Chapter 33 #2
“Yeah, she’s a good one. Would you like something to drink? Some wine, perhaps? Coffee, beer, soda?”
“I’ll just have some water, please.”
I smile at him, and though I do want a glass of red wine, I know I don’t want to get drunk. Whatever conversation we have right now, I want it to be one I have with a clear head.
“One glass of high-quality H?O coming right up.” He grins at me as he grabs a glass from the cupboard, then opens the fridge and fills it. “You and your friends excited and ready for tomorrow?” He turns to me with a small smile.
“I think so. I think we’re prepared,” I nod. “Thanks so much for setting this up. It’s a great opportunity.”
“You’re welcome,” he says. “Anytime. I’m serious that I thought the Whispering Haven Bed and Breakfast was run beautifully, and the suites looked amazing.”
“Charlotte chose many of the decorations,” I admit, “but she didn’t work there. She didn’t run it. She didn’t give it that homely feeling. That was me and my friends.”
He smiles. “You made it that.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
I try not to take in how handsome he looks in his crisp blue shirt and blue jeans. I try not to look at his lips nor his hands. I try not to think about making love to him. I need to focus.
“Here’s your water,” he says as he hands me the glass. “Want to take a seat in the living room?”
“Sure,” I say as we head toward the living room.
“How are you liking the suite at the hotel?”
“It’s magical.”
“You’re magical.”
His eyes devour me, and I start giggling. “Don’t start that again, Sebastian.”
I point at him and make a face.
“It’s true.” He pauses, then laughs. “But maybe it’s too soon for me to be talking about fate and magic again.”
“I think it is a little too soon for that,” I say, unable to swipe the giddy smile off my face. “And especially don’t ask me to go on a hike or stargazing.”
It’s his turn to start chuckling. He looks toward the window. “It’s a nice day out today.”
“Are we really going to talk about the weather?” I tease him.
He turns back to me and shakes his head. “No, actually, I don’t want to talk about the weather. I have something to show you.”
“Oh?” I stare at him in surprise. “Not more evidence and photographs, I hope.”
“No, I think I’m done with all the evidence and photographs I could ever want.” He shifts closer to me. “There's something… that Jack found, and I thought you might like to see it.”
“Oh? What did Jack find?”
“Well, I told you his investigator was looking into things for me as well.”
“No… I don’t know if I realized that,” I say.
Sebastian lets out a sigh. “There was a point where, I guess subconsciously, I knew I didn’t trust Louisa.
She was presenting me with cold, hard facts—with photos, with receipts—but something still didn’t add up.
I asked Jack to put his investigator on the case.
In fact, Jack has never liked Louisa, and he was suspicious of her the entire time.
He’d already hired someone, and let’s just say his investigator did a really exhaustive search. ”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe I was such a fool to ever trust her.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “We don’t have to keep going on about it, Sebastian. I get it. I know.”
He looks at me, and there’s such deep pain in his eyes that my heart constricts. “I just… I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want—”
“Hey, I’m here. We’re here. We’re talking. I know.”
He sighs. “I have something for you.”
I watch as he grabs a blue folder from the table. He opens it and takes out a piece of paper. It’s brown and faded.
“What’s this?”
“Look at it,” he says.
I see it’s a wedding certificate with my parents’ names on it.
“Wow. You found my parents’ wedding certificate?”
“Yeah. I mean, that was easy to find,” he says. “But I also have some photos.”
He hands me some printouts. They’re of my parents when they were younger. I’ve never seen these before. My breath catches, and I feel emotional.
“Wow… oh my gosh. Where did you find these?”
“It turns out your parents had friends, cousins, coworkers… people took lots of photos, especially back then.”
“Wow. Thank you.” I press the photos to my heart. “Can I keep these?”
“Of course,” he nods, gesturing to two books next to the folder on the table. “Those are their yearbooks. I thought you might like to see the clubs they were involved in, and some photos of them when they were younger.”
I start crying tears of joy, tears of happiness. I’m absolutely overwhelmed.
“You didn’t have to do this, but I’m so thankful.”
