29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Mason

Sunlight beat into my back through the impossibly tall kitchen windows, making the heat ever-so-slightly uncomfortable as I sat crammed between Leona and Sebastian at the breakfast table. Lucian was directly across from me, with his kids on either side. Sophia and Cameron completed the crowded circle: Sophia next to Juniper and Cameron next to Jasper.

The sheer amount of people at the table forced me to be hypervigilant about what I was putting in my body, so instead of tucking into the eggs, pancakes, and the mysterious lumpy yellow stuff in the center bowl, I filled my plate with the mixed fruit. I picked out some strawberries, grapes, and pineapple, doing my best to avoid the honeydew and cantaloupe. That wasn’t for health reasons—they were just fucking gross.

I had really hoped to talk to Cameron before the chaos of the day set in, but he wasn’t much for conversation today. He blamed it on his nicotine withdrawals; apparently, they made him unpleasant to be around, and he didn’t want to snap at me. Frankly, I didn’t care if he did. I just wanted to apologize for running from him last night. But his level of consideration caused a warm, fuzzy knot to appear in my chest, one that stole my words and made me want to blush like a schoolgirl any time we made eye contact.

“Mason, you need to have something else on your plate.” Leona’s mothering brought me back to reality.

Her accent was still just as thick as it had been when I left. She and Lucian were both born in Columbia. They moved to the States once their parents got divorced; at the time, Lucian was four, but Leona was almost an adult. Lucian mostly learned to speak in America, so he very much sounded like a native. But Leona, much like me, would always carry her heritage on her tongue.

“The baby is hungry,” she explained, tapping on the edge of my plate with her fork.

I cringed at the sharp sound of metal on porcelain but did my best to be normal for once.

“The baby likes fruit,” I replied, gingerly spearing a chunk of pineapple. Leona shot me a stern look as I popped the sweet fruit into my mouth.

“The baby needs more than fruit. You need to feed her so she can grow.”

Leona’s attention shifted to Lucian, and she called something across the table in Spanish. Lucian wiped his mouth, took a swig of his coffee, and responded in the same manner. I looked up at Sebastian as he picked at his eggs, wondering if he could understand them. Intelligent as he was, I’d be surprised if he hadn’t picked up a few phrases from his father and siblings. But I also knew Seb’s mom didn’t speak a word of Spanish, so maybe she didn’t want her son knowing the language either.

“Mason,” Lucian called, interrupting my thoughts. “Put food on your plate, or she’s going to do it for you.”

My stomach flipped. That was too much pressure. I didn’t want to eat too much, and I didn’t want Leona to be disappointed if I couldn’t eat everything she gave me.

“Uh, no? I’m an adult.” I tried to sound irritated instead of anxious as I looked at Seb, silently pleading for help.

He seemed conflicted, glancing at me and then shifting his gaze across the table. What was he looking at?

I tried to follow his gaze, but all I saw was Cameron gently wiping some of the mysterious yellow stuff from Jasper’s shirt. After a moment, Seb turned back to me and worked a hand into my hair.

“She’s right. You need to eat more.”

Traitor.

“But I can serve you instead, if that helps you feel comfortable.” His tone was soothing, but his words did nothing to calm my frayed nerves.

“I’m not a child,” I huffed.

A slight shake infiltrated my fingers. Still, I reached across the table to grab a spoonful of eggs and a tiny amount of whatever the yellow stuff was. The idea of eating a pancake in front of everyone made me physically sick, so I avoided it, as well as the bacon. I wanted to be better, to not overanalyze something as simple as eating. I just didn’t know how.

I picked up a fork, only to push my food around. Realistically, I knew no one was looking at me. Conversation filled the air, and I wasn’t the center of attention, but it didn’t feel like that. The room was closing in. Leona’s elbow rubbed against my arm as she let out a hearty chuckle. Cameron had just made a joke, but I couldn’t help but feel like she was laughing at me.

I knew I was being stupid. I lived my life on the stage. Being looked at and listened to was literally my job, but here I was, afraid of eating around people. I scanned the crowd around me, and my anxiety mounted. If I let myself be hungry, I was hurting the baby. If I ate until I was full, I’d probably put on weight, and I’d be undesirable.

Nausea flooded my stomach, alerting me that I had no choice in the matter. I focused on the conversation around me and tried to ignore just how much I was putting into my body. After all, I didn’t want to burden anyone more than I already had.

“Sebastian,” Leona purred, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in years! You’ve gotten so strong.”

She reached across my chest to squeeze her brother’s arm. Seb looked at her from the corner of his eye but didn’t give her any more attention than that.

