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“So, are you planning on seducing his heart with paint?” Elena smirked. “Or painting hearts all over his body?”

“You’ll know it’s the real thing if he strips and becomes your nude model.” Kiera laughed.

Wild suggestions erupted, filling the room with laughter. I prayed Attikus and the other boys would stay in their room and ignore us.

Little did these girls know I had dreamed of Attikus naked in my studio. We’d done more than me painting on the canvas. But I wouldn’t share that private moment, even if it was only a dream.

“One more question.” Kiera held up her finger.

“Yes?” I smiled at how pregnancy gave Kiera even more energy than before.

“Are you attracted to him?” she asked.

How could I not be? Even as I sat there, my body sensed his nearness. The attraction had always been there from a distance. When I first met him at the art exhibit in his museum, my body reacted to him. But I hadn’t even considered more at that time.

Everything had escalated recently as I spent more time with him.

“Yes,” I admitted.

Amusement gleamed on their faces, like sisters who were happy for their siblings.

“So it’s not really a fake relationship,” said Michelle.

“But it’s not a real one either,” I replied.

“Use your mission to find out if he considers this marriage temporary,” Audri said. “See if he has any genuine feelings for you. It won’t hurt to find out.”

“We’ve all been there.” Natalie cracked a juice bottle. “We need to know the truth instead of assuming. Assumption is the worst.”

“Communication is everything,” Michelle said.

An enormous weight slid off my chest after sharing the fake marriage with them. They were like the sisters I’d never had. Tohave this kind of support system after doing things all on my own for so long gave me a moment to breathe.

A novel idea for my gallery popped into my head. “What do you think of having a gathering once a month for art, food, and conversation at my gallery? I was thinking I could offer an art class or how to make a terrarium while we chill and chat?”

“I love that idea.” Elena’s eyes sparkled. “Call it Chill and Chat. I can promote that segment on Musepaper.”

“People would love that,” Audri said, and the others agreed.

We lounged around, eating and chatting about random things. The girls told me how they’d met their significant others, and I was astounded to learn that each of them had undergone an insurmountable loss before the gain. I knew then that it was the right decision to share my issue. We all had weaknesses, and none of them judged me.

Tears brimmed in my eyes, and my heart swelled with happiness. I blinked back tears, wondering what Attikus was doing now. What kind of video games was he creating?

“The boys meet up often to play video games?” I asked.

They all exchanged glances, and Audri gestured to the doors.

Michelle was closest, so she got up to shut them.

When Michelle returned, Audri said, “They’re not just playing video games. They’re strategizing how to destroy The Trogyn.”

I gaped and listened as they briefed me on the dangerous crime organization that had been trying to hurt their men. I remembered Attikus warning me about them. If he already had his plate full, why did he agree to help me? Guilt stirred in me.

“The boys are worried about us,” Elena said.

“They want to protect us.” Audri looked at each of us.

“Because they love us,” Vivian added.