Chapter 177 Bits And Pieces

Chapter 177 Bits And Pieces
Rain

We are in the car headed to a country club for a dinner party hosted by Tomilino. I have seen him twice now since I have been home from the hospital. He’s been very nice to me, and I can see he holds affection for Sade. I just can’t figure him out, though. Maybe tonight will help me with that. 

It’s been a month since the incident with the man in the parking lot. Since then, I have a new bodyguard who accompanies me any time I need to leave the property. While in the house, we have men who patrol the grounds, so his services aren’t needed. Now, while for the most part this is okay, it’s weird, but I’m dealing with it. Sometimes though, I have to remind myself I can’t just run out and do something. If I need to go anywhere, I have to have him notified so he can go with me. 

We had another ultrasound at our doctor’s appointment a couple of days ago, and we were able to find out that we are having another boy. Sade was beyond excited, but I think he’s just generally excited for the baby. He’s already started talking about names and such, and I just laugh at him and tell him we have time for all of that. 

The physical part of our relationship is like ‘wow’ and shit. I mean, he is constantly telling me how he feels about me. Anytime he’s in the vicinity of where I am, he needs to be touching me, hugging me, kissing me, or something. It can get a bit intense, so it’s good he works away from home, but on the other hand, it is rather amazing to know you mean that much to someone. 

We’ve talked a bit about some things when I ask. Like I wondered about my dad, as when I remembered my mom had told me he was some deadbeat who ran off with all of her money. Finding out about Barnabas O’Connor most definitely didn’t fit that narrative. So, Sade told me a bit about it, and I talked to my uncle Shamus, and he corroborated a lot of what Sade told me. 

It seems that my family is strange in that they still have arranged marriages. Apparently my mom didn’t really like my dad, and so she decided to leave and run away with one of his men on his security staff. They came here and changed her and my name. That was the deadbeat who then ran off with her money, but he wasn’t my dad, and they were never married. That also means that her marriage to Sade’s dad was never legal, which is really whacked out to think about. 

Apparently my mom had changed quite a bit over the years that I don’t remember. Sade has told me some, but I get the feeling that he’s trying really hard not to tell me exactly how bad it got. I mean, the mom that I had thought she was would never have illegally married anyone, and I didn’t think of her as the type of woman to run away from a man and take his child with her. So, there is a lot I obviously never knew about my mother. I mean, what I remember of her right now is as a kid, so no doubt she would have hidden the negative stuff from me at that age, but it still blows my mind. 

In a lot of ways, I’m actually glad that Sade has been so hesitant about telling me the bad things. While what I have already learned has tainted my view of my mother, I still have really good memories of her. He thinks I should try to preserve that and hang onto it rather than worry so much about what I don’t remember, so that is what I do. 

Sade has been helping me take photos of my paintings for a portfolio. He evidently took a copy of that to Tomilino, and with all of that, they are working to connect me with some gallery owners. So, we’ll see what happens with all of that. 

My studio is now finished, however, and I love to be in there. I have a growing number of finished paintings, so now I am just trying to decide what to do with all of them. Sade has grabbed a couple and hung them in his office. He said Tomilino stole one from him, and I had to laugh about that. He put a couple up in the house as well, saying we should have them for when I get very famous, and they are worth a huge amount of money, and I just rolled my eyes. 

He helps me out of the car when we get to the valet station at the front of the building. It’s rather fancy, and I am now glad he helped me pick out this dress, and he talked me into buying and wearing my new wig. I did go and get my haircut, but I cut the rest just to my jaw, and hopefully over time I can grow it back out again. So, I feel like I at least won’t stick out like a sore thumb. 

He is incredibly handsome in his tux, and I smile at him as he opens the door for me. He kisses the side of my head as he takes my hand back. He leads me towards the back where the party room is. When he opens that door, I am surprised not only by how many people are here; I’m surprised by how swanky everything is. If that wasn’t enough, I also see a bunch of my paintings that are displayed on easels around the room with flowers and lighting. 

I turn and look at Sade, who smiles at me a bit. “He invited a few gallery owners that he knows, and he wanted to show off your work. I keep trying to tell you it is amazing, and he agreed, so he decided to display it tonight.” I shake my head, and now I am a nervous wreck. I hope this doesn’t end up blowing up in my face. 

When I see Tomilino, he smiles and raises his glass of champagne at me. I just smile back and shake my head, feeling a bit nauseous at the idea of my work being critiqued. I think Sade can see I am getting nervous, so he comes up and wraps his arms around me. He rubs my back and looks into my eyes, bending down a bit so we are eye to eye. 

“Your work is amazing, Rain. So, just relax and enjoy the party.” I take a deep breath and try to smile.