Page 147 of Sebastian's Baby

I take her to the fourth row, where my parents are sitting. I only have two grandparents left, my grandad on my dad’s side and my nonna on my mom’s side. I smile at the group as I approach them with Lita.

“Mom, Dad, you remember Lita. Grandad, Nonna, this is Lolita Ciccone.”

“Lita, it’s lovely to see you again,” Dad says with a smile at her before he shakes her hand.

She shakes Grandad and Nonna’s hands. Then Mom stands to give her a hug before sitting back down again.

I know that I need to go back to the guys, no matter how much I would rather stay here and be with Lita.

“Sorry, princess, but I’m going to have to leave. I believe I’m needed for some random thing someone wants to do today.”

I grin at my joke, and Lita smiles at me. “Of course; I’ll see you later.”

“I mean,” I say while gesturing to my previous spot by Gabriel’s side because it’s only about twenty feet away from where we’re standing. “I’ll be right there. You will probably be able to see me the whole time.”

“It’s tradition to look at the bride when she walks down the aisle, Sebastian Fox; don’t think that I won’t give you hell if you’re not watching Ariana do that,” Lita laughs.

“How will you know that I’m watching you instead of her ifyou’renot watching me instead of her?” I tease her as I raise an eyebrow at her.

Lita purses her lips and says, “Hmm, good point. I’ll just have to trust you, I guess.”

I laugh, and I can’t resist giving her a quick hug before I walk away. I walk back to the front of the room and stand with the guys.

“Everything okay with Lita?” Hayden asks.

“Yeah. All good.” I glance over at her where she’s talking to my mom, and smile.

The room is filling up, and Gabriel is shifting from foot to foot with his jaw tensed as we talk. A few people catch my eye, and I wave or nod at them, but I keep my eye on Lita as much as I can. She’s sitting stiffly and looking around.

The string musicians, who have been playing classical music while we waited, switch to playing “Air on the G String” and Gabriel mutters, “Oh my god.”

I lean around Harrison and joke, “Need me to grab a puke bag off Lita for you?”

Hayden and Harrison chuckle, and Gabriel manages a grin but doesn’t take his eyes off the entrance of the room. I turn to see his sister Dina walking down the aisle. She’s wearing a long, strapless dress. It’s made of lilac lace and embroidered with flowers. So these are the dresses Heather was working on. She really is talented, and I look back at Lita in the stunning dress she’s wearing. Heather couldn’t have made anything more perfect for her.

Dina comes to a stop opposite Hayden, and I smile at her before turning to look at Ariana’s friend Charlotte, who’s walking down the aisle now. Like Dina, she’s wearing a purple dress and is carrying a bouquet of pink, lilac, and cream flowers mixed with some greenery.

I know who’s coming next. Heather. I feel very differently about her today than I did the last time I watched her walk down an aisle. The feelings that I had for her pale in comparison to what I now feel for Lita.

Heather appears in another lilac dress, carrying flowers and with her blonde hair in an updo. She looks as stunning as ever, but not even half as beautiful as Lita. I watch Lita as she takes in Heather’s appearance. After a few seconds, she turns to look at me. Our eyes meet, and I think she’s checking for my reaction to Heather. I give a tiny shake of my head, and she looks amused.

Lita turns to look at Heather again, and when Heather passes her, she turns to smile at her before she faces me and gives me a bright smile as well. Then, as she’s standing opposite Harrison, the musicians begin to play the “Wedding March.”

The guests all dutifully stand and face the door. Ariana appears, holding the arm of her father. Her hair is also in an updo, with a beautiful gold headpiece in it that circles the crown of her head. Heather has gone all out on Ariana’s dress and she looks absolutely gorgeous. The bodice has intricate floral beadwork over its lace, and it flares out from the waist with more intricate floral beadwork over the tulle skirt.

I catch sight of Lita wiping tears away from her eyes, and I can’t help but smile at her pregnancy hormones getting the better of her. She turns back to face the front and catches my eye. She gives me a chagrined smile as she wipes at her tears, and I wish I were sitting next to her for this instead of being up here.

When Ariana reaches us, the guests take their seats, and the ceremony begins. Mom hands Lita a tissue, and she whispers something to her while I smile. These are the two women I probably love more than anyone else in the world, and I’m grateful that Mom seems to like Lita.

When the time comes for the vows, Gabriel looks like he really might puke, and I grin at him. He’s had years of performance training, though, so when he speaks, you can’t even tell that he’s nervous.

“Ariana Irene Chamberlain, you are my heart and soul. I love that you are kind and caring, and considerate of others. I love that you jumped into a pool with your clothes on the night that we met. I jumped in, headfirst, with you, and I never looked back.

“I vow to you that I will always support you. I will be the man that is by your side during the highest highs and the lowest lows. I will always be in your corner, and I will fight for you every day of my life if I have to, because I know that I am the luckiest man in the world because Iget to have you by my side.

“I look forward to starting this new chapter of our lives together, with you as my wife. Wherever the road takes us, we will be together forever.”

It’s strange seeing my friend give his vows. I had no idea what love could feel like before Lita, and for so long, I’ve rejected the idea of love and relationships—telling myself that I was fine with screwing any woman I wanted. Now, there’s only one woman I ever want to sleep with. I look at her, where she’s dabbing her eyes with a tissue, and I smile. I need to tell her before she goes back to Seattle. Maybe if I tell her that I don’t want to sleep with anyone else, that she is the only woman for me, it might make a difference.

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