Chapter 40

Stephanie

Brielle opted to get ready at my house. Aiden’s house is obviously much larger, but I have more accessories and cosmetics. So instead of lugging everything over to his house, she came here. We spend the afternoon painting our toes and nails and catching up. I work on her makeup before I do my own; then we both work on our own hair. I opted to leave mine down but went with a sideswept look with a pretty hair accessory I love. And then it’s time to get dressed. I slip into my gold gown, wondering for the hundredth time if it’s too much for tonight. I turn to Brielle to ask as much, but she’s staring at me with wide eyes. “Where did you get that dress?” I glance in the mirror a moment. It’s a gorgeous gold dress with a wide neck that makes the neckline elegantly swoop. It’s sleeveless and falls to the floor. “My mom bought it for me for last year’s Christmas gala for the company.”

“Wow. Your mom may not be the world’s nicest person, but she sure knows how to pick dresses for her daughter,” Brielle says.

“Do you think I shouldn’t wear it?”

“No! You look stunning! Sebastian is going to fall over when he sees you.” She grins. “And I personally can’t wait for that to happen.”

Her words help boost my confidence. I add a sparkly pair of drop earrings and my gold heels that my mother also bought. I grab my gold clutch and take a deep breath. A knock sounds on the door, and Brielle’s eyes widen. “That’s probably Aiden.”

“You finish getting ready. I’ll go let him in.” I open the door, completely unsurprised that it’s Aiden and not Sebastian. I’m pretty sure Sebastian takes longer to get ready than I do. “Hey Aiden, come on in. She’s almost ready.” He steps inside, and I head back to the bedroom to see if she needs any help. “Aiden’s here,” I say as I step into the room.

“Of course he is. He’s never late. Just for once, couldn’t the man be late?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Dramatic much?”

She scowls at me. “Stupid zipper!”

“Want some help?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes. “Yes. It’s a stupid zipper.”

A knock sounds on the door. She throws up her hands. “I’m coming, Aiden!”

I don’t know what to do with myself, so I open the door to Aiden. He walks over to her. “Here.” He hands her a bottle of juice. “Your numbers are dropping; that’s why you feel so terrible.”

Her entire countenance shifts. “I’m sorry. I’m so irritated.” He takes the lid off and hands it to her, and she takes a big drink before handing it back to him. “Thank you,” she whispers to him. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes tear up, and he pulls her into his arms. I back away and close the door behind me. I love Aiden for my best friend. They had a rough go of it to start with, but he’s nothing but amazing to her. I pace the living room, waiting for Sebastian to arrive.

A few minutes later, Aiden and Brielle come out, looking sharp together. “I’m sorry I was so cranky,” she says.

I wave it off. “You’re fine.”

Aiden helps her put her coat on. “Still no sign of Sebastian?” Brielle asks.

I roll my eyes. “I’m pretty sure he takes longer to get ready than I do.”

Aiden smirks at that. “Probably,” he agrees.

“Do you want us to wait?” Brielle asks.

“No way. Then we’ll all be late. You guys go ahead; we’ll see you there.” They head out, and I go back to pacing. Finally, a knock sounds on my door. “Finally,” I mutter before heading over to the door. I make sure I have my clutch with my phone inside and wrap my coat tight around me before opening the door. I take a breath to ask him what took him so long, but the words dry up in my throat because...because...

“Hey, Gorgeous,” he says with his huge smile. He leans forward and kisses me lightly. “Ready to go?” I’m only able to nod. I take a breath of cold air to try to clear the sort of brain fog that seeing Sebastian in a tux induces. It takes me the entire walk to the car to get myself under control. He opens my door and closes it for me once I’m inside. I”ve always known the man was gorgeous, but tonight he surpasses everything I previously thought. He’s so tall and cut, and I forget sometimes just how incredibly in shape he is. And then he shows up in that tux that looks like it was probably custom tailored for him, and...swoon. And I am normally not a swooner.

He climbs in and takes my hand. “Ready for tonight?”

I nod. Then, trying to find my equilibrium, I tease him for being late. “I didn’t think you were ever going to get here. Aiden and Brielle left hours ago.”

He shakes his head, grinning. “They did not. I passed them coming into your neighborhood.” He squeezes my hand.

“How did your busy day go?” I ask, and he fills me in on his day. Sooner than I’m ready for, we arrive at the event. “Do you get nervous for these things?”

“Nah. I just have to show up, talk to people, present a check, and eat whatever weird food we’re having.”

“Wow, I totally can’t wait to get in there,” I say in a dead-panned voice.

“But tonight is different,” he says.

“How so?” I ask.

He turns his face fully to me. “You’re here.” He winks at me before climbing out of the car and coming around to my side where he opens my door and takes my hand. We walk towards the door quickly because it’s getting colder. Once we’re inside, we follow signs down a long hallway. There’s a place to get rid of our coats, and Sebastian hands them over. When he turns back to me, his smile slides off his face. His eyes do a slow once-over, and I feel his gaze torch me as if he were touching me. When he finally meets my eyes, I can see the heat there. “Stephanie.” He steps close. He shakes his head. “You look...”

