As soon as I pulled into the grand parking lot, a small gasp escaped my lips when I saw the huge bold letters on the front of the building that read: Gallery Of Phoenix.
It turned out exactly how I envisioned it, and the fact that the workers got it finished within the small time frame I gave them at the very last minute was even more impressive. I tried not to think about whether Nathaniel would show up as I parked in the furthest parking spot away from the building, but as soon as I unbuckled my seatbelt and looked up, there Nathaniel was walking alongside Carter towards the entrance. He wore an all-black tight-fitted suit with silver loafers and a silver Rolex, or what looked like one from this distance. His hair was slicked back neatly, leaving a strand hanging loose in front of his face like he usually does.
I ducked low behind the steering wheel when he suddenly whipped around as if he knew someone was watching him and when the two finally disappeared into the building, I slipped out of my car and walked towards the back of the glass building where I could see everything going on inside but still remain invisible to everyone else. I planned to go in later, but for now, I wanted Nathaniel to enjoy this time with his family without any interruptions from me, someone he didn't care to see as of right now.
"Are you not going inside, Ms. Faye?" Frank's voice came from behind, startling me slightly.
I shook my head and sat down on the stone benches, watching as he did the same. "This night is about celebrating Isabella and her life with his family; it has nothing to do with me."
"But you are family," he spoke softly. "You deserve to be in there; this night would not have been possible without you."
Tears pricked my eyes, and I had to tilt my head back to keep from smudging the little makeup I did have on. "Nathaniel and I aren't on the best of terms right now—"
"Because you haven't told him the truth."
"And I will, once all of this is over, but for now, I'm fine with watching from the background." I turned and smiled at Frank, assuring him that I was okay. "You should go inside now; you're family too."
He squeezed my shoulder as he stood up and smiled back. "I'll come back to check up on you again."
"Thanks, Frank," I whispered, touching his hand that was on me.
He nodded before disappearing around the corner to walk into the building I haven't had the courage to go into yet. I watched as Nathaniel's family huddled in the main area, waiting to surprise Nathaniel whenever he walked in. I even spotted Nonna in the very front standing beside Antonio, Luca, Giovanni, and Maria. Stella, Theo, and Gabrielle were off to the side holding confetti blasters, and everyone else that I didn't recognize were close family and friends to Nathaniel that I hadn't had the pleasure to meet yet.
Somehow Frank managed to slip inside before Nathaniel and Carter, which meant they would be walking in any second now that everyone was accounted for, except me.
A few more minutes passed, and finally, the doors flung open, and as soon as Nathaniel and Carter slowly walked in, Stella, Theo, and Gabrielle released the confetti as everyone yelled in unison, "We love you, Isabella!"
Nathaniel's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his face returned normal. Nonna was the first to give Nathaniel a hug, and in seconds a small smile snuck onto his handsome face as he embraced the small woman before him. Nonna was his weakness; he'd do anything for her, which is why I needed her to be the first to greet him so his guard could be let down as soon as he walked in.
His cousins, Antonio, Luca, and Giovanni, were the next members to greet him, and I watched as he rolled his eyes, most likely from one of Luca's lame jokes. It warmed my heart seeing him surrounded by loved ones that could bring even the smallest smile on his face on this tragic day, and that was all I ever wanted.
He spent an hour going between family members, hugging and conversing. I watched as they all took turns taking pictures with him knowing they weren't going to see him anytime soon after this event was over with him being so busy with work. I don't know how long I spent watching them from afar, but I must've gotten lost in my thoughts somewhere down the road because the next thing I knew, Carter was texting me, telling me that something was wrong with one of the paintings and that he needed me to check it out to make sure everything was okay.
My heart sunk thinking about Isabella's painting being messed up, and as soon as I blindly rushed into the building and into the main section of the museum where everyone was located, Confetti blasters went off as everyone screamed, "Thank You, Anastazi!" In unison.
Tears immediately sprang to my eyes as I watched the loving family before me erupt in cheers, but I couldn't help but scan the area looking for Nathaniel, only to become disappointed when I didn't see him anywhere in the crowd.
Once everyone had settled down, Carter snuck up from behind and cleared his throat as he made his way beside me.
"This night would not have been possible if it weren't for this amazing woman right here," Carter announced to the family before him. "A few months ago, Stazi and I had a brief conversation about Nate, and I explained to her how hard this time of the year is for him and for everyone who knew Isabella. So, a few weeks ago, Stazi came to me with an idea to open up a museum in honor of Isabella that would display all of her and Nathaniel's amazing artwork they've done together over the years, knowing this was one of her many dreams. Without hesitating, she jumped into immediate action to prepare for this night, knowing she only had four weeks to complete the entire project before Nathaniel came back from his trip. This woman spent countless hours, from working as the acting CEO at Creed Industries, which isn't an easy job, to coming home and working on this project until we had to physically force her to go to bed just for her to do it all over again the next day."