“I’ve been busy with work.” His fork scraped against his plate as he spoke, sounding completely disinterested in his sister.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t make time to visit your family.”

“It does when I’m constantly traveling.”

I paused with a bite of egg halfway in my mouth. If he was constantly traveling, how would that work with a baby? Especially when I often traveled for work as well. I wanted Lavender to have a family, not an endless series of babysitters.

I forced my worries down with a mouthful of the yellow mush. At first, I just wanted to know what it was—I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. But it ended up being cheesy, creamy, and delicious.

I sucked my spoon clean before serving myself a little more. Cameron smiled at me as I did.

“I didn’t think you’d know what grits were,” he commended.

I didn’t, but I didn’t want to throw away his praise.

“Did you make these too?” The second the words slipped from my lips; I realized I sounded like a dumbass. I had watched Cameron cook everything.

Color rose to my cheeks as I expected him to call me stupid—not that I thought he really would, but I deserved it. Instead, his smile widened ever so slightly into a crooked grin.

“I did. I’ll make ’em for you as often as you want.”

My chest warmed. I really didn’t deserve Cameron. But... I’d like to, one day.

I glanced over at Sebastian, but he was laser-focused on Leona. His jaw was so tense I could see his veins pulsing. I knew Seb was hot-headed, as all the Castillos were, but I had never actually seen him angry. He pushed his lips off to the side and rolled his eyes before tossing an arm over me and kissing the side of my head. It didn’t feel like a kiss of love; more like he wanted to prove something to his sister.

Why would he do that?

My musings were short-lived as Leona swatted Sebastian’s hand off my shoulder.

“That is your brother’s girlfriend,” she hissed. “We’ve been over this how many times?”

Sebastian rubbed his jaw before his lips quirked into an irritated grimace.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

Leona’s jaw dropped, and I assumed she was shocked that Lucian and Sebastian were sharing a partner. Admittedly, it was a weird situation. But, in no lifetime could I be prepared for what she was about to say:

“What about your boyfriend?”

Her gasp drew the attention of the table. The coffee in Lucian’s mouth exited in a misty plume. Sophia glared at Lucian and handed him a stack of napkins, but the damage was done.

“His what ?” Lucian exclaimed.

Sebastian looked away from me, putting a hand on the back of his neck. It felt like time slowed as my stomach flipped.

“His boyfriend!” Leona continued, as if she hadn’t dropped a bomb on the whole table. “Sebastian, what was his name again?”

Sebastian hesitated as he finally looked back to the table. His gaze shifted to each of us, his silver-blue eyes wide as he swallowed hard. Leona had to have this wrong. I had Sebastian’s purity ring in my suitcase. He told me he saved himself for me. If he had a boyfriend, they must have had sex at some point… right?

I placed a hand on his shoulder, only for him to shrug me off.

Leona’s eyes narrowed as a thoughtful expression crossed her face, like she was completely unaware of the tension she’d caused. After a moment, it was as if a light bulb went off.

“Alex! He was a barista at the coffee shop you used to stop by when you started working for—”

“Leo, stop,” Sebastian muttered, his face turning redder by the moment. “We broke up. It’s fine.”

“What? But you guys were together for years! You were planning on—”

“We. Broke. Up.” His tone was sharper this time.

The room went completely silent, save for birds just out the window.

“Dude, why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were bisexual?” Lucian’s eyebrows were raised in disbelief.

Sebastian looked up at his brother with a wild frenzy in his eyes, stood up, and threw his napkin on his plate before storming off. I watched him walk away, almost unable to move.

Lucian snapped his fingers, instantly becoming the center of attention.

“Leona... that wasn’t for you to tell any of us.”

I had never heard Lucian stick up for Sebastian before. In any other situation, it would have been sweet, but this...

This was a nightmare.

When the shock of the situation wore off and I finally made my way up the steps, the apartment door was locked. If anyone else had come to check on Seb, that would have been a great way to keep them out, but fortunately, I had a key. I fumbled with it a moment before pushing the door open and stepping in, not caring to shut it behind me.

The living room was empty, and the apartment was quiet aside from the hum of the fridge.

“Seb?” I tried to keep the uncertainty from my tone as I wandered down the narrow hall.

Light spilled out from under our bedroom door and onto the cream carpet. Should I go in? Or would it be better for me to give him time?

My knuckles tapped on the door.

“Go away.”

I paused; my hand still raised. Rejection from Sebastian stung worse than I expected. I wanted to be there for my boyfriend, and I hated that he didn’t want me there.

I twisted the doorknob, finding it wasn’t locked.

