Page 4 of Sebastian

“You shouldn’t be out here without a coat.”

“I needed to be away from all the chaos,” she smiled. She hoped he wouldn’t leave her. Not now.

“Oh. I can leave you,” he said shyly.

“No, Sebastian,” she smiled. “You’re not the chaos. All of that is. I love our families, but sometimes it’s a lot.” She hoped that he would understand what she was saying. She loved her parents and sisters. She loved his parents, but everyone all at once was a lot. More than a lot.

“It’s a lot all of the time. Believe me, I understand.” They walked slowly through the maze, and Sebastian felt the wind pick up. “Maybe we should get somewhere warm.”

She nodded toward the enclosed gazebo, and they jogged toward it just as the rain started to come down. Inside, Sebastian closed the door and started the fire in the small gas firepit. He then lit the lantern that was always available, and they snuggled together to get warm, staying out of the impending rain and storm.

“If I didn’t tell you tonight, you look beautiful, Em. Really beautiful.” He’d noticed, she thought to herself. She’d spent hours on her hair and makeup, wanting it to be perfect for him. She intentionally made it look different than her sisters’.

“You didn’t tell me but thank you. You look handsome as well.” Emelia heard the music coming from the Mardi Gras tent. Bull and Amanda were singing a duet while Mia played the violin. She could hear the faint sounds of everything floating across the property, seemingly directed at them.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, standing and holding out his hand.

She nodded at him, sliding her arms into his jacket to keep warm. Emelia hoped that he wouldn’t see her shaking beneath the coat. It wasn’t from the cold. It was from nerves.

Emelia knew this would be the perfect chance for her to ask him. Maybe her only chance with them alone. When the song ended, she stared up at him, just looking into his eyes. He was so much taller than she was. She rocked up on her toes to be taller.

“Sebastian?”

“Yes.”

“Will you kiss me?” she asked.

“Are you sure, Em? You know what it means to me if we do.”

“I know,” she nodded. “Me too. We’re going to be going our own way soon, and I don’t want us to forget this. Please kiss me.”

He lowered his head to hers, finding her lips in the dim light. He didn’t pressure her with a tongue or try anything strange. He just molded his lips to hers and enjoyed every breathless moment of it. It was her first kiss, and Emelia knew it would also be the last. No other man would ever touch her again. Sebastian or celibacy.

When Em pulled back, her chest heaving up and down, they just stared at one another.

“Promise we’ll come back together?” she asked.

“You have my word.”

Emelia knew that any number of things could change between now and when they left for college and the military. She also knew that the majority of those on the property always returned.

They’d both hoped that they could date until they had to leave, but dating was difficult when there were a bunch of other people around you all the time!

For Emelia, it was enough for the time being. Finished with her master’s program, she took a job with the FBI and never told anyone except her sisters. She wanted to tell Sebastian, but she knew that if she told him, the others would all find out, and that would make their parents find out.

None of them were ready for that.

Their hand was forced when Mags was kidnapped in Egypt, and Ellie and Leif reconnected. Now, the whole world knew that they each worked for one of the agencies.

“You should have told me,” he said quietly as the others were laughing and joking around. Finally safe and happily back home, Mags and Ellie were married to the loves of their lives. She was thrilled for them, and she hoped that Maddie would stop being so stubborn and realize that Forrest was the man for her.

“I wanted to, Sebastian. So many times. I was just worried that my parents would find out, and I wasn’t ready for that yet.”

“You could have come to see me,” he said, staring at her. She could see the pain in his eyes and shook her head.

“Sebastian, it’s not what you think. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep this a secret from you. I’ve never been able to keep a secret from you. I didn’t want for it to be this way but look at how this turned out. Once you knew about Ellie, then you all knew about Mags, Maddie, and me. Everything we knew would happen is happening.”

“What’s happening?” he asked.