Always Me (29 page)
Authors: Jo-Anna Walker
Lucas turned to me. “I’m so glad I met you. Anytime Sebastian comes to visit, I expect you to come too and bring that little boy of yours. I wanna see what kind of monster Sebastian created.”
We laughed and I wrapped my arms around his hard middle. His body tensed at first like he wasn’t used to getting hugs, but I squeezed him reassuringly and eventually his body relaxed. He returned my hug and cleared his throat.
We said good-bye and walked to Sebastian’s new black muscle car that he had bought a couple of days ago. That night, we christened it.
Sebastian opened the door for me, and I could feel him watching me as I slid into the beautiful, slick car. His other baby.
Rubbing the white bandage on my inner wrist that covered the intricate design of the word
Antonio
, I sighed, finally happy. Sebastian got a bigger tattoo of Antonio’s name on his forearm. There was no way I was brave enough to do that.
Sebastian got behind the wheel and slammed the door shut. He grabbed my chin and placed a hard kiss on my lips, shoving his tongue in my mouth. His hand moved to the back of my neck, deepening the kiss.
I moaned as our mouths moved together.
He released me a moment later, kissed my nose and then my forehead. “Hotel or home?”
My heart flipped. “Just drive. Anywhere. I’ll take you anyway I can.”
Sebastian’s heated gaze bored into mine. “God, I love you.”
Epilogue
A couple of weeks later, Sebastian had surprised me by wanting to take me out on a date. He planned the whole thing without me knowing at all. He also arranged for Antonio to spend the evening with Keisha and my mother. Keisha needed a distraction from not being able to get through to Garrith. He wasn’t staying in contact with anyone except for Sebastian, and I hadn’t seen him in weeks. It was heartbreaking, but I kind of understood why Garrith was acting the way he was. He needed time. They both did. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late when he finally smartened up.
“Open it,” Sebastian said, interrupting my thoughts.
I fingered the velvety box in my hands, not having any idea what it was. My gaze flicked to the tattoo on my wrist. Every time I saw it, I thought of our son, and my heart gave a little stutter.
“Tori,” Sebastian said, practically begging.
“But it’s not my birthday for a couple more weeks.” I was turning twenty-seven. It would be the first birthday that Sebastian and I would spend together since meeting, and as corny as it was, it was kind of special to us both. I found out that Sebastian’s birthday was in November. He was a fall baby, and he was turning thirty. I definitely had plans up my sleeve for him. Hopefully my mom wouldn’t mind watching Antonio for a couple of days. I smiled to myself as my skin heated over the thoughts of what I wanted to do for Sebastian—or to him for that matter.
“Stop thinking so much and open it. Think of this as a prebirthday present.” Sebastian had taken me out for dinner to a nice Italian restaurant in the closest city to us. Now that Jose was gone, I wasn’t so terrified to leave my house. I now understood that that’s why I never left.
“But…”
“Baby, please. You’re killing me. Just open the box,” Sebastian pleaded with me. He was worse than a kid at Christmas, and this wasn’t even a present for him.
I opened the box and gasped. Okay, I take that back. It was definitely a present for him.
“Do you like them?” Concern marked his features when I didn’t answer right away.
My cheeks heated at the objects looking up at me. I had never used them before, but I knew exactly what they were. Two clamps with rubber ends were attached to each other by a gold chain. Purple jewels were attached, and lifting them in my fingers, I realized they were weights. My nipples hardened, waiting in anticipation. “I love them. They’re beautiful.”
Sebastian smiled brightly with satisfaction and leaned back in his chair. His posture was now relaxed, as if he’d thought for a moment that I would freak out or hate his present. I didn’t. I loved them. They were simply gorgeous. We had been experimenting in the bedroom, or anywhere for that matter, and anything that he had thrown my way, I loved. I couldn’t wait to test these out. Then I remembered that we weren’t alone, and I quickly shut the box. Chewing my bottom lip, I tried looking around the room discreetly to make sure no one saw what just a moment ago was out for the world to see. Everyone was going about their own business, making me breathe a sigh of relief.
“Now, for the real present.”
My gaze snapped up to Sebastian’s. “Real present? This is fine. I don’t need anything else.”
He smiled. “Well if you don’t want it, I can always take it back.”
“No, no. I love presents.” I giggled.
Sebastian chuckled and took the box from me, placing it on the table beside him. Rising to his feet, he came around the table and knelt in front of me.
Oh God. Was he doing what I thought he was’ doing?
He grabbed my hands and kissed my knuckles.
“Sebastian,” I whispered. My face heated at the stares from the other customers around the restaurant. Some giggled and some sighed with what sounded like envy.
He smirked. “Tori, from the first moment I met you, I couldn’t get you out of my head. I never believed in that love at first sight shit, but with you, it was more than that. Your smile, your laugh.” His eyes roamed down my body, making my skin tingle. “Your body…the way you can put me on my ass with just one look. You melt me to the core with just one touch. I said it before and I’ll say it again; you are the strongest person I know.” Sebastian’s voice lowered with emotion as he went on. “You are my other half. The piece of me that has been missing my whole life, and when I finally found you, I was a dick and let you go.”
I frowned. “Sebastian, that wasn’t…”
He shook his head, stopping me. “You are an amazing mother, and you would do anything to protect your own, and I would do anything to protect my own. Tori McLeod, I love you and I love Antonio.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I bit back a sob.
“I want to be your other half. I want to give you more kids. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy and being the man you deserve.”
I released my hand from his grip and cupped his cheek. “You are the man that I deserve.”
He smiled. “I’m not done.”
I laughed.
Sebastian kissed my palm. “I want to spend the rest of our lives making you feel good,” he purred.
Oh God.
“What do you say, little one?”
I smiled, tears rolling freely down my cheeks. “Depends on what you’re asking me?”
He chuckled, his eyes shining with warmth. “Wanna become my other half?”
A half-giggle half-sob escaped my lips. “Why, Sebastian, are you asking me to marry you?”
He leaned back and pulled out a tiny velvet box and opened it. “I think I am, baby.”
A collective gasp sounded around the room, including my own. The ring was absolutely stunning. A solitaire diamond set on a gold band and it was simply breathtaking like the person who bought it. It wasn’t fancy but it was perfect. It was us. “So will you marry me, Tori?”
I clapped a hand over my mouth and nodded. “Yes, oh God, yes. Yes, yes, yes.”
He placed the ring on my finger, and I threw myself into his arms. Sebastian chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. Thunderous applause erupted around the small restaurant, and even though we were in public, I rained kisses all over his face, ending with a long hard one on his lips. I loved that man. He was my other half, and I would spend the rest of my life proving to him that we deserved each other.
***THE END***
Author’s Note
Sebastian Chelios and Tori McLeod (soon to be Chelios) are finally happy. Ready to grow in their lives with each other and with Antonio. Their halves are finally whole. After all of the crap they have gone through, it’s about time, right?
But what about Garrith and Keisha?
Keep reading for the next installment about Garrith Jameson and Keisha Lee in
Remember Me (Shattered #3).
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