“Yes?” I can’t help teasing him.

He shakes his head like he’s trying to wake up. “That dress.” He sucks in a deep breath. “I don’t think I should take you in there, looking like that.”

I roll my eyes. “Come on.”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t want my teammates seeing you like this.” He steps close and wraps an arm around my back and pulls me so close, our chests touch. “Stay by my side tonight.”

I shake my head. “You’re being dramatic.”

“And you have no idea how gorgeous you are,” he retorts. He kisses me softly. “And you’re all mine.”

“Come on, Caveman, we’re already late.”

He gives me his arm, and I place mine inside. “It’s called being fashionably late,” he says with a grin.

“Sure it is,” I respond. We walk into the large banquet hall, and I immediately feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of people. Nerves catch me. “Have I mentioned that I don’t like large crowds, or big gatherings. Basically, I don’t like people.”

He chuckles softly and puts his other hand over the top of my hand. “Just stay with me, Love. I’ll do the talking for you.” Something settles inside me.

“I will definitely let you do that.” We walk a little bit further into the room. “Thanks, Sebastian.”

He looks down at me. “For what?”

I shrug. “For just being you, and for taking care of me.”

“I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you.” His eyes are so earnest, I look away. “Come on, Beautiful, let’s go find what weird, tiny food they’re serving tonight.” It’s just the right thing to say. I laugh, and he grins down at me. We wander around the room, and he makes small talk with the people he needs to before we find our spot at our table. I’m grateful to see that Brielle and Aiden are at our table too. Rico and Gunner are as well. Sebastian pulls out the chair next to Brielle for me.

“Thank you.”

“Hey,” Brielle says, smiling. “I didn’t think Mr. Social would ever let you come sit down.”

I take a drink of water. “I know.”

Sebastian puts his arm on the back of my chair and leans forward. “Hey, somebody’s gotta grease the skids at these events and give our team a good name. It”s certainly not going to be your man,” he says, nodding at Aiden.

Rico laughs. “Can you imagine if Aiden was responsible for representing our team?” He and Sebastian have a good laugh, laughing harder when Aiden scowls at both of them.

Aiden puts an arm around Brielle. “Say what you want; I’m the one who has a girl.”

Brielle laughs out loud. “Ooo, burn.”

“Hey, I’ve got a girl too,” Sebastian says with a grin at me. “Stinks to be you two,” he says to Rico and Gunner. I smile at the expressions on their faces.

“Maybe we do, and we’re just holding out,” Rico says smugly.

I turn to him. “Oh, so you’re dating?”

He takes a breath and then blows it out, dejected. “No.” The guys around the table bust up, and I try not to...but the expression on his face is too funny not to laugh. “Go ahead; laugh it up,” he grumbles. At least I’ve been on a date in this century,” he says with a pointed look at Gunner. Gunner just scowls at him.

“You guys are so nice. Maybe you just need to be set up with a nice girl,” Brielle says, leaning forward excitedly in her chair. “What if I—”

“No,” Rico and Gunner say in unison.

Bri blinks. “I didn’t even get to finish what I was going to say.” Sebastian takes a drink of his water; I’m pretty sure he’s doing that so he doesn’t laugh. Even Aiden is smirking. She sits back in her chair. “Maybe you should just have Sebastian ask some girls for you; he’s dated half the female population in our state.”

Sebastian chokes on his water, and the guys razz him. He puts an arm around me and pulls me close. “Don’t believe anything they say.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of your exploits, Sebastian Hart,” I tell him. The guys laugh, and Bri joins in. I can’t keep the smile off my face.

“Baby, those were just for show; I told you that. Don”t believe anything else,” he implores.

I just shake my head. “You’re a mess.”

Rico reaches over and pulls on his ear; Sebastian returns the favor with a smack to the back of his head. Gunner gives them a look. “Can we really not take you two anywhere?”

“I’ll keep him in line, Captain,” I say, taking Sebastian’s hands in mine. I elbow him. “Behave.”

He turns towards me and leans close to my ear. “What will you give me if I do?” He leans back just slightly, so our eyes meet. I can’t help but smile, and then I give him the look. You know—the kind of look you give a guy when you want them to know that you’re really into them. Maybe I just made that up? I don’t know. All I know is I want him to know that I think he’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met. His grin turns tender, and he wraps a hair around his finger. “When you look at me like that, I think maybe it’s possible to move mountains,” he whispers.

“Annnd, we lost them,” Rico says from right next to me. Sebastian grins and pats my leg and then leaves his hand there. I’m not sure if he has any idea how it makes me feel welcome and wanted here at this table in his world with his teammates.

I glance up towards the stage. I can tell they’re getting ready with the presentation, and I decide I cannot wait any longer to go to the bathroom. I lean close to Sebastian. “I need to run to the restroom; I’ll be right back.” He looks like he’s going to stand up, but I stop him. “I’ll be fine; I’ll be right back.” I glance over at Bri, but she’s frowning at her phone. So I slip away quickly, wanting to go and get back.