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His words held such certainty; it nearly knocked the air from my lungs.
I swallowed hard against the lump formed in my throat. “I feel broken.”
“But you are not,” he repeated softly. “You are. . .multifaceted. Like a diamond.”
“Oh my God.” I laughed because I couldn’t think to do anything else.
He grabbed my arms and pulled me closer. His embrace was a fortress against the storm of doubts and fears that had haunted me. “I heard some of what you said to Baba, and it pissed me off.”
I pursed my lips together.
“You say you are scared of losing yourself in them. . .” He gestured to the painting. “But, the more you get to know them, I believe, the more you will find the solution. This. . .her. . .that is you.”
“But, Kaz, this shit is scaring me.”
“You are stronger than you think.”
“I don’t feel strong right now.”
“You should. You are standing in front of the Lion.”
I grinned. “Jesus Christ. What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“I would never fall in love with a weak woman. Only weak kids would come from her.”
“But, at least you wouldn’t wake up to her killing people around you.”
He breathed me in. “It sounds boring.”
I leaned my head against his chest. “You say I’m strong, but I don’t feel that way right now.”
“Strength is not always about feeling powerful. Sometimes it is just about facing the dark reality head-on.”
His words hit home hard. I couldn’t help but admit that there was truth in them—an undeniable truth that resonated within me from the deepest corners of my heart.
“I can do that.” I wrapped my arms around him, drawn by his warmth and understanding. “I just want to leave New Orleans. . .whole.”
“You are one woman who has been through so many experiences that they have shaped different aspects of your personality.” He put his finger on my chin and lifted my view to him. “You are complex, but that does not make you any less whole.”
His gaze was intense yet gentle as if trying to reassure me through mere eye contact.
A lump formed in my throat as I forced myself to maintain his gaze.
“Those parts make up you.” He smiled. “Just like different colors make up a painting.”
Tears brimmed.
“But most importantly. Let us return to what pissed me off.” To my shock, Kaz’s expression shifted to angry. “Do not ever question my love for you again.”
I blinked.
“I told you in the car last night that I accept you and your personalities, that I love you—”
“But, Kaz that’s before you really understood—”
“I understood then, but do you understand now—”
“You didn’t—”
