Page 46 of Sterling Heat

Sebastian lowers his gaze, staring at my hand on Adara’s little back. “You don’t need to rush.”

“But I’ve stayed long enough.”

His gaze lifts again, ready to argue with me, but I cut him off. “I accepted an offer on my condo, and it’s time to settle into my new home.” As I’d been at his place for two weeks, the realtor had free rein to show my place as often as she wished. Minus baby things taking up a corner of the living room, the place had a better selling vantage and sold easier.

Sebastian nods once and reaches out for Adara’s back, brushing his fingers against mine as he strokes over her little bottom.

“The movers will make a secondary stop at your place for all my stuff.”

He glances up at me. “You don’t need to do that. I can take your things to the house.” Only he swallows hard as if it pains him to make such a suggestion.

He’s already done enough, and I can’t ask for more. “It’s covered.”

I want to sound confident, but my voice cracks at the finality. I’m leaving the comfort of Sebastian’s apartment for my new house. I should be a little more elated by the prospect. I am excited, but I’m also strangely anxious. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a house, with a yard, slightly remote from others. In apartment dwelling, I can hear my neighbors through the walls. With my new house, I can hardly see my neighbors.

Then again, this is what I wanted. I wanted wide open spaces and fresh air for my little girl. A new beginning outside of city living. With her birth came a new leaf and with summer almost here, I was ready to enjoy a change in season.

A change in my life.

Glancing down at Adara, I have so much to be grateful for. My baby. A home. I look up at Sebastian still focused on Adara. His hand pauses at the base of her back as if he can’t remove it from her. As if he doesn’t want to stop touching her.

I’m eternally thankful for him, too. A new friend. The thought is bittersweet when it shouldn’t be. Who couldn’t use more friends? I ignore where I’ve leaned into wanting more with him. Where I was hopeful of kissing on his couch and being taken on his bakery counter. I’m not in a position to be desirable.

Plus, I’ll never be of interest to a man like Sebastian. A good man with a haunted past and no desire for a family.

With a soft sigh, I weakly smile, fight back tears, and glance down at Adara.

She’s my reason for everything, as she should be.

Chapter 15

[Sebastian]

Enya moved out and I fucking hated the silence she left behind.

My apartment had always been a sacred refuge, but in the short time Enya had been here, she’d transformed the space into something more. Something more homey feeling. Now, it was eerily quiet and almost uncomfortable without her presence.

A week has passed with daily text updates on Adara from Enya. My nightly visits to the hospital continue which I purposely plan later than normal. The decision is for my own sanity because if I saw Enya, I might beg her to move back in with me. Or worse, ask her to let me live with her. And I could never live in the Wallace farmhouse. The thought of that place makes my skin crawl.

I also didn’t like thinking about Enya there alone. Just outside of town, off Route 10, the place is within distant eyesight of a neighbor but not close enough to hear or witness issues. It had been the perfect place to hide in, hang out in, and cause trouble in, and ten years ago, trouble happened often there.

I was confident the house was different now. Knox hinted it was a real beauty. Picture perfect, he said. Like straight off a home-improvement show. But I couldn’t unsee in my head what the place had once been. What it represented. Dank rooms. Dark nights. Drugs and death.

Located west of town, I almost always went east, and if I needed to head left, I’d take a wide berth to avoid that old country route. However, my thoughts drifted there often over the past seven days.

Removing a hot tray of brownies from the oven, I almost collide with Rena who feels like a shadow lately.

“Rena, watch the fuck out.” She’s used to my rough voice, so I don’t think anything of snapping at her. What I do notice is her hand sweeping over my belly and around my side as she ducks to avoid being hit with the tray. The touch skims around to my spine as she sneaks past me, making me hypersensitive to my employee intimately touching me again. We work in tight proximity. I like to think we have a rhythm, but some days we are just out of sync. Like today. And the last seven.

Rena’s attention feels different once again.

“Sorry, boss.” Her smile is too bright. She’s a pretty woman although a little rough around the edges with tattoos down her arms and vibrant red curls. A real badass baker like me. We’ve been open with each other about our pasts, sharing our recovery experience, but we aren’t what I’d consider close. I’ve given her a second chance as my family has given me, because people deserve them.

Still, have I been dense like Stone said? Have I not seen Rena? She works hard. Stays late. Comes in early, if I need her. But is there more to her that I’ve been missing? And why are my eyes open now?

My fucking brothers.

I wish I’d been able to rely on Barnett more, but he was still in high school. His availability only covered a few hours late afternoons and some weekends. With the time I’d been taking lately for myself, to see Adara, I could really use another part-time employee. Thank goodness it was almost summer, and Barnett has more time to give me with the break from school.