Painted Love: A Smalltown Romance (Hearts of Fern Hollow Book 4) by Avery Snow

Author:Avery Snow [Snow, Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heartstrings Press
Published: 2023-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

Piper is awake when I come back inside, sitting at the table with my mom. Jake stands at the counter, smiling as mom tells some story, Piper with a soft smile as she listens. She's so...reserved. Quiet.

Beautiful.

I take a second to watch her before she notices me, memorizing the curve of her shoulder, the way her face has gotten a little rounder since she got pregnant. She glows.

She sees me.

Her smile widens.

I love her.

It feels so obvious now that I'm starting to admit it. Of course I love her--I've always loved her. I think, even when she was dating Caleb and I would run into her at family gatherings, we always hit it off...and now I know why.

We were meant to be all along.

"Mornin', gorgeous," I say, walking toward her and leaning forward to kiss the top of her head. She blushes as my family looks at our changed dynamic, my mom flashing us a knowing smile. I'm confident she didn't hear a thing last night--but I'm sure Piper is nervous she did.

"Good morning, Jesse," Piper says, her voice soft and melodic.

I pull out a chair and sit next to her, taking her hand in mine. "How'd you sleep?" I ask her.

"Very well," she says, her eyes meeting mine. "Thank you for letting me stay the night."

"Anytime," I say, squeezing her hand. "I'm just happy you're here with me."

Piper's smile is radiant, and for a moment, it feels like the rest of the world fades away. It's just me and her, with nothing else to worry about.

But that moment doesn't last long.

Jake clears his throat, drawing our attention to him. "So, Piper," he says, his voice friendly. "Jesse tells us you're an artist?"

Piper nods, a small smile still playing on her lips. "Yes, I am," she says. "I specialize in watercolors."

"Have you painted Jesse?"

I know Jake is asking as a joke, and I flash him a sardonic scowl--but Piper nods. "I actually painted him quite a few times back in San Fran...but I had to sell my paintings to buy a bus ticket out here."

I gape at her as my mom does the same. "So there are paintings of my son floating around in California?" she asks.

Piper laughs softly. "They're abstract, it isn't like there's anything crazy out there--but yes, there are paintings of Jesse, and me, and...well, all kinds of things."

She looks over at me.

"Speaking of which--there's an art supply store a few towns over and I was wondering if you would take me out there? I want to paint the view you showed me the other night."

My heart swells with love and pride for her. She's so talented and passionate about her art, and I want to support her in every way possible. "Of course," I say, grinning at her. "I'd love to take you there."

"Thank you," she says, her eyes shining with happiness. "I can't wait to get started on it."

We finish breakfast and I help her clean up, secretly enjoying the domesticity of it all. I can't wait for us to have a place of our own, where we can do things like this every day.

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