Page 126 of Closer

“No, you watch yours. Lil isn’t a pawn, and she sure as hell isn’t a threat. She’s the best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me, and I won’t let you or anyone else ruin that. I will make her my wife whether you like it or not.”

“That’s what you call the best thing? Ridiculous. Did you already forget what happened? You’re making a mistake. One you’ll regret.”

“The only mistake I made was letting her go in the first place. I won’t do it again.”

For a long moment, we remain locked in a silent battle.

“Still too stubborn for your own good,” he says.

“Learned from the best.” I offer my hand.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He shakes it.

“Does this mean you’ll accept Lil into the family?”

“We’ll see. If she’s the one you choose, then I’ll give her a chance to prove she’s different from the rest of her blood.” His hand tightens around mine. “But if they try anything funny, the feud will seem petty in comparison to my wrath.”

“Fair enough.”

With a final squeeze, Dad releases my hand. “Well, I should be off. Your mother will be expecting me home for dinner. Call her. She’s… excited.”

“I will.”

He pauses at the door. “Did you tell her yet?”

Chapter 37

Lilian

“AndElijah decided to extend the trip another week!” Gemma refills her and Mary’s champagne glass. “I almost didn’t want to come home.”

“That sounds so romantic,” Mary says. “Did you do any of those fancy couples’ activities, like swimming with dolphins or romantic sunset cruises?”

“We did both, actually. The dolphins were so sweet,” Gemma says.

Will Sebastian and I ever have a honeymoon? What am I even thinking? It’s not like we’re engaged.

Over the past weeks, he and I have been in a, I guess, what you can call, relationship. We go on dates, cook together, sleep together, and relax on the couch, me reading and him watching football.

We do late-night sewing sessions almost every day. Me on his lap, his arms around me. I don’t know why, but with Sebastian, the monsters are gone. No nightmares. And yet, I feel bad for taking up so much of his time. Time he should use resting because he’s such a workaholic.

Something is on his mind. Even when he’s here, he sometimes looks like he is somewhere else completely.

I stand at the stove, stirring the simmering pasta sauce harder.

“Lil?”

I whip my head toward Gemma. “Yeah?”

“Everything okay?”

On cue, my phone buzzes with an incoming text. Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I pick it up from the counter.

Sebastian: Can’t make it home for dinner tonight. Big deal that needs my attention. Sorry, princess.

I’ve grown so used to his presence over the past couple of months that every time he’s late, the apartment feels empty.

Lil: No worries, I understand. Good luck! We’ll save you leftovers.

---