“Sebastian,” I called. “Can I please come in?”

“Go back downstairs, Mason.” His voice was soft, tinged with a sorrow I had no idea he’d been harboring. “You have a house full of people who want to see you right now.”

“I don’t care. I just want to see you.”

I cracked the door just enough to peer in. Sebastian was perched on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. The dim lighting caused shadows to dance across his face as he looked up at me. His chest swelled with a breath as another beat of silence passed.

“Fine,” he mumbled.

I pushed the door fully open and crept toward him, trying to think of the best way to talk about this. Was there even a good way to say sorry your sister outed you in front of everyone ? Probably not, but Sebastian always loved it when I made a problem of myself, so I decided to start there.

“Can you help me?” I forced a pained breath as I put a hand on his shoulder. “The bed’s low.”

“Two things.” He smirked up at me, placing a hand on my back. “One, you’re not far enough along to genuinely need my help. Two, you should need help to stand up, not sit down.”

“Look at this belly.” I put a hand on my stomach. “I’m absolutely massive, and you’re going to tell me I don’t need help?”

He rolled his eyes before offering me a hand.

“You’re spoiled.”

I laced my fingers in his before lowering myself. I knew that was true, but I still hated hearing it. This wasn’t about me, so I pushed down my self-loathing with a smile.

“Who’s fault is that?”

The second I sat, Sebastian wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled both of us back. Springs squealed as our heads bounced onto the mattress, his face landing inches from mine. He smiled as I ran a finger along his jaw.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?” I asked, trying not to sound hurt.

His smile fell, and he pulled me a little closer, guiding one of my hands to rest on his chest. His heart raced under my palm.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you…. I just didn’t know how.” His fingers traced absentminded circles on my stomach. “By the time you and I were seriously talking, I was single, you were single, and it didn’t feel like it mattered anymore.”

“Of course, it matters.”

His gaze softened, and Lavender made it known that she was awake and didn’t like how I was laying. Her wriggling moved my honeydew-colored sweater.

“Sorry,” I grunted before shifting around.

He placed his palm on my stomach, quelling our daughter as I got comfortable.

“This is why Alex and I broke up, by the way.”

My brow furrowed. “Me?”

“What?” Sebastian’s eyes widened before he let out an uneven laugh. “No, kids . I wanted to hire a surrogate or adopt as soon as possible, and he didn’t want a family.”

He answered me quickly, but something about the way he spoke didn’t feel genuine. Was he still hiding something? I studied him for a moment before deciding against bringing it back up. I was probably still overanalyzing, trying to process everything that just happened.

“I want a surrogate next time too.” I groaned, shifting around yet again.

Sebastian laughed as he rubbed my stomach. “That’s a shame, because you’re absolutely glowing.”

“Pregnancy glow is a myth. I’m pretty sure it’s just sweat.”

Sebastian rubbed his nose to mine before kissing my forehead. I leaned into his touch; it was nice seeing him happy again.

“I missed you.” My words came out needier than I meant them to.

“I missed you too.” His phone buzzed, and he sighed. “We should probably get back downstairs.”

I nodded, and he helped me up, but another question popped into my head. It was a long shot, but it kind of made sense.

“Is... that why you pushed me to join Lucian’s relationship?”

“What?”

I stopped, realizing how stupid I must have sounded. Sebastian told me when it first came up that he didn’t want me to be alone. Heat rose to my face as I realized I couldn’t just say never mind and move on. But I could change tactics.

“Were there any other reasons you wanted me to join Lucian’s relationship? Other than not wanting me to be alone?”

Sebastian looked away from me, pulling at the collar of his tee shirt.

“I’m interested in Cameron.” His admission was so quiet I barely heard him.

“Like... mountain of a man, my baby daddy, that Cameron?” I wasn’t sure if I knew of another Cameron, but I just needed to clarify.

Sebastian nodded, biting his lower lip as he did. “And I know it’s dumb and manipulative, but I knew Sophia still had feelings for you. And Lucian, well—”

“He’s Lucian?”

Sebastian’s face took on an expression of grim agreement. “And I thought if you got involved with them, maybe I could get Cam to... like me too.”

My heart ached for Seb. I couldn’t fathom how he must be feeling. Not only had he been outed in the worst possible way, but he had a crush on his brother’s partner…. again . Admittedly, it was a little odd that Seb had the same taste in partners as his brother, but I wasn’t going to make him feel worse than he already did. I wanted Sebastian to be happy, so I didn’t push the issue. Instead, I offered help:

“Why don’t you let me talk to him? I’m sure we can figure something out.”