Crimson Door
“Sweets.” I hug her as she sobs against my chest. My heart literally aches for her. “It’s all part of the show.”
She shakes as she speaks, “He’s so good.”
“He lives in New York, right?”
“Probably in a box now.”
There’s a knock on the door to the office of Crimson Door Ink. “Give us a minute.”
The door opens anyway, “Hey, man, if it’s me, it’s cool.”
Bella looks back as she wipes her eyes. “Hey, Sisco.”
“Not you, bro.”
“Maze?” he asks.
I nod once.
“I’ll take him.”
“What?” Bella asks.
“Send me home this week. If he gets cut next week, which he will—”
“Sisco,” Bella gasps.
“You have some really talented men out there. He’s one of them. He won’t last, though. Man’s more interested in chatting with the clients than the art. He’s good for a studio. People will love him, but for TV, he’s not going to pull in the viewers.”
“Man, you sure about this?”
He nods. “Already got it okayed with the judges.”
Bella sniffs. “The judges are assholes.”
“You do know they’re your family, right?”
She nods and sniffs again. “Assholes.”
Jase peeks his head in. “We good with Sisco?”
When he sees the look on her face, his eyes widen.
“Don’t look at me like that!” she hisses.
“Little Bell, you need to toughen up.”
Twenty-Eight
Travel Time
Tags
We’ve traveled to four cities this summer as Moonlit Productions. Flint, where Maze was cut, as expected; Portland, where Blade was sent home; and Austin, where Breaker was cut.
Bella keeps Mara in the know via email and occasional phone conversations. She’s trying to make her feel like she’s still a part of it. I know she’s doing it to benefit Luna, but it shows just how big her heart is. And Mara, she’s being decent to her, too.
The thing is, the Steel brothers know enough shops around that, so far, everyone had a studio waiting for them. I know damn well it was their way of stopping Bella from crying. And thank God for that, because it was hell.
Right now, we’re on our way to New Jersey for ten days.
“She’s exhausted.” Bella kisses Luna’s head as she lays across our laps; feet on me, head on Bella’s.
Kiki smiles. “She’s excited, though.”
“I still think it’s going to be a bit much for her.” I rub her back. “Good, but a lot of change.”
Bella smiles at me. “Paula will be there.”
“I know, sweets, I know.”
“And now that we’re down to five and have rearranged the schedule, we’ll be back every two weeks for two weeks.”
“In a place of our own.”
“Right down the road from Mamma Joe,” Kiki adds.
Bella smiles. “God, I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Kiki laughs. “I’m surprised she hasn’t come home from Italy already.”
“I bet she and Thomas are having the time of their lives.”
“Yeah,” Kiki says on a yawn.
“Go to sleep, Katherine Steel.” Bella leans her head against her sister’s. “You start school in just a few days.”
“It’s going to suck,” she grumbles.
“If I made it, I know you can.”
Pulling up in front of the townhouse that Bella and I are renting until we decide where and what we want to buy, I feel a sense of peace wash over me for the second time in the past four months.
“Sweets?”
She sits up and looks at me.
“I like it.”
“Yeah?” She smiles.
“Yeah. And I know she will, too.”
I turn and look at her. “You sure this will be enough? I’ve seen pictures of your childhood home.”
“You gonna be here?”
I smile and nod.
“Luna, too?”
“Of course.”
“Paula looking out for her when we’re being badasses?’
I laugh.
“I’m going to be incredibly happy.”
I kill the engine and look in the back seat to see Luna is sound asleep. “You think we can get her into the house without waking her up so we can Christian the entire place?”
She grins. “God, I hope so.”
Bella unlocks the door after giving in to my request of allowing me to carry her across the threshold for the first time in our very first home, a tradition in the most untraditional manner. Then we head up the stairs, trying not to look around.
Inside the room with the yellow nightlight, Bella removes Luna’s shoes, pulls back the blankets, and then I lay her in bed. We both give her goodnight kisses then very quietly back out of the room and shut the door.
I don’t waste any time picking her up and kissing the hell out of her as I carry her down the stairs.
“Kitchen first?”
“Works for me,” she says, grabbing the hem of her dress.
“Isabella?” an unknown voice comes from the kitchen, and I nearly drop her.
“Momma Joe?” Bella squeaks.
“So sorry to just barge in, but I saw you pull up.”
Bella smiles, takes my hand, and then drags me and my hard-on behind her.
“Bella, you need to give me a minute,” I whisper, but she doesn’t seem to hear me.
“Momma Joe.” She giggles as she lets go of my hand and runs into the kitchen, leaving me unshielded.
After they kiss and while they hug, Josephina looks over at me. When she laughs, all I can do is shrug.
“So, this must be Carter.”
Bella turns and smiles at me. Then she sees the same damn thing her grandmother did.
“I’d offer you a piece of lasagna and garlic knots, but I have a feeling I’m interrupting.”
“Um …” Bella chews on her lip.
“I’d offer you a hug, but that may be more awkward than it already is.”
“Oh my God, Tags.” Bella palms her face.
I walk over and sit down at the large wooden kitchen table.
“So, yes to the lasagna?”
“I’d love a piece, Mrs. Steel.”
“Joe is fine, son.”
We spend two weeks in our new community. Joe and her husband Thomas, Paula, Luna, Bella, and every other day or so, Jase, Carly, and the kids pop in. The community where we now live has a playground, an indoor and outdoor pool, gym, and so many other things and activities, like Friday night family movies that we’ve done as a family, a big, loud, eat way too many carbs kind of family.
We took Luna to her new school the first day, where all the parents were invited to stay, and we did … the whole damn time.
Bella was amazing. She spent the entire day helping Luna make a list of her favorite things in her classroom.
Structure, she gets that Luna needs it, and I love her even more every day because, each day, another level of depth is revealed. And each night, I make sure I show her just how much she means to me.