“Don’t be nervous.”
We pulled up to the wrought-iron gates surrounding his property. He pushed a button on his key ring and they swung silently inward. Once again, I was reminded of how his mansion looked like it was pulled straight out of a fairy tale, especially with the weeks of accumulated snow on the grounds. He parked and we dashed inside to get out of the cold.
“Caitlin!” I heard a small voice say at the same time I felt something latch on to my waist.
“He finally learned your name after reading it on the cover of the book about fifty times,” Adrian said, hanging up my coat.
I hugged Lucian’s shoulders and looked down at him. “Are you gonna come see my new room with us?”
He looked over at his brother, who nodded, and then back at me, smiling happily.
“It’s upstairs,” Adrian said, leading the way. Lucian and I followed him to the third floor and down the hallway, all the way to the end. Adrian stepped behind me and put his hands over my eyes.
“You ready?”
“Sure,” I said, unconvincingly.
“Lucian, you want to grab the door for me?”
I heard rustling and the soft turn of the handle and then Adrian was nudging me forward until we were inside the room. Slowly, he lowered his hands. I opened my eyes. I blinked.
“Holy shit.”
Belatedly, I clapped my hands over Lucian’s ears.
The room faced the front of the house, so the roof angled steeply to the floor, studded with huge windows. A cutting table was set up against the far wall and my serger and sewing machine had been set up back-to-back on a short table in the center of the room. The walls were lined with shelves, already partially filled with bolts of fabrics.
“They sent some samples based off the sketches you did. I know it’s not everything you need, but it’s a place to start.”
I stared at the room. “I can’t even contemplate how much this cost you.”
He shrugged. “It didn’t really cost me anything. Besides, when you make it as a famous designer, you can pay me back with free clothes.”
I continued to stare at the room in complete shock. It was not sinking in that this was all mine to use anytime I wanted. I sucked in a deep breath and went to the wall of fabric, running my hands lightly over the cloth.
“Your sketchbooks are on the table and the drawers over there are full of scissors and needles and threads and … stuff,” Adrian said, looking a little lost as he pointed to rows of dark, wood-paneled drawers. I peeked inside—professional equipment. Top of the line.
“Adrian,” I said, feeling a little dizzy, “I can’t ever repay this.”
“It’s a gift,” he explained. “You’re not supposed to.”
I turned back to him. He was standing with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, wavy dark hair framing his face; his gray eyes soft and warm even in the cold, blue light coming from the windows. I rested my face against a bolt of silk and closed my eyes.
“I’m happy.”
I heard a small whap a few moments later and opened my eyes to discover that Lucian had jumped on one of the mannequins and was currently riding it around the room like a horse.
“Frankie,” Adrian said in a warning tone. “This is one room you can’t play in, okay? This is Caitlin’s room.”
He climbed off the mannequin immediately and sheepishly wheeled it back to the others. Overcome with a giant bubble of happiness, I danced over to Adrian and threw my arms around him in a hug. “You’re the best,” I murmured. “Thank you so much.”
I heard a low whistle from the door and looked up to find Julian leaning against the frame, staring at us. Adrian instantly pulled away from me.
“I’m dying to know how you justified this to Mariana,” Julian said, taking in the room. His eyes settled on me speculatively. “Caitlin, my dear, I feel it’s my duty to inform you that extravagant gifts are my brother’s absurd version of foreplay.”
Before I could even blink, Adrian had crossed the room and slammed his brother violently against the wall. “Shut up,” he demanded him in a voice so low I almost couldn’t hear.
Julian just rolled his eyes, looking bored. “This is exactly what I’ve been talking about.”
Adrian looked livid, though his voice was calm. “Do not threaten me.”
“I don’t need to threaten anyone.” Julian laughed. “I don’t need to say a word. You’ll see how this ends, eventually. The difference between us is that I don’t disillusion myself about this shit.”
I felt someone grip my hand. It was Lucian. Adrian’s eyes flicked over in our direction for a moment, and then back to his older brother. Finally, he released him. “You’re pathetic.”
Julian adjusted the neck of his shirt. “And you still don’t understand. You really don’t. The day’s gonna come, bro, and it’s going to suck.” He winked at me over Adrian’s shoulder. “No pun intended.”
Adrian pointed at the door. “Get out.”