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“Are you really that nervous for me to meet this boy?” My mom chuckles behind where I’m pacing in the living room waiting for Sebastian to knock.
Because of his suspension and the fact that his father decided to crack down on him going anywhere after the night he stayed over, we had to delay him coming over for dinner by a week. In fact, this is the first time he’s been here since the day after his and Dylan’s fight.
I’m so glad to have the whole suspension incident behind us. Sebastian is officially back at school, and things have since returned to normal. Well, as normal as they can be when you’re dealing with someone like Sebastian. And right now, I’m wishing this was behind us as well.
Don’t get me wrong. I want Sebastian to meet my mom. I really do. But it just feels like such a huge step, and I’m worried she might scare him off. I mean, she’s amazing, of course, but she can also be very protective of me which sometimes doesn’t always come across the nicest.
“No,” I finally answer my mom after several seconds. “Yes.” I stop pacing and turn toward her. “He’s really important, Mom.”
“Trust me, I know he is.” She smiles when a knock sounds on the front door. “I’ll play nice. I promise.” She closes her hand around the knob and yanks it open before I can say anything else.
“You must be Sebastian.” Her smile widens, and she steps aside to let him enter. “Please, come on in. Tess is over here nervously pacing. I think she thinks I’m gonna embarrass her,” she teases, closing the door behind him.
Sebastian steps into the foyer, looking so handsome in dark jeans and a black polo—his normally unruly hair combed back away from his face—that it takes everything in me to keep the drool from pooling out of the sides of my mouth. My god, this boy is perfect.
As if reading my mind, a slow smile plays on the corner of his lips as he takes in my reaction. Offering me nothing more than a wink, he turns his attention back to my mother, handing her a beautiful arrangement of wild flowers I hadn’t even noticed he was holding until this very moment.
“These are for you. Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Wilson.”
I have to choke back a laugh at how formal he seems. Of course, he’s probably used to having to behave a certain way around adults, considering his father hosts a lot of professional gatherings at their house that Sebastian is forced to attend.
“Oh, how thoughtful. And please, call me Elizabeth.” My mom takes the flowers, looking at me with wide eyes as if to sayOh my god, he’s so cute—and sweet. You did good, kiddo.Even though she doesn’t say a word of that, I know that if Sebastian weren’t here to witness it, that’s exactly what she would be saying to me right now.
“I’m going to go put these in water. Sebastian, please make yourself at home.”
“Thank you.” He gives her another one of his famous smiles, waiting until she disappears inside the kitchen before closing the distance between us. “I missed you,” he says, tipping my chin up and placing a soft kiss to my lips the second he reaches me.
“I missed you more.” I smile up at him, my earlier nervousness evaporating.
I should’ve known there was no reason to worry. Everyone who meets Sebastian loves him. How can you not? He’s gorgeous, smart, well spoken, and so damn charming you can’t help but be mesmerized by him.
“Not possible, Tess.” He winks, turning his attention back to my mom as she reenters the room.
***
It’s been two hours since Sebastian arrived, and I swear this night could not have gone any better if I had dreamt it up. Sebastian won over my mom just as he did me, with absolutely no effort.
About halfway through my mom’s homemade lasagna, I had to sit back and take it all in for a moment. It was strange how natural it all felt—me, my mom, and Sebastian all sitting around the kitchen table laughing and talking like we’d done it a million times before.
I knew within minutes that my mom more than approved of Sebastian, and I didn’t realize until that moment how badly I needed that approval. Knowing she supports our relationship makes me feel like I can be with Sebastian more freely.
And that’s so important because there’s something else I realized today as I watched my mom and Sebastian’s interaction with each other. Something I think I’ve known for a while now and maybe just let myself admit…
I’m head over heels, undeniably consumed by everything that Sebastian is. His smile, his touch, the way he says my name. I love every single thing about him.
I’ve fallen in love with Sebastian Baxter.
I’m so in love with him that I’m terrified by the power of it, and yet it’s all I want to feel. I want to bathe myself in the weight of that love and hold onto it for dear life because now that I’ve experienced it, I never want to let it go.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight.” Sebastian knocks his shoulder with mine as we walk side by side down the sidewalk toward where Jessie the Jeep is parked on the street.
“Just thinking, I guess.”
“Oh yeah, about what?” he asks.
“You,” I answer truthfully.
“Tell me more.” He laughs, pulling me into his chest the moment we reach the street.
