which already calmed me down a little, but then I saw Wells holding Ira’s hand, both dressed in black jeans, a navy blue sweater and a white-collared shirt underneath.
God, they both looked handsome, and when Ira saw me, he waved and pulled Wells toward me with a big smile.
“Hello, handsome man,” I said, caressing his cheek and leaning down to kiss his forehead.
“Wow, you two look incredible! Did Daddy do your hair today?” I asked, and he quickly nodded.
They both had their hair slicked back with gel, resembling each other even more than usual.
“I like it,” I told Ira, then I looked up at Wells who was eyeing my dress. “You look gorgeous, love,” he told me, placing his hand on my waist and kissing me gently.
“Thank you,” I whispered against his lips before taking a step back and grabbing his hand.
“I’m glad you’re here. You took all my nervousness from me. Though, I think it will be back again soon,” I said, laughing softly.
“You’ll be fine, love. This is a great opportunity to get to know new people and potential buyers. Make the best out of it.”
“I will. You two just take a look around, okay? There’s even a little painting station in the back for the kids,” I said.
I wanted that solemnly for Ira, so he could have some fun instead of staring at pictures which probably didn’t really interest him much, but as I looked around, I saw more kids than expected coming in with their parents.
“That’s great. Go network. We’ll be fine,” Wells told me, kissing me once more before taking Ira’s hand again. “Let’s go explore, hm?”
“Okay. Bye, Rooney!”
“Bye, buddy. Have fun!”
I watched them disappear in the crowd, and I turned to look for Evie.
She was standing by the entrance, talking to Michail and Morgana, and I thought I’d better go say hello too, as this wasn’t just Evie’s gallery now.
“Ah, there she is. Rooney, hope you’re doing well,” Michail said in his thick accent.
I shook his hand, then Morgana’s, and with a smile I replied, “I’m wonderful, thank you. This is amazing. I’m still processing it all, but Evie and I are so, so grateful. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” I said, unable to keep my gratitude on the downlow.
“We see potential in both of you. This evening is for you to enjoy, so have fun and talk to people about your art. Make them interested, all right?”
Evie and I both nodded, and once we said goodbye, we were both off to greet some of our guests.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and sure enough, I was walking up to strangers to tell them all about my paintings.
Wells
“We haven’t been at an art gallery in a while, huh?”
Ira nodded, staring up one of Rooney’s paintings of a woman holding flowers, which were almost dead though.
It was beautiful, and I loved the pastel pinks complimenting the light yellows in the canvas.
Rooney knew exactly what she was doing to people with art like that. It calmed them, made them reflect on every single thing that came to mind when they looked at the paintings.
“This is pretty,” Ira said, tilting his head to the side.
“Yeah, it really is,” I agreed. “Remember when you were little and I took you to the museum to look at art?”
“No, I don’t remember,” he said. Well, of course. He was only about a year at the time.
I smiled and squatted down next to him, placing my hand at his lower back. “I held you up to the paintings so you could see them better, and then I explained to you what was painted on those canvases.”
Ira chuckled and scrunched up his nose. “That’s silly, Daddy,” he said, leaning against me.
“Why’s that silly?”
“Because when I was a baby I didn’t understand English,” he pointed out.
Touché.
I laughed and stood back up. “Wanna check out the kid’s area?”
“Yes.”
We headed over there, and while Ira chose the colors he wanted to use, I picked up the oversized, already painted on shirt Rooney placed on the kid’s chairs so their clothes wouldn’t get dirty.
Great idea, I thought.
“Here, put this on, bud.”
I helped him get the shirt on, then I let him start painting while I reached over to the round table to grab a glass of champagne for me.
As a waitress walked by, I stopped her with my hand on her arm. “Could I please get a glass of water for my son?”
“Oh, of course. I’ll be right back,”