Sebastian laughed under his breath. The idea of him getting in trouble was ludicrous. He was ex-PISCO, highly trained to cover his tracks.
“No, not like that. But there will be a condition.”
“What’s the condition?” Gabrielle asked.
“I’m going with you.”
Chapter12
“Damian is unconscious. What difference is it going to make if I tell him all the things I ever wanted to say to him but he can’t hear me? What am I doing?” Gabrielle rambled as she paced back and forth in front of Sebastian.
The hospital was nearly empty at this time of night. In fact, they were the only two people in the hallway outside of the intensive care unit at the Rakestraw Blake Center. An eerie quiet settled in the air as the low hum of equipment beeping and chirping drifted from Damian’s room.
From the moment Sebastian offered her a way to confront Damian, she’d been on pins and needles. It had taken longer than she’d expected to work out the details. Suffering through two straight days of meetings with the Hullabaloo lawyers to discuss the continued efforts to take down the photos leaked of her online, followed by marathon sessions of planning out the next series of Emerge Anew videos with Hannah, should have been enough to distract her.
But it wasn’t.
All the while, Sebastian had always been close.
She couldn’t help but notice he was taking his job as her bodyguard seriously.
Extremely seriously, as if there was nothing more important to him then making sure she wasn’t harmed. There were moments where she sensed he … cared.
But then she remembered that Serena was paying him to keep her safe.
He kept an appropriate distance, allowing her to keep sight of him but refusing to share any meals with her or the family. He ate alone on the beach and slept on the hammock for two more nights.
Sebastian didn’t look at her, consumed by something on his cell phone.
“I should go home.” Gabrielle sighed. “I don’t know what I was thinking. You told me this wasn’t a good idea. But I didn’t listen. I insisted on coming anyway, and now I see what you meant. This isn’t satisfying at all. It’s not necessary. I was so stupid for wanting to do this.”
“No, you’re not stupid for wanting to put Damian on notice,” Sebastian said, looking up at her. The kindness in his sultry brown eyes washed over her, stopping her from pacing. “I did some research and you were right. A lot of doctors believe unconscious people can hear when others talk to them. He might be able to hear you. He might not. But you told me that you need to do this for yourself, not for Damian. That hasn’t changed.” Sebastian’s cell phone beeped. “Guard shift changes in three minutes. The next guard coming on shift is Adonis’s friend. He’s going to let us into Damian’s hospital room.”
“Who is Adonis?” Gabrielle frowned, wondering how many people Sebastian had let in on their plan.
“A good friend of mine and Ike’s,” Sebastian said. “He’s well connected and instrumental in situations like these.”
Gabrielle relaxed, knowing that Ike’s friends would move heaven and earth to help him and, by extension, would do the same for her. She was convinced that was why Sebastian had put aside his disdain and helped her over the past few days. Money wasn’t enough to drive this level of attentiveness, but being Ike’s sister was. Whatever the reason, she knew she couldn’t do any of this without him by her side. What he was doing for her tonight went above and beyond normal bodyguard duties. He didn’t have to help her. He’d listened to her and supported her, even as he disagreed with her plans. She was touched by his actions and they meant more than she thought it would.
“Sebastian,” Gabrielle said, then swallowed hard to calm the nerves racing through her body.
“Yeah,” he said, then reached for her. She placed her hands in his and relaxed as he squeezed them tight.
“Seeking forgiveness for past wrongs, when you’re truly sorry, is one of the things that has become important in my life,” Gabrielle said, her voice shaking. She hated the emotion clogging her throat, but she had to say this before she went in to see Damian. “My apology to you is long overdue. I’m so sorry for all the bullying and fights you endured because of me. I was young and immature and so jealous of you. It felt justified, but it wasn’t. I can’t believe you’ve been able to put that behind you and help keep me safe without any resentment. I hope you can forgive me.”
Sebastian bit his lower lip, then flashed her a sexy smile. “I’d be a dick if I held a grudge against you for the shit you did as a teenager, Gabrielle. It’s in the past. Let’s leave it there.”
“So, is that a yes, Gabrielle, I forgive you for being a mean bitch to me all those years ago?” Gabrielle asked, jerking his arms playfully.
“Why does it matter?” Sebastian tugged her back toward him.
She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him. “Because you’ve shown me more kindness and support in the past few days than anyone has ever shown me. I spent the last ten years dealing with everything, with no one to help me. Not my parents. Not Serena. Not Ike. But I get back here, and you’re there every time I needed you. You’ve been my rock. If I could erase everything that happened all those years ago—”
“Alright, alright, stop it with all this mushy shit,” Sebastian said, then he did the one thing she longed for. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Resting her head against his chest, she clung to him as the rapid beating of his heart resounded in her ear.
“I forgive you, Gabrielle,” Sebastian said. “Now, can we move on from this?”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She blinked to stop the tears from falling.
