51. Della
DELLA
This evening is a night I will never forget. Everything exceeded expectations: the turnout, the love, and my ability to produce all those pieces. It’s one of the most surreal moments of my life. To know that so many people came out to support me blows my mind.
The hope for tonight was to sell a couple of paintings, but the goal was for me to find myself again, to tap into parts of me that died with my mom. And I achieved both.
When the last person leaves, Rose locks the doors, and while she does some paperwork, I take a lap to soak it in.
There are red dots on most of the painting’s tags, showing how many people enjoyed my work.
I am already teary by the time I make it over to Love’s First Light.
Part of me hoped this one wouldn’t sell so that I could take it with me.
After everything I’ve painted, it remains my favorite.
While tracing my eyes over the different parts of the painting, Rose appears behind me with a bottle of something.
“What’s this?” I say, feeling like I’m tap-dancing on top of the world.
“Well, I have some news, and you’re going to want this,” she pours me a glass of bubbly and hands it to me. “And this,” she pushes a chair my way, too.
“You’re making me nervous, Rose,” I turn to her.
“Nervous isn’t the word I’d use, Della.”
Before I can speak, she continues.
“You sold twenty-three paintings,” she points to her clipboard.
Only this woman would still use a clipboard to track items.
“But what’s most notable is Love’s First Light.”
My eyes snap back to my favorite painting where I captured the moment the sun rose into the bottom tip of the heart.
That scene will live rent-free in my head forever, but I feel like it represents exactly what we said it has: my sunrise; my new beginning.
The painting is full of textures and colors, and it turned out better than any photograph that I could have taken.
“It was purchased,” she says.
“I see!” I say, taking a drink and glancing at the red sticker on the tag. “I have mixed feelings… I kind of love this one.” I smile back at the painting.
“Someone else did, too. It was purchased for eighty thousand dollars.”
The champagne gets caught in my throat, and I choke. “Eighty thousand dollars?” I ask when I regain the ability to speak. Rose keeps talking, but I don’t hear or process what she’s saying.
“Well, kind of. It was purchased for… purchase price, but… patron… fifteen… commission… each.”
The ringing in my ears stops, and I hear the last part of her sentence.
“It’s the most money we’ve had spent by a single buyer here. I don’t even know what to say, Della.”
Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money? I try to think of all the people who were here. No one sticks out to me as a big baller or anything. “Who?” I get out.
“She looks at her clipboard and back at me. Someone named Sir Magnum Biggs. It was an online arrangement and store pickup next week. I don’t know who that is. Maybe a tourist?” She is stone-faced as she delivers the news.
My mouth drops open, and my hand moves to cover it in laughter. Blinking slowly to process that, I look at Rose, wondering if she can read my thoughts.
Jaxon paid eighty thousand dollars? I can’t wrap my head around that sentence.
“When did that come through?” I whisper.
“Well, I opened the online store at 5 p.m. today, and the work was purchased at 5:01. However, the commission paperwork was put in place earlier.”
Once again, I hear her, but don’t process what she’s saying. After I finish up and hugging the woman who had a hand in my rebirth, I drive right to Jaxon’s house. Forgoing knocking or ringing the doorbell, I let myself right in.
“Jaxon Wills,” I shout as I enter the house. “You are not purchasing that painting for that astronomical amount of money. What are you doing?” But the words get lost in my throat when I see a handful of candles, two wine glasses, and an open wine bottle on his dining room table.
“There you are,” he says, getting up from the couch like this is panning out exactly as he planned it. “I thought this might be a great way to celebrate your first Amberheart Valley Art Show. How did you do?”
“Jaxon, you can’t.”
“Can’t what?” he responds. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” I can’t believe he’s keeping a poker face right now.
“Do you know who my biggest benefactor was?” I ask as he hands me a glass.
“Hmmm… probably someone pretty handsome. Kind. Funny. Charming sometimes. Sorrier than he’ll ever be able to say with words. And probably really good in bed… like best ever. That’s if I had to guess, of course,” he answers with a boyish grin.
