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“Yes! Of course.” I step back and search blindly for the door. “Let me just grab the knob.Door knob!”
Sebastian cracks up and glides past me. “Good one, Mimi. Thanks for helping me out.” He jogs off, leaving me in the closet, breathing like a damn wounded beast..
What the hell just happened?
I didn’t imagine it. I didn’t imagine it at all. The heat there was through the roof!
I take a steadying breath and walk down the hallway, but my legs feel weak and I’m woozy in the head. Look at me; I’m gushing. A couple minutes with him and I’m swooning like an idiot. He’s not the first man I’ve ever been with, not by a long shot. And I’ve seen and felt men with muscles before, but none have ever been Sebastianbefore.
Ever since he broke up with Lindsey, I’ve felt like I had a shot. Only this evening, for the first time, it feels like he’s seeing me for me.
I come back to the party and glimpse him with Luca. They’re smiling and chatting. Luca is giving him a tour of the party setup and yard; they’re laughing and stories are being told. My heart smiles watching him talk with Luca. Then Michael runs up and grips his father’s legs. Luca’s lifting him up over his head—Suddenly I’m seeing Sebastian doing it with our kid—
What the hell?
I turn and approach the first waiter I see, but I’m cut off by Jared’s mother.
“Mimi?” She sings.
“Yes, Laura?” I ask. I’m waiting for the questions to begin. She’s forming them in her brain. I can see them piling up. She’s trying to make a plan to keep me trapped for as long as possible…
“The sleepover tonight? Is the bedding goose down or foam? Jared gets horrible hives if it’s anything other than goose down.”
I fade away and can’t help but stare at Sebastian again. He’s still chatting with Luca, but now a few more men have come. I know Luca’s just unleashed a surprise on them. He’d had them all believe that they were going to be working this evening, when in fact he wanted them to just come to the party and relax. They all look like a set of penguin goons in their shirts and coats, but at least they’re all smiling.
A waiter appears out of nowhere and gives them all a drink, they say cheers, and Sebastian looks my way. He winks and drinks.
I swoon and come back to Jared’s mother. “Uh, goose down. Yup. All the mattresses are fine. Blankets are synthetic too because of allergies as well.” She’s trying to butt in, she’d been on a roll while I was away, but not anymore. “And no, no kids have allergies here either. But we’ve made the cake wheat free, peanut free, dairy free, and sugar free.”
She grins like she’s got me cornered. “But what about—”
“Oh, and no eggs,” I add. Her grin falls, and she frowns. “Have a good evening!” I escape while I can.
Sebastian and Luca are talking seriously now while they cook at the barbeque. I can’t tell what it is, but knowing Sebastian, it’s probably work-related. Just going over more details and ideas. He’s been a good addition to Luca’s men. He was always worried about how the merge would go. Not that he said it. I could just tell how much it worried him. I’ve known him since we were kids.
I head inside and check in at the kitchen with the catering staff; they’re preparing dinner for the adults and dessert for the kids. The slumber room has been kitted out with a projector and the latest kids movie. We’ve got the children’s favorite minders here as well, so they’ll be in good hands.
I exit and find a corner of the patio to take a break. I enjoy another glass of champagne and some pizza rolls. The sun is setting, and even though I’ve seen a Miami sunset every day of my life, I take the time to stop and enjoy it.
The sun turns into liquid gold and threads out along the horizon. The sky deepens from blue to pink, and then an azure green washes across it all. In mere seconds, the horizon is on fire and burning right in front of me, the flames licking at the very beachfront of Sophie and Luca’s home. The sand shimmers and mixes with the water for a few moments, and then the brilliance blinds me for a second.
I blink and close my eyes.
“Beautiful, huh?”
I open them. Sebastian’s in front of me. His shirt is unbuttoned a few buttons down from the neck, and a little pec is showing. He’s been allowed to relax, and so he is. He’s got a drink in his hand and a swagger in his step. And he's not looking at the sunset, he's looking at me.
“I just felt I had to watch it today,” I reply. “Couldn’t tell you why.”
Sebastian smiles, and it’s warm and inviting, pulling one from me as well. “I could say the same.” He sits next to me. “I’ve heard all about your day. You’ve been busy. Luca and Sophie are super appreciative.”
“I’m sure they are.” I try to smooth my dress without being so obvious. I feel like I’ve worn the wrong dress to a kids party. In fact, I did. I sit here right now, right next to Sebastian,knowingwhy I picked this one of all my dresses. ”They’ve been busy all day too, though, “ I add. “They’ve had to entertain the parents. I think they hoped inviting all the kids from the play group would help, but I think a few of them have become a bit needy.”
“I heard about Jared’s mother,” Sebastian whispers.
We both giggle, and I feel like I’m ten years old again. That was when I first realized I liked him. Sebastian has always been my brother’s friend, and the two used to play every day. But I remember one summer as kids, Carlos was away with Mom for something, and he had come around to play. Well, it was just me, and we ended up giggling for an hour over farts. We were kids. We were idiots. But I remember laughing with him and realizing howgoodit felt.
“You need help with anything?” he asks.
