Life's What You Make It: Love's Great Adventure Book 1

by Troutman, Theresa

  The clerk unlocked the case with a set of keys she withdrew from a hidden pocket in her suit jacket. She gently lifted the tray toward her so she could remove the ring. She placed it on a black velvet tray and set it down on the counter.

  “That’s a lovely choice,” the saleswoman complimented.

  Sebastian picked up the ring and examined it. It was a half-karat Asscher-cut diamond set in 18-karat gold. The diamond was square with beveled corners, secured with four gold prongs. The cut gave the illusion of a hall of mirrors as the reflection carried on into the depths of the diamond. It was simple and elegant—perfect for Tess. He turned to his sister, who nodded her approval.

  Less than fifteen minutes later, Sebastian was holding a little red Cartier shopping bag and they were back on the sidewalk. They looked up and down the street for a taxi, but none were available. “Let’s have lunch,” Sigourney suggested instead.

  “I’d like that, but you’re buying, dear sister. You still have the stipend from Lily,” Sebastian reminded her.

  “Splendid! Let’s go to the Russian Tea Room.”

  They turned and casually strolled along the avenue, glancing at window displays and commenting on the latest fashions and trends.

  They lunched in a way that Sebastian could no longer afford, and he savored every morsel. They enjoyed Russian Osetra caviar with warm belini and vereniki—Russian ravioli. Sigourney filled Sebastian in on her upcoming recital at Juilliard. She played the role of tour guide and educated him on the hot spots in the city that he should visit once he moved to New York in the fall. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he and Tess would be living in New Jersey and commuting to the university so he joined with her in her excitement. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt as if he had to keep a few secrets about his future plans in the event Sigourney accidentally let something slip to Lily.

  After lunch, they took a yellow cab back to Sigourney’s Park Avenue address. Sigourney and Sebastian hugged each other on the sidewalk and said their goodbyes. Tess had promised to make dinner for him as an enticement upon his return for making this visit to New York. He was eager to get home to his fiancée, with or without the food.

  Three uneventful hours later, Sebastian was back at the apartment. The wonderful aroma of roast chicken filled his nostrils as he opened the front door. He quickly entered, softly closing the door behind him. Sebastian padded across the small room to the kitchen and then pulled Tess close. She was standing over the stove tending the meal and allowed herself to be enveloped in his arms. He kissed her softly on the neck—once, then twice, letting his lips linger.

  “How was your day?” he inquired, feeling like a husband home from work.

  “Good. We put the yearbook to bed and sent it off to the printers. How’s Sigourney?” Tess asked, turning to face him.

  “Good. It was nice to see her. Thanks for suggesting it.” He smiled at her, pulling her close again.

  “Are you hungry? Did you have lunch in the city?” Tess asked him after backing him away from the hot stove and tossing the tea towel she was holding onto the counter.

  “Yes. We had caviar at the Russian Tea Room.” Sebastian released her and took a few steps to the other side of the kitchen. He opened the noisy refrigerator door and pulled out a carafe of chilled water.

  Tess scrunched up her nose at the thought of caviar. “Oh, please don’t take me there.”

  Sebastian laughed. “Don’t worry, we can’t afford it anymore. Sigourney paid.” He poured a glass of water and replaced the carafe in the refrigerator.

  He walked out of the kitchen and put a record on the turntable. It was Bryan Ferry’s Slave to Love. Tess followed him and she was soon swept up in his arms, dancing to the music.

  “Are you enjoying this?” she helplessly inquired as she was twirled around in her jeans and sweatshirt.

  “Very much so,” he replied with a smile.

  She nuzzled her face against his neck and whispered, “I love you.”

  “Okay,” he replied, before dramatically dipping her as the song ended.

