"If you don't uncover my eyes, I'm going to trip."

"I have you. Just keep walking," Will tells me as he guides me out of the elevator and across what sounds like tile or stone flooring. The heels on my half boots make a clacking sound with every step I take.

Hushed words echo through what appears to be a large room.

"Okay. Stand still. Are you ready?" he asks.

"Yes." I giggle excitedly.

He slowly removes his hands from my eyes, and I blink to focus on my surroundings. The first thing I notice is the bright blues and yellows from a glass structure in front of me.

I blink. Blink. Blink.

It slowly comes into focus, and I find myself sucking in an awed breath at the exquisite piece of art in front of me.

I stand and stare at the window mural for what seems like hours. It's beauty utterly captivating. I don't know why these pieces move me so, but they call to me on a physical and mental level that leaves me standing in awe of their beauty.

A warm hand brushes the small of my back, and I jerk to the side, looking up to see Will smiling down at me. "You know, there are other pieces of art here for you to see."

I grin as a hot blush rushes to my cheeks. "Sorry, I couldn't get past how beautiful these are."

He looks at the murals and nods his head. "They are something to behold." His eyes flash back to mine. "But I've seen beauty that no canvas or work of art can equal."

His fingers lace through mine, and I glance down at our joined hands. An odd sensation of warmth tickles over my flesh like tiny embers fluttering over bare flesh. Slowly, I raise my eyes back to his and give a shy smile. He squeezes my hand and flashes me a megawatt smile.

"Follow me. I have something I want to show you." He tilts his head in the direction he wants to take me.

Will leads me up a beautiful stone staircase with intricate mythological carvings engraved on the balusters.

This place is absolutely exquisite.

Everywhere I turn, I'm surrounded by beautiful works of art.

I cling to Will's hand as he leads me to a section of French art and it’s when I see what it is he's taking me to that my heart flutters with excitement.

"How did you know?" I whisper.

We step up to the painting of a French street with people walking tucked under their huge umbrellas. It's one of my favorite paintings, aside from Monet landscape paintings. I don't know how he knew, but my eyes begin to widen as an oncoming rush of tears floods over and down my cheeks. Before I can swipe them away, he's there. His tender touch gently wiping the tears from my face.

I sniffle and look up at him, all the affection I'm feeling simmering in my gaze. He couldn't possibly know what this means to me. "How ...”

He steps in close, taking my chin in the palm of his hand. "You left your laptop open one night, and I saw your search history. I figured it meant something to you if you were searching for it."

I choke on the words before they finally come out. "It was my mom’s favorite painting."

Before I can react, he pulls me into his warm embrace, enveloping me with strength and affection. I wrap my arms around him and pull myself against his body as close as I can get. Memories of my mom and watching her paint flood my mind, and it's all I can do to keep from weeping in the middle of the museum in front of everyone. But for reasons I can't explain, I draw strength from Will's support.

He squeezes me tight and then slowly releases his hold on me. Carefully stepping back, he gently pulls my chin up with the tip of his finger, his eyes searching my expression for something. He seems to find what he wants and nods before stepping back and taking my hand in his again.

He holds my hand the entire time we're in the museum. It's odd that I don't feel like pulling away or flinching every time he gives my hand a little squeeze just to let me know he's still there with me.

But pulling away is the last thing I feel like doing. If anything, I want to pull him closer. I want to bask in the glow of his warmth and simmer in the dizzying affection he bathes me in.

I'm done when it comes to Will Scott. I'm so madly in love with this man, yet I'm terrified to tell him so.

* * *

I don't know why I felt the need to pull her close to me, but the sight of her tears was nearly my undoing. I can't stand to see a woman cry. In that moment, I felt utterly helpless to make right whatever was causing her so much pain.

I searched her eyes to see if it was truly pain she was feeling or if it was joy. What I found was a mixture of both in her sad eyes. I knew her mother was a painter; she had told me as much. But this collection was obviously special to her for reasons unknown to me.

For the rest of the day, I tried to make her laugh. We went to a musical show that was a parody of the latest BDSM hit movie. She laughed until her stomach hurt. After we left there, I took her for the best pizza Chicago has to offer. Even though it gave her terrible heartburn, she never complained.

All in all, it was one of the best days I've had in years. I didn't think about the babies or Sophia or anything else, for that matter. My eyes remained fixated on the beauty of her smile and the glow in her mismatched eyes. Eyes so expressive I couldn't help but get lost in them.

When Kara wasn't thinking about the world and the weight of the troubles she carried on her small frame, she was a different person. She exuded happiness and an enthusiasm for life unlike anyone else. Her laughter rang loud and true throughout the day as I strived to bring it out of her as much as humanly possible. I wanted her to laugh so much that her stomach was sore the next day. I wanted her to feel so much joy that she'd carry that smile for days to come.

I wanted to wipe the sorrow from her pained expression that constantly haunted her face when she thought no one was looking.

I would have given her the world just to make her smile. That's how much that day meant to me. It was the start of something new and exciting for us. The beginning of a relationship that I knew, given time, could evolve to so much more. The attraction and chemistry was there between us. All I had to do was give her new memories to replace the bad ones.

After Sophia's death, I didn't think that I'd ever find someone who could make me feel alive again.

And then, Kara came along.