Olivia's POV
Two years passed, and it was autumn again. The air was cool, the trees in Crystal Bay were dressed in red, orange, and gold, and the streets felt soft under our feet with fallen leaves.
Adrian and I had received a call from Noah a few weeks before. He wanted us to come to his gallery exhibit—his own, full show.
So here we were, standing outside his gallery in Crystal Bay, looking up at the glass front and the banner with his name on it.
Adrian folded his arms and smiled.
"He did it," he said quietly. "Our Noah actually did it."
I looked at him. His face was glowing with pride.
"He's come so far," I said. "And this is just the beginning."
We both knew more was waiting for Noah after this. More exhibits, more paintings, more people who would see what we had already seen years ago.
As we stood there admiring the gallery, I felt something tugging on my coat. Tiny hands, tiny fingers.
I smiled and crossed my arms, looking down.
"Go to Daddy, Elly," I said gently.
Another small hand grabbed my other hand.
"You too, Ezra."
The twins giggled and then took off, running toward Adrian with their little steps.
He stared at them with a look that said both love and panic.
"Not again," he groaned as Elly reached him and grabbed onto his leg.
I smiled and turned away, heading inside the gallery, leaving him there to be "attacked" by the twins.
As I stepped through the door, I could still hear him calling my name. I glanced back and saw the scene: Elly clinging to his right leg like a koala, and Ezra on tiptoe, reaching up and grabbing at his hair.
I mouthed, "You wanted kids? You got them," then laughed and went further inside.
At the desk
Just past the entrance, a staff member stood behind a counter. She had a neat name tag and a bright, polite smile.
"Good afternoon," she said. "Welcome. Are you here to see the exhibit? May I see your ticket?"
It felt a little fancy to be greeted by a receptionist for Noah's show.
I smiled.
"I was invited by Noah Hayes," I said.
She froze for a second.
"By… Noah Hayes?" she repeated. "Um, may I ask who you are?"
"I'm his sister-in-law," I replied.
Her eyes widened, and she straightened up fast.
"Oh! Good morning, Mrs. Hayes," she said quickly. "Please follow me to his office."
I started laughing as I followed her.
"Don't get too tense," I told her softly. "I'm not going to bite."
She let out a small, nervous laugh and seemed to relax a little. At the end of the hallway, she stopped and pointed at a door.
"That's Mr. Hayes's office," she said. "You can go right in."
"Thank you, Molly," I said, reading her tag.
She smiled and walked away.
Noah's office
I knocked lightly on the door, then opened it.
Noah was inside, and I almost forgot how to breathe for a second.
He was wearing a full, polished pink suit. Not a soft pink. Not half pink. Fully, confidently pink.
He stood up slowly from his chair.
"Olivia," he said, smiling. "You're here."
He took a step toward me, arms beginning to open like he wanted to hug me. But I sidestepped a little, my eyes still fixed on the suit.
I squinted at him in disbelief.
He noticed my stare and quickly straightened his coat, pretending to fix his tie.
"Looks good, huh?" he said, pushing his shoulders back.
I locked my eyes on his.
"You're really embodying the title 'artist' a little too much, aren't you?" I said.
I snorted, trying not to laugh outright.
He put a hand on his chest.
"Excuse you," he said. "This is a thousand-dollar custom-made suit."
I slowly walked to his desk, put my bag down, and sat in the chair, never taking my eyes off him.
"You. Spent. A. Thousand. Dollars. On that?" I asked, each word clear.
Something in his expression cracked. He rushed toward me, stopping in front of the desk.
"Is it really that bad?" he asked, suddenly worried.
I sighed.
"Honestly? I'm no fashion designer," I said, "but even I don't want to call that 'unique.'"
He groaned.
"I wanted to make an impression," he said. "You know, stand out. To look like a real gallery owner."
"Oh, you'll make an impression," I replied, starting to laugh. "I'm just not sure it will be a positive one."
He laughed too, but there was sadness in it.
"Don't pretend to be someone you're not," I said more gently. "The Noah I know isn't flashy. You don't need a loud suit to prove you're an artist. Your work already does that."
He looked at me for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah," he said. "I guess you're right."
He turned as if to go back to his chair, then paused.
"Where's Adrian?" he asked. "Weren't you supposed to be together?"
"He's right outside," I said. "Being ganged up on by two little wannabe gymnasts."
Noah blinked, then started laughing.
"Gymnasts?"
"Yes," I said. "They've turned him into their practice pole. They keep climbing and hanging on his legs and arms and sometimes his neck."
Noah laughed even harder.
"Ow, daddy duties, huh?" he said.
Just then, the office door opened. Molly appeared, holding the door, and Adrian walked in beside her, looking like he had survived a minor battle.
Elly was clinging to his scarf, hanging slightly like a tiny sloth. Ezra was sitting on his shoulder, holding onto his head for balance. Adrian's hair was a mess.
Noah and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Thanks, Molly," I said.
She smiled politely and closed the door behind her, leaving Adrian alone with us and the chaos.
"I thought you could multitask," I teased. "You kept bragging about it when I was still pregnant, and now you had to bother Molly just to open the door for you?"
"Babe, give me a break," he said, panting a little. "I can hardly even breathe right now."
I laughed and clapped my hands softly.
"Elly, Ezra," I called. "Go to Uncle Noah."
They looked at me, then at Adrian, then turned and went to Noah without crying or protesting. Noah opened his arms and let them climb onto his lap, one on each side.
"I wish they'd listen to me like that, too," Adrian said. "Instead, I get bruises, scratches, and sometimes my hair pulled out as a bonus."
I laughed again.
Then Adrian turned and finally got a full look at Noah.
His eyes widened. I could tell he was seeing exactly what I saw earlier.
Noah stood up a bit straighter, shifting the twins as he did.
"It's good, right?" he said, grinning. "Olivia doesn't like it, but I can let you borrow it if you want."
I pointed at Adrian.
"Oh no," I said. "Don't you even think about wearing something like that, Adrian Hayes. I will gladly hand you divorce papers if you do."
Adrian threw his hands up.
"What even is that?" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't even dare wear that at my own funeral, and I'm not risking my marriage for it either."
He shook his shoulders as if trying to shake off the vision.
Noah looked between us, pouting.
"You two are literally digging my grave," he said.
"You dug your own grave, dude," I replied.
Adrian nodded.
"Noah, I told you before to make better life choices," he said. "Now I need to tell you—make better clothing choices too."
We both started laughing again.
Noah covered his face with one hand.
"What should I do then?" he asked, peeking through his fingers.
I tilted my head, thinking.
"Take off the coat," I said. "Just wear a plain shirt, white if you have one. It'll go better with the pink pants. The pants we can maybe forgive."
He looked at me, then sighed in defeat.
"Fine," he said. "I'll change."
He smiled, pushing away the sadness in his eyes.
"I think Olivia needs to be hired as your stylist," Adrian added.
"And he spent a thousand dollars on that, babe," I said, adding fuel to the fire.
Adrian clutched his chest dramatically.
"This is what being rich does," he said. "You start wasting money on stupid things."
"Shut up, both of you," Noah said, but he was laughing too. "I asked you to come see my exhibit, not to destroy my style."
"You should be glad we're making you change now," I said. "Better us than the whole internet tomorrow."
He winced.
"You're right…"
"We're the only ones who saw this, right?" I asked. "Or did Molly see it too?"
"Only you and Adrian," he replied.
"Oh, thank God," I said. "Please don't make that sweet girl resign."
He groaned and cried out my name, but there was a smile under it.