  Tess giggled. “That sounds ridiculous.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  They sat at the small bistro table eating the meal Tess had prepared. They dined on the fine china using the best silver. It seemed almost absurd to dine with such frivolity as they were eating the meal in a one-room efficiency. Sebastian had never been happier in his entire life. These moments with Tess only confirmed he’d made the right choice to ask her to marry him. They might be young, but their love was real. He was certain they could weather any obstacles that would come their way. They ate in a comfortable silence, occasionally glancing at each other and smiling.

  “What?” Tess prodded, staring curiously at his toothy grin.

  “I’m blissfully happy,” he replied, reaching out across the table to take her hand.

  “Your day in New York was that good?”

  “No, it’s not New York—it’s you.”

  “I feel the same way about you.” She stood up and walked around the table. He pushed his chair back and she took a seat on his lap. Sebastian took her chin in his hand and pulled her closer until their lips touched.

  After a long and tender kiss, he slowly pulled away and asked, “Did you happen to make any dessert?”

  Tess frowned. “All you can think about is dessert?”

  “Well, maybe later,” he muttered, kissing her again, running his fingers through her soft curly hair.

  “Much later,” Tess agreed as she settled into his embrace.

  Tess lay in bed on her side, her head propped up in the palm of her hand. “So tell me what happened in New York.”

  “I told Sigourney about the trip to London. She promised she’d keep her mouth shut. If Lily catches wind Sigourney is talking to me, she’ll disown her too.”

  “It’s not fair,” Tess sighed.

  “That’s just how it is. I did tell her we’re getting married, though.”

  “And?’

  “And she’s very happy for us, although I did get scolded for my pathetic proposal.”

  “It was perfect,” Tess smiled, reminiscing. “I think it was the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for me.”

  “That’s exactly what I told Sigourney. And she said she won’t forgive us if she isn’t invited to the wedding.”

  “There you go with that wedding talk again.”

  “I’ll continue talking about it until we set a date.”

  “What date did you have in mind?” she asked, semi-annoyed at his insistence.

  Sebastian rolled over and opened the bedside table drawer. He withdrew a bound leather date book. Flipping through the pages, he pointed his finger at a date. “May twenty-seventh, 1987. Freshman year will be finished and we will have the whole summer to enjoy our wedded bliss,” he beamed.

  Tess shook her head. He would not let up until she committed to a date. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry, Sebastian.” She stood and pulled the top sheet off the bed, wrapping it around her body. She walked to the tiny window and gazed outside, staring at nothing in particular.

  “Why are you afraid? You agreed to marry me the first time I asked you. Are you having second thoughts?” Sebastian was confused. He had no idea what was going on in her head. He tried not to panic.

  “We’re so young. College is going to change everything. What happens if we grow apart or fall out of love? I think it would be smarter to wait before we make it legal. I mean, marriage—that should be forever, right?”

  “Exactly. It will be forever.” Sebastian walked over to her and kissed her forehead. “I don’t expect it will be easy, but there is nothing in this life that I’m willing to fight for more than us.”

  Tess turned to look at him, uncertainty filling her face.

  “I meant what I said in London. Marry me and I swear I’ll adore you every day.”

  “Let me get accustomed to living with you full-time before you ask me to start planning a wedding.” Tes
s didn’t want to hurt his feelings—she just needed him to understand how overwhelmed she felt. “I can only do one thing at a time. I need to graduate high school, move in with you away from my mom, and settle in at NYU. I need to do this methodically. It’s just how I am.”

  Sebastian grabbed a pen and paged to the back of his agenda until he found a blank piece of paper. He jotted down her list in order then added at the end—plan our wedding. He walked over to her and placed the list in her hand. “See? It’s not so difficult. I’m not delusional, Tess. I know marriage will be the hardest thing I’ll ever do. Well, that is until we have children,” he added.

  “Yes. If marriage is hard and requires my full attention, then how am I going to get through college with a 4.0 GPA?”

  “Four years from now I could be dead,” he said matter-of-factly. It might have been cruel, but he hoped it would get his point across.

  “Don’t you ever joke about that.”