Carter turned to face me with the biggest smile on his face.
"I know you didn't want to be recognized tonight because you wanted this celebration to be about Isabella, but there would be no place to celebrate if it weren't for you and everything you did to make this night happen, so thank you, Stazi, from the bottom of all of our hearts."
Tears pooled in my eyes as the crowd erupted in cheers again when Carter wrapped his arms around my body, giving me the biggest and well-needed hug.
"Thank you," I whispered softly as we pulled away.
He winked and gave my hand a firm squeeze before leaving my side so that the rest of the family could talk to me.
Nonna was the first person out of the group to give me a hug as she thanked me for bringing her late daughters' dream to life. We continued walking around the museum catching up on everything, and I laughed loudly when she smacked me on my arm and told me that she knew Nathaniel was in love with me, but I was too stubborn to see it at the moment.
We continued talking until Antonio and Luca grew impatient and snatched me away from her so they could spend time with me as well. I eventually lost track of time as I met more of Nathaniel's family members, who thanked me endlessly for dedicated this museum to their loved one. We all laughed and enjoyed each other's company as we ate the refreshments that were being served, but I couldn't help but wonder where Nathaniel was during this time. I wanted us to be on good terms again; I wanted to apologize for my actions, and even though Carter most likely already told him the truth, I wanted him to hear it from me.
Eventually, 11 PM rolled around, and almost all of Nathaniel's relatives had already left by now, seeing that they had a flight to catch in the morning to take them back home. And once I said my goodbyes to the family members I was close with, the entire museum was empty by the time it hit midnight.
"I can stay if you want," Carter offered one last time as I walked him to the exit.
"Carter," I smiled. "I'll be fine; I honestly just want to be alone right now."
He nodded hesitantly before giving me a hug. "I explained everything to Nate; he'll talk when he's ready."
"Thank you."
As soon as Carter left, I could feel the tears threatening to escape, but I refused to cry. As Carter said, Nathaniel will talk when he's ready; all I had to do was be patient and hope it was sooner rather than later. As I walked towards the middle of the museum, I realized I never got a chance to actually admire all of the beautiful paintings that were hanging up everywhere, all of Isabella and Nathaniel's hard work.
"I should've known you'd be the last one to leave," a voice spoke from behind me, and when I whirled around, I found Nathaniel leaning against the large pillar in the middle of the room, his legs crossed and hands tucked in his pockets.
My core throbbed violently as I took in his tall figure, watching as he checked the time on his silver Rolex.
"I thought you were gone," I spoke in a shaky voice, my words bouncing off the high ceiling.
"I never left," Nathaniel answered as he pushed himself off the pillar, stalking towards me. His eyes slowly dragged up my body, taking in my tanned leg and curvy figure. He paused at my breasts, and I could see the lust clouding his sapphire eyes the more he continued to stare; then, finally, once he was a few feet away from me, our eyes met again.
I sucked in a deep breath and tore my gaze away from his, focusing on the wide window behind him. "I know I should've told you about my plans," I finally whispered. "But, I just wanted to keep this one thing a secret to surprise you. I just didn't expect our relationship to get...strained during the process, and I know the blames on me. I could've just told you the real truth instead of hiding it from you, and for that, I'm sorry." I sniffled, trying my hardest not to cry.
"I'm sorry for distancing myself from you during the last few weeks, especially days away from when you would need me the most. You deserve better than how I've treated you, and I completely understand if you still don't want to talk to me, but I just wanted to apologize before it was too late and—"
"Anastazi," Nathaniel's voice was soft and welcoming, but I needed to get this off my chest.
"Wait," I sniffled again. "Let me finish."
I let out a shaky breath as I gathered the rest of my thoughts. "I just want us to be okay, and I'll give you time if that's what you need, but—"
Before I could finish the second half of my speech, Nathaniel stepped forward, cupped the back of my neck, and smashed his lips against mine. I moaned lowly, savoring his familiar taste as our tongues hungrily explored each other's mouths. His hand slid from my neck, trailing down my back to cup a handful of my ass, eliciting another soft moan from my lips. My arms automatically snaked around his neck, bringing him closer, wanting to feel his body against mine. It's been weeks since I've touched him, smelled him, kissed him, and I wanted to savor every second I had before it was all over.
"I love you too," he murmured as soon as we broke away, saying the four little words that were meant to be said back in the elevator.
--