Instigation

A sigh of relief escapes him as a beautiful smile covers his face. “You mean that?”

 

 

I nod, because for the first time since my parents died, I don’t feel any pain. In this moment, at this place, with this man who calls me Brie, I am happy.

 

“Mission accomplished, Matthews. I am truly happy for the first time in so damn long, and it’s you I have to thank for that.”

 

His large hand comes to the back of my head as he pulls me against his chest. Pressing a kiss down on my head, he sighs softly. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Promise me that, no matter what happens in the future, you’ll always remember this moment. You’ll always remember how I make you feel.”

 

My eyebrows draw together at his words, but before I can question it, he pulls back and bows his head to brush his lips against mine.

 

“Promise me.”

 

It’s almost a plea, and the depth of emotion in his voice has me answering instantly. There is no hesitation when it comes to him.

 

“I promise, Rafe. I couldn’t forget this even if I wanted to.”

 

“Good,” is his reply as he releases me and takes my hand.

 

Apparently, that’s the end of the conversation, which is fine with me because my heart’s working in overdrive from every sweet thing he’s said and done this weekend. And it’s not even half over. How he could possibly think I’d ever forget this is beyond me. The desire to soak up every moment with him and commit it to memory is overwhelming. That was an easily made promise.

 

We fall back into a comfortable silence as we peruse the rest of the paintings. By the time we get to modern American art, I glance up at him and know that it’s time to put him out of his misery.

 

There’s a familiar look in his eyes—glazed over and half in a daze. It brings a smile to my face, as it’s the exact one that was always present on Dad’s face whenever we’d been at the museum too long. Taking pity on him, I wrap my arm around his waist and look up at him.

 

“This has been wonderful, Rafe, and I really appreciate you bringing me here. Are you ready to go?”

 

Relief covers his face for a quick moment before he tries to mask it. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

 

“Are you sure?” he asks, pulling his program out. “We haven’t yet seen the . . . umm . . . Rodin sculptures yet.”

 

I tilt my head and peer up at him. “Rafe, do you have any idea who Rodin is?”

 

“Umm, no,” he answers, and I laugh.

 

“We’ll save that lesson for another day.”

 

He looks relieved, and as we go down the infamous Rocky steps, I try my hardest to keep up with him. Naturally, he makes me take his picture by the statue, and I make a mental note to get a copy later on.

 

“So, now that I’ve sufficiently bored you with my ramblings on art, what’s next on the list of things to do on our date?” I ask as we walk to the car.

 

He stops and studies me for a moment. “Well, why don’t you tell me, Brie? I know that this was one of your favorite places to visit with your parents. Where else did you guys go? I don’t know all that much about Philly. Be my tour guide,” he requests.

 

“Hmm,” I hum, tapping my chin before an idea pops in my mind. “Well, this was my and Mom’s favorite place to go, and Dad just humored us until we went to his. It never failed. We spent hours here then let him lead the way.”

 

He cocks an eyebrow, and I tell him that it’s a surprise. Looking around, I take his head and lead him away from the car.

 

“It’s within walking distance,” I tell him, and as we leisurely stroll, I realize all we’ve done this weekend is talk about me and my past. Glancing up at him, I decide to remedy that. “I feel like an asshole. I’ve done all the talking and haven’t even asked about you.”

 

He peers down at me and shrugs. “That’s fine with me. I like hearing about you and your past. Your eyes light up when you talk about your parents. It makes you happy to talk about them, which, in turn, makes me happy.”

 

“It’s been so long since I’ve let myself remember them. It feels right to do so. Thanks for listening,” I tell him.

 

He smiles down at me. “Anytime, baby.”

 

“Now, let’s talk about you for once,” I tease and watch as his jaw tightens before he gives me a forced smile.

 

“There’s not much to tell, Brie,” he says.

 

I roll my eyes. “Okay, Mr. Mysterious. How about the basics?” I ask as we wait for a light to change. It’s like pulling teeth with this man.

 

Over the next few minutes, I learn that he’s from Cleveland, born and raised. His parents still live there with his younger brother, who did join the medical profession. He’s twenty-nine, which surprises me when I realize I didn’t know this beforehand. I may know this man, but what do I know about him? Not much, and it’s time to remedy that.

 

“So you asked me once before. Now, it’s my turn. Why Philadelphia? If you’re from Ohio. How’d you end up here?”

 

He gives me a shrug as if it’s not a big deal. “I go where the job takes me. Right now, it’s Philadelphia. Eventually, it could be Pittsburgh or Cleveland. I go wherever I’m needed.”

 

I frown, wondering just how far his construction business reaches. Just as I’m about to ask, our destination comes into view and our game of Twenty Questions ends. Still, I make a mental note to revisit it later. He may not think there’s much to know about him, but whatever there is, I want to know it, just like he wants to know everything about me.

 

“We’re here,” I tell him, watching as his eyes take in the vast structure before us.

 

He turns to me, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Really?” he asks, echoing my question from when we pulled up the museum.

 

Nodding, I laugh at his skepticism. “Really. Come on. You’ll love it,” I promise as I pull him closer.

 

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