Chapter Thirty-Two
Rosalia
I tap the button on my phone’s screen and the video stops recording. Tucking it into my jacket pocket, I keep my gaze trained on the sky, which is shifting from dark to light blue and filling with colorful hot-air balloons preparing for the race.
“I’ve missed this. All the derby fun,” Noah tells his sister, and Paige nods.
“Do you not get to visit often?” I ask. Despite having only met this morning, conversation flows easily between us.
“Not as much as I’d like,” he replies. I’ve learned Noah works in Cleveland as a software engineer. His gaze finds mine. “Though, given a reason, I’d visit more. An hour and a half isn’t that far…”
My cheeks heat, and I tip my face toward the sky.
I recognize the invitation, and on paper, he’s a suitable match for me.
He’s handsome, successful, and grounded—a sweet, charming engineer who isn’t infamous by birthright.
And Paige is his sister, which is a hell of a lot better than having Thorne as a brother-in-law.
Yet Noah’s gentle flirtation barely registers against what I feel for Sebastian. Even thinking his name sends a rush through me that no practical considerations can dampen.
He consumes me completely. It's not just the way he sets my nerve endings ablaze with every touch, but the quiet connections between us. Last night in his arms, lost in his gaze this morning, I'm certain no other man could compare.
Not that I can tell Noah my interest lies elsewhere, not with Dad watching me with his eagle gaze. During the ride over, he didn’t mention Sebastian, but I’m certain his silence on the matter won’t last. He’s biding his time, sorting through his thoughts. That’s his way.
Paige curses. “I forgot my thermos of coffee in the trunk.”
“I’ll get it,” I offer, wanting to create a little distance between Noah and me.
Dad steps beside me. “I’ll go with you.”
Damn. Looks like he’s sorted his thoughts, and my time has run out. Starting toward the car, I scramble for a topic that doesn’t involve Sebastian. “Have—”
“Dating a Blackstone isn’t a good idea.”
I turn to look at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His tone is uncharacteristically firm, and his jaw is set in a way that looks at odds with his normally relaxed face.
“Why do you dislike them so much?” I’m truly surprised. My dad gets along with everyone.
“It goes back a long way. Louis Blackstone and I grew up in the same county.” He kicks a pebble across the parking lot.
“Sebastian’s father?” I ask .
Dad nods. “He was always causing trouble, but his daddy's money got him out of everything.” His lip twists in revulsion. “Especially with women. The worst kind of trouble.”
“But that’s Sebastian’s father. Not him,” I counter.
“Who do you think raised him?” He must notice my bewilderment because his tone softens. “Listen, it’s not like we’re talking about ancient history. Louis hasn’t changed. He has two kids who aren’t from his wife.”
“Again, Dad, that’s not Seb—”
“What about Thorne Blackstone? He was dating Melissa Wright recently. Do you remember Mr. Wright from the bank? His daughter.” I nodded. Dad’s lip curls in disgust. “Well, let’s just say, like father, like son.”
I frown. “That doesn’t mean Sebastian is the same.”.
“His marriage ended before the ink dried,” he counters. “Surrounded by the same kinds of rumors.”
I stop and wait for my dad to do the same.
Sebastian had a very good reason for leaving his wife.
But telling my father that the marriage ended because he’d caught his wife with his brother wouldn’t raise his opinion of the Blackstone family.
“He can’t help what’s said about him. And you’re never one to view rumors as gospel. ”
Dad has the decency to look ashamed. “I know it’s wrong. But you’re my daughter, and I don’t like the idea of you getting mixed up with one of Louis’s sons.”
“I’m dating, not marrying Sebastian. We aren’t serious,” I reason.
“Last time we talked, he was a friend,” he drawls. “Yet, your grandma tells me and anyone who’ll listen that you went on a date with him to his family’s fancy gala. And this morning…” He gives me a disapproving-dad look. “Very early in the morning, I might add, at your house.”
My cheeks heat. I rub my thumb over the hickey, now concealed by the hair I let down. “I, um…” What could I say? Definitely not what we’d been doing.
“Like I said before, it’s not a good idea to date the man who owns the building you’re renting.”
