He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "So, what are you painting?"
"I don't know yet," she admitted, dipping her brush into the colors. "I'll just go with the flow." Lucas smirked. "Sounds like your approach to life."
Bella shot him a playful glare before focusing on her canvas. As she worked, Lucas sat nearby, observing the way her brows furrowed slightly in concentration, the way her fingers delicately maneuvered the brush. There was something mesmerizing about it.
At one point, Bella glanced up and caught him staring. Her breath hitched slightly, but she quickly looked away, her cheeks warming. Lucas, however, didn't avert his gaze.
"Something wrong?" he asked, his voice lower than before. "No," she mumbled, turning back to her painting, suddenly hyper-aware of his presence.
Lucas chuckled, the sound rich and teasing. "You sure?" Bella didn't respond, but the slight shake of her head and the way she dipped her brush a little too forcefully into the paint gave her away.
He enjoyed this—seeing her flustered, watching her try to pretend she wasn't affected. He don't know why, but he is growing fond to seeing her blush at his words. He didn't push, though. Instead, he leaned back, letting silence settle between them, a quiet understanding lingering in the air.
The tension was there, simmering just beneath the surface, but neither of them acknowledged it. Not yet.
As Bella lost herself in painting, Lucas came out of the room finishing his bath, watching her with amusement. He had expected her to be hesitant at first, but she was completely absorbed, her brush moving across the canvas with quiet determination.
Shaking his head, he smirked and turned toward the kitchen. If she was that focused, she'd probably forget about eating. He might as well take care of lunch.
While he moved around the kitchen, chopping vegetables and stirring a pot on the stove, the house remained quiet except for the faint sounds of Bella's brush strokes. It was strange how easily he had fallen into this rhythm—preparing meals, looking after them, as if he had always belonged here.
Just as he set the food on the table, a loud chime echoed through the house. Bella's phone alarm. "Oh no," she muttered, quickly setting her brush aside and checking the time. "It's already time to pick up Rachel!"
She got up in a hurry, only to pause as she turned toward the dining table. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the neatly arranged plates.
"You already made lunch?" she asked in surprise.
Lucas leaned casually against the counter, arms crossed. "Of course. What kind of husband would I be if I let my wife starve while she got lost in her art?" Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, "Though, I did think after marriage I'd finally get the privilege of eating something you cooked."
Bella scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. "You do realize I was the one who cooked dinner yesterday?"
Lucas shrugged. "I don't recall. Maybe you should prove it again tonight."
Bella rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag. "Let's go get Rachel before you start making up more excuses for me to cook."
Chuckling, Lucas followed her to the car, and they drove to Rachel's school together.
When Rachel spotted them, she ran up with an excited grin, her backpack bouncing on her small shoulders. "Dada!" she called out as she jumped into Lucas's arms.
He lifted her effortlessly, ruffling her hair. "Hey, princess. How was school?" Rachel beamed. "It was great! I told my friends that I have a dad now!"
Bella's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Rachel's bright expression. She hadn't even thought about how Rachel would introduce Lucas to others, but the way she said it so naturally, so proudly, made warmth spread in her chest.
Lucas raised a brow, amused. "Oh? And what did they say?"
"They said I'm lucky! And I told them my dad is the best dad ever."
Lucas's lips curled into a smirk, but there was something softer in his gaze as he looked at Rachel. "You're not wrong about that."
Bella shook her head at their little exchange, but she couldn't deny the way her heart melted at the sight.
Once they returned home, they settled down for lunch. Rachel talked non-stop about her day, barely pausing to take bites of her food. As Lucas listened, sneaking amused glances at Bella, he realized how effortlessly they were becoming a family.