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With one last brush of our lips, he gets up. “Let’s finish feeding her, and we’ll see what happens.”
When he turns his back, there’s a light knock at the front door, and my heart takes off. It has to be someone from my family.
Sebastian’s gaze meets my worried one. Without hesitation, he puts on a stone-cold expression and goes to answer the door.
Harley’s familiar voice comes from the doorway. “Sorry to bother you, man. Is she here? Tell her it’s Harley.”
Sebastian glances over his shoulder, a question in his eyes. I nod. He moves aside and lets Harley in.
Harley’s soft gaze lands on me. He shakes his head and rushes to my side. “I’m sorry about what happened up there tonight. I should’ve done more.”
Sebastian walks behind the couch and back to Olive in the little kitchen. He obviously knows this is private, but we can’t have too much secrecy since it’s only a small cabin. I release a puff of air. “No, it’s okay. Trust Dad to blow it way out of proportion. What happened after I left?”
Harley gives a low whistle. “Girl, you started World War III up there between the siblings. Dad didn’t say much, if anything after you left, but I’ve never seen him look so pale. I don’t think he was expecting you to say what you did. That was like taking a sledgehammer to a wall, and it all just tumbled down over everyone. I’m impressed.”
I wipe my hand down my face. “It wasn’t my finest moment, but I couldn’t have Dad speak to me like he did last time. I’m not a child, and he can’t treat me like a teenager like he did when I was with E-Eli.” My voice cracks, but I clear it and swallow away the thick emotion in my throat.
Harley pulls me in for a hug. His warmth and calmness envelop me. I have such caring brothers. Harley and I have always had each other’s backs, except that one time when he sided with Dad, and I know now he clearly regrets it.
“Tomorrow, you and I are going for a horseback ride out far into the fields. It’ll keep you away from Dad for a while, and when you’re ready, you can talk to him,” Harley says.
“Thanks, Harley. It sounds fun. I’ll see how I’m feeling in the morning.”
“Mabel and Sybil have offered to take Olive again.”
“That’s nice, but I’m not sure I want to be apart from her all day again tomorrow.”
Harley squeezes my shoulder. “Okay. Well, the offer is there, especially if you want an escape.”
“You forget, I have one. I have the horses to work with. I also want to do the library, and I plan to do some riding lessons with Sebastian’s daughter, Rylee.” I point in Sebastian’s direction.
Sebastian grins. “She was actually asking me about it tonight when I put her in bed.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll spend some time with her in the morning, and then maybe in the afternoon after I’ve had some time with Olive, we can go for a ride.”
“Sounds good to me. Do you want me to take Olive and get Mabel to put her down?” Harley asks.
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll head back up shortly. I’ve invaded Sebastian’s space and cried on his shoulder. I think I’ve scared him enough.” I throw a sideways glance in his direction, gifting him a sugary smile.
“You haven’t scared me,” he says, and he pulls Olive from the highchair, now fully fed.
Harley nods. “I’ll head off then, and I’ll see you tomorrow. I wanted to check on you, and I’ll report back to the girls and Hudson because they’ve all been trying to call you. I was the only one game enough to come down here and talk to you.”
I wave my hands in the air. “Oh, such a big, brave boy.”
We laugh, and it feels great. My lapse earlier was a moment of weakness, and it’s okay to have those moments, but I won’t let them consume me like they once did.
Sebastian and I say goodbye to Harley, and we’re left in silence apart from the garble talk from Olive. I take Olive from his arms. “Thanks for tonight and sorry about falling apart, and thanks for taking care of her.” I wiggle Olive in my arms. She giggles.
I step into Sebastian, press my lips to his, and step back.
“Did you want to give Olive a quick bath while you’re here? I can go run it for her. I have everything you’d need here for her. She can borrow Ruby’s pajamas,” he says. It’s almost as if he’s trying to get me to stay longer.
I chew my lip, thinking over his question. I don’t particularly want to deal with my family, and if I go back while they’re all awake, I’ll have to talk to them. “Sure, I’d love nothing more than to hang with you because I don’t want to deal with the mess I left up there.” I shrug and try to keep it casual, although internally, I’m high-fiving myself. Sebastian King wants to spend time with me. We’ve just admitted to having some kind of feelings for each other, and that’s crazy to me, but how can I deny my heart at a chance of happiness? That seems to be the thing pulling me toward him—the swell of euphoria he causes within me is completely different from how I felt with Eli. What I had with Eli was puppy love, which turned nasty the moment we left the farm. Sebastian isn’t like that. “Lead the way.”
He turns, and I follow him to a little bathroom that has a single basin, shower, and bath in one. He pulls the shower curtain to the side and sets about turning on the faucets and making sure the water is at the right temperature. When it is, he pumps some baby wash into the water and swirls it around. This brings a smile to my face. He’s such a great dad and overall person. Any girl would be lucky to have him.
No more words need to be exchanged—no more thank yous or sorrys. There’s something between us, and it’s something we both don’t need to discuss—an unspoken bond and pull. It excites me and gives me hope for a bright and happy future.
