Chapter Sixteen
ETHAN
Something changed.
Hours had passed since the surgeon came out to speak with us. The brothers had been going in and out for a while. We’d eaten bad hospital food, survived on massive amounts of coffee, dozed off in uncomfortable chairs, and watched the same commercials loop endlessly on the waiting room TV.
When Sebastian had stepped through the doors again, he hadn’t looked like a man on the verge of a breakdown anymore. That sharp edge in his eyes had been gone, the tight press of his mouth loosened. And the moment he’d taken the seat beside me, I’d felt it.
Something changed.
It reminded me of how soft he used to get after we’d had sex—how his walls would lower just enough for me to glimpse the real Sebastian underneath.
The one without such a punishing grip on control.
The one who could sink into the chair beside me, whose eyes turned molten when they found mine, who leaned in close and spoke in a voice meant only for me.
The version of him that, little by little, had made me fall in love with him the first time.
That Sebastian was back.
But beneath the familiarity, there was something different now—something quieter, stripped raw by fear and exhaustion and the long night we’d just survived.
Sebastian had always been affectionate—at least with me.
But this wasn’t the same. The way he sought it now, the way he kept reaching for it, wasn’t about claiming or commanding.
It was softer. Like he was letting himself be held. Like he wanted to be taken care of.
And that—out of everything I’d been through with Sebastian—was the part that really fucked me up.
Because this was Sebastian Langley we were talking about.
Sebastian I don’t need anybody Langley.
Sebastian I can handle everything myself Langley.
Sebastian I keep my emotions locked down and function like a goddamn machine Langley.
Right now, none of that armor seemed to fit.
He was letting me in.
And it didn’t feel like a responsibility or a burden.
Being there for him came more naturally than breathing.
From the moment he got that call—when I watched him freeze in place—I knew exactly what I had to do.
Where I had to be. If he needed me, I was there.
I didn’t stop to dissect what that meant about boundaries or pride. It didn’t feel reckless.
It felt inevitable.
Just like the pain of being this close to him… and not having him. But for now, that would have to wait.
There was an unspoken agreement between all of us: we weren’t leaving the hospital until the first twenty-four hours were over.
The doctor had made it clear how critical that window was, so we stayed—through the fatigue, through bad coffee and worse chairs, through the slow, suspended hours that made time feel unreal.
No one said it out loud, but none of us were willing to be anywhere else.
It was just after five in the afternoon the next day when my mother arrived.
I’d been sitting beside Sebastian and Henry, listening to Henry ramble about contracts, when Sebastian’s expression changed. The strain lifted, replaced by a smile so warm it caught me off guard. One that softened his entire face.
A second later, his arms opened wide as a high-pitched squeal cut through the room.
“Uncle Ash!” Amelia barreled into him, her tiny arms looping around his neck. Sebastian closed his eyes as he hugged her back, holding her like she was something precious.
“My favorite little troublemaker,” he said.
And fuck if that wasn’t the most heartwarming thing I’d ever witnessed. I felt myself soften completely just watching them—Amelia saying something I didn’t catch, Sebastian laughing, his hand ruffling her hair near her ear like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“This one was asking for you,” Charlotte said.
I looked up at her, at the dark circles under her eyes—probably mirroring my own—and the quiet, content smile she wore as she shifted her youngest on her hip. Liam stretched his arms toward me, letting out a soft, excited “eee.”
I held my hands out, and she passed him over without hesitation. I pulled him in close, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Hi, sweetie,” I murmured. “Missed you.”
He settled into my lap easily, like he’d done a hundred times before.
“This makes no sense,” Henry declared with a huff. “I’m the fun uncle, you little traitors.”
Sebastian laughed again, quieter this time, and something in my ribs ached in the best way.
Charlotte’s hand settled on my shoulder. “Heads up,” she said, tipping her chin toward the entrance.
I leaned forward and saw my mother standing beside Vivian and Thomas. “Shit,” I muttered. My chest tightened—for a completely different reason this time.
Thomas noticed me first, offering a polite smile and a nod before drawing my mother’s attention in my direction.
Our eyes met, and that familiar knot of guilt and irritation settled in my gut.
It tightened further when her gaze flicked to Sebastian sitting beside me, her mouth flattening in unmistakable disapproval.
“Guess there’s no avoiding this,” I said, pushing up from my chair.
