Chapter Twenty-two
Sebastian’s friends were waiting for them when they climbed out of the Ferris wheel. Heat rushed to Sabrina’s cheeks and she wondered if anyone could tell that only moments before she’d had the best orgasm of her life riding Sebastian’s hand while the ride turned to give her the most breathtaking views of Aster Bay. If they suspected, they didn’t say anything, but she thought she saw a knowing smile cross Tessa’s face before she took another bite of her cotton candy.
“Where to next?” Gavin asked. “The Rookery?”
“We could go back to the vineyard and play cards,” Ethan offered.
“I’m in more of a Scattergories mood than a Go Fish mood,” Kyla said. Gavin slung an arm over her shoulder, pulling her against him and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I think we’re headed home,” Jamie said. “Tessa’s been on her feet enough today.”
“I’m fine.” Tessa popped another wisp of pink spun sugar into her mouth.
“You’re six weeks from your due date,” her husband reminded her. “Let’s go home, princess. I’ll rub your—”
“Watch it,” Ethan grunted.
“—feet,” Jamie finished. He shot a look at Ethan. “ Weirdo.”
“What about you two?” Gavin asked, turning his attention to Sabrina and Sebastian. “Scattergories?”
“We’re going to call it a night too,” Sebastian said. He wrapped his arms around Sabrina from behind, and pulled her back against him so she could feel his hard on.
You will not grind against your husband in front of his friends. You will keep yourself together until you get behind closed doors. You will not do anything inappropriate in public — well, anything else.
“You married people are no fun,” Gavin said, but his smile made it clear he was teasing.
“Better watch it. You’re next,” Jamie reminded him.
Kyla held up her left hand, her engagement ring sparkling even in the low light. “Yeah, but we’ll still be fun after we’re married.”
Sabrina couldn’t help but smile as the friends teased each other. Somehow these people had become her friends too, and she longed to be a part of their easy laughter. It had been too long since she’d had friends that were easy , not since she was younger, before she’d become the black sheep at the fancy private school her parents had sent her to, more interested in spending time in the art studio than shopping or hanging out in the mall food court in hopes some boy would notice her. But this was something different. She wanted to know these people, and have them really know her in return, to be a part of their lives and welcome them into hers.
This, here, with the people Sebastian spent most of his time with, Sabrina finally understood what it meant when someone talked about the family you choose. These people were Sebastian’s family as much as his mother. The kind of family that saw you fully, flaws and all, and still loved you, still chose you. The kind of family you wanted to spend time with. The kind that made you stronger.
For a moment as they all said their goodbyes and she was pulled into one hug after another, she let herself imagine what it would be like if they were her family too. What would it be like to have a family she chose—and that chose her back?
So choose it.
She released Kyla with a promise to meet her for lunch the next day, feeling lighter than she had in years. She could choose this family, this life that had opened up before her. She could choose to keep these friendships, to belong to this town, and maybe even to let herself trust her feelings for her husband.
As if Sebastian could tell her thoughts were wandering to dangerous places, he swatted her butt, a smug grin spreading across his face. “Let’s get out of here.”
They didn’t get far before reality came crashing back in. Sabrina saw her first, though she supposed that made sense. She’d had years more practice spotting, and avoiding, her sister. But she knew the second Sebastian caught sight of Holly leaning against his car in the public parking lot on the edge of the Town Common. His hand went stiff in hers, his back rigid, as every last trace of playfulness disappeared from his face.
Sabrina squeezed his hand, a silent reminder that they were in this together.
“It’s about time,” Holly said with an impatient sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. “How much is there for two grown adults to do at a carnival ?”
“What are you doing here, Hol?” Sabrina asked.
“Aunt Lucy said I’d find you here. I almost thought she was joking.” Holly’s upper lip curled in disgust as she glanced around the Common. “Really, Sabrina? You’d rather be here than at Mom and Dad’s?”
“I would.” It wasn’t even a question. She’d choose Aster Bay, this carnival, anywhere over another second of her mother’s Labor Day party.
“You embarrassed yourself when you left like that,” Holly said .
“Embarrassed you , you mean,” Sebastian said.
