She was frowning, her thoughts creating a massive to-do list and staring unseeing at a car when she heard Sebastian sigh. She shook herself from her thoughts as he said. “Why am I not surprised that she didn’t leave?”
Susan finally realized that she was staring at Mary Beth’s BMW still parked next to her own car. She inhaled, searching for the smell of lavender and vanilla. She caught the scent and turned in that direction. “Let me go talk to her.” She said.
“I’ll go with you.” Sebastian grunted, “I don’t want her sinking those claws into you too.”
Susan faced him and gave him a small smile. “She’s my sister. Besides, she’s so skinny she has no hope of taking me on.” She finished with a wink.
Sebastian grunted, not amused, he nodded. “I stay close though. She doesn’t strike me as stable and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Susan leaned up on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “I’ll always want you close, Sebastian. I love you.”
He kissed her nose. “I love you too and I want you safe.”
She nodded realizing her attempts to lighten his mood were failing. It was best to just get this over with so he’d see that she was unharmed. She headed toward the scent of Mary Beth’s perfume with Sebastian allowing her distance.
Her sister was sitting on the ground on a small incline below an old oak tree. She looked absolutely dejected and Susan’s heart hurt for her until she remembered that her sister had hurt people and wrecked lives for a house. She also was indirectly responsible for the war, a fact that Sebastian hadn’t confirmed outright, but she had guessed long before Colin Murphy had ever made an appearance. Susan sat down next to her and looked out at the view of the ranch and the lands surrounding it. Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally Susan broke the silence. “You know it’s a beautiful house, but I bet you could build one even bigger and better; one that’s new and to your specifications. I mean this place couldn’t have been exactly what you wanted. You probably had renovations in mind.” She waited a few moments to see if Mary Beth would say anything before she continued. “Dad would probably help you find a nice plot of land if you asked, plus he could put in a call to that architect that built his house.”
“How do you always get everything I want?” Mary Beth asked bitterly still looking toward the house.
Susan nearly choked at the observation. Did Mary Beth really think that or was she just being bitchy? She held back the nasty response that popped into her head and instead said, “I’ve always loved him.”
Mary Beth turned and looked at her in disbelief. “Do you think I didn’t know that? My God, you were always following him around like a pathetic little lap dog. It was revolting. I bet it just killed you that I had him, didn’t it?” She sneered. Then a bitter edge crept into her voice. “Do you think I never figured it out? That it was you that sent those pictures?” She shrugged, “At the time I didn’t care because Christian was going to inherit this house and I had him practically panting for me. I had planned on ending things with Sebastian anyway so your pathetic little show and tell only served to speed things up.” She grimaced and then snarled, “And then Christian had to suddenly go all noble and give away his inheritance – my house – to bring Sebastian home. I’d sacrificed ten years with that asshole and what do I have to show for it? Nothing! You get my house and he ruined my life! So go find somewhere else to gloat and leave me alone.”
Susan stood and brushed the back of her jeans off. “You know Mary Beth, I’ve heard you say several times now that Christian ruined your life and that I stole from you. Maybe it’s time you stopped blaming other people for your life. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and find someone to love, find something to love other than this house and move on.”
Susan walked away without looking back, her ears attuned in case Mary Beth decided to jump her, but nothing happened. She saw Sebastian a few yards away and she smiled. Mary Beth would either get over her bitterness so she could move on or she wouldn’t; only she could make those choices. In the meantime, Susan had a wedding to plan and a happily ever after to live.
Christmas was fast approaching. The Black’s had returned and the reunion had been a heart-warming sight with, hugs, laughter, and many tears – quite a few her own and not pretty. Sebastian’s mother had welcomed her to the family (causing more tears) with a big hug, while Sebastian’s father had kissed her cheek and gruffly thanked her for bringing Sebastian home.
They had decided to have the wedding at the ranch, and it was constantly full of people as they decorated for the event both inside and out. Her father’s nosy neighbor, Mrs. Anderson had even shown up one day wielding her cane like a sword as she barked orders about the placement of every ornament on the large Christmas tree.
Mrs. Black had given Sebastian one of the Black family betrothal rings, a spectacular emerald, that had been passed down through the generations and he had presented it to Susan over a dinner he had prepared for her. He made sure she’d gotten her romantic proposal after all and Susan had cried (once again, not pretty), but Sebastian had pulled her into his arms and kissed her tears away while telling her how much he loved her.
He also frequently assured her that there was no reason for her to make herself crazy rushing this wedding since he had no intention of going anywhere and they could always send a video to his parents if for some reason they couldn’t make it back on a later date. Susan had been grateful for the reassurance, but she had so much help between her father and all his partners at the firm and Sebastian’s mother that things were actually progressing pretty smoothly. It seemed that everyone seemed to know someone who could make things happen.
Sebastian met her best friend Jon and his husband Gary at the reception dinner and they had all had a good laugh about Sebastian being jealous of Jon. Well, after Jon’s color came back and he realized he wasn’t actually in danger of being pummeled by a much larger man. They would one day be great friends.
Christmas day dawned cold yet sunny. Susan had had her hair done and with the help of her father’s new girlfriend Carla, Nancy Keaton, and Sebastian’s mother she’d donned her white velvet wedding dress over some very fancy new undergarments (no practical cotton today). The gown clung provocatively to her curves and showed off a great deal of her bosom. She laughed slightly knowing that Sebastian would love it.
