Chapter 29

Stephanie

After lunch, we spread out in the living room. The guys watch sports, and I end up on the floor playing more games than I’ve played probably in my entire life. I find myself truly enjoying the time with Sebastian’s family. When I look at my watch and realize it’s almost seven, I’m shocked. “I can’t believe I stayed this long,” I say to Tina as I pack up.

“Sundays here are like that. They kind of just suck you in, and the day disappears. Did you have a good time, though?”

“I really did. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you were able to come. I’ll walk out with you; let me go grab my coat.” She disappears, and I make my rounds, saying goodbye to all of Sebastian’s family. I see Keith over near the door, so I head that way to say goodbye to him.

“Thanks for inviting me today, Keith,” I tell him with a genuine smile.

He doesn’t smile back. “Thank you for what you did for my daughter.” I nod and fight to stay strong; I refuse to cry. I’ve done that too many times today. He glances over at Kayla dancing around the living room and then back at me. “She’s my angel,” he says gruffly.

I nod. “I know.”

There’s an understanding that passes between us. He steps back, and I walk out the door. “Night, Keith.”

Just before he closes the door, he meets my eyes. “If my brother ever does anything to hurt you, you tell me. I’ll set him straight.”

I finally find the wherewithal to nod. He closes the door, and I walk to my car. “Wait up,” Tina calls out. I turn to see her start down the stairs after me. She blows on her hands. “Winter is definitely coming.” I nod in agreement. “What exactly is going on with you and my little brother?”

Her words make me smile because Sebastian is huge, way bigger than her; but I know what she means. “I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. I’m tired of the secrets, the pretending. I don’t want to do it anymore.

She studies my face. “I saw you panic when my mom said something about you joining the family. Do you not want to join the family?”

“No, it’s not that at all,” I rush to say. “I love your family.”

She smiles. “We love you too. Then what is it? Is it Sebastian?”

“It’s...it’s complicated.” When I can tell she’s not going anywhere, I turn toward my car. “How about we talk about this in the warmth of my car?” A few minutes later, we’re both warm. “I don’t know how much you know about Sebastian and me,” I start out by saying.

“Not enough.”

I nod; that doesn’t surprise me. I start at the beginning and tell her everything—from my first encounter with him during that workday, to my run-in with him and Kayla, to the press conference, the crowds at my school, social media, him suggesting we date, me going to his game...all of it.

Tina whistles when I finally finish. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” I echo. “Wow.”

“I had no idea.”

“I know. None of it was real.” She snorts. I turn to her. “What?”

She smirks at me. “You might tell yourself none of it was real, but I know my little brother. Believe me, all of it is real.”

I refuse to let hope rise. “It’s not.”

“Stephanie, my brother has never brought a girl to Sunday brunch before you. Ever.” Her words shock me. “And he’s never done anything with any woman more than one time.”

My hopes fall; just like that. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do. Those women mean nothing to him; that’s why he never dates the same one twice. He finds dates to events he has to attend that he knows will never go anywhere. Why? I don’t really know. I always thought he had commitment issues, but maybe he was just waiting for the right girl.” Her eyes meet mine. “For you.”

“Please don’t,” I whisper.

She looks out the window. “I can’t speak for my little brother, but please don’t give up on him. He”s more serious about you than he’s been about any woman, ever. And I think I know him well enough to recognize the real thing. Stephanie, with you, it’s real.” With those words ringing in my ears, she pats my leg. “Thanks for coming today; don’t be a stranger, yeah?” She opens her door and climbs out. “And if Sebastian is ever a jerk to you, you come see me. I’ll set him straight.” She closes the door and heads inside, and I put my head on the steering wheel. This family. Don’t they know they’re supposed to threaten me to be good to Sebastian, not threaten him to be good to me? I’m not even family. I make the drive home in a daze. I have a hard time falling asleep that night. Again.

____________

Monday passes in a blur. Tuesday night, I watch the game again at Brielle’s. Sebastian scores another goal and points to his ring finger again. Wednesday is exhausting because I stayed up way too late watching the game. Thursday night, I write two chapters in my book. And on Friday, I”m more than ready to escape school and head home for the weekend. I pack all the papers I need to grade. Normally, I would stay for a little while after school to do some of my work; but not today. Today, I need to escape this brick building. I feel like I’m going to go crazy if I have to spend one more minute trapped inside it. I text Brielle that I’m leaving for the day and that I’ll call her later. I pack my bag and turn off the lights to my classroom. I stride down the hallway, waiting to find freedom on the other side of those double doors, even if it’s just for the weekend.

