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Lucian knew that wouldn’t happen Silence fell between theht she’d fallen asleep if it weren’t for the way her fingers tapped ai better to do?" she asked "I don’telse you could be doing"

"There’s always soht here" Truth was, one of his buddies had invited hi to just get himself out of the house and away from Julia, but he’d rather be here Odd "I won’t stay forever I just want to make sure you’re really okay Don’t tell me I don’t need to I know that I want to"

Her lips parted, but she snapped her mouth shut A couple of more moments passed "I know it sounds like you didn’t have a really good relationship with your father" Turning slightly, she lifted her chin Their eyes locked "But I still am sorry"

A weird pressure clamped down on his chest and thena bitter, messy knot that he wasn’t sure he could unravel "Me, too"

Chapter 11

Julia had no idea where the brothers were, but she knew if they caught her out of bed and in Madeline’s roo stupid about her injury Julia was taking it easy, but her headache was nothingin bed, she knew that checking on Madeline wasn’t going to harer Not when that allowed her brain to overanalyze every second of the tih the porch doors, it was hard to say for sure what really happened last night Had it been a shadow? A person? She wasn’t sure

And when her brain grew bored with obsessing over the whole shower incident, she was thinking about the fact that Lawrence de Vincent had passed away only a handful of days ago and no one hadabout hi soht away Granted, the de Vincents were obsessed with privacy, but co into consideration Lucian and Gabe’s response Julia wasn’t na&iuh to believe that everyone had awesome parents like hers, but their reaction see about the brothers was extreme She really didn’t want to think about the fact the first ti naked, but he talked to her and treated her like he’d known her for years He’d shown up thata breakfast tray, and chatted with her about the ork he’d done throughout the house

The same could be said about Lucian Well, there were other reasons for why Lucian acted like they’ve known each other but it wasdifferent He’d stayed the night before until she fell asleep, and while that should’ve felt i confused hts out of her mind as she moved across Madeline’s bedroom Someone had moved her out of the bed, most likely one of the brothers She was in the chair by the hen Julia crept into the room Blood pressure and pulse ithin expected li Madeline’s hair back around one shoulder "Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day outside" A thought occurred to her as she walked around the chair "I wonder if we can get you outside before it gets too hot? I’aze was fixed on the painting again Curious, she walked over to it to get a better look

Faint traces of brush lines swirled into shades of green and brown, eventually giving way to the slate gray of torass to the scroll design on the coluel’s face at the center of the toly re-created It al was beautiful but it was also ht of the canvas there were two letters painted in white "MD?" she whispered

She turned slowly, facing the bed "Are those your initials? Did you paint this?"

Madeline blinked

That wasn’t much of an answer obviously, but what kind of coincidence would it be for there to be a painting hanging in this house with those initials that belonged to so to another fa passed

Julia looked at Madeline’s still hands Her fingers were long and elegant Hands of an artist, just like--

She cut that thought off with a groan and refocused If Madeline was the painter, maybe Julia could use that? There were a ton of studies supporting using art as a means of communications with patients who couldn’t verbally co like that would--

Footsteps intruded on her thoughts Julia turned to the doorway, cringing She fully expected it to be one of the brothers about to yell at her for being out of bed "I’m in trouble," she whispered to Madeline