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He came closer, and I gingerly walked to him and hugged him. “Thank you so much. You…you spoil me. I was fine doing stuff at the desk. You don’t need to go out of your way.”
“I didn’t,” he mused, keeping me in his arms. “You’re my wife, Adelina. I care for you, and I’m committed to your dreams. Just as much as you are to mine.”
I broke away slowly and peered at him. There was something about it all that still nagged me, and I wanted the truth. “Did you arrange for Lily Crane to send me an illustration job inquiry?”
He stared directly into my eyes. “No. I’d never fix a win for you. I want you to feel accomplished.”
My chest fluttered, but my conscience wasn’t as sure.He must’ve done something.“But out of the blue, she sent me a request. Come now.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “I was so proud of your work that I sent a copy to everyone I knew. I was sure my family and friends would love it, too.”
Ian had said as much. Rocco went tended to go all in, operating at times on impulse. However, I still had doubts. “It’s okay to admit you asked Lily Crane to help me.”
He smirked. “I’d tell you the truth. Lily’s her own boss; she makes her own decisions. Paul always sends her things, but she rarely takes an interest.”
A thrill intermixed with jitters danced in my stomach at the thought. I’d get to talk about my work with Lily Crane. Unbelievable.
“It’s an offer, not a job,” Rocco pointed out. “But I believe you will have many more—”
“But if it wasn’t for you, and I submitted alone, I might not have passed the gate.”
Rocco shrugged. “I don’t have an answer for that because that’s not what happened.”
I huffed. “But it’s unfair. I only got the opportunity because of you.”
“No,” he said, his jaw ticked. “She may have stopped to look, but she didn’t hand it to you. She saw potential and gave you a chance to try. If you don’t like the rules,change themwhenyoumake it.”
His advice resonated, and I very much liked his approach. It was still up to me to do the work. “Thank you, Rocco.”
He nodded and smiled wistfully. “That’s the whole reason I want my movie studio. I want to give creators with no backing a chance.”
“That sounds great, and honestly, I want that for you.”
We gazed at each other, and lost sense of time.
“There’s another reason I sent out your books.”
“Oh? Tell me.” I smiled.
“I did it because you found positive articles and reviews when I was down after Cannes. You were just as upset that I didn’t get the success from the event that I wanted. You had my back; that meant a lot to me.” His gaze was strong, and I could feel the tugs on my heart. Our shared experiences, especially the disappointments at Cannes, had brought us closer.
“I want you to have everything you hope for.” It was a sincere wish for him from my heart.
He smiled brightly. “I believe you do… I believe in you.”
Rocco’s encouragement was therapeutic, and it was all Rocco. It was not something that he had to say or do. He said it because he cared for me. He broke more of my resolve to stay away from him. I felt my heart sink as he moved to the open door to leave.
“Now, I have a hard-on and I have to go to work,” he half-joked.
I laughed.
“Laugh all you want; you’ll pay for it, Bella,” he teased, winking at me.
He walked out, and I wished he stayed.
Sky Princess and The Shadow Kingdom, one of the other book samples to submit, had me up early with a vivid story vision. I rushed to the studio and sat on the draft board with pencils and paper to draw my first sketch. It was of Brenna Strongborne, the determined young heroine with a furrowed brow, large eyes, and a pout on her bow lips. I sketched her hands fisted at her sides, dressed in a smock shirt and star leggings, a cardboard crown perched on her wild blonde curls, and costume fairy wings.
My next iteration had the hero Brenna sitting on a rope rug with her elderly dad before a worn recliner chair near a fireplace as he read a fantasy tale about the Sky Princess hiding from the Shadow Prince and his army. The flames of the fire rose, and I drew dark knights riding winged horses and looking for her. But they needed the missing music box to find her.