Second Chances (Dreams Come True #2) (14 page)

“Yes, handsome?” She sounded practically giddy.

Immediately, I felt better. “You’re happy and safe. I’m so relieved.”

Marisa giggled. “And why wouldn’t I be?”

My shoulders heaved. “Well, I thought you might be pining for me just a little bit.”

“Eh. Maybe a smidge. I’m too busy to pine, maybe because I’m working on mahogany.” She chuckled.

“Don’t work too hard. Gabriel and Isabella will be there at six, then we’re going to dinner. It could make for a long day.” In truth, I looked forward to all those hours of plans together. “And I’ll finally get to meet Mattie.”

“Not this time.” She sighed. “Mattie is housesitting for a friend and won’t be back for a week.”

“Some other time.” I listened and barely heard a sound other than the occasional whisper of the brush against wood. Marisa was lost in her project. I didn’t have to imagine how she looked, since I’d seen it when she worked across the hall from me. I could’ve stared for hours and sometimes did. “I’ll talk to you in the morning, sunshine. Good night.”

“Oh, night, Sebastian.”

Then our call ended and I was left to sleep alone.

Though I busied myself as best I could, five o’clock couldn’t come soon enough. Marisa and I had exchanged a few text messages during the course of the day, but mostly she worked. When I knocked on the shop door, it took her several moments to come unlock it. She even looked around surprised. “Hey, what are you doing here so early?”

“It’s not so early. In fact, it’s already working on getting dark. Did you even eat lunch today?” I pulled her into my arms. “I swear you feel thinner.”

“That would be a good thing. You saw me in the leggings Isabella bought me.” She laughed and walked toward the back while shaking her head.

“I saw you and thought you looked amazing,” I reminded her as I raced to keep up with her. She hadn’t even given me the chance to check out the items she had ready at the front of the shop. It surprised me she didn’t share them with me. “What? No tour?” I threw my hands in the air as I walked through the door to what appeared to be her work area.

Standing against the back wall was my old mirror. At first, I stood frozen in place, then Marisa spoke. “Do you like it?” She smiled, clearly proud of what she’d accomplished.

Moving closer, I ran my hand over the frame. Utilizing the damage I’d done to it so long ago, she’d repaired the splits in the wood with glue and painted it to resemble a vine pattern around the entire perimeter. The detail, the shading, the variety of greens and browns in the paint…it was unrecognizable in the very best way. The mirror itself had also been replaced. As I stood before it, I saw myself exactly as Marisa saw me, only better. She had walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist while she peeked around my shoulder.

“Say something,” she urged.

“I look so happy.” I inhaled, feeling the peace that enveloped me. “You make me so happy.” I closed my eyes, not out of fear, but a desire to enjoy this moment.

“Say something about the mirror,” she whispered.

Knowing her as I did, I recognized how playful she felt, obviously holding back a giggle. “The mirror is amazing. I should buy it from you.”

Immediately, she stepped back. “You gave it to me. I’m not charging you. If you want it, it’s yours.” She laughed.

“Are you kidding me? You made me bargain for the hashbrown I bought you at breakfast last weekend. Don’t soften up on me now. Name your price.” I faced her, my arms crossed over my chest, toe tapping on the floor, lips twitching as I tried to hide a grin.

“Sebastian,” she murmured as she leaned against my chest. “I wouldn’t even know what to ask for.”

“I get it.” I nodded as I gazed down at her upturned face. “You already have me and a lifetime supply of chocolate. What more could you want?” I chuckled, then reached into my pocket. “Speaking of which, this is for you.” I passed her a Toblerone.

“Oh my gawd! This is one of the
many
reasons I love you.” Marisa snatched it out of my hands, peeled it open and began to devour it. “I may have forgotten to eat today.” She spoke with her mouth full, covering it with her hand.

“But I sent you a text.” I sighed.

“I know, but I was busy. Now, if you’d sent me a pizza instead of a text, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.” Marisa swallowed the last bit then started to reach out and pat me down.

I laughed. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

She paused, looked up at me through those long lashes and gave me a lopsided grin. “I was not so secretly hoping you had more food on you.” She waited a moment for me to respond, but I merely crossed my arms over my chest again. “So…do you?”

