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“What did you do?” Finn said in his usual accusing voice.
Sebastian shrugged it off. “I suppose I deserve that,” he admitted. When things went wrong around the office, it was typically Sebastian’s doing. He’d overload the breaker and cause a building-wide blackout. He’d set off the smoke alarm with his latest project and sent everyone marching out to the street while the fire department searched the building. Honestly, there were times where he wondered why Finn wanted to be his business partner. Or even his friend. But sometimes you had to overload the breaker to achieve greatness.
“She was sick with grief when I saw her at the hospital the first time. That woman loves you and cares about you very much. If she isn’t here with you this very moment, you screwed up pretty badly.”
“Okay, yeah, I screwed up,” he said. “I didn’t tell her about...well, anything. Including my heart condition. She said I was shutting her out. I guess I was.”
“Why would you do that? She’s by all accounts an amazing woman. I know her family, too. You don’t drive a woman like that away when she loves you, Seb.”
“I don’t know why I did it. I guess it’s just all I know how to do. I’m not a relationship guy. I’m an engineer. A pioneer in medical technology. I don’t know how to be that and a man in a serious relationship. Is it even possible to be both at the same time?”
Finn chuckled and shook his head. “You’d better figure it out or you’re going to be a lonely old man. I can’t have you coming to my house for the holidays every year for the rest of your life. Eventually you’re going to become our creepy uncle Sebastian.”
“You’re the one that invited me to your family Thanksgiving,” Sebastian pointed out in a bitter tone.
“Of course I did. Otherwise you would’ve been at the office working. Or sitting at home eating who knows what with a plastic fork. If you’re going to shake up your life, you’ve got to make a lot of changes.”
Sebastian was used to his fair share of lectures from Finn—it was one of the side effects of working with a doctor—but for the first time in his life, he was actually listening to what his partner had to say. “Okay, fine. Fix me, Yoda. I’m a ball of clay in your hands. Turn me into a pastier, hairier but more charming version of you.”
Finn ran his palm over his shaved head and twisted his lips in irritation. Fortunately he was used to Sebastian after years of working together. They were very different, but they complemented each other well. Sebastian’s inventions wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without Finn there to guide and market them. And Finn probably would’ve settled into some nice, boring dermatology practice on the Upper East Side if he hadn’t had Sebastian pushing him to do more important things with his life.
“You’ve got to take better care of yourself, for one thing.”
Sebastian couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “Thank you, Dr. Obvious. But not all of us can be hunky Shemar Moore look-alikes with chiseled abs and muscular thighs like tree trunks.”
“You think looking this good is easy?” Finn quipped. “It takes a lot of work. I’m at the gym five days a week. While you’re getting junk food delivered to the office, I’m drinking protein smoothies or bringing in grilled chicken breast and kale salad for lunch. Life is a series of choices. You’ve just got to make better ones.”
“You sound like my nutritionist,” Sebastian grumbled. He’d already met with her and had his first cardiac rehab appointment. Basically he’d just walked on a treadmill while they’d done an EKG and monitored his blood pressure. It would get harder from there. As for the nutritionist, she’d decided to sign him up for a meal delivery service while he was recuperating. There was going to be a lot of lean protein and vegetables he couldn’t recognize in his future.
Finn crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “I might know what I’m talking about, Sebastian. I am a doctor, you know.”
“I know. And listen...” Sebastian leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “For all my blustering, I am taking this all to heart. I know this is serious and I’m changing. I want to change. At this rate, I won’t live long enough to be your kids’ crazy uncle Sebastian, and I know that. I’ve always had this drive in me and succeeding was more important than anything else, including my own health. But you were right.”
Finn held up his hands to halt the discussion. “Wait. Repeat that please. I want to cherish it.”
Sebastian smirked at his partner. “You were right, Finn! Anyway, I’m trying to be serious for a moment here. My work is important, but I’m not helping anyone if I’m too sick to continue. I can’t sacrifice my life, my health or my relationships to make my inventions a reality. There’s more to life, and I realize that now. I realized it the instant I hit the ground.”
He shook his head, thinking back to that night as he’d stared down the barrel of Josie’s gun and felt his chest tighten like a rubber band was wrapped around him. “It was the scariest moment of my life. As I went down, I looked at Harper and realized what was happening and how serious it could be. My life could’ve been ending. In those few seconds, all I could think of was that I’d never told Harper that I loved her. I was going to die and she was never going to know. I tried, but then I passed out.”
Finn listened silently, a pained expression on his face. “That sounds horrible. Why didn’t you tell her the first chance you got at the hospital? It might’ve changed everything for the two of you.”
“I don’t know. I’ve kicked myself over how that whole thing played out. I was so disoriented at first and before I could get my bearings, she was laying into me about keeping secrets. I instantly went on the defensive and then she was gone. But she was right, I wasn’t telling her things. I have so much I need to share with her. But I need to start with how much I love her. That’s the most important part.”
“Wow,” Finn said. “It’s true. You’ve really fallen hard. I can see it in your face when you talk about her. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the day you looked up from your notebook and noticed someone other than a client. And to fall in love... If you can fix this, you might beat me to the altar. Maybe I can be your kids’ crazy uncle Finn.”
“Shut up,” Sebastian groaned. “You’ve got women lining up outside your apartment. If you could just pick one to keep, you’d be married in no time.”
Finn laughed. “Probably so. If you’re serious about wanting to marry Harper, maybe I’ll catch the garter at your reception. You never know what can happen then.”
Sebastian’s expression instantly sobered. “I am serious about marrying her. I’m serious about all of this. I want to get my health in order so I can go to her and feel confident that I’m not selling her damaged goods. Then I want to tell her how I feel and, hopefully, she feels the same way. If she does, I’m going to propose right there on the spot. Time is too precious to waste. I don’t want to give her the chance to slip away from me again.”
“If you’re really planning to propose, I know a good diamond guy. I could give him a call and have him bring some pieces here to the apartment.”
That was a relief. Sebastian didn’t even know where to start when it came to that. He couldn’t name the four Cs if his life depended on it. “Set it up. I’ve still got to talk to her father and ask permission
, but I want to move forward on everything. I want it all in place when the time comes.”
“Sure thing.” Finn picked up his phone and typed in a few things. “I’ll have him text you.”
