“I think that can be arranged; I’ll add it to the menu.” She blew a kiss through the phone. “See you soon.”

  Everleigh slowed as she approached the storefront of Collin’s newest location. She’d never seen the store’s blinds lowered over the glass panels that made up the front facing wall. But she figured that must be the case; as she could only faintly make out the hint of light from within the space. She angled her head, her mind busy attempting to figure out this mystery, even as she laid her hand upon the cool metal of the entrance’s handle.

  Swinging the door open, she only absently noted the bell signaling her arrival. The bulk of her attention was drawn to the gleaming wood tables, the deep browns and black of their natural grain pattern no longer obscured by plastic coverings. Upon each sat a single, long-stemmed candle, adding to the wall lights that washed the ceiling with warm light. Soft music filled the room.

  So taken by the scene was Everleigh that she didn’t hear the door to the backroom open. Out of her periphery she saw a flash of olive skin and dark beard as Collin came to fill the threshold, regarding her.

  “Collin?” she asked, no other words coming to her.

  He smiled, walking toward her and relieving her hands of the bags of food she carried with her. After placing the packages on a nearby table, he returned to stand before her.

  “Everleigh,” he whispered, his hand raising to caress her cheek.

  She looked up at him, her hand floating upward to land atop his.

  Collin licked lips that had gone dry.

  “Everleigh, I have something very important to ask you,” he said, reaching down with his other hand into his pocket. Tugging, he grimaced upon realizing the box wouldn’t free itself without more coaxing. Flashing Everleigh a bashful grin, he reached with both hands to loose the velveteen box from its confines. With it finally clasped in his hand, Collin straightened and turned to her.

  “Everleigh, these past few months have challenged me to think about what’s truly important. Falling in love with you has been the absolute best opportunity that the Lord has gifted me with.”

  Taking her hand, he inhaled deeply before lowering himself to one knee before her.

  “But I’m hoping you’ll grant me another opportunity that’s just as pivotal…for us both.”

  Looking up at her, he loosed her hand momentarily so that he could pry open the box.

  Everleigh gasped at the ring within; blinking through tears as she nodded.

  He swallowed, his eyes glistening as brightly as the diamond he held between them.

  "Will you be my wife, Everleigh? Will you give me the opportunity to strive to earn your love, every day, for the rest of our days together?"

  “Yes!” she cried out, watching him stand to his feet, joy radiating from his face like the sun. “Yes,” she said more quietly, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for one of his masterful kisses.

  The creak of a door opening prompted Everleigh to pause the kiss.

  “Hey Collin, I’m ready when you are. Just let me know,” she heard a voice say from behind Collin’s back.

  Craning her neck to look past Collin’s broad chest, she could see a familiar figure standing in the gap created by the half-open door that led to the backroom. It was her former portrait instructor; the young man who’d helped her create the special gift for her parents’ anniversary.

  Everleigh leaned a bit the other direction to view past Collin’s other shoulder, and only then noticed that the instructor’s platform had been outfitted with its customary tarp, easel, blank canvas and stool with a water bottle set atop it.

  Collin hurriedly fished his phone from his other pocket and checked the time. Slightly angling his body toward the gentleman, Collin responded. “Oh, yeah. Uhm, we should be ready in another fifteen minutes, Ed. They should be arriving in just a minute.”

  Ed nodded, and then winked at Everleigh. “Hey Everleigh,” he said, a grin gracing his features before he dipped back into the backroom, closing the door behind him.

  “What’s going on?” Everleigh asked, looking up at Collin.

  A knock at the entrance’s glass door snatched her attention away from the question.

  Collin went to open the door, and Everleigh watched as a few members of his staff filed in, carrying various bags bearing the insignia of her and Collin’s favorite restaurant. Their smiles were bright as they surveyed the landscape. They milled around Collin and Everleigh, politely extending their congratulations before heading to the backroom.

  Andrea was the last to approach them, a sheepish expression upon her face. She looked at Everleigh, “Everleigh, I’m sorry for my behavior from before. I–I wish you both the best. I really do. You’re both really great people.” She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Smiling, Everleigh reached out and rubbed the young woman’s shoulder.

  “Thank you, Andrea.”

  Nodding, Andrea followed the rest of her crew into the backroom to prepare.

  “She begged me to be a part of this,” Collin told her. “But she also knows you were the one that saved her from getting fired. And that you have the last say here. You say the word and I’ll ask her to leave. I want this to be a great memory for you.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Everleigh said, looking up at him. In a low voice she continued, “For one, you didn’t have a legal basis to let her go. None of that was worth the possibility of a lawsuit. But as for now,” she looked back at the closed door that led into the backroom, “I think she’s sincere. She better be, cuz she’s gonna see a whole lot of PDA tonight.”

  He chuckled, pulling her tighter against him. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  She smiled, looking up at him. “And I think we all need the gift of second chances from time to time, right?”

  Collin smiled, nodding. “Definitely.”

  “So…what exactly is happening right now?’ she said, looking over the space.

  “We’re going to paint a portrait. And we’re going to have dinner together.”

  “Are we?”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “And we’re painting a portrait of what?”

  “Of whom,” he corrected.

  “Okay…” she prodded.

  “Of us,” he responded.

  “We’re going to paint a picture of us?”

  “Yep.”

  Through her laughter, Everleigh managed to ask, “Can we keep them?”

  “That’s the plan. Figure I can hang one of them around here. So I’ll always have you near.”

  “Awww,” she cooed, melting into him even more. “And the other…we’ll have at home!”

  He nodded. “In our home,” he grinned.

  She tilted her head back and looked into his twin pools of blue, biting her bottom lip. “Now, what if I hadn’t said ‘yes’?”

  He flushed and chuckled. “Then this would have been a very awkward evening.”

  They both laughed.

  “But I had to take that chance. I wanted this to be memorable for you.”

  Everleigh threaded her fingertips through the hair at the nape of his neck, her head bobbing. “This is definitely memorable. I love it, Collin.”

  “Good,” he said, leaning in, his lips pressing to hers in a tender, lingering kiss.

  As he pulled back a moan escaped her. She nuzzled his nose.

  “So–,” she said, quietly, “do you really think we can paint a portrait in one night?”

  Smirking, he shook his head. “Nope. We’ll just take our time. One day at a time,” he watched her. “Was thinking maybe we could reserve this space for one night a week? Just the two of us. What do you think?”

  Everleigh lay her head on Collin’s chest, breathing deeply of his cologne that smelled of Bergamot, Lavender and Suede. She listened to the thud of his heart beating against her ear. She absorbed the strength of his body against hers, the warmth of his strong arms surrounding her mirroring the feel of his ring encircling her finger.

  There was a time when she’d been in a relationship that had only prompted her to wonder if she was in love; but now…now the answer was plain and simple. As plain and simple as the fact that she couldn’t remember what life was like before Collin; and she wouldn’t want to imagine a future without him.

  “Yes,” she said, tipping up her head to gaze at him. Raising herself up on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down until his lips met hers.

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  About the Author

  "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

  - Toni Morrison

  Quint Emm Ellis enjoys penning plots centering around unabashedly nerdy, introverted, cinnamon-roll mantic, passionate, fallible women who happen to be black, who happen to be Christian, and who happen to love an uplifting and, possibly, inspirational story.

  She enjoys listening to audio books, watching movies, finding great deals and spoiling her cat and dog rotten. Her dream is to be able to walk around in loose pajama pants all day and geek out while mastering niche crafts like music production, film editing and electro etching.

  QuintEmmEllis.com

  FB: @QuintEmmEllis

 

 

  Quint Emm Ellis, The Art of Love

 

 

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