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He walks away from me to his car, speeding away as a sob catches in my throat. I sink defeatedly against the wall of the restaurant.

The door squeaks as someone opens it, and it’s Penelope who steps out. She looks around hesitantly as if she’s afraid of interrupting anything. There’s nothing to interrupt, though. He left. “Where did Sebastian go?” she asks and tears blur my vision. Her arms wrap around me, a steady anchor to the real world as I try to process the last ten minutes.

“He’s gone and I don’t think he’s coming back.”

CHAPTER ONE

Sebastian

THREE YEARS LATER

I walk into the living room to find my fiancée sitting on the couch with her wedding planner and my dog. She looks up, smiling brightly at me. “Hey, how was your day?”

“It was good,” I say, leaning over the couch to kiss Kiera’s cheek sweetly. “How was yours? Did you go to your dress fitting?”

Kiera shakes her head, patting the couch next to her. “It’s next week.” She is still looking in her planner, clearly distracted by something.

I sit on the couch as she straightens her legs out to put them across my lap. “Sorry, I thought that was today.” I immediately start rubbing my thumbs into the muscles of her calves. “I was talking to Alec today and he said we could use his beach house for a few days, so I thought we could go away this weekend?”

“That sounds nice, Seb, but I’m volunteering at the clinic this weekend. I don’t know if I could find someone to coverfor me, and I need the hours for my class.” Kiera’s pale blue eyes are shining with remorse.

“It’s okay, baby, we’ll just have to go another time,” I reassure her, as Zeus climbs over Kiera’s lap, sneezing directly in my face.

I wipe away the spray of saliva, scratching the St. Bernard’s soft head. “Was that really necessary, buddy?” I ask as he blinks his dark eyes at me as if to communicate that it was. I can’t explain it, but Zeus sneezes when he’s happy.

“Zeus, down.” Kiera laughs, pushing him off her.

“Now that is the reaction of someone who missed me while I was gone,” I tease Kiera playfully as she rolls her eyes in response. She sets the planner down on the coffee table before moving to sit in my lap, looping her arms around my neck.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more excited to see you. I missed you a lot today. I’m just trying to make sure everything is in order. We only have three months left until the big day,” she says, smiling nervously. I know it’s a lot of work planning the wedding, and taking classes for her nursing degree, but I thought most of the important stuff was already done.

“It’s all going to be great.” I tilt my head forward to press my mouth against hers. “I can’t wait to call you my wife,” I mumble against Kiera’s lips, feeling her smile.

“And I can’t wait to call you my husband.”

Hearing Kiera say that makes my heart swell with happiness. I kiss her deeper, feeling her run her fingers through my short hair.

Zeus barks, the sound rattling the frames on the walls, clearly wanting our attention. I pull away, chuckling as he pokes Kiera with his wet nose. She sighs and pets himgently. “Really? You couldn’t just let me kiss your dad for a little bit?”

“Are you expecting him to respond?”

She sticks her tongue out at me. “You talk to Zeus too. Don’t act like you’re better than me.”

“I don’t have to be better than you, but I do have to be faster than you in case there’s a zombie apocalypse. We live in a nice neighborhood, but I’m not sure if the gates would be enough to keep them out,” I jest, causing Kiera to push herself off me. She’s trying to scowl, but her smile is threatening to poke through. She can’t keep a straight face to save her life.

“I’m mad at you.”

I chuckle and give her my most charming smile. “No, you’re not. You love me.”

“I can be mad at you and still love you. But I have the perfect idea for what you can do to not make me mad at you for saying you’d leave me behind to be eaten by zombies?” Kiera smiles sweetly and motions to the book on the coffee table. I immediately understand what it is too.

“I’m sorry, but no.” Zeus nudges his nose under my hand and I scratch behind his ear.

“Seb, please will you just call her?” Kiera asks, and I look over at her wedding planner. She’s stopped on the page from Blake and Owen’s wedding last year that Thalia helped photograph.

Even I have to admit that for someone who doesn’t enjoy photographing people, the wedding portraits Thalia took turned out great, especially when she was also playing the role of maid of honor. Thalia brought another photographer with her since she couldn’t do it all by herselfdue to being in the wedding party, but she played the role of Superwoman that night.

Walking down the aisle with her on my arm brought up all kinds of terrible memories of what could have been. It was awkward as hell and I was as thankful for Kiera then as I am for her now.

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