“I don’t. I considered bringing more, but then I worried you’d eat them all at once and spoil your dinner.”

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s like you know me or something.” She shook her head. “Okay, let’s go unload this dresser and bring it downstairs before they get here. I’m starving.”

“You just ate a Toblerone,” I reminded her.

Marisa paused midway up the stairs. “Right. A damn candy bar. Not a steak. Not prime rib. A bit of chocolate.” She started walking up the stairs again. “I’ll probably burn that off by the time we get the dresser down the stairs,” she grumbled.

“You know, if you lived with me, I’d have been able to make sure you were fed. Just one of the many services I provide,” I joked.

At the top of the stairs, she glanced back at me and shook her head. “I can’t imagine leaving Mattie alone.”

“Alone? She’s never here!” I threw my hands in the air. “And let’s not forget Mattie’s the one who killed the intruder. She’ll be just fine.”

Tilting her head to one side, Marisa seemed to consider what I’d said. “You know, you’re probably right.”

Chapter Thirteen

Marisa

Sebastian was relentless, but I rather liked it. Though he had initially been all hung up on getting married, now he seemed determined to simply
be
with me. For a girl who’d spent far too much time in a trunk alone, a guy who wanted to spend time with me didn’t seem half bad. Add in all those sweet gestures, pretty words, and obvious indications of devotion, it was no wonder I’d fallen hard for him.

Isabella and Gabriel arrived right on time. Their moving men loaded the dresser while they looked around at the other items I had ready for showing. “I love this,” Isabella murmured as she ran her hand over the mirrored nightstand. “I never would’ve thought to do this.”

“Oh, it was nothing. I had a bunch of broken pieces of mirror and simply tiled the dresser in it. The top was too distressed and I had to find a way to even it out. This just worked.” I shrugged because in my mind, it really was no big deal.

“I’ll give you two hundred for it.” She smiled at me. “It would make a great prop for some of my photography.

“I’m pretty sure the tag shows I’m only asking fifty dollars.” I bent over to peek at the price.

Nodding, she agreed. “Yes, but it’s worth more.”

“You bought me clothes. Just take it!” I frowned before admitting something I never would have in the past. “I really like you, Isabella. You’ve done so much for me. Please let me do something nice for you so I can feel like we’re really friends.” I’m not sure if it was my imploring look or my words which had the biggest impact, but she suddenly threw her arms around me and hugged me close.

“Of course, we’re friends!” Isabella exclaimed in my ear. “As a friend, I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I feel the same way.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the movers watching us. “Go ahead and load the nightstand,” I told him.

When I turned around, I could see Sebastian smiling at me. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I soon recognized the look in his eye. Pride. For some reason, I’d made him very happy, even as I began to feel extremely uncomfortable.

“So, Gabriel and I were discussing where to go,” he commented. “Would you like to eat at a steakhouse tonight?”

Without thinking, I skipped over to him. “Why, darling, I thought you’d never ask.” I stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. Then I glanced at Isabella to see what she was wearing. “Give me a minute to change and I’ll be right back.”

Half an hour later, we were seated at the restaurant and sharing a bottle of wine. “Thank you so much for selling me the dresser. You’ve made one little girl very happy,” Isabella announced.

“Oh, you’re welcome.” I took a sip of wine. “Now I just need to find a place to put my clothes.” I winked and laughed.

“I offered up my place,” Sebastian grumbled. “She refused.”

“Smart girl.” Gabriel lifted a glass to me. “Wait for the ring, Marisa.” He chuckled.

“I already proposed!” Sebastian stared at me with a raised brow, pretending to be upset.

“In my defense, there was no ring, so how was I supposed to take him seriously.” I grinned at him. “Besides, he only wanted to marry me for the money.”

“You have money?” Isabella wondered.

Giggling, I shook my head. Then I caught Sebastian’s eye and realized no one knew. My face fell. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He shook his head. “They’ll know soon enough.” Taking a deep breath he prepared to explain. “If I don’t marry by my birthday, I’ll lose the condo, the gallery, the mansion…pretty much everything but an inheritance my parents set aside for me.” He shrugged then reached out and took my hand. “Silly me. I could marry anyone to secure my fortune, but I fell in love with the one woman who cares nothing for money and isn’t ready.”

