Terms & Truths (New York Billionaires Book 1)

19| Rings

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Rings

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Chapter 19: Rings (Evie's POV)

Banging my fist on the door for the fifth time, I groaned loudly. "Rowan!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. When I still got no response, I was two seconds away from leaving and never coming back. 

It was way past lunch and I told Rowan before leaving that I'd be back by now. Not only did he not give me a spare set of emergency keys, but he didn't even tell me the code to the digital lock on his door. Now, when I was standing here and ringing the bell and banging on the door, no one was answering. 

Is he not home? 

Suddenly, a slip of paper slipped through from under the door. Quickly, I moved back and bent down, picking it up and reading the numbers on it. If this was Rowan's handwriting, I would be concerned, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said it was Leo's before typing the numbers into the keypad. It beeped before the door unlocked with a click. 

I pushed the doors open and walked in, closing the door behind me, hearing barking from somewhere in the apartment. I headed towards the living room where I heard a lot of giggles and squeals coming from, but the moment I walked in, expecting to see an adorable sight of Leo running around or Leo playing with Niko, but what I saw was just... surreal, in a way. 

"Oh. My. God," I blurted out, watching the sight in front of me with disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?" I couldn't move or say anything else or even process this. 

Leo was lying on his stomach on the floor with a giant painting book in front of him and paint smeared everywhere. On the paper, on the floor, on his hands, clothes, face, even in his hair. And Rowan was sitting right there on the floor beside him, also covered from head to toe in paint. Niko, somehow, didn't have a lot of paint on him, actually. Just a bit on his collar and paws. 

I slowly walked over, sighing. 

"Evie!" Leo jumped up and ran to me. 

I forced a laugh and closed my eyes as he hugged my torso, getting paint all over my lower half. 

It's okay. They're just pants. The paint will come off. Oh God, it's not going to come off, is it? 

"Hey," I chuckled, ruffling his hair, "what have you been... up to?" 

He took my hand, getting green paint there as well. "Painting!" he exclaimed before sitting back down and grabbing the plastic cup, grabbing the fattest paintbrush and dipping it into the tray that had blobs of paint everywhere. 

I remained standing in front of him while Rowan finally looked up at me. He was still dressed in the same clothes but now had paint streaks and little handprints running down his arms and a few smudges on his cheek too. 

"You were supposed to watch him," I said, folding my arms across my chest. 

"I am watching him," he replied calmly, glancing at Leo. 

"Watch him," I repeated, "not watch him destroy everything with paint." 

He rolled his eyes. "He's having fun."