One Weekend with the Billionaire novel Chapter 68

I’m not sure I’m ready to show Braxton the painting I was working on today. It isn’t finished yet, and it’s not like the other paintings I’ve done for him to see. He might not like it. He might even think it’s not any good, which would be a hard thing to hear. Not that I think he’d say anything to hurt my feelings on purpose, but I am good at reading people’s expressions, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to tell if he thinks it’s crap, even if he says otherwise.

Beyond that, as he pulls me along out of the dining room and toward the art room, I am wishing he would’ve said something to me about the lawsuit that Jeff is filing against him. Braxton hasn’t mentioned it since he got home. He’s acting like there’s nothing wrong, and I know that’s not the case. I’m sure he just doesn’t want me to worry about it, but I am worried about it. If my mom hadn’t told me about the lawsuit, I wouldn’t know there was anything wrong at all. Braxton is keeping it from me to protect me, but he needs to trust me. He needs to confide in me.

Once we reach the art room, Braxton releases my hand and goes inside to look at my artwork. I slow down and linger closer to the door. He stops before he walks around the front of the easel and looks at me, as if he’s trying to gauge whether or not I am okay with him looking. I am still hesitant, but I say nothing, and Braxton rounds the corner.

I watch his face as he takes in the unfinished piece I left on the easel earlier in the day. He cocks his head slightly to the side as his eyes widen slightly. His eyes roam the canvas, widening even more, and then he looks from the piece to me and then back again several times. Eventually, he shakes his head slowly from side to side, and a tangle forms in my stomach as I try to determine what he will say. He seems to like it, but I won’t be sure until he speaks.

"Wow," he finally says. "This is… amazing, Julia. Just… wow. I don’t even know what to say."

I come over then because I want to make sure he can decipher what it will be. I am not surprised he found something nice to say about my work because that’s just how Braxton is--complimentary. What I am not sure of is if he knows what he’s looking at.

"It’s a couple," I say, as if he couldn’t tell. "Locked in an embrace. On the beach."

"I can tell," he says, with a warm smile, reaching for my hand. I give it to him, and he pulls me closer. "It’s beautiful."

"Obviously, it’s not finished yet," I continue. "I wasn’t happy with some of the angles, so I decided to take a break. It’s been a really long time since I painted people."

"You should paint them more often," Braxton says with a smile. "I love it."