“The ghost of the deer or your dick really must like me then,” I can feel the smirk on my face as I flirt back. It’s the one that only he can bring out of me, it seems.
“Well, seeing as there’s only an elk in here, not a deer, I’m going with the latter,” he smiles, and my smirk spreads to a full-blown grin.
“Jax, what are you doing?” I shake my head.
“Della. Since you got to town, you haven’t been out of my thoughts.
But this last month has been on my terms. It’s been me thinking about how to get you back and keep you here.
But I realized that you’re not mine to win.
God, none of this has transpired how I imagined it would, including someone like you walking into my life and turning it so upside down.
” His hand runs down his face. “Since you mentioned that you were thinking of leaving Amberheart, I’ve concluded that I can’t fight you.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t follow you wherever you end up. ”
His hand reaches up to trace down my cheek, and I can’t help but lean into his touch.
“Remember what I said that day in the truck?” he continues. “You get to rise like the mother-fucking sun that you are… wherever, and whenever you want to, Del. I’ll just tag along for the ride.”
I feel my nose tingle with impending tears. Because the truth is, no, I don’t want to go. Since the day he scared me at the sliding glass door, and even before then, he’s quietly rebuilding his place in my heart. I can’t say exactly when it happened, but these days, I miss everything about him.
“You can’t buy my presence, Jaxon,” I say, wondering if that’s why he spent so much.
“I would never. The art I purchased today serves two purposes. It reminds me of that first morning I had with you. The one where I couldn’t keep my eyes to myself and had butterflies in my stomach.
Me. Jaxon Wills. The man who used to enjoy the thrill of different women.
Now, I’m just chasing the thrill I get when you smile at me.
But that morning, you were all bundled up in my jacket with your hands around the coffee mug and your breath unfurling in the air…
I didn’t even bother watching the sunrise because it couldn’t compare to how beautiful you were.
And believe me, I fought with myself every minute I stared because I knew that I shouldn’t be looking at you like that.
But I couldn’t help it. And I will never forget it, Della.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but that marked a shift in my life.
Because now that I’ve experienced that feeling, I’ll never be the same. ”
His hand travels to the back of my neck, creeping into the base of my hair, pulling it ever so slightly before dropping it.
“But if you do go, and let’s be clear, I don’t want you to, this will give you a bit of a head start to pursue something.
Amberheart was supposed to help you get your feet under you, and on one hand, I’d like to think we gave that to you.
But then I went and pulled the rug out, too.
I want you to do what you want, be that painting or going back to PT school, or God, whatever you can cook up.
But before that decision is made, I’d like to note that you sold a ton of paintings tonight.
Although I’m not saying you should do one thing or the other, you’re talented in ways that most people can’t compete with.
You hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in five years and then busted out a gallery’s worth of perfection.
That’s something special. Plus, you have to know that Hazel and Molly shared their plan to hire you as a resident painter, and I am completely on board with it.
But I digress. I bought Loves Morning Light because it represents everything you became to me.
It’s magic, wonder, and a visual representation of how you live in my head.
You’re the glow that exists on the edge of my thoughts and spills into my mind. ”
There are things I want to say, but before I get them out, he continues.
“Della,” he closes his eyes and takes a breath before opening them. “I miss you so fucking much. If you give me another chance, I promise to be everything you need me to be, whether that be here in Amberheart Valley or wherever you end up. I will figure it out to be with you.”
I stare at this man’s eyes after the confession he gives me. My conviction to leave was stronger even two weeks ago, but my soul craves to stay in this tiny western town with the people I have come to love.
With him.
“I don’t want to leave, Jaxon,” I quietly admit.
“Then stay,” he whispers. “Please.”
“And I miss you so much it hurts,” I follow up with.
“Then don’t miss me anymore,” he drifts close again and grabs my hand, interlacing our fingers. “If you open the door for this… if there’s still a place for me in you… You’ll never have the chance to miss me again, because I’m never letting you go.”