“I’m so sorry, Willow. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. This is amazing. Thank you.”
“I have a couple more things to show you,” he says. He shows me a photograph, and I look eagerly, expecting another picture of my parents. But instead, it’s a young teenage boy I don’t recognize.
“Oh… who’s this? Please don’t tell me it’s my real dad,” I say, only half-joking.
He shakes his head. “No, this is David.”
“Oh,” I say softly. “Your cousin David?”
He nods slowly. “Yeah… my cousin, my best friend in the world.”
He pulls out another slip of paper—a memorial from a funeral. I see David’s photo at the top. I reach over and grab Sebastian’s hand.
“I’m so sorry, Sebastian. I know how hard it is to lose someone.”
“Read it,” he says.
I read the blurb quickly. He sounds like he was a really cool guy.
“Now read the dates.”
I read the day of his birth and the day of his death, then look back at Sebastian.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I know this is hard. Look at the day he died.”
I read it again. I stare at him in confusion. “What is it?”
Then I read it again. “Oh my gosh,” I whisper. “He died on the same day as my parents. What are the chances?”
Sebastian leans back, rubbing his temples, his eyes bleak. “He died on the same day as your parents, Willow.”
“I know… I see. He died in a car crash, right?”
Suddenly, it dawns on me what he’s saying. I feel all the blood leave my body. “Was he the drunk driver?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
He nods slowly. My heart breaks at the news. A guttural sob escapes Sebastian and real, gut-wrenching tears roll down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I understand. If you never want to see me again… I understand. If you can never love me…”
I stare at this man that I love. I stare at his heartbreak.
I stare at the pain he’s in. I think of myself.
I think of my parents. I think of them losing their lives at the hands of his cousin, who was irresponsible, who shouldn’t have been driving.
I just feel love pouring out of me as I stare at this man, broken for someone else’s actions.
This man is broken because he still held himself accountable for not being there for his cousin. And I realize just how deeply he feels. I realize how deep his commitment is to those he loves, even more so than I did before.
I understand, at the core of everything, why he did what he did for Sergio, why he’s doing what he’s doing for me. And I know that this is a good man.
I reach over and grab his hands. I wipe the tears from his face.
I’ve never seen a grown man cry—not a man like Sebastian.
So tall, so strong, so handsome, so powerful.
He’s an alpha male. Dominating. And yet, he’s here with me, vulnerable.
His eyes look into mine, bleak and scared. I understand. And I’m sorry.
“Listen to me, Sebastian,” I say softly, and then I raise my voice because I want him to hear me.
“You are not responsible for David’s actions.
You’re not responsible for Sergio’s actions.
You’re not responsible for Louisa’s actions.
You’re not even responsible for my actions.
You can’t control other people. You can’t save them.
You can’t fix them. And you can’t expect other people to fix you or save you either.
I’ve learned that recently. You can be there for them.
You can provide support for them. You can care for them.
But nothing you can do can control their destiny.
“All my life I was waiting, hoping, for someone to whisk me away and change my life.
Someone to save me from my abject misery, my horrible life with my aunt and cousin.
But you know what I realized? I needed to save myself.
I needed to stand up for myself. I needed to be there for myself.
I needed to be my own savior. I needed to fix my life, fix my broken heart. I needed to make moves for me.
“You’re not responsible for David’s actions.
He chose to drink, and he chose to drive, whether or not he was emotionally with it or not.
You cannot let yourself carry that burden any longer.
And I certainly don’t blame you. I don’t want to hate you.
I miss my parents more than anything in the world, and if I could have them back, I would. But I love you, Sebastian. I love you.”
“You love me… really? Still? But do you need me?”
“I don’t need you,” I say softly. “I don’t need you, but I want you.
I want you with every fiber of my being.
We are two broken souls, two broken-hearted people who have been wandering the earth.
Even up until this morning, I worried. I thought—you’re rich and powerful, and I’m here and I have nothing. But that doesn’t matter.
“The healing that we have to do, the loving that we have to do—it has nothing to do with money. It’s just you and me, and two hearts that have been meandering along a path, waiting, hoping, desperately seeking solace.