“You look beautiful, my dear.” Sebastian’s mother said her hand over her heart. The woman looked close to tears and Susan wanted to hug her but Nancy Keaton tsked. “None of that now or she’ll be crying and ruining her mascara. And don’t even think about sitting down in that dress. That white velvet is going to pick up every piece of dirt and lint floating in the air within a five mile radius. Where’s my cell phone? I’ll get some plastic.”
Susan laughed and shook her head as Nancy wandered off. No sooner had the door closed behind the lawyer than it opened to allow Mary Beth into the room. Susan frowned but Mary Beth actually gave her a genuine smile. “Can I speak to my sister alone please, ladies?”
Sebastian’s mother had not wanted to leave, in fact she glared quite fiercely at Mary Beth, but when Carla had given her a gentle tug and murmured “Five minutes”, Mrs. Black had grudgingly acquiesced.
“You look beautiful, Susan.” Mary Beth said.
This was so out of character for her sister that Susan couldn’t help but be leery. “Thank you?” She hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question, but there is was. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t actually think you’d come.”
Mary Beth shrugged. “I was invited. Besides, weddings are a great place to meet men.” She said with a smile before turning to the large cheval mirror and smoothed her hair. “I thought about what you said, you know, and you were right about some of it.”
Susan raised her eyebrows in shock at that admission but Mary Beth was still studying her own reflection. “Don’t get me wrong, Christian is far from blameless, but it’s time I took my life in hand and figure out what I want
and go after it.”
Susan’s back stiffened, ready to warn Mary Beth off about the ranch when Mary Beth waved her off. “I have absolutely no more designs on the ranch. You were right, this place was old anyway and the remodel would have been extensive. You and Sebastian may have it with my blessing.” She finished with a sniff.
“Why thank you,” Susan said, her voice dripping with sarcasm but Mary Beth didn’t seem to notice as she went right on. “I’m going to take your advice little sister and build something bigger and better. It’s going to be fabulous.” She leaned in close to the mirror and dabbed under her eye with her ring finger before she straightened, turned and smiled. “Now, I’m off to introduce myself to some of dad’s clients and see if I can snag a fat fish.”
She air-kissed Susan’s cheeks and then flounced out of the room. Susan shook her head but chuckled. She and Mary Beth may never be friends, but they may at least be able to work on being better sisters.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sebastian stood in front of the Christmas tree in the main room of the ranch, his father and Christian at his side. He was about to marry the woman he loved; the only woman for him and he couldn’t wait. His foot was tapping and Christian grinned. “Nervous?” He pulled a flask out of the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket and offered it but Sebastian shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to kiss his bride with liquor on his breath. His bride, he was about to marry Susan Fuller. What time was it?
His father clapped him on the back and he nearly went stumbling forward; he’d gone so long being the biggest male around that it seemed strange to have two equally big men surrounding him. It was comforting though. He’d missed this sense of family and hadn’t even realized it. Last night at the rehearsal dinner that had doubled as Marcus Fuller’s annual Christmas party he’d been treated throughout the night to claps on the back, welcome homes, and more congratulations than he could count. Here, he was home. He had loved Malsum Pass for the solitude, but the people had given him a wide berth – his own fault – but they were a pack and he was the outsider. Now he was once again part of a community and he felt almost whole. Once Susan was his wife, his happiness would be complete. Wasn’t it time yet?
The reverend stepped toward him and told them to take their places. His father took his seat next to his beaming mother, while Christian stayed at his side as best man and Jon Parks stepped up to wait for Susan’s arrival as man of honor.
The string quartet struck up the first notes of the processional and Sebastian held his breath as he turned to see Susan. She was a vision and he couldn’t have torn his eyes away for anything. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he was sure everyone could hear. This woman was going to marry him. This woman… His woman… He was the luckiest man alive.
Susan made her way down the aisle; her eyes seeing only Sebastian. She remembered that first day she’d seen him so long ago, that lanky teenager that smiled at her and stole her heart. As it was before, so it was again, everything around him seemed suddenly brighter; trumpets blasted, unicorns danced and rainbows shot across the sky. She walked toward him and her happily ever after. It may have taken longer than she had expected, but her dreams were finally coming true.
Malsum Pass, Vermont. One year later:
Sebastian leaned down and breathed in the scent of his wife and groaned as they heard the bellow of a bear in the distance. “Tell me again, why we thought it would be a good idea to bring Christian with us on our anniversary trip.”
Susan chuckled. “He needs this place. He needs some fun. You’ll see; he’ll be a new man before we head back.”
He grunted and kissed the top of her head as he examined the snow fort they’d built and armed with snowballs. Susan stood before him, facing their creation, his arms wrapped around her and his hands on her slightly distended belly where his child grew. “I don’t think we can both fit.” He said as he eyed the waist high, hollowed out, pile of snow that would barely fit a child much less his big hulking frame.
She laughed, her breath billowing out in a cloud of white. “I just wanted to build one, I didn’t actually think too much beyond that.”
Suddenly Christian burst through the tree line in fur and let out a happy bellow. “To arms!” Susan yelled and scrambled for the fort to pelt snowballs at her unsuspecting brother-in-law.
Sebastian grinned and shook his head at their antics. “Pure joy,” he mumbled before he fell straight back into the snow and flapped his arms and legs to make a snow angel.
Until You: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 19