by Lulu Pratt
My eyes slide closed and my heart constricts at his easy endearment. Thankfully, I’m waiting at a crosswalk by this time so I don’t get trampled by a rush of people.
“The lady said it was a scholarship fund set up by an anonymous donor. And I’m the only one in the school who received it. Don’t you think that’s a little too coincidental?”
“Hmm,” he hums noncommittally and lets me keep speaking.
“I don’t know anyone with that kind of money lying around. So it has to be you.”
He doesn’t say anything right away.
“Sebastian, you can stop throwing your money around. I can afford to pay for my own education, thanks to you. So I don’t see the need for you to keep showing off.”
“I’m not showing off, I’m investing in your education,” he snaps defensively.
Don’t ask me why but the anger in his voice is just plain seductive. I have to fight hard to keep my composure as I cross the street and head in the direction of my new apartment building.
“Fine, well what about the car?” I want to know.
“I thought you might need a way to get to school every day.”
“I’m okay with walking. It’s not that far,” I volley back.
“Jesus, Olivia. Why won’t you just let me do something for you?”
“You’ve done enough!” I explode unintentionally. The emotion that’d been rising in my chest since he picked up finally erupted. “Expensive gifts don’t fix a broken heart, Sebastian.”
His silence is ominous before he clears his throat. “I’m fucking lost without you, Olivia.”
His usually confident and sure tone is masked by what I want to say is sadness.
“I miss you more than you can imagine. The gifts are my only way of getting through to you because you won’t pick up the phone. Do you know how frustrating that is?”
Emotion jams the words in my throat, so I just look to my left and blink away the tears forming in my eyes.
“Olivia, you have no idea how many times I’ve picked up the phone to call you after a big win at work or a frustrating meeting that went sour. I call you anyway even though I know it’s going to voicemail just so I can hear your voice. I’ve run out of ways to tell you I’m sorry so I’ve resorted to showing you instead. It’s all I have left.”
“Sebastian,” I whisper through a cloud of tears.
“It’s not the same without you, Olivia. I need you,” he says earnestly.
Just when I think my heart can’t hurt any more, his words amp up the pain even more.
Because I need him, too. It’s taken me a while to realize it but he became my lifeline in such a short period of time.
When things ended abruptly, I wasn’t prepared for the crushing pain. It was unbearable.
“I swear to God I didn’t do anything with that woman and I never will because my heart belongs to you. Only you.”
Rounding the corner, I bite my bottom lip to still the tears. My apartment is in view now and I will myself to make it inside the elevator before I open the floodgates and start wailing like a baby.
I shouldn’t have called him. This was a bad idea. I’m not over him.
I don’t think I’ll ever be over him.
“I have to go,” I croak out miserably.
“Olivia, please—”
But I hang up before he can get in another word.
The sincerity in his voice makes it clear that I made a huge mistake and I don’t know if I will ever forgive myself for that.
Finally, I reach the high-rise luxury building that I splurged on. It’s about a twenty-minute walk from campus and has every amenity I could ever need.
I fling open the door to the lobby of the building and sprint for the elevator, ignoring the warm greeting from Ralph, the doorman.
Once the elevators doors slide close, I dissolve into a pile of tears near the back of the confined space. Sobs are shaking my shoulders by the time I reach the tenth floor. My floor.
Stepping off the elevator, I wipe my tears and try to focus on calming breaths as I search for my key. Eyes cast down, I collide with a solid figure just near the end of the hall.
Looking up, an apology is right at the tip of my tongue until I realize who it is.
“Sebastian?”
“Olivia,” he breathes before crushing me in a hug.
His arms engulf my small frame in a warm embrace, causing me to melt against him because I’ve been craving his touch for weeks and the moment has finally come.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my words muffled against his solid chest.
“I missed you,” Sebastian says into my hair.
His familiar scent greets my nostrils and I breathe him in deeply.
Sebastian.
He’s really here.
Ravenously, his mouth devours mine in the most sensual way. I’ve never been kissed quite so thoroughly. He pulls away roughly, his fingers firmly grasping my chin to hold me in place.
“Forgive me,” he says and I know it isn’t a request. His intense eyes are trained on me.
All I can do is nod.
“I had no idea about your shithead ex. That explained a lot. I got why you were so disappointed in me.”
Amazed, I stare at him wide-eyed. “How did you find out about that?”
A secret smile touches his perfect lips.
“Your friend Winnie has been very helpful in the last few weeks. I hacked her phone carrier and got her number,” he says nonchalantly.
“Sebastian!” I whisper, scandalized, and look around to make sure no one heard him.
“What? I was desperate. I had to put the resources I had to use.”
I only narrow my eyes at him playfully, still so happy that he’s standing in front of me.
“Shit, I missed you,” he declares before pulling me closer to him. So close that I can feel the erection straining against his fly.
Instantly, my center starts pulsing in sync with his erection.
“I love you,” he says, never breaking eye contact. “I think I knew it the second you got off that damn plane.”
