Paintings were spread out all around them, sitting on the ground and leaning against the walls or couch. They covered the living room and spilled out into the hallway. One painting in particular had been singled out, propped up on the table for the world to see.

It was of her. When she looked her absolute worst.

“What the hell is this, Ethan?” she asked through a tight throat.

Dave grimaced. “I’ll go see what Janie is up to.”

“Did you know she’d painted that?” Kaylee gestured at it, her hard, angry movements telegraphing her stance on the subject in case he couldn’t hear the anger ringing in her voice.

“I’ve seen some of these before, yes. Not all of them.”

“What could’ve possessed you to assume I’d want to see them?”

The question was rhetorical. Thankfully, he picked up on that, because he didn’t answer.

Mortified, Kaylee shook her head and glanced around the room, spotting two more pictures of her. Other paintings, ones that didn’t show her face, had clearly been inspired by her. The worst parts of herself. Lonely, alone, friendless in a new place, sharing nights with a person she wasn’t really into…

She didn’t have any words. Nothing to say that might make light of the situation. If she admitted to feeling those things that were so clearly conveyed on the canvas, he’d see right through her. He’d see that she wasn’t, in fact, the powerful, take-charge woman he liked. She didn’t have it all together, and despite the image she tried to project, she wasn’t impervious to the crappy things the world could throw at her.

Her gaze drifted back to that painting, sitting on the table, taunting her. Showing Ethan that she was an absolute hot mess.

Guys weren’t supposed to see that stuff right away. They were supposed to fall in love with the girl first. Only after the relationship got past the stage where appearances were the be-all and end-all were you allowed to unleash your Sunday morning look—no bra, no makeup, and no fucks given. The first date was not the time for him to see how she’d looked the other night before cleaning herself up.

Well, now he knew.

“I can’t believe this. Why would she paint that? And why would you assume I needed it rubbed in my face? Yeah, I don’t always look presentable. I’d just finished working out. I think it’s in bad taste to hoist it up like that, above all the others, and show off how ugly I looked. Kaylee isn’t always put together. Awesome, wee.” She waved her arms around like a lunatic. “I mean, it’s like high school all over again. So help me God, Ethan, if you don’t wipe that smile off your face, I’m going to kick you in the head.”

He held up his hands, his smile growing. “I apologize. But you are a lot of fun when you’re angry. Very sexy and crazy and a little terrifying, if I’m being honest. I dig it. Which, I realize, is going to make our fights difficult because you won’t think I’m taking them seriously.”

She turned to him, her fists balled and her teeth clenched. “That is correct. Our fights are going to be beyond difficult if you don’t take them seriously. This is a great example.”

“Good God.” He blew out a breath and small chuckles escaped with it. “Sorry. I am so incredibly turned on. Wow. I sure hope Janie sees this side of you, because I’d sell a property to buy the painting that comes out of it.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?”

He shook the hands that were still raised, doing a piss-poor job of surrendering. “Sorry. Listen, ba— I probably shouldn’t call you baby just now, should I?”

“No, probably not.”

His shoulders shook with silent chuckles. A smile tried to wrestle its way onto his lips. He was obviously trying for a straight face and failing miserably.

Unbelievably, she felt the muscles on her face spasm toward a smile of her own, her anger hard to keep intact when he was so obviously enjoying this moment. The man was cracked. And worse, he was taking her along for the ride.

“The show was supposed to be about me. The guy that’s putting it on only agreed to do it if she paints another nude male for him. She’s going to paint me, since the guy already has one of Dave—remember, we were talking about this at Colton’s house? But she hit a snag in the direction she wanted to use for the show, so she started hunting for a theme to go along with the nude. That was when you crashed into my life. You put your hooks in me right away, and clearly Janie saw it. It looks like she has found her muse.”

Kaylee pointed at the painting. “Me looking like a street walker after an eightball is her muse? Because no fucking way is that painting going to be shown. I’d rather do the nude. I will get my lawyer on this if I have to.”

“You have a lawyer? Cool.”

She gaped at the hairpin turn the conversation had taken, staring at him. She didn’t have a lawyer, but she’d damn well find one. Which did not sound as cool at all.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to derail you. Anyway, can I tell you the title of that painting?”

“No.”

“It’s called Beauty.” He pushed his hands into his pockets. “And it is correctly titled. I fell in love with you that night, when you showed up looking like that. Natural and raw and full of life. You could walk around with shit on your face, and you’d still be beautiful. There’s just something about you. Something that radiates from you and makes people sigh. It has nothing to do with your clothes, or your makeup, or the appearance of your face or body. It’s you. As a whole. You are beautiful, Kaylee, because you are smart and confident and kick-ass, but also because you’re vulnerable and emotional and so alive. You don’t let people push you around without your consent, and you’re unapologetic about being who you are.

“I love that painting. So much. I couldn’t stop staring at it when I first saw it. Even now, I just want to sit down and take it in. It’s a masterpiece—painted by a master, inspired by an angel. I’m sorry if you don’t agree, and we can figure out what to do about it, but please, please don’t make Janie paint over your face. I want to remember the first time I knew I’d met my wife.” He hesitated. “Or…possibly…the woman who would break my heart so badly I would never recover. Both are equally memorable, I think.”

Heat prickled her eyes, threatening tears. “Did you really think that when you saw me the other night?”

“Yes. And my feelings for you have only gotten stronger. They’ll keep getting stronger, too, as I learn more about you. Sometimes it takes months or years to fully fall in love with someone. And sometimes…it’s meant to be. I believe we’re meant to be.” He tilted his head. “Again, assuming you speak to me after tonight.”

A tear overflowed and her lip trembled. She looked at her feet, trying to ignore the pounding warmth in her chest. The heart would override the head if you let it.

Or in this case, the heart would override the head if you didn’t fight it back with a missile launcher.

She didn’t want to make a rash decision here. She didn’t want to let his honeyed words, no matter how genuine and perfect, dictate her ability to choose what was best for her.

And that was when a new wave of understanding struck.

This wasn’t Ethan’s fault. Why was she angry at him? For liking a painting? For wanting to show her a piece of art that directly spoke to a special memory of his? A memory about her. The man had just used that painting as an example of her beauty.

Clearly he was both blind and delusional, because she looked terrible in the portrait, but he wasn’t being vindictive. His every word and gesture had radiated sincerity. He really did love that image.

And her.

Her chest tightened and her heart went squishy.

She threaded her arm through his and hugged him close. His hands came around her. She tilted up her face and he kissed her, the kiss hard and relieved.

“Thank God. I was worried there for a second,” he murmured against her lips.

“Janie might still get a punch in the face if she isn’t as good with the words as you are.”

“I would not advise that. She is a lot scrappier than you would guess.”

“Can we come out now?” Dave called from the hallway. “Not that we were listening that whole time. Because that would be an invasion of privacy…even though you are in our home. We were just sitting here, in the dark hallway, hoping you wouldn’t light our place on fire. No biggie.”

Kaylee leaned her head against Ethan’s chest. “It is amazing how embarrassed I am right now.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get payback soon enough. I’m here to sit for a painting. Of the nude variety.”