Chapter 17
ISABELLA
I ’ve never been a woman who likes to kiss and tell. Personally, I feel that what happens in the bedroom should stay between the couple. No one needs to know specifics about orgasms, positions, or moves.
It makes no sense to me why I immediately call my sister Arianna, as soon as I get a moment alone, to gab about how amazing the sex was with Sebastian.
“Is this normal?” I whisper, hiding in the guest room closet.
Sebastian’s parents left soon after bringing Camila home, and Sebastian took Camila into the backyard to play.
Butterscotch has made himself a comfortable bed out of a pile of shirts I never hung up, and Oreo sits hesitantly in the doorway of the closet.
He got too close to Butterscotch, which resulted in a hiss and a smack to the face.
I know they’ll make friends eventually, but with cats, it takes time.
“Normal? I don’t know if I’d call it normal,” Arianna answers. “But I know what you’re talking about. It’s different, and oh so good. I’d never experienced anything like it until Stone. Definitely never … finished the way I do with Stone.”
“Finished?” I ask.
Arianna lowers her voice to a whisper. “Little ears are listening, Aunt Isabella. Think about it. Finishing. ”
Oh. Oh .
“I understand. Yes, the finishing was something new, and I discovered that what I thought about the caliber of the finisher was not correct.”
“You can say the words, Belly. You’re not on speaker. I’m just watching what I say, because I don’t want to have to explain anything,” Arianna explains with a laugh.
“Oh. Well, before last night, I’d come with a man before, but it wasn’t anything like this. This was …” I trail off. How do I explain the feeling?
“Life-altering. Mind-blowing. Toes curling so much they almost pop out of their sockets. Like you finally met your match, and you’ve been rewarded a million times over. Did I ever tell you about the time Stone hid under my desk and ate me out while Hannah was at the door, talking to me?”
“No!” I exclaim with a giggle. Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. Arianna and Stone have a very vivid and explosive sex life. I know this, because she tells me all about some of their more unusual experiences. Sometimes in graphic detail.
“Yup. Hannah told me I should eat breakfast after Stone finished his, and then left the room laughing. Mom and Dad caught us in the office a couple of months later. They asked us to keep the shenanigans at home.”
“Which you didn’t do,” I pointed out.
“No, we just bought a better lock for my office door. It’s a little harder to get away with things at the barbershop, considering the front of the shop is a wall of windows, but we make it work. Those spinning chairs bring a new level of excitement to finishing.”
“How is it you could say that Stone ate you out, but you can’t talk about an orgasm?”
“Because my mini-me left the room for a minute to go get another toy, and now she’s back. So I’ll continue using synonyms unless you want me to move to pig Latin. ”
“We could talk about something different,” I offer.
Arianna is silent for a moment. “No. This is too good. You never call me and want to talk about this stuff. Who do you talk to about relations with a man?”
“Relations with a man,” I repeat. “I haven’t really talked to anyone about this. I used to talk a little to Amelia, but clearly that isn’t going to happen anymore.”
“You never talked to anyone about men and relationships?” Arianna whispers. “How is that possible? I think I’d actually explode if I didn’t get all of my feelings out.”
I shrug, reaching out to scratch Oreo’s head.
“It’s not news that we have differing personalities, Ari.
I’ve never been one who needs to verbalize every thought.
I take a while to wrap my head around things before I feel the need to talk.
But this … this is different, and I needed to confirm that it’s okay, what happened between me and Sebastian. ”
“It’s absolutely okay, Belly. I think in your case, you’re finally comfortable with a man because you know he accepts you for who you are.
You get to be you, and he gets to love you.
I bet that’s a new feeling for you, which is why you’re so nervous about it.
And, even though I doubt you’ll admit it, you’re falling in love with him, and you’re scared things might change, or that he’ll regret being with you.
Which is dumb, because that man is so far gone for you. ”
It’s rare, but sometimes my family can read me so quickly. No one, it seems, reads me like Sebastian can. “I am falling for him. It’s scary, especially because of Camila. There are so many factors I have to take into consideration.”
Arianna is silent, before her voice lowers into a hiss. “Who the fuck is Camila?”
“Arianna! Your daughter is right there!” I shout.
“Don’t you dare try to redirect this conversation. Who is Camila? I swear to God, Isabella, if that man has another girlfriend, or an estranged wife, I will march over to that Clubhouse and cut his balls off myself.”
