Chapter 10

Evelyn's POV

Does my mother have fucking sonar? How is it that whenever I have a second of alone time with Sebastian, she always appears out of thin air?

As I hide behind the couch, I listen as Madelyn starts talking. “Where have you been, Sebastian? We’ve been worried sick.”

I watch Sebastian shrug and brush her off. “Here, there. Out and about.”

I cling to Sebastian’s pant leg even harder, silently begging for my mother to retreat up the stairs to bed.

“Honestly, Sebastian. I think you should have a talk with Gregory. You two are going to be part of my family. I want you both to be happy.”

“I assure you, Madelyn. I will speak to my father.”

“Good then.” I can see a reflection of her shadow, and I watch with relief as she finally sets off to go back upstairs. Thank God.

“Madelyn?” Sebastian calls. I watch a sly grin take over his face. What the fuck is he doing?

“Yes?”

“Can you tell me if any wedding customs are done in Hawaii? I’ve been curious.”

Is he serious? Is this actually happening right now? What the fuck, Sebastian?

“Oh, certainly! There’s so many.”

Then, to my absolute horror, my mother starts to list every single one she can think of.

I’m going to kill this man. It’s official. He’s doing all of this on purpose to mess with me even more.

I stare up at Sebastian in complete disbelief.

Yep. Definitely going to kill him.

After five minutes of their conversation, my legs start to go numb. I tug on Sebastian’s pants, trying to get his attention. I swear this is going to end so poorly for the both of us if my mom doesn’t get out of here.

However, when I do tug his pants, my piece of shit stepbrother has the audacity to glance down at me before he continues talking to my mother!

I’m going to make his death slow and incredibly painful to get back at him.

In my attempt to readjust enough so that the feeling might return to my legs, I accidentally make a noise, letting it escape between my teeth.

Shit, shit, shit!

“What was that?” My mom questions. “Sounds like a mouse.”

I silently slap my hand over my mouth, tense with nerves. This is going to be way too tricky to explain.

I’m going to be grounded until I’m 30.

Clearly unfazed by my commotion, Sebastian lets out a loud yawn, stretching to make his point. “I’m absolutely exhausted. I’m just going to grab some water and head to bed.”

My mom stands silently for ten seconds. Say something, woman!

“Okay. Please talk to your father, honey. Goodnight.”

Finally, with a hop and skip in my heart, Mom retreats up the stairs.

Grateful to be able to stand, I do so quickly but underestimate my legs. Still numb from crouching, I immediately fall onto Sebastian, who starts falling a bit before catching his balance.

In a low voice, so no one hears me, I spit out, “Why do you constantly tease me at every chance you get?”

Sebastian is quick with his response. “Why was your first instinct to hide when your mom came downstairs? Are you as guilty as you seem to think I am about our relationship?”

His teasing tone frustrates me even more. What a giant jackass.

Annoyed, I try to pull away and return to my room, but I get pulled back into the man’s arms. Instantly, I’m reminded of the night we met.

Our birthday.

He holds me in his arms, and for the first time all night, I can feel the tension inside of him. He seems to deflate into me, and I finally notice that there’s a lot more here than I expected.

“I’m adopted.”

“What?!” I whisper-shout, trying to pull away to look Sebastian in the eyes. It’s no wonder he doesn’t look like Gregory. The short grey hair and the shorter stance on him finally adds up.

Sebastian isn’t his real son.

“Gregory adopted me when I was young. Look, I have no interest in this career, and I don’t want to inherit the family business. It was always going to be this way, but the man never asked me if this is actually what I want!”

Of course, he plays these games with me. This world isn’t his own. The company is supposed to be taken care of. Instead, Sebastian must stand in the shadows of his dad.

“It’s not my legacy. Gregory may have treated me like his own son, but I have always…always felt like I’m in the shadows. He wants the perfect son that he envisioned. Instead, he got stuck with me.”

I can’t even believe what I’m hearing. And then, what I’m seeing. I watch one tear fall down Sebastian’s face, breaking my heart for the pain he’s clearly been experiencing his entire life.

How am I supposed to walk away when he’s opened himself up to me like this? Where he finally broke down his walls enough to let me wander inside and take a look?

I embrace the crying man to let him grieve. All the while, I ask myself, am I any better than Sebastian has been?

It’s finally here. Starting a new year at a new school. I should be terrified, but I’m not. I think this is precisely what I’ve needed for weeks.

Mom alone brings me down there, the two of us driving and having reminiscent memories together. I do miss Hawaii, yet I find that I can’t help but be excited.

We meet my roommate, Olivia Nguyen, as soon as we get to the building. She’s super sweet while we say our hellos, and then, she gives Mom and me a minute to say goodbye.

I hug my favorite person tight, knowing I’ll miss her but loving her for everything she’s done for me through the years.

“I have a surprise for you, Eve,” Mom says when she pulls away. “I can’t wait for you to see it.”

I tilt my head. “A surprise? Why? You’re the one who’s getting married. I should be getting you something.”

She shakes her head at me, putting her hand under my chin. “Sometimes it’s best for us to take care of our daughters first.”

“Come on, Mom. Tell me. I don’t want the last thing you say before leaving is you have a surprise.”

She bites her lower lip, pushing her identical curls back. “Oh…alright, fine. I wanted to surprise you on the night of the wedding.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Surprise me with what?”

She holds her breath, forcing me to wait in anticipation. “I invited Lucas to the wedding!” She gleefully says, clapping her hands.

I don’t even bother to hide my shock. Lucas? How the hell had she done that?

Furthermore, why the hell would he bother going to Mom’s wedding when he didn’t give a damn about love or our family?

I just nod, letting Mom leave so I can think it through.

What was she thinking?

“Hey, did you wanna go get lunch? I’m absolutely starving.” I don’t hear Olivia at first, but then I turn my head to my new roommate and smile at her to indicate a yes.

“Sure, that sounds great.”

We make our way downstairs in our building, passing people moving, talking, and laughing with one another. Oh, for a world like this. It’s hard to imagine myself integrated so deeply into the culture around me.

I wonder just what I have to look forward to.

“Oh, damn, I forgot my phone upstairs!”

Olivia’s sentence has me turning to face her.

“I remembered my keys but not my phone. Sorry. I’ll be right back. Wait here!”

The short woman turns around and jogs back towards the stairwell, leaving me alone. Maybe this is the perfect time to tell Sebastian his best friend will be coming to town.

Assuming he bothers to make the trip.

“Hello?” Sebastian chimes.

“Hey, I gotta tell you something. It’s important. I only found out like ten minutes ago.”

He doesn’t answer, and I check my phone to see if our call has dropped. No, it’s still going. I wait another five seconds before I say. “Are you there?”

Then, someone taps on my shoulder. Turning around, I see Sebastian. With his quaffed hair, he gives me a look that I’ve come to realize is exclusively for me. It’s genuinely become one of my favorite parts of seeing him.

Even when everything else reminds me of our first night.

“You had something you wanted to tell me?”