Page 26 of Sebastian

“I guess I only gave you half the story earlier. I’m not used to sharing about that part of my life.” Emma sighed and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “My biological father was a deadbeat. Left my mom when she was six months pregnant with me. Never met him and I honestly know nothing about the man. It was always just me and my mom until I was fourteen. Those were our Gilmore Girl years. But then, my mom introduced me to this guy she’d been seeing for a while. I had no idea.”

“Why do you think it could have been him?”

“I didn’t know it at the time, but he was involved in some shady things. My mom’s treatments were expensive. I should have questioned where he got the money from, but I was so naive, completely wrapped up in my own teenage drama.”

“Did you not have a good relationship?”

“My mom was my everything. She loved him, and he loved her, but I was sort of the packaged deal. He was decent, at least until she died. I was in my last year of school, so we kept living together because I had no other family, but things got uncomfortable.”

“How, Emma?” Seb growled.

“He would drink. A lot. And he got physical when he drank.”

“Physical?”

“He’d hit me. But the last time, before I…left….he tried to…” God, she didn’t want to think about that night. She’d been up late trying to study for a test in her chemistry class, when he’d stumbled home black-out drunk. No matter how many times she’d screamed at him to get out of her room, he just wouldn’t listen. He’d even said he just wanted one night with her in order to remember her mother. What sort of sick man thinks like that? She was able to lock herself in the bathroom for the night, but a knock came at the front door a few hours later and her whole life changed in that instant.

“I want his name, Emma. And where he lived the last time you saw him.”

“I’m probably wrong, Seb. I’ve been able to hide from him for years. There’s no reason why he’d know I’m here. I just keep getting the feeling someone is watching me, and I haven’t been able to shake it.”

“I still want his name, Sprinkles. There’s no way I’m not going to pay him a visit after what you just told me.”

They sat in a heavy silence for several seconds before she finally had the courage to speak.

“Lawrence Wilson,” she whispered. “God, I haven’t said his name in years. I feel like I just unleashed a shadow monster back into my life.”

“You don’t have to worry for a second, Em. I’m going to figure out if he’s been here, and if he has, we’ll make sure he never comes back.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

“Thank you, Sebastian. I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your night. Or I guess, morning now? I’m going to head back to my place. I swear I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He ran his fingers through her hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear before lifting her chin with his thumb.

“I thought you liked that about me?” she teased, eyes still shut and a slight slur to her words.

“There is so much I like about you, Emma, if I started listing all the things, you’d never get the rest you need. You’re apartment is a crime scene, and I doubt they are ready to release it back to you right now. So just lie back and keep your eyes closed. You’ll just have to stay here and we can figure things out later today.”

“Y-you want me to stay here? In your bed?” The thought of him holding her, snuggled all safe and warm against his chest, sent her heart into overdrive. Not that she would ever admit that to him, but she didn’t think she would protest too much if he tried.

“Yes. I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t know you’re safe. And I want to make sure I’m around if you need anything.”

“But where are you going to sleep?” Her eyes popped open and searched his.

“I think you know where I’d like to sleep, but if you aren’t okay with that, I’ll take one of the guest beds.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Of course I would, Sprinkles. I think you’d be surprised with how much I’d do for you.”

“You can sleep in here,” she whispered. “But we will have to build a pillow wall between us. I’m not a one-date-and-sleep-together kind of girl.”

“Noted,” he laughed. Sebastian helped her get comfortable in bed, even fluffing the pillows behind her head. It was simultaneously sweet and ridiculous, but left her with butterflies fluttering around in her belly nonetheless.

Emma watched as he walked over to his closet and began to change. He was still in his suit from the fundraiser, well the bottom half anyway. He must have been in the process of changing when she called, panicked in the alley.

She couldn’t help but smile at the mismatched look he was sporting with the Navy shirt he had pulled on when they’d gotten into his apartment. It was the first time she’d seen him in anything other than a suit, and she drooled at the sight of his muscles pulling the fabric of his casual shirt tight across his chest and arms.

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