I freeze. “Why? ”
“What if things go south between you two?” Dad lowers his voice.
“I’ve seen what happens when someone crosses Louis Blackstone.
He’s vindictive. If Sebastian’s cut from the same cloth and you upset him…
” He hesitates. “Let’s just say, he could make sure you never get another loan or even a simple checking account in all of Kentucky. ”
The thought chills me, yet a giggle bubbles up inside me and escapes when we reach Paige’s car. “And here I thought Mom was the winner of creating worst-case scenarios.”
“This is different.”
“How?”
“Because it’s me.” He grins, but it fades. “And because I know the Blackstones.”
“You know Louis and a little about Thorne. But not Sebastian.” I pop the trunk and spot Paige’s bright pink thermos.
“That’s fair,” Dad concedes. Grabbing the coffee and locking the car, I can’t shake his words.
Do I really know Sebastian? We’d grown close over the past few weeks, but his family’s reputation is hard to ignore. What if there is more to him than I’ve seen? What if he is like his father and brother?
We head back to the field. “But bear with your old man,” he says. “And your mother. I know she tends to fret. A lot. It all comes from a place of love. Mine too. I worry about you. Sebastian Blackstone has the power to hurt more than your heart. Especially with what’s happening with your lease.”
I force a smile, hoping to disguise my anxiety. “None of that matters. I have an appointment with the SBA on Tuesday morning. Things will be cleared up.”
I hope. Kinda.
If I take that route, I’ll have to find a new store, which will require downtime and the extra cost of moving.
My stomach drops as a darker possibility emerges. What if the SBA does help me, and I no longer have to help Thorne? He says I can walk away at any time, but what about the NDA ?
When I signed it, his logic seemed sound. “I have no reason to tell Sebastian,” he’d said dismissively. “That would give him time to change what’s in the portfolio.”
But now I see the dangerous loophole. The NDA only silences me, not him. If I walk away from our deal, nothing would prevent Thorne from telling Sebastian everything out of spite. Sebastian would believe I betrayed him, and I’d be legally bound from defending myself.
The trap feels complete, closing in from all sides, no matter which way I turn.
My dad taps my shoulder. His face tells me he’s been talking while I’ve been spiraling.
“Sorry, did you say something?” I ask.
He nods. “Do you want me to manage your store while you’re at the SBA meeting?”
“Won’t you be at work?”
“I can let them know I’ll be late.”
My eyes blur slightly, and I blink hard.
Even when he thinks I’m making terrible decisions, even when he’s scared for me, he’s still here.
“I appreciate the offer, but I've already put up a sign saying I'll be closed until noon and cancelled the morning coffee hours. But thank you for always being willing to step in when I need you.”
We start walking back across the field toward Noah and Paige, my dad’s steady presence beside me grounding my scattered thoughts. As we approach the group, my gaze catches sight of the Blackstone Bourbon balloon, its distinctive logo bringing Sebastian back to mind.
Not the rumors or his family name, but the man who quieted my anxieties with gentle reassurances.
The man who ignored his fear of heights for my happiness, who had my bike fixed because he’d noticed my distress.
The careful way he held me last night as if I were something precious.
Those moments reveal more truth than whispered rumors ever could.
The lease problem and Thorne’s deal are all tangled together, and I'm not sure how it will work out. Maybe Sebastian is exactly who I think he is. Maybe he isn’t. But all these worries are built on ‘what ifs’ and other people’s opinions. What I’ve actually experienced with him—that’s real.
As another balloon rises against the brightening sky, a tentative resolution settles over me.
I can’t control what others think of Sebastian or me.
I can’t undo my mistakes with the lease or predict how tomorrow’s meeting will go.
But I can trust what I’ve seen with my eyes and felt with my heart.
From now on, I’ll try to listen to my voice above the chorus of well-meaning advice.
I smile, joining my little group with a lighter heart.
Dad’s hand finds my shoulder and I lean into his touch, grateful for his concern even as I silently choose my own path.
I’ll face whatever comes next as I have everything else: one step at a time, learning as I go, and trusting myself enough to rise above the fears that would keep me grounded.