’re in luck because this place makes the best.”
“Places like this always do,” I said, grinning. “My parents and I used to search for diners like this. Everywhere we went, we would look for one. It was our little game.”
“Was?” Talen asked.
“My dad died when I was little,” I said, glancing down at the table. “My mom and I continued it for a while afterward, but we didn’t travel as much after he passed. We just didn’t have the time or the money, you know?”
“My family never did anything like that,” Talen said, shaking his head.
“No?” I asked. “You guys never traveled?”
“Not together.” Talen shrugged. “My dad was always gone for business, and my mom bounced between our many houses, but we never took family trips. Sometimes they would send me off with a nanny or a friend’s family to some far away place. They never took me themselves though.”
“Not even your mom?” It surprised me that Victoria didn’t make more of an effort for her son. She seemed so maternal when I met her.
“My mom is amazing,” Talen said quickly. “Really, she’s my best friend in the world. But it’s hard for her. My dad is… difficult.”
“To say the least,” I scoffed. I already hated Talen’s father, and I’d only met him twice.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Talen said softly. I saw a trace of anger cross his face, but he quickly wiped it away. “He’s impossible. My mom just couldn’t take it, you know? She had to get away from him occasionally. I didn’t blame her. If I had that chance, I would have taken it too. She never left him though. Not really.”
“Why not?” In the short time that we’d known each other, Talen never talked about his family. He told me the bare minimum, but this was the first time he was really opening up to me.
“She’s too kind for that,” he said with a smile. “To her core, my mother is just really kind. I think she truly loves my father, in her own way. He’s not exactly loveable, so I don’t know how she does it, but she does. She just sticks it out year after year. For a while, I thought she was staying for me, but now I don’t think that’s true. I’m twenty-eight, you know? I’m not a child anymore. She could leave if she wanted to.”
“Maybe she’s afraid of what he’d do to you if she did,” I suggested. I don’t know what made me say it. It just spilled out of my mouth on its own, and I instantly regretted it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not?” Talen said. “You’re right. My father is totally unpredictable.”
“I don’t know how you’ve put up with him all these years,” I said honestly. “I think I would have snapped by now.”
“I have,” Talen laughed. “Many times. But he’s my dad, you know? You can’t just turn your back on family.”
I nodded and looked down at the table. Our waitress was walking over with our food, and I was grateful for the distraction. Talen’s words made me think of my mother. There were so many times when I wanted to run away from her dementia, but I always stayed. Talen was right. You could never really walk away from your family.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Talen said softly while we ate. “You said she has dementia?”
“Yeah. It’s been… rough. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s just been really, really rough.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Talen said and shook his head sadly. “I’m so sorry.”
I smiled. “Don’t be. She’s my mother. Just like yours, she’s my best friend in the world. After my dad died, it was just the two of us. We’ve always been in this together, you know?”
“Yeah,” Talen said, smiling. “I do.”
We finished our dinner and walked back to Talen’s place. I was surprised by how easy our conversation was. Talking to him about my mom wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. He seemed to understand my feelings better than anyone else, even Madison. While we walked back, we once again fell completely silent. It was odd, but I loved walking in silence with Talen almost as much as I loved talking to him.
“I’m gonna take a bath,” I said when we stepped inside. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Talen smiled, and I felt him watch me walk away. I went straight to the bathroom and drew myself a bath. I still had paint on my skin from earlier, and I was eager to wash it off. When I stepped into the warm water, I sighed and sank down deep in the tub, going all the way under. It felt so warm and peaceful that I didn’t want to resurface.
When I did, my mind wandered to Talen, as it always seemed to do. I rested my head on the pillow as I replayed our evening in my mind. I wasn’t even surprised when the door opened and the man I was thinking of stepped inside. Without a word, he undressed and joined me in the bathtub. His eyes were locked on mine every second.
We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. Talen settled into the bathtub across from me and reached out to take my hands. He pulled me toward him, my legs wrapping around him as our lips met, his fingers sinking into my hair. The kiss was soft at first, gentle and deep. His tongue teased my lips, and I moaned softly. I would never admit it out loud, but I’d been dreaming of this moment.
While we kissed, I reached through the water until my hand found his cock. He was already hard for me. I stroked the length of him, feeling him twitch and pulse beneath my fingers. He was so hard, and the water made my hands slide over him easily. He groaned and clawed at my hips. I wrapped around him tighter, his erection nudging me open. Our kiss grew frantic, desperate.