“Camila is his daughter, Ari. Calm down.”
“Sebastian has a daughter?” she yells. “How? When?”
“I’m fairly certain you know the how portion, since you have been pregnant. And Camila is five, so I’m guessing six years ago. Her mom isn’t in the picture.”
“Stone!” Arianna screams, and I hear Stone run into the room. “Why didn’t you tell me Sebastian is a dad?”
“What the fuck?” I hear Stone say. “With whom?”
“That’s what I’d like to know. How long have you known, Belly?”
“Uh, since I moved in with them?” I answer daringly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she screeches.
“I assumed you knew! Stone and Sebastian are friends, for fuck’s sake. I thought I was the only one who didn’t know!”
“Why would you be the only one who didn’t know?” Arianna asks.
“I don’t know. Seems like I’m not ‘in the know’ with everyone because I don’t have a husband,” I admit woefully.
“But five years ago, when Seb’s daughter was born, most of us weren’t married or in relationships. We wouldn’t have consciously hidden something like that from you.”
“I think a lot of people forget about me. I’m quiet and reserved, I keep to myself, and I don’t really fit in with the Santo mold.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Arianna asks quietly, her voice dangerously even-toned.
I sigh. “Everyone in the family is average-sized or smaller. I’m not saying I’m less-than because of that. I’m stating a fact. I weigh more than everyone in the family. Even my skin is lighter than everyone else’s. Half the time, it looks like I’m adopted.”
“You have Mom’s nose and Dad’s eyes, Isabella. And your hair is so damn pretty. You’ve got these natural highlights that I covet, and the only reason I don’t pay up the wazoo for them is because Stone does them for free.”
“For free?”
“Well,” she says with a breathy giggle, “we have an agreement. Highlights for blow jobs. Honestly, we both really win.”
I find myself smiling. “I’m sure there is an inspirational quote in here somewhere. ‘Marriage is about bartering and blow jobs.’”
“‘Blowing marriage out of the water,’” she jokes.
“‘Marriage: where one blow job fixes everything,’” Sebastian says from the doorway, and I scream as I instinctively throw my phone at him. He catches it easily, then bends down to scratch behind Oreo’s ears. Handing my phone back to me, he raises an eyebrow. “You good?”
His expression is concerned, but the love emanating from him is palpable. I smile goofily as I nod. He leans in, wrapping a palm around my neck as he pulls my lips to his. I let out a breathy sigh as his tongue traces my lips, and only vaguely hear Arianna cat-calling us as Sebastian ends the kiss.
“Damn girl! Get a fucking room!” she whoops, and I look down to find Arianna gleefully smiling at me.
“How — what —” I stammer. How did we go from a phone call to video?
“I don’t know, but I’m not sad about it. The chemistry you two just showed me? Holy hotness. Do I need to pay for that show?”
Sebastian chuckles as he looks down at the phone.
“Free of charge this time, Mrs. Dixon.” One quick kiss to my forehead as he leaves, but he looks back at the last second.
“We’ll discuss how you think you don’t fit in with your family, baby.
And I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping. I came up to tell you Camila is downstairs coloring, and she asked if you’d join her. ”
I inhale sharply as he smiles, taps the door frame, then leaves. His daughter wants to color with me. With me, the woman she witnessed kissing her father this morning. What does this mean?
“Belly, you’re spiraling. Take a breath,” Arianna whispers.
Grabbing the phone, I bring it shakily up to my face.
I stare at my sister in shock. “He kissed me in front of her this morning. This has to be incredibly confusing for her. She doesn’t have any relationship with her birth mother.
How the hell should I act? Do I take on the motherly role, or act like a friend?
What if she wants details about our relationship? ”
“She’s five, Isabella. They don’t want details.
Kids are naturally self-involved. She’ll just want to know how your relationship impacts her, and whether you make her dad happy or not.
Oh, and if you can get her treats. Bianca hits Luca and Hannah up for candy every time she goes to their house, because she knows they always have Skittles. ”
“So you’re saying I should give her Skittles?
” I ask, my tone bordering on crazed as I stand up.
Exiting the closet, I begin pacing. “I don’t have Skittles.
I don’t think I have any candy at all! Would gum work?
I might have some gum. Shit, my bag is downstairs.
I can’t check. I could make her cookies!
That’s the next best thing, right? Or cupcakes?
I’m already fucking this up and I haven’t even done anything yet! ”