  “I’m not joking. Your mother is right—life’s too short. None of us knows what will happen. I want to be your husband, and I won’t wait four years for it to fit into your day planner, Tess,” he said in a raised voice.

  “Don’t pressure me. I’m stressed enough!”

  “An hour ago we made love. It was amazing and exciting and you cried in my arms because you were so happy.” He paused and gave her the most intense gaze. “There are only two things in this life that I’ve been absolutely sure of: first, Nanny’s unconditional love for me. Second, we are meant to be together for the rest of our lives.”

  “Can we compromise?”

  “What do you propose?” he asked with suspicion.

  “Give me until December. I’ll make a decision at that time.”

  “Okay, I can wait until December,” he agreed. “But I just want to let you know, if you agree to a May wedding, I’ll do all the planning. You can concentrate on college and all you have to do is just show up in your wedding gown on May twenty-seventh.”

  “Sebastian, I truly love you, but please, please, no more wedding talk,” Tess begged.

  “Until December,” he agreed, against his better judgment. Hell, he would have married her right there, right then, wrapped in bed sheets. But he also knew that to deal with Tess, he had to compromise. He desperately wanted to give her the diamond engagement ring he had bought earlier in the day, but now was not the time. Timing was everything.

  Chapter 20 - Life’s What You Make It

  May had arrived and it would be only a few short weeks before finals and graduation. The four friends sat at the lunch table discussing the prom.

  “So, are you two going?” Courtney asked, directing her question toward Sebastian and Tess.

  They answered simultaneously.

  Sebastian said, “Yes.”

  Tess said, “No.”

  They turned and looked at each other with surprise.

  “Communicate much?” Jordan teased.

  “You don’t want to go?” Sebastian asked.

  “No,” she simply replied.

  “You have to go. It’s senior prom!” Courtney exclaimed.

  “Why do I have to go?” Tess challenged.

  “Don’t be melodramatic,” Jordan interrupted, and then turned to Courtney. “Who are you going with, Courtney?”

  “Jack Thomas,” she answered. “I guess you’re going with Jeff?”

  “Yep,” Jordan confirmed.

  Now Courtney, Jordan, and Sebastian were looking at Tess as if she were from a different planet. The bell sounded, signaling the end of the lunch period. “Saved by the bell,” Tess muttered, standing up from the lunch table with a sigh of relief.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” Sebastian announced, guiding her by the elbow to her next class.

  “Yes, later,” she agreed, coming to the end of the hallway. She turned left to go Advanced Placement Calculus. He turned right for his chemistry lab.

  Tess drove them back to the apartment after school. The tension level was palpable in the cramped car. He could understand her hesitation in agreeing to set a wedding date, but the prom, he just did not understand.

  “Will you come inside so we can talk?” he asked opening the passenger door, trying to break the mood.

  She removed the key from the ignition. Tess grabbed her backpack full of books and diligently locked the car door. Silently, she followed him inside.

  Sebastian took off his St. Alexander’s blazer and threw it haphazardly on the bed. “Why don’t you want to go to the prom, Tess?” His tie landed next to the blazer.

  “Sebastian, look around you. We’re in an efficiency apartment that comes with bills and responsibility. We have no jobs. The only reason you have money is thanks to Nanny Jones, who had the foresight to make some wise investments. This is our reality. Senior prom just doesn’t seem that important.”

  “But isn’t it some rite of passage? I’ve seen the John Hughes movies. Won’t you feel as if you missed out on something monumentally important if you don’t go?”

  “Life isn’t a John Hughes movie!” she said in exasperation. “I’ve worn couture to dinner at Tavern on the Green. Do you really think dry chicken and a DJ could ever live up to that? Why do you care? You don’t have this antiquated function in England anyway.”

  He pulled her into an embrace, his annoyance abated. “God, I love it when you talk high fashion,” he cooed. “Nothing could ever compare to Tavern on the Green. But tell me, if you hadn’t met me, would you have gone to prom?”

