Read Let Me Hold You for Free Online Page B

asked, “Where did she get all these paintings? She must really like art.”
    “She loves it. And to answer your question, Alana painted all of these. She’s a very talented artist, as you can see. She majored in art. Aren’t they beautiful?”
    “That doesn’t even begin to describe it,” he mumbled as he began to examine a nearby landscape more carefully. Now that he understood that the art was Alana’s creation, the decor of the room made even more sense.
    Furnished mainly in mid-century modern, she’d made it eclectic enough so that it didn’t look pretentious. The long sofa was oyster-white, along with the matching chaise. There were two comfortable-looking chairs in a rich turquoise color, and colorful throw pillows made the colors in the room seem to surround the space with life and light.
    The walls were a soft taupe with a gray base and it served as a perfect backdrop for the brilliant colors of the pictures. The dark hardwood floors gleamed and wicker baskets topped with glass served as end tables. The wicker and the big green plants positioned around the room made it even more vibrant.
    Roland couldn’t remember being in a room that he liked as well as this one, and he normally paid very little attention to things like decorating. This place was special, though, as special as the woman who put it all together.
    Alana came in through the kitchen just then, calling out to Adrienne. “I got your prenatal vitamins, but the pharmacist said you can’t get the prescription filled yet because it’s too early. He was really snippy about it, too,” she said. She’d reached the living room by then, still talking while trying to take her coat off with one hand as she shifted her shoulder bag and the pharmacy bag in the other. She stopped walking and her eyes widened once she realized that Roland was standing in her living room.
    “Oh, you’re here,” she said, looking adorably flustered.
    He moved to her side where he quickly helped with the coat and gallantly held her bag. “I just got here. Adrienne was showing me your artwork. You are some kind of artist, Alana. I’ve never seen anything like these outside of a gallery or a museum,” he told her as he returned the bag to her and went to the closet to hang up her coat.
    “Thank you, Roland. That’s very nice of you. Sorry I was late, but my nephew needs his nourishment, or whatever you call vitamins.” She tossed the pharmacy bag to Adrienne who squeaked as she made a fumbling catch.
    “You still catch like a girl,” Alana teased her.
    “And you still throw like a man, Sissie. You don’t know your own strength.”
    Roland grinned. “This sounds like being at home with my sisters. Why do you call her Sissie?”
    Adrienne threw her arms around Alana and gave her a big hug. “Because she’s my big sister and I couldn’t manage Alana or sister when I was a baby. So she’s my Sissie.”
    “Roland, if you ever call me that I will draw flowers all over your head with a permanent marker. This is your only warning. You guys hungry? I’m starving so let’s sit down,” she said as she headed for the kitchen to begin serving.
    After Adrienne showed him where he could wash his hands, he joined the two ladies in the dining room. Alana thanked him sweetly for the flowers before they said grace. “Tulips are my very favorite ones,” she said. “I love the way they smell.”
    “I didn’t think they had a smell,” Roland said with a quirk of his brow.
    “Take a whiff and see.”
    He took her advice and inhaled the scent of the flowers, which Adrienne had arranged in a vase. A light, fresh fragrance caressed his nose. “Very nice.” He looked at Alana, looking just as fresh and beautiful as the flowers smelled. “Very, very nice.”

Chapter 4
    “T hanks again for dinner, Alana.”
    After a very good meal of takeout from Sweet Tea & 3 Sides, the best rib joint in the city, Adrienne had given in to her now-typical need for a nap after most meals