“Come on. We barely know each other. I don’t even know your favorite color!” I felt exasperated by the direction the discussion had taken, even if it was because of my big fat flapping mouth.

“It just so happens, I don’t have one,” Sebastian announced.

I scowled at him. “Everyone has a favorite color.”

He shook his head. “Now, if you’d asked me last month, I’d have said something snarky like…
black, like my heart
. With you in my life, I see the world through rainbow colored glasses.” I snorted. “Oh, and there’s cotton candy and unicorns too. Maybe my favorite color should be pink!” He winked at me.

“If your favorite color is pink, I’m definitely not ready to marry you,” I joked.

“You know what? I’m not sure anyone is ever ready,” Isabella murmured. “Gabriel and I dated for about seven months before we married and I wasn’t ready.”

“You weren’t ready?” Gabriel wore a hurt look.

She smiled at her husband and reached for his hand. “There’s no being ready for this, for joining your life with someone else’s, for sharing every bit of your being…forever.”

“And still you married me.” Gabriel shook his head as he smiled down at her.

“You didn’t let me finish.” Isabella elbowed him. “I married you because my love for you was bigger than my fear of being married again. Didn’t you marry me because your fear of losing me was bigger than your fear of keeping me?” She grinned confidently as his ears turned pink.

Gabriel turned to face me. “Isabella is right. It’s one of her worst qualities.” He chuckled. “In the end, it all comes down to love.” He pressed his lips to Isabella’s temple. When he drew back, he shook his head. “Of course, it’s too late to get married in Canada before your birthday anyway.”

Sitting up straight, Sebastian frowned. “Why’s that?”

“Well, to marry here you have to post bans twenty days in advance. It’s an antiquated tradition, I know, but still it remains part of the law.”

“Oh.” Sebastian looked down at his plate as though the piece of buttered bread was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. I knew then Gabriel had dashed his last bit of hope. Despite all his brave talk, losing it all scared and saddened him.

“Hey!” I nudged him to get his attention. Finally he met my eyes. “So can I throw you a party for your birthday, meet the rest of your friends?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I haven’t had a birthday party since I was a child.”

“Well, a quarter of a century is kind of a big deal. I thought we should make it special.” I smiled, but knew it didn’t reach my eyes. After all, I was staring at a man I had ruined. We met when my father wrecked his gallery, but I had gone one better and wrecked his whole life. Worst of all, when I wanted to bow out, he wouldn’t let me. Of course, that didn’t mean he could share my guilt. The best I could hope for was I’d manage to make the rest of his life as awesome as possible. We’d celebrate it every chance we had, starting with his birthday, when I was determined to make him forget everything he was losing by loving me.

Sebastian squeezed my hand. “A party would be really nice.”

***

Sebastian

At seven in the evening on my birthday, Marisa walked into my office wearing a pink sparkly cocktail dress that puffed out like a tutu. Her long dark hair was up in a fancy bun and I discovered she had some sections of her hair dyed pink and purple. Hell, she even wore makeup along with the perfume and jewelry I bought her, but the silver sparkly platform heels were new.

“You look amazing,” I murmured as I stood, walked around my desk and held my arms out for her. Once she walked into my embrace, I began to kiss up her neck and over to her lips. There, my efforts grew more intense and she finally stepped back. “But it’s my birthday!”

“Yes. And the party’s in the gallery, handsome.” She bit her lower lip, anxiously.

“What’s wrong, sunshine?” I tilted her chin until our eyes met.

Shaking her head, Marisa responded. “I just want you to be happy. That’s all. I want this to be your best birthday ever.”

I recognized her mood. Guilt. “Marisa, we’re spending it together. This is already the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

She brightened considerably. “Yay! Then let’s get this party started. Come on.” She took me by the hand and pulled me down the hall.

Within a few moments, I could see she had steered us toward an unused back portion of the gallery. I kept glancing at her face while we walked with fingers laced. For some reason, I felt nervous, unsure of what to expect. Then I walked in and burst out laughing. Everywhere I looked, black and white, with varying shades of pink accents.

