“I painted it after we first made love, and I’ve been changing and tweaking it ever since. Each time I learned something new about you, or you meant something deeper to me, I had to go back and fix it, make it resemble you more closely, until it became this.” He looked down at it himself. “Now I think it’s perfect—the best thing I’ve ever created.”

Her gaze shifted from his face to the painting and back again. “I had no idea...”

“Because I kept it hidden,” he explained. “I knew it would make me too transparent, and I was still trying to avoid being that vulnerable.” He set the painting down. “I’m sorry about last night, Tia.”

“I’ve already forgiven you. And this is beautiful. I’m glad that what we had meant...something. But if you can’t get over Shiloh, it’s better if we go our separate ways, Seth. I can’t—”

“That’s just it,” he broke in. “What happened at the restaurant didn’t have anything to do with Shiloh. Not really. It had to do with me. With how hard it is for me to trust love—to trust someone else to give me the love I need.”

Tia didn’t think she’d ever heard such raw honesty. “Are you sure about this?” she whispered. “About me?”

He leaned the painting up against the couch. “I’m sure,” he said. “It just took almost losing you to make me accept it. Will you give me another chance?”

Tia wiped fresh tears from her cheeks. When she’d been with Seth in Silver Springs, she’d felt as though she’d found the place where she belonged in the world. No matter where she came from or what her career was or where she was going, he was her safe harbor.

And now she knew it was true. “Of course,” she said, and smiling through her tears, she slipped into his arms.

Epilogue

Sunday, February 27

Tia was so nervous she couldn’t quit fidgeting.

Seth nudged her, looking as sharp as she’d ever seen him in his black tuxedo. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She straightened the skirt of her gown, which was made of nude netting in parts and nude fabric in others and had a slit up one side. “Just excited.”

He grinned at her. “You should be. You’re up for an Oscar.”

The movie had been nominated, too, as well as her director. In all, Expect the Worst had received four nominations, including one for Best Screenplay.

“You’ve got this,” Maxi said. He and his new girlfriend, Amira, were seated to the left of her while Seth’s biological brother, Brady and his wife, Cecily, who’d first come to San Francisco to visit them at Seth’s invitation almost a month ago, were seated to Seth’s right.