Holly blinked at him, as though she’d only just noticed he was there. “What would I have to be embarrassed about? You’re the one who ran off to Vegas to marry my little sister.” She turned her sharp glare towards Sabrina. “ You’re the one who couldn’t wait to get your hands on my sloppy seconds. Is that why you divorced Jordan, to go after Baz?”
“We’re not doing that,” Sebastian said, stepping slightly forward, as though he could put his body between Sabrina and her sister’s hateful words. “You don’t get to come to my town and—”
Holly waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, yes, we all know, you love your precious town.”
“What do you want?” Sabrina asked.
“I want to know what game you’re playing.” Holly’s eyes darted between them.
“No game,” Sebastian said.
“Please. Of course it’s a game. Why else would she have married you ?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sabrina asked.
Something dangerous sparked in Holly’s eyes. She turned her attention back to Sabrina, and Sabrina braced for the impact of whatever venom her sister was about to release.
“Ever since we were kids, it’s been the same tired story. If I had something, you wanted it. And if you couldn’t have it, you did everything you could to ruin it for me. It wasn’t enough that you broke up my wedding to Baz. You had to go and marry him yourself?”
“Listen to me,” Sebastian said as he took a step closer to Holly, his hand slipping from Sabrina’s as he did. His voice was low, as icy as the blue of his eyes, and Sabrina told herself that was why she shivered, not because she missed the feel of his hand in hers. “My marriage has nothing to do with you."
"Doesn’t it?” Holly asked with a mock quizzical tilt of her head. “Come on, Baz, you’re not that stupid. Can’t you see she’s using you? She wanted to take you away from me then and she wanted to prove some silly little point now.” Holly turned her poisonous stare to Sabrina. “If you’d run into one of my high school boyfriends rather than Baz, would you have married them instead?”
A muscle jumped in Sebastian’s clenched jaw and Sabrina hated that her sister was right. Not about her other boyfriends, but this had all started as a way to prove a point, to get under Holly’s skin. But somewhere along the way it had become more than that, at least to her. She hazarded a glance at Sebastian. His face was unreadable.
What if it hadn’t become more for him?
“Did you really drive all the way here to be a jerk?” Sabrina asked.
Holly rolled her eyes and dug into her Louis Vuitton handbag. Her hand reappeared clutching a familiar envelope, one Sabrina had very purposely left on the drink cart in her mother’s parlor. Holly held it out to Sabrina. “You left this at Mom’s.”
Sabrina snatched the envelope from her sister. “You could have mailed it.”
“Nice to see you, too, little sister. Let’s not make a habit of it.” With that, Holly walked away from them, sliding into the driver’s seat of a sleek, black car. At the last moment, Holly turned and shot a pointed look at the envelope in Sabrina’s hand. “For once in your life, do as you’re told.”
Sabrina and Sebastian watched until her tail lights disappeared from view. Only then did Sabrina feel like she could actually take a deep breath as she shoved the envelope into her purse. She’d shred it later.
Still, something in the air had shifted.
“Sebastian?” she asked, taking his hand in hers again.
He stared at their joined hands for a long minute, that muscle in his jaw continuing to tick. “Is she right?”
“About what?”
“That you would have done this with anyone if it meant pissing off your sister. If you’d found someone else in Vegas from Holly’s past, would you have married them instead?” His eyes flicked to hers, guarded and icy in a way that made her feel cold all over.
“I didn’t mean to marry anyone,” she said softly.
“But you did. You married me .”
“I don’t know what you want me to say here. We both got drunk that night. We both decided to get married. I didn’t do that on my own.” His eyes were back on their interlocked hands again, as though he were seeing them for the first time. “What exactly are you accusing me of?” she asked, doing her best to hide the tremble in her voice.
Finally, he met her gaze, his brow furrowed. He blinked and ran his free hand over his jaw. “Nothing. Forget it.”
“Sebastian—”
“It’s late. Let’s go home.” He released her hand and rounded the car to the driver’s side.
Sabrina felt the absence of his touch like a vibration in her bloodstream, like the warning shot over the bow of a ship.
“Are we okay?” she asked.
He flashed her one of his charming smiles that didn’t reach his eyes and she thought she might be sick. “Yeah. We’re fine.”
Oh, what she would have given to believe him.