Page 85 of The Final Rose

“He sounds like he really loves you.”

Dad huffs, shaking his head. “Of course he does! What’s not to love? She’s Calliope Sosa.”

I don’t tell Dad it’s Sebastian’s name that’s the famous one. That he is the one who just had twelve women competing for his heart, and he has more money than any of us can understand. I don’t say any of it because he’s right.

What’s not to love?

“Let’s go, Callie. Traffic is a bitch this time.” Dario is hurrying me along.

“Language, Dario.” Mom tries just one more time.

“Mom, this is an extraordinary event!” he argues. “Don’t you get it? Callie is going to marry a millionaire! If I don’t get to swear now, when can I do it?”

“You can never swear.” Mom deadpans and my brother, honest to God, huffs and whines at her, “Mooooommm!”

I put my sneakers on and pull my hair into a ponytail while ignoring everything around me. In less than a minute, I’m out the door with Ben on my heels. I practically jog to the car and try to suppress the annoyance when Dario comes in and slides me to the middle of the bench.

“Do you need to come?”

He scoffs. “Of course!”

I’m going to reply, but Ben is already off to the road. “No fighting when I’m driving.” He puts down the rule.

“Don’t you start,” I complain.

I wish we could go faster. I wish we could fly the streets. My leg jumps up and down, and Dario smacks it.

“Tell us what you’re going to say to him.” Before I have the time to tell him I don’t know, he interrupts. “Unless it is dirty. Don’t tell us then.”

Ben growls, which it might mean he also doesn’t want to know.

“It’s not like I have prepared a speech.”

We stop in traffic, and Ben sighs at the road ahead. “You have a couple of hours to figure it out.”

23.

Sebastian

I look at theendless grass in front of me and take a deep breath. Legs bent, arms straight, ending on the golf club. I sway, testing the position, and then I look far ahead to the flag.

Swing, hit and I watch as the ball sores graceless through the air.

Bollocks.

I was never a good golfer. And I’m just as bad at mini-golf.

“She’ll come,” someone says behind me, and I don’t need to turn my head to see who.

The woman is many things, and most of them annoy me. I have to respect her, though. I know she cares about Callie first and foremost, but Anya and I will never be best mates.

“I know she will,” I say, taking a moment and then looking at the woman.

“But you’ve been looking like a wounded puppy since we came back.”

We came back two days ago when the finale aired. Until then, I stayed in my hotel room like a good boy. I gave nothing to the press. I played the game like they told me to. In the morning of the season finale, I finally woke up and came back to the mansion. I watched the episode with a few crew members who agreed to stay until Callie came back.

Two days later, we’re still here.

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