Chapter Thirty-Two

 

Melissa cracked open her office door at the back of the gallery to glance at the gathering crowd. Even though the gala didn’t start for ten minutes, several people were already milling around in the spacious gallery, doing more talking than buying.

Before stepping out of her office, she turned to her sisters. “How do I look? Please tell me you can’t tell I’m pregnant.”

“You couldn’t be any more radiant. The dress fits you perfectly. Asa’s assistant nailed the tailoring,” Dakota said.

Melissa ran her hand down the front of her gown. The seductive low-cut V-neckline with ruched bodice highlighted her ample cleavage. The empire waist and A-line skirt hid her hips. She twirled around and the full skirt billowed out around her.

“Asa?”

“You look fabulous, honey. Now, go on out there and celebrate your opening. Simeon and I have already found the perfect piece to go in the sitting room.”

Melissa gave her sisters a wink before leaving.

Working the room was easy. Greeting guests kept her from watching the door to see if Darius would bring a date. She hadn’t meant to taunt him, but his reply was just as surprising. Each time the door opened, she expected to see him come through with a tall, sleek model on his arm. She struggled to catch her breath as the idea settled on her shoulders. She didn’t want to admit how much the thought hurt.

The night wore on. The room filled gradually with people. One glance around at the stark white walls revealed several empty spaces and several larger pieces with sold tags tucked in the corner awaiting delivery.

The few remaining artists gathered in the corner having a quiet conversation. She hurried to catch them before they departed too.

“Are you guys pleased with the way tonight turned out?”

“It was awesome. I sold out every piece.” The only female artist in the bunch looked like she was about to burst.

“Then you need to get back to work and soon.” She waved goodnight to them and locked the door as they exited.

Darius never showed. She rubbed her forehead. Maybe there was a bright side to his absence. They had separate lives. Living together didn’t change the circumstances concerning their life. The divorce papers on the table were a testament, just in case she wanted to forget.

After a night of walking in four-inch heels, she was happy to have a car drop her off at the front door of her apartment. Of all the dreams she’d had, this wasn’t how she had expected the big celebration to end, alone and exhausted.

She let herself in the apartment and dropped her purse before greeting the dog. From the entrance, she could hear music wafting from the living room.

Darius sat in the darkened room with a Corona gripped in his hand.

“I thought you might show up tonight.” She tried hard to sound nonchalant.

“I had some business I needed to handle, and then I decided to just stay in and work on lyrics.” He took a swallow. “How was it?”

She dropped her earrings on the counter without turning to face him. “It turned out great. We sold more than I thought we would. Which is a good sign.”

“You sound surprised. You’ll be a success. You always are.”

****

Darius tried not to stare at her, but his gaze kept going back to her cleavage. The tiny straps of her dress barely contained the luscious bounty. He ran his tongue over his lips, certain she couldn’t see him in the dark room.

Four beers within five hours gave him too much time to think and not enough logic to handle his thoughts. No matter how much he tried to ignore the images, Melissa was in every one of them. Now, she stood a few feet away from him in a dress that made her look like a goddess. His manhood pulsed with so much need he had to shift in the seat.

“Tell me about it.” He hoped she wouldn’t slip into her bedroom and close him out.

She crossed the room like a princess gliding in on royal shoulders. She sat in front of him, giving him a full view of her beauty.

Maybe the beers had him tipsy or maybe it was the sound of her voice, but the more she talked, the more his edginess slipped away. He envisioned every word as she recounted the details.

“See, it doesn’t sound like you missed me one bit,” he said when she finished.

“I would have liked to share the evening with you.” She was getting ready to get up.

“Don’t go yet. For the first time in months, we’re acting like adults. I’m enjoying this.”

“I wish you’d come tonight.” He heard the disappointment in her voice.

“You never asked me. I guess I wanted to be invited, not an afterthought.”

“Is that what you thought, that I didn’t want you there?”

He hunched his shoulders. “I’m not sure what to think right now. Our life is in a constant state of upheaval.”

“Maybe you’ve put your finger on what’s wrong with our marriage. Instead of saying what we really felt, we were always sugarcoating things. Maybe we needed to vow to be honest with each other. No matter what happened.”

“Are you sure? Honesty can cause some hurt feelings.”

“I think we can handle a little truth. Maybe a little more honesty in the beginning would have saved our marriage.” Regret gripped his heart.

They listened to John Legend sing about ordinary people, but nothing about him felt ordinary with her sitting so far away from him.

“My father is getting remarried.” He blurted to keep her from leaving the room. “I saw him a few weeks ago and he seems really happy.”

“Are you feeling okay with his decision? Or were you still hoping him and your mom would get back together?”

“No. I gave up on that idea months ago. The important thing is for the two of them to be happy. He’s not planning a fancy wedding, which is a relief, so there won’t be any odd moments.”

“You know once the baby is born, you’ll have to face your mother. She’s going to want to see her first grandchild. You can’t hide from her forever.”

“I know and I’m not hiding. About the divorce papers—”

“Let’s not talk about those papers tonight. We’ve got time.” She paused. “Why did you get mad the other night when I brought them into your room? And remember, we promised to be honest.”

He sucked his tongue and steeled his stomach. The only thing he had to lose was the most precious thing he’d ever had. “I don’t want a divorce.”

Her eyes widened before she hurried from the room. The sound of her door closing disrupted his heartbeat.