And we found each other. Through the gray, through the utter despair, through the rain, through the thunder, through the pain, the rejection, the heart—we found each other.
And I’m here for you, Sebastian. Willow is here. ”
He offers me the sweetest, most loving smile I’ve ever felt in my life. It warms me to my very core as he grabs my hand and presses his lips to the side of my face.
“I’ve never loved anyone quite like you. I didn’t even know this feeling was possible. And yet… now everything feels right in the world. I don’t know how to tell you this, but a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, off my heart. Your love is healing. Your love… is everything.”
He grabs my hands and pulls me into him. I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him. He’s warm to the touch, smelling like cedar and whiskey.
He runs his fingers down the side of my body, and before I know it, we’re pulling clothes off each other. His hands are all over me, mine all over him. Then we’re naked.
I slide onto his lap and push him back against the couch. He grabs my hands and pulls me closer. I feel him sliding between my thighs. I rub gently against him.
“Are you sure?” he asks. I nod softly. I guide him inside me and lower myself on top of him. My breasts press against his chest.
His hands go to the small of my back. He kisses me. I move slowly at first, then faster and faster, bouncing against him.
“I’ve needed you. I’ve wanted you. I’ve burned for you. And from the way you’re grunting and groaning, I know you’ve been wanting me too.”
“I love you, Willow. I love making love to you. I love being with you. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You will never lose me,” I say. I grab his face and kiss him passionately. He lifts me up and slams me back down on him. We moan, scream, and finally he explodes inside me. I come hard and fast.
We remain on top of each other, breathing heavily.
“Well… I wasn’t expecting that,” he says with a small smile.
“Neither was I.” But I’m not mad about it.
“Will you marry me, Willow?” he asks, and we both start laughing.
“I almost forgot we were still married,” he says, shaking his head.
“Am I crazy?”
“You’re not crazy. I think what’s crazy is I’m hearing a real proposal, filled with love, after I already married the man I love.”
“You want a real wedding?” he asks, eyes hopeful.
“Yes. A big one. Dress, gift registry, wedding cake, real honeymoon.”
“You can have it all.”
“Not in Vegas though?” I tease.
“I was awful. I’m sorry,” he says.
I press my finger to his lips. “Don’t look back. The past is the past. We live for the present and dream of the future. Let’s just take each day as it comes. Enjoy each day because that’s how we need to live life.”
He nods slowly. “How did I get so lucky as to meet and love someone like you, Willow Montgomery?”
“I don’t know. How did you get so lucky?”
“I have a question for you,” he says.
“Oh no… not another question,” I groan.
“Would you have any interest—”
“What? If you’re going to ask me if I have any interest in anal, I will slap you.”
“I might like it if you slap me,” he jokes.
“Really, Sebastian?”
“I’m just joking. No, seriously, would you have any interest in taking my last name?”
“Wait… what?”
“I mean, you’re my wife now,” he says. “Like for real for real.”
He looks hopeful, and I smile. “I like the sound of that. Willow Montgomery Laurence. Yeah… I think I can change my name. But I do want a real wedding and honeymoon. Seriously, not in Vegas.
He chuckles. “Where do you want to go?”
“Oh, so many places. But right now, I need to get back to my friends. We have a presentation to finish.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d spend the night with me,” he says with disappointment.
“Yes, I know. But tomorrow’s a big day for us. We really want funding to open the bed and breakfast. This presentation is important.”
“I can fund it myself, darling.”
“I know. But I want to do this myself, even though we’re married. I want to take care of you, but I want to do this without your help.”
“I respect you for it. I love you for it. Thank you.” He flashes me a sexy grin. “Do we have time to take a shower together before you go?”
How can I say no to that?
“I think so. Plus, the presentation is nearly done.”
“You’re going to kill it tomorrow. You know that, Willow?”
“I hope so. Not just for me, but for Katherine and Brielle. They need wins in their lives too.”
“I’m sure one day they will.”
He grabs my face and kisses me softly—all over.
“You’re one in a million, Willow Montgomery Laurence. I’m going to remind you of that every day of our lives.”