Page 101 of Bastian

Now he is standing in the corner babysitting Cupcake. Ella’s dog is taking a nap on his very own cupcake-themed bed that I got this afternoon for him. I also got the mutt everything he needed for when he came to stay here with his owner, my girl.

Anything with a pulse besides my sisters bothered me and had no value to me. Until the needy pup with a pink sweater named Cupcake gave me one pitiful look and bark, and then I was done for.

He was black and warm.

Yeah, just like someone I know, he gave me one sweet look, and I was gone. Besides, who says no to a small mutt with a sparkly sweater on? Even if he looks extremely grumpy. His owner is a big bully who dresses him in pink is hilarious to me.

He at least barked and urinated all over Sebastian, which gave him all the bonus points in the world. That made me dislike the small creature a bit less until earlier in the evening when my Ellaiza insisted I hold the damn dog.

Now, I have another living thing to care for.

Great…

“Wow, mommy. You reached all the stars!”

Adding a few black sprinkles on my white frosted cookies specially made for Benjamin and some for Sebastian per my girl’s request, I ask Ella. “What do you mean, baby?”

“Well, your office is so big, and daddy says you’re the big boss.” Her smile widens, and I can’t help but smile at her enthusiastic mannerisms as she spreads her arms wide. “And look at this place, mommy. This is every fashionista’s dream home.” She sighs, reminding me so much of myself when I first entered Sebastian’s home back then and saw the huge walk-in closet he had made just for me. I looked just like my little mini-me looks right now.

“You know, Ella…” I drop the kitchen knife and stop to stare at her while she looks up at me. “Stars are great and all, and so is all I’ve accomplished, but nothing means more to me in this world than you, okay?”

“Oh, I know.” She grins, but then her smile drops, making my heart stop in my chest.

Grabbing her chin, I ask. “What’s wrong?”

“Will you… will you go again?” She asks, looking so small that it makes me want to wrap her in my arms and never let go. So I do just that. I take her in my arms and give her small head a gentle kiss. “Never. I am here to stay, and that’s a promise, Ella.”

“Pinky promise?” she sticks her little finger up, and I quickly wrap my own around hers.

“Promise. Forever.” I whisper.

“Forever.” She repeats.

I pull back, releasing her with another quick kiss on the head. “Now, how about we give you a bath and then make some popcorn and watch the mermaid movie?” When she was a baby, she was obsessed with all things Frozen, and now Frozen is long forgotten, and she’s into the older princesses. The mermaid movie is all she talks about lately.

Ella nods enthusiastically, “This is the best mommy and daughter date ever! Dad is missing out.” She says that, and suddenly, my mind goes to a very dark and dangerous place. A place inside my mind where a little green monster resides. One who vanished for a while alongside my love for Sebastian, but now it’s back, and pissed at the thought of Sebastian with someone else. I hate that my mind went there the moment he suggested Ella stay with me tonight. I know he wanted us to spend more time together, and I feel like shit for instantly thinking the worst. Damn, tyrant, you mess with my head too much.

And that’s why he needs more time to grovel because what example do I show my girl if I let heartbreak go unpunished? Let him grovel a bit first while I sort out all these confusing emotions.

Cleaning the kitchen and the mess we made quickly, I watch as Ella climbs down the stool with a heart-shaped cookie in hand and runs toward Shaw.

With my heart in my throat, I watch, ready to rip his own heart out of his chest and give it to my girl if he so much as makes her feel anything less than extraordinary.

But then the giant tattooed man does something that makes my heart flip inside my chest. Something that makes me not want to maim him just yet.

He drops to Ella’s height and takes the heart-shaped cookie. The one she spent ten minutes on and smiles at her. In the time I’ve known him, he has never smiled at another living thing, not even his cousin, Benjamin. Only Ellaiza. Only a heartless bastard would be immune to her charms. Her father’s charm, might I add.

How did the man know that cookie was the one she deemed most special, I don’t know, but it sure makes my girl smile from ear to ear.

And for that, I am grateful to Shaw Banning.

* * *

“I love it so much!” Ella exclaims while looking at herself through my phone’s camera. I laugh because she used to love taking photos of herself when she was a toddler, and I guess that much hasn’t changed. After I ran her a bath and got her into her purple pajamas we came back down to the living room and sat on the couch, eating popcorn and watching her favorite animated movie. Well, she did the watching while I did her hair and answered some emails. Work emails and the one email I’ve been agonizing over for the past two days. Mila’s. While sitting on this couch so blissfully happy that I could burst at any second, I emailed my sister back.

I didn’t know what to say.

What else is there to say but I am sorry? Therefore, I replied with a yes.

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