Seduced by Audra Cole, Bella Love-Wins Read Free Book Online

something.”
    I wipe my fingers off on my napkin and lean forward expectantly as he slides a slim black book across the table to me. I hadn’t even noticed it sitting there before. I push my drink out of the way and glance up at his excited face, before pulling back the cover.
    Inside, the glossy pages are filled with pictures of food.
    “What is this?” I ask, completely confused.
    “Well, this is Emelia Winter’s portfolio. She is a pretty well-known food photographer from LA. She has done stuff for print ads, television shows, magazines, you name it. I’ve been emailing back and forth with her about your cookbook. And if you want, she can come to the house and do all the photographs for you when you’re ready.”
    My mouth flops open. “You did this for me?”
    “Yes, I mean I know you have been doing the photos yourself so far, and the ones I’ve seen are great. Really. But I thought this would be a little better quality than what you can get with your camera and it might be a nice project for you to work on once you get settled.”
    I am stunned. I had mentioned the cookbook idea to him a few times and had shown him a few of my ideas, but we never really talked about it at length. I didn’t know he realized how important it is to me. In some ways, maybe I didn’t even realize how important it is until right now, seeing all these beautiful photos in front of me and dreaming of someday having a collection of my own.
    “Thank you so much, Brandon. This is amazing. I really don’t know what else to say,” I whisper, reverently flipping through the pages again as I soak it all in.
    I guess Ashley’s theory was right. Hollywood here I come!
     

Chapter Eight
    “Cherry? You almost ready to go?” Brandon calls up the stairs.
    “Aren’t you used to long wait times for makeup and wardrobe?” I call back down with a laugh. I stare at my reflection in the mirror.
    “Very funny! Just remember, we’re not going to the Oscars. It’s just my parents’ house.” I can hear the happiness in his voice.
    I sigh, flick off the lights, and stand still in the darkness for a moment. Steadying myself, I take a deep breath before turning to leave and go downstairs. It’s not that I don’t want to see his family, I do. I think my hesitation comes from not wanting to leave this comfortable little bubble we’ve been living in for the past month, where it’s just us and there are no other…complications.
    Brandon lets out an appreciative whistle when I get to the bottom of the stairs. “Worth the wait.” He grins.
    I laugh and look down. After a few outfit changes I decided to wear dark-wash jeans, my black boots, and a red top that has a few sparkly details on the front and side.
    “I’m not sure this is really a whistle-worthy outfit, but thank you.”
    “Anything you wear is whistle-worthy. So, you ready for this?” he asks as he helps me into my jacket.
    I nod. “Yep!”
    He kisses my forehead. “Thank you so much for doing this.” His voice is thick with emotion. “It really means a lot to me and to my family. ””
”
    “I’m looking forward to it, and I’m sorry I made such a big deal about it before.”
    “It’s all right. I understand.” He takes my hand and we head out the front doors. 
    His parents live just across town, so it only takes a few minutes to arrive. As we pull into the driveway, a wave of emotions washes over me. It’s been years since I was last here, but I can still remember everything. It was the night before the wedding. His parents had hosted a big barbeque for everyone in the wedding party and both sides of the family for our casual rehearsal dinner.
    The night everything fell apart.
    Even though we’re back together again, the memories of the past still sting sometimes. Things are different now, and we can never go back to being those people. We can never have the life we were planning back then.
    Brandon reaches over and squeezes my hand, as if sensing my unease, or