“Pairs?”
“Yeah. Like when Jake visits, we’ll be close for a few weeks afterward. Then he’ll get busy with his own thing, and then Gage or Duke will have something to talk about, or an issue to work through. It sort of goes in cycles. Big family dynamics, you know.”
“And what about Trish? Where does she fit in?” Lizzie knew his sister was an actress and that she was close with her family, but she hadn’t met her, and she wondered what it was like growing up with so many brothers.
“Where doesn’t she fit in?” Blue laughed as they finished eating, then set the plates aside so they could paint. “She weasels her way into everyone’s business, like any sister would, I guess. Nosing around for details on our personal lives.”
Lizzie picked up a paintbrush and started to paint. “And do you guys do the same to her?”
“I don’t want to know the details of her personal life. I just want to know she’s safe and happy. When she was in high school, I’m sure we scared off a lot of her dates, but once she went away to college, she pretty much set us straight.” Blue dabbed his brush in blue paint and held it in front of the picture of flowers in a vase that Lizzie was painting. “May I?”
“Sure.”
He smoothed out the edges of the vase, then added shading that made the vase look like it was three-dimensional.
“Trish set us all straight except Duke. Duke is relentless when it comes to being protective. He watches over all of us like it’s his job. I think it’s an eldest thing.”
“I think I’d agree with that. I was pretty protective of Maddy when she was younger.” And even now, wasn’t she being protective by taking care of Maddy’s tuition so her sister wouldn’t have to? She tucked that thought away, not wanting to think about the webcast or the fact that she’d seen only thirty seconds of it and that there could still be technical issues.
She turned her attention back to the easel, painting flower petals falling from the flowers in the vase. Blue painted a window behind the vase that looked so real she could practically feel the sky beyond.
“Where did you learn to paint like that?”
“Just something I picked up in school. Who knew that architecture skills carried over to art?”
They painted together, teasing each other and laughing, while talking about families and friends and life on the Cape. Lizzie set her paintbrush down to watch Blue paint. His dark brows knitted together and his jaw clenched. He was usually so relaxed that seeing him so intent on the painting was almost like seeing a whole different person. She imagined it was what he must be like when he worked without anyone else around.
She stifled a yawn, her long day catching up to her.
“I kept you up too late last night.” Blue set down his paintbrush and pulled her in close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She loved the intensity of their wild kisses as much as the tenderness of his softer ones, and even though she knew they could only share this one date, she wanted to enjoy every second of it, of him.
“No. I’m okay.” She looked at the painting and realized he’d painted two string gardens beside the vase. They were drawn in perfect perspective and looked strikingly similar to two of her favorites.
“Are those mine?” she asked softly.
“Yes. You told me they were your favorites the day I came in to buy the aloe vera plant.”
“But that was months ago. You remembered?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, inhaling a deep breath before finally answering. “Lizzie.” He met her gaze with an intensity of heat and honesty that made her whole body warm up. “I don’t think there’s a thing you’ve told me that I haven’t remembered.”
Her heart ached with desire and longing. Blue was, without question, the most honest man alive, and no part of her wanted to put distance between them again. But she knew she had to. She reached for his hand, wanting to enjoy their closeness for the rest of the evening. Even if she couldn’t have him forever, she’d take one night. One night of tender kisses that made her head spin, and the most perfect date she’d ever been on. And then she’d go back to the way it was.
***
BLUE KNEW HE was in too deep the moment he’d first pressed his lips to Lizzie’s, and he had no desire to swim to the surface. When they left the restaurant, Lizzie climbed into the truck and moved beside him without his urging. Everything felt natural and right, just as he’d known it would. He felt closer to her than he’d ever felt to a woman, and as they drove away from the Paintery with their painting propped against the seat, he didn’t want the night to end.