  “I don’t know, Sebastian. Probably not. I mean, who would want to take the serious smart girl? I’m the girl everybody thinks doesn’t have a life or doesn’t know how to have fun,” she explained.

  “First, you have a wonderful life and I know you know how to have fun,” he beamed with a mischievous grin. “You are the sexiest and smartest girl I’ve ever met and I would be honored if you would accompany me to the prom.”

  He was grinning from ear to ear, being her charming Sebastian. “Damn you. You won’t let this go, will you?”

  “No. I want to show off my sexy, gorgeous fiancée at the dance. Please go with me?”

  Tess rolled her eyes. “Fine, you win—but only because you agreed to not talk about the wedding until December.”

  He leaned in to kiss her. “See? Compromise is fun.”

  * * *

  The prom was being held at the Evergreen Country Club. They started the evening at Tess’ house. Mrs. Hamilton was grinning at the two lovebirds.

  Sebastian was wearing his favorite custom-made gray suit, a white shirt with shiny cuff links, and a navy paisley tie. He knew it wasn’t the normal prom attire, but he didn’t care. He looked ten times better than any of his fellow students would look in their rented tuxedos with pants that were too short and sleeves that were too long. His hair was parted neatly to the side and flawless.

  Tess couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked so handsome. She couldn’t believe he belonged to her. Tess decided to wear her Calvin Klein strapless dress, which she paired with black one-inch-heel pumps and nude stockings instead of the black silk stockings and Manolos that drove him wild. She could barely walk in the stilettos—how was she going to be able to dance in them? She didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself when she walked into the room wearing couture while everyone else was wearing puffy teal gowns from the Deb Shop. Her hair was pulled up in a twist, showing off her bare neck. She wore the diamond earrings Sebastian had bought her for Christmas. Any pangs of regret she had about going to the prom were washed away when she saw the look of joy on Sebastian’s face.

  “You two look so incredible. My baby girl is all grown up,” Mrs. Hamilton admired. Tess turned pink from embarrassment. Tess’ mother grabbed the camera and took a few quick shots. “Okay you two—outside. I want to get some pictures in the sunlight.”

  Kate ushered them out the front door and stood them in front of the dogwood tree. Sebastian instinctively placed his arm around Tess’ waist. “You look
wonderful,” he complimented in her ear. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

  Tess turned to look up at him and smiled. “You’re welcome.” The picture was snapped. “Mom, I wasn’t even looking at the camera!”

  “I know, Tess. It’s called a candid shot,” her mother replied with laughter. She went on to snap a series of shots as they played it up for the camera. Sebastian even acted as photographer to take a picture of Tess and her proud mother.

  * * *

  Half an hour later, they were seated in the Chevette, driving to the County Club. Sebastian had wanted to rent a limo to take them to the prom, but Tess had put her foot down and insisted they take the Chevette. He agreed to her frugality, if only to avoid and argument. Being in a relationship with Tess was trying at times, but there so no other person he’d rather share this journey with.

  They entered the ballroom and got in line to have the obligatory photo taken under a white pergola draped in silk flowers. Tess found their table: it was round and seated three couples. Courtney and Jordan were their tablemates. Sebastian pulled out a chair so Tess could take a seat.

  Jordan and Courtney looked at Tess with their mouths open in awe.

  “Please wipe the look of shock off your faces,” Tess mumbled, taking a seat.

  “You look amazing, Tess,” Courtney complimented.

  “Where did you find that dress?” Jordan asked.

  “New York,” she replied without enthusiasm.

  “It must have cost a fortune. When did you have time to go to New York when you weren’t even sure you were coming to the prom a week ago?” Jordan inquired.

  Sebastian was enjoying this way too much. “I bought her that dress back in November,” he answered.

  “Sebastian…” Tess began, but was cut off by a chaste kiss on the lips.