Stunned, my gaze is glued to him. I love him, too. So much. Warmth spreads through me knowing that the feelings I have for him are reciprocated.
“I love you, too.”
Sebastian drops his forehead to mine and makes a command I vow to never disobey.
“Never leave me again.”
EPILOGUE
SEBASTIAN DOWNS
Six months later…
“Bash!” Olivia calls out as soon as she enters the door.
The excitement in her voice will never get old. She makes me feel like the luckiest fucker alive when she greets me and I bet she doesn’t even know it.
Abandoning my present task, I leave her bedroom and meet her in the hallway.
“Hi,” she says, smiling brightly at me.
“How was your day, sweetheart?”
“Better now,” she says, further stroking my ego. “How was your flight?”
“Uneventful. You were all I could think about.”
I’d taken one of my now frequent flights in from California this morning to spend the weekend with her.
Because of our hectic schedules, we’d settled on a compromise. I do most of the traveling because her school schedule isn’t very flexible. Most of the time, I work remotely from Tennessee unless it is absolutely essential that I show up in the flesh.
When Olivia has an extended break from school, we go to California. We’re still working out the kinks but it’s served us well so far.
I’m even in the process of buying land to open an east-coast division for the site and app. Steady growth has increased our demand for employees and office space and my home state is as good a place as any to put down some roots.
Olivia made the decision that much easier.
I want to be wherever she is.
“How was the old guy today?” I ask, referring to her outing after class.
Green
eyes light up like the sun and her smile is just as bright.
“Today was a good day for Arnold. He was sitting up in his chair when I got there. And he smiled when he saw me, even though he still thinks I’m his wife Claire.”
This makes me chuckle. Arnold had been put in a nursing home only a month after Olivia was fired. His condition had deteriorated so quickly in those four weeks that his son had no choice but to put him in a nursing home.
At first Gavin visited Arnold every weekend. The nurses report that on one visit, Arnold was unusually lucid and in a screaming fit, told Gavin that he never wanted to see him again after what he did Claire.
It didn’t take much to figure out that Claire was Olivia, and that he knew Gavin wronged her.
Gavin has never visited again. As an only child, Gavin and his father were always extremely close. Rumor has it Arnold’s outburst destroyed Gavin’s spirit.
Olivia visits him every chance she got and I always looked forward to her amusing stories when she returned.
“Claire must have been as beautiful as you are if he keeps getting you two confused,” I remark tweaking her nose.
“Forever the smooth talker,” she grins, wrapping her arms loosely around my waist.
God, I love this woman.
My body is rock hard just from being in her presence. Hell, I’m never not horny where Olivia is concerned.
She’s my strength and weakness packaged in human form. My constant when the rest of the world turns its back on me.
Which is why I’m anxious to execute my plans for the evening.
“Have a seat and I’ll get us something to drink,” I say, steering her to the sofa.
Alone in the kitchen, I pour myself a shot of whiskey to eliminate my nerves. With my hand in my pocket, my fingers run over the velvet box housed there.
This is it.
I love this woman and I know without a doubt that she loves me too. But for some reason I find myself just as nervous now as I was that day in the art room before I asked her to prom.
Just go out there and do it.
After pouring her a glass of wine, my steps carry me back to the living room where she’s sitting Indian-style on the sofa surfing the channels.
Her hair is piled high on top of her head, and she’s wearing a yellow sundress to combat the Tennessee summer heat.
Her face is makeup free yet still stunning as ever.
When she sees me nearing the couch, she instinctively reaches out for the glass and starts talking away.
“What do you want to watch? There’s a marathon of that game show you like on. But there’s also a marathon of that renovation show that I really love—”
I could listen to her chat all day but I need to say this before I lose my nerve.
“Olivia, I need to ask you something,” my voice is smooth, not betraying the angst I feel.
Noting the seriousness in my voice, she looks at me expectantly and takes a sip of her wine.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve had something on my mind for a while and I wanted to know how you felt about it,” I say stalling.
Shit, this is harder than I thought.
“I’m listening,” Olivia says smiling at me encouragingly.
Without preamble, I take the wine glass from her hand and drop down to one knee in front of her. Once it’s situated on the coffee table, I grasp her hand in mine and watch her eyes fill with tears before I even say a word.
“Olivia, I love you so much. I suspect I did in high school too, but I just didn’t know the words for it at the time. We never got our chance back then, but then you showed up unexpectedly and turned my world upside down.”
“Oh, God,” she whimpers faintly.
“I have never been happier than when I’m with you. You complete me like no one else can and I want to spend the rest of my life learning how to be a man worthy of your unconditional love. I loved you then and I always will, Olivia.”
Reaching into my pocket, I retrieve the ring box and snap it open.
Tears slide down her cheeks at the sight before her then she flings her arms around my neck and cries, “Yes! The answer is yes!”
Chuckling, I pull back slightly and tease her. “But I haven’t even asked you anything yet.”