There was movement at my side, and I turned to find Sebastian already standing, close enough that his arm brushed mine.
He was still murmuring something to Amelia, his hand resting lightly at her back as he carried her.
It was like his body had shifted into autopilot, one simple directive running through him—stay close.
I adjusted Liam in my arms, his weight settling easily against me, then stepped forward, the rest of them following a beat behind.
“Hey,” I said when we reached them.
My mother turned toward me, her expression already composed. “Ethan.”
Thomas smiled easily beside her. “Hey. Rough few days.”
“Yeah,” I said. “You could say that.” Liam’s fingers toyed with the collar of my shirt, giving me something else to focus on.
“Ethan’s been a godsend,” Vivian said. “Found somewhere with decent coffee. The one in the hospital is terrible.”
I gave her a grateful smile, which she returned. Vivian had always been kind to me—so had the rest of the Langleys. The contrast only made my mother’s reaction even more noticeable, after years of barely seeing her.
“I can make another run if anyone wants.” Henry stepped in beside me, clearly trying to redirect the attention.
Sebastian was still quietly talking to Amelia, a soft laugh passing between them, holding some of the tension at bay.
But my mother’s gaze lingered on me a second longer than necessary.
“You’ve let your hair grow out,” she said. Not unkindly. Not warmly either. Just… observant. “It doesn’t suit you like this. You always looked more put together when it was shorter.”
There it was.
Another reminder of how little she knew me. Of how much she disliked the person I’d become—the one I’d kept hidden for years just to keep her comfortable.
I opened my mouth, already exhausted by it, but Sebastian spoke first.
“I like it,” he said, taking a small step closer, his eyes still on Amelia.
My heart thudded in my chest.
Surprise flickered across my mother’s face before she smoothed it away. “Oh.”
Sebastian adjusted Amelia on his hip, unbothered. “I think it suits him perfectly.”
The silence that followed was immediate and thick. Henry rubbed the back of his neck. Charlotte’s lips pressed together. Even Thomas seemed to suddenly find the floor fascinating.
My mother smiled, thin and polite, the kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s… nice.”
Henry cleared his throat, the sound a little too loud in the stillness. “Okay,” he said, clapping his hands once. “Well. Since we’re all here and nobody’s actually combusted yet—”
Charlotte let out a tired huff that might have been a laugh.
Sebastian moved then, stepping closer to me without making a show of it. Just enough that his arm brushed mine again. I handed Liam back to Charlotte, and she adjusted him over her hip, palm absently patting his back.
“Plans,” Henry went on. “Because at some point, all of us are going to need sleep. Or at least showers.”
Right on cue, Oliver appeared from down the hall, phone still in his hand.
“He’s okay,” he said. “Stable. Still sedated, but they’re happy with where he is right now.
” He scrubbed a hand over his face, dragging out a breath with it.
Some of the tightness in the room eased.
Just a notch. “We should do shifts,” Oliver added.
“No reason for all of us to crash at once. I’ll take the first one tonight. ”
Henry nodded immediately. “Yeah. That makes sense.” Then to Oliver and Charlotte he said, “Why don’t you guys head over to mine, get a nap in, shower?”
Oliver turned to my sister. “You go with the kids. I’ll come over once we get the okay later.”
Charlotte hesitated. “You need sleep too.”
Oliver sighed, shaking his head.
“The nanny’s already there,” Henry said, “getting everything set up. We’re all close, Oli. Ten minutes away.”
Oliver looked at him like he wanted to argue.
“It’s just a couple of hours,” Sebastian said quietly beside me. “You’ll still be right here.”
“Exactly.” Henry squeezed Oliver’s shoulder. “They’re fixing up the office for E. Another room for Ash. And I have a driver there; you can come over whenever…”
My gaze snapped to Sebastian. He was rocking Amelia gently in his arms, but his eyes were on me. I lifted my brows, just enough to ask the question.
Is that what you want?
His lips curved, and he gave me a small shake of his head.
“Hold that thought,” I said, turning back to them.
Every pair of eyes landed on me.
“Ash and I are staying at his apartment.”
Silence dropped hard around us.
“Kids take up more room,” I added mildly. Almost casually.
I felt my mother’s stare before I saw it. When I looked over, her eyes were wide—unguarded for the first time since she’d arrived. I didn’t shrink under it, just smiled a little.