I push open the doors and take a deep breath of the chilly air. Tina was right; winter isn’t far off. I dig in my purse for my keys and then lift my head and come to a standstill. There’s a male leaning against my car. A very tall, muscular, devastatingly handsome male. His lips curl into a smile. Somehow, I find the ability to walk again. I move somewhat stiffly over to my car and stop a few feet from him. I stare at him as so many thoughts fire through my brain, completely incapacitating me and making me unable to say a word. He straightens and stands tall. “Hi.” His blue eyes twinkle, and I resist the urge to sigh.

“Hi,” I finally say.

He steps closer. “I missed you.”

I stare up at him and know that the ball is completely, one hundred percent in my court. I know that I have a choice to trust him, trust him that this is real. He’s not playing me, and he’s not a player. I make the choice, and it’s so much easier than I thought it would be. “I missed you too.” His eyes widen, and I can tell I’ve shocked him. I decide to take it a step further. Literally. I step forward and wrap my arms around his torso. I’m ready to be in this relationship all the way. If he’s going to reject me, he’ll reject me. But I’m not going to keep playing around and hiding from my feelings. It’s exhausting. He unfreezes and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close.

He breathes out, and it tickles my ear. “Is this real?” he whispers. “I’ve dreamed about holding you.”

“It’s real,” I whisper back. His arms tighten around me, and he tenderly runs a hand up and down my back.

“I don’t want to do anything to ruin this moment, but I feel like I should ask. Are you okay? Are you sick or delirious?”

I laugh; I can’t help it. I pull back so I can look into his eyes. “No.”

I can see the concern on his face. “Who are you and what did you do with my Stephanie?” My heart melts at his words. “Because she hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” I quickly counter.

His eyebrows rise. “She doesn’t?” I shake my head. “You could have fooled me.”

I give him a look. “You deserve everything that I sent your way for what you put me through.”

He opens his mouth, to argue I presume; but he wisely shuts it. “Okay, you’re right.” His eyes scan my face, and he turns serious. “Seriously, you missed me?”

For just a moment I see vulnerability hidden beneath his normal confidence and swagger. It softens my heart even more. “Yeah, Sebastian. I missed you.” I take a deep breath. “I’ve decided that maybe my life is better with you in it.”

He’s silent, and then a slow grin forms. “Maybe?” He tugs me forward, and I land against his chest. His eyes twinkle again as he gazes down at me, and then they soften. “My life is a thousand times better with you in it,” he says softly. His eyes dip to my lips, and my breath catches. “Can I kiss you? This time just for you and me. Not for any fans or anybody else?” His voice is soft, mesmerizing. My answer is to step into him and lift my face to his. I”m not sure which of us is more shocked when I make the move to connect our lips. He lets out a small groan in the back of his throat as soon as our lips meet, and I feel the sound reverberate through me. He puts a hand on my upper back and pulls me closer, angling his head and deepening the kiss. Sparks translate into full-on flames that erupt through my body. When he pushes on the seam of my lips, I give him what he’s looking for. He groans again, deeper this time and settles against my car, pulling me against him.

I lose track of time and space and anything besides this man. My arms move over his arms and feel his muscles, muscles that jump when I touch them. I run my hands over the tops of his arms and over his shoulders. He makes another sound, letting me know he likes this, and I like the feel of knowing I have the power to make him feel so much. I”m not sure how long we kiss when he finally lifts his head, just enough to let me look into his beautiful eyes, eyes that are dark with desire. His eyes are closer to navy now than bright blue. He runs a thumb over my cheekbones. “Do you have any idea how long I have dreamed about doing that to you?” He runs that same thumb over my lips. “To see your lips swollen with my kiss.” He shakes his head and blows a breath of air. “I don’t think you know what you do to me.”

“I’m pretty sure it goes both ways,” I manage to get out in a voice that doesn”t sound anything like I normally do. He smiles and tucks a hair behind my ear.

He leans forward and kisses my cheek and then leans close to my ear. “Can you greet me like that every time I come home?”

“What if I told you that was a one-time thing?” I ask.

His eyes widen in panic. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

I smile. “I’m joking.”

“Oh good.” He pulls me close, and I let him. I’m just content to be near him. “I missed you,” he says against my forehead.

I sigh. “I missed you too. I watched your games this time.”

He smiles. “I know. Aiden told me. Why do you think I’ve scored a goal in each of the last three games?”

“Well, I guess that works. Maybe I’m like your good luck charm or something.”

“No, this was my good luck charm,” he says pulling out his phone.

“You got your phone.”

“Finally,” he says begrudgingly. He turns it around and shows me the screensaver and I suck in a breath.