She shakes her head as if it’s of no consequence. “You don’t have to because the answer is yes. Yes, I’ll spend the rest of my life with you and only you.”
OLIVIA DOWNS
Ten Years Later
Small hands are splayed across my face when I wake up.
Peeking one eye open, I notice my oldest child staring at me anxiously from the side of the bed.
How she got in here is anybody’s guess. That is until I notice that Sebastian’s side of the bed is empty and cool.
Unbelievably exhausted from last night’s extracurricular activities with Sebastian, I grab my daughter and pull her onto the bed with me. Squealing from the unexpected action, she rewards me with one of my favorite sounds in the world: her laughter.
“What are you doing awake at this hour, Ava?”
Her blue eyes are the perfect replica of her father’s when she looks at me with a jovial smile.
“I couldn’t wait to surprise you, Mommy!”
“Oh yeah?”
My five-year-old daughter nods furiously, sending her strawberry blonde locks all over the place.
“What’s the surprise?” I play along, reaching up to restore some normalcy to her headful of hair.
“I can’t tell you! Daddy says it’s a secret!” she says, squirming from the contained excitement and I can’t help but laugh.
She reminds me so much of myself in that regard.
“And where’s Daddy?” I ask with wide eyes, feeding her excitement.
“Downstairs,” she whispers conspiratorially.
“What’s he doing downstairs?”
Ava looks at me, contemplating whether I’m worth spoiling the secret.
I can tell the exact moment she decides that I’m not.
She’s such a daddy’s girl.
Her loyalty will probably never waver. Not that I blame the poor girl. Sebastian can be pretty convincing.
“He’s busy,” she says evasively, making me laugh.
“And your brother? Where’s he?”
“Downstairs with Daddy. We’re waiting on you!” she exclaims.
Feigning surprise, I cover my chest with one hand. “Me?”
“Yes, Mommy!”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” I ask teasingly before tickling her.
Her squirming only intensifies and I’m rewarded with the joyful ripples of her laughter.
“I love you, baby girl,” I tell her as I cradle her in my arms.
She may not be an infant anymore but she’ll always be my baby.
“Love you too, Mommy,” comes her distracted but automatic response. “Can we go downstairs now?”
Snickering, I release her and let her down from the bed. “Tell them I’m coming, I just need to use the little girls’ room first.”
“‘Kay!” she shouts before dashing out of the door like a bolt of lightning.
What I wouldn’t give just to have an ounce of her boundless energy right now. Tired doesn’t begin to cover it, but thankfully I have the next three days off to recover from the brutal hours I’d been putting in at the nursing home.
As the director of nursing, there is never a dull day that passes. Add that to the fact that my house is practically a circus with two kids and my husband roaming around. Needless to say, I stay pretty busy.
Getting out of bed, I walk to the bathroom slowly, amazed that my body still gets sore from the various positions my husband twists and turns me in during our lovemaking.
Every time I think I’ve discovered every possible muscle, I wake up the next morning sore in places that I didn’t know existed.
A good problem to have if you ask me.
After nearly a decade of marriage, Sebastian a
nd I still can’t get enough of one another. Through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, one thing remains the same — we are crazy for each other and nothing will ever change it.
Not long hours at work or screaming kids at home. Nothing can get in the way of our passion for one another.
As I wash my face, I reminisce over the circumstances leading up to this very moment.
We had a short engagement before getting married on Christmas Eve only five months after Sebastian popped the question.
Upon graduating nursing school, Sebastian gifted me a trip to France and I can almost guarantee that Ava was conceived in the air on our way there. We’d been all over each other in the private jet and thankfully the flight attendant had stayed put near the front of the plane.
As soon as we found out I was pregnant, Sebastian bought a house that could easily double as a museum. It’s huge and over the top but our family is fitting in well.
Ava’s birth was the highlight of my life. I’d always secretly feared motherhood but she made it feel like the most natural thing on earth. A year and a half later, our small family grew when we welcomed baby Lucas to the fold.
I’d never felt more content in my life. I had the man of my dreams, the job of my dreams and now the family I never knew I craved so deeply.
Sebastian and I figured out the whole parenting thing one day at a time. And I swear to God, there was nothing sexier than watching that man transform into the best father he could be for our children.
He gave our kids everything they needed and more.
I fell in love with him more every chance I got to witness his love for our babies.
Once I brush my teeth, I run my hands through my sleep-matted hair and head downstairs.
The downstairs area is eerily quiet as I approach the kitchen and then I hear Ava whispering.
“She’s coming. She’s coming!”
“On the count of three,” Sebastian coaches them, his patient tone warming my heart.
“Surprise!” they erupt as soon as I enter the state-of-the-art kitchen.
There, right before my eyes, sits my whole world.
Ava is clinging to her daddy’s leg, while Lucas stands on the countertop with Sebastian’s firm hand in place to ensure he doesn’t fall.
My husband is smiling at me with that gaze that always makes my panties evaporate but I have to remind myself that now isn’t the time.