Page 36 of The Coffee Shop

I stare at him.

“What did Lu tell you?” He asks.

“Nothing. He said it was your story to tell. But… I assume there’s a story?” I ask and I’m completely fine if he is not ready to talk about this, especially with me, but I get the feeling that maybe he needs to.

He starts jogging again and I match his strides, not saying a word.

“My mother died the day she had me,” he says quietly.

“Seb, I’m so-”

“No, don’t be sorry. I can’t miss someone I’ve never met,” he says quietly.

“That’s not true,” I say immediately and he stares at me quizzically.

“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “I just mean, you can miss the life that you never got the chance to have. That sort of loss can be just as painful as losing someone you appreciate. Just because you didn’t know her doesn’t mean she wasn’t important,” I say, glancing over at him.

He is quiet for a moment, his eyes furrowed, his jaw clenched. He slows to a walk and I immediately regret ever bringing it up, until he reaches his hand out to me. I take it, and our fingers interlock.

“You’re right. I do think about what my life would be if she survived,” he says softly. “I’m sure you’ve figured out my family was into the same shit as yours, same as Luke’s,” he says and I nod, because I had figured as much. “Well, my dad was deep into it. Mostly drug deals and carjackings. When I was seventeen, a deal went sideways. He got himself shot and well, he didn’t survive. He was a piece of shit anyway, so it wasn’t a huge upset. But we were left… alone,” he says, staring off ahead, the memories clearly weighing on him.

I stare at his face, those hard lines full of sorrow.

“We?” I ask.

He lets out a soft chuckle.

“I… have a sister,” he says. “A twin, actually,” he smiles.

I stop walking.

“You’re a twin?” I ask, because all this information is…a lot.But atwin?

“Yeah. Savannah is…” he scratches his head. “Well she’s a lot like you,” he smiles down at me.

“Oh?” I smile back.

“Savi doesn’t take shit from anyone,especiallyme. When we were sent into the foster system, I couldn’t handle it. I had to get out of there and I wanted her to come with me. She knew me, knew what kind of trouble I would get into, so she refused. I took off without her. I just… left her there. I was living out of my car until Lu and I got a place. Later, after I graduated from the academy and had pulled my shit together, I tried to track her down but… I don’t think she wants to be found. Not by me, at least,” he shrugs. But I can see past his nonchalance. Leaving herbrokehim.

It’s still breaking him.

“I’m so sorry, Seb,” I say, and I genuinely mean that. My sister and I aren’t close, but at least I know she’s safe and in the same city. Suddenly, what Luke said makes sense.

Sebastian is… alone.Luke is his family now.

“Don’t worry yourself, sugar,” he says, looking down at me with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. But when I look up at him, I can’t hide the tears in my eyes. He looks away quickly, but tightens his grip on my hand and moves a little closer as we follow along the path through the calm of the trees.

Sebastian is a gruff man, there’s no doubt about that, and I already thought there was a reason behind it, but to finally know the whole story? To understand him?

I stay close to him, thinking about all this man has been through, what he’s endured. What they both have. I think about how they dug their way out of it and how proud I am of them. They could have just gone along with a life of crime like everyone else, but they didn’t. They chose their own path, became cops, then started their own business. A verysuccessfulbusiness from what I can gather from their car, their clothes.Hell,even Luke’s shampoo and Sebastian’s cologne give them away.

They made a life for themselves, agoodlife. Because they aregoodmen. They care about others, about each other. They are hardworking and absolutely selfless.

These men not only saved my life, but when I was falling to pieces, they did everything in their power to cheer me up, to distract me from the hell I was going through.

I think about how Sebastian, that hard ass, softens only for me. Only for Luke. How Luke cares for both of us, always making sure we have whatever we require.

I think about how much I crave being near them.

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