Page 269 - It Ends with Us

Chapter Thirty-Four

I fin ish rins ing the paint out of the brushes and then walk back to the
nu rser y to admire the mural. I spent most of yes terd ay and all of
today paint ing it.
It’s been two week s sinc e R yle came over and put the crib toget her.

Now tha t the mural is fini shed and I brought in a few plant s from the
store, I feel like the nu rser y is fina lly complet e. I look around and feel
a little sad tha t no one is here to admire the room with me. I grab my
pho ne and tex t Allysa.
Me: Mural is fin ished! You should come down and look at it.

Allysa: I’m not home. Running errands. I’ll come look at it tomorrow, though.
I frown and decide to tex t my mother. She ha s to work tomorro w,
but I kno w she’l l be just as ex cited to see it as I was to fini sh it.
Me: Feel like driving into town tonight? The nursery is fin ally fin ished.
Mom: Can’t. Recital night at school. I’ll be here late. I can’t wait to see it! I’ll

come by tomorrow!
I sit down in the rocking cha ir and kno w tha t I sho uldn’t do wha t
I’m about to do, but I do it anyway.
Me: The nursery is fin ished. Do you want to come look at it?

Ever y ner ve in my body spring s to life as soon as I hi t Send . I stare
at my pho ne unt il hi s rep ly comes thro ugh.
Ryle: Of course. On my way down now.
I immed iatel y stand up and beg in making last minu te touches . I
fluff the pillows on the loves ea t and straight en one of the wall
ha ng ing s. I’m barel y to the front door when I hea r hi s kno ck. I open
it and dam mit. He’s wear ing scrubs.

I step aside as he makes hi s way in.
“Allysa said you were paint ing a mural?”
I follow hi m down the ha llway toward the nu rser y.
“It’s taken two days to fini sh, ” I tel l hi m. “My body feel s like I ran a
maratho n and all I did was walk up and down a step ladder a few