“I wasn’t sure what shade was your favorite,” Marisa teased.

What surprised me most was that all of my friends were there. One by one, they all wandered over to greet me. Matt had brought Kristofer as his date. Ian and Ben were flying solo. Gabriel had Isabella. Me, I was luckiest of all, with Marisa on my arm.

“Isabella and Gabriel helped me with the guest list,” she explained.

I shook my head in wonder. “You did an amazing job.”

There was a buffet table of hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold. There were wines and sodas. Best of all there was a two-tiered cake, white with pink roses on it. My face ached already from smiling so big. Then I noticed the once empty walls were now lined with photos.

Immediately, I released Marisa’s hand and moved about the room, staring at each one. In an instant, Isabella was at my side. “These are for you to keep,” she murmured. “I want you to have them.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Thank you.” My voice was hoarse with emotion. After my parents died, I stopped having pictures taken. I was never the guy who had his phone out recording our trips. In some ways, I regretted it, but I couldn’t stand the loneliness I’d most certainly see. Oh, but Isabella has a gift. She’d snapped pictures of our trip to Cape Cod, and their wedding, other random meet ups. Sometimes, I was alone in the shots, other times surrounded by my friends. In none of those pictures did I look sad or lonely. Best of all, now I had someone to share them with. “You’re amazing.” I gave her a quick hug, then pulled Marisa over so I could tell her all about the gift I’d been given.

When I was done with the tour, Marisa took both my hands in hers. I wasn’t sure what was happening until she blurted out, “I love you more than I’m afraid of marrying you. I want your happiness more than I fear my potential hurt.” Then she frowned. “I wish there was some way I could marry you before midnight because I’d do it. Right now.”

I stared down into her eyes, shining bright with love. “You really mean it, don’t you? It’s not something you’re saying because you think it’s impossible so you’re safe?”

“Of course not. I never joke about marriage.” Marisa smiled so big she practically glowed.

“Oh, my love. I think you’re off the hook.” I shook my head sadly. “I don’t know a way to make this happen.” I stood there, lost in her eyes as I stared at the room she’d transformed for me, complete with pink balloons. A tug on my sleeve interrupted my reverie. “Yes?” I glanced at Isabella, vying for my attention.

She was holding out her phone and pointing at the screen excitedly while she tried to get Gabriel’s attention. “I’m the American, remember?” Isabella danced around.

“How can I forget? You’re a terrible dresser and completely unrefined.” I laughed at her.

“Watch it, mister.” Marisa jabbed me in the ribs hard enough to make me wince. “You just described me and I’m wholly Canadian.”

My face burned. “I did, didn’t I?”

“And now you match the birthday décor.” Marissa snickered at me.

“I have a solution! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it last weekend.” Isabella was practically squealing right now. “Vegas! If you want to elope in the US, you go to Vegas.”

In a matter of seconds, I had considered the idea. “Has merit. Will the marriage be legal in Canada?”

Gabriel walked over with his phone out, obviously researching. “According to this. We just need to come back with an apostille, whatever that is.” He nodded. “We can make this happen.”

Glancing at my phone, I was afraid to get my hopes up. “How long does it take to fly there?”

Matt stepped into the conversation. “Well, when I went a couple of weeks ago…”

“With my former boss.” Isabella teased.

“With Kristofer.” He glared playfully at Isabella. “It took less than five hours non-stop from here. Sebastian, it’s only eight o’clock. With the three hour time difference, we have plenty of time.”

Isabella grabbed Marisa’s hand. “Wanna go to Vegas? Wanna get married?”

Staring up at me, Marisa grinned. “I do.” Then she giggled. “Whew. That was good practice. Seriously. Let’s go.”

Already, Gabriel was on the phone. “I need you to put in a flight plan for Las Vegas. We’ll be at the airport in twenty minutes.” After ending his call, he looked at me. “It’s done. Let’s hop in the cars and go.”

“And I’m getting married in a pink sparkly cocktail dress, with silver platforms.” Marisa howled in laughter. “Quick. Before I change my mind. At least I did my makeup.”

Ben surveyed the group of us. “I think we’ve got this covered,” he announced.

“How’s that?” I asked as I struggled to wrap my mind around what we were doing.