Page 152 of Please Save Me

“I meant to order delivery, but I accidentally did pick up,” I breathed. “Shit, and I’ve been drinking too.”

I hadn’t been, but I knew Sophia had. She’d been taste-testing the sangria for the last hour, so she was too buzzed to drive.

“Shoot. What about Seb? Do you think we could ask him to get it?”

I glanced back at Sebastian who was currently untangling an ornament from Jasper’s mop of dark curls.

“I mean, it’s a good idea as long as he hasn’t been drinking,” I said, acting like that wasn’t my plan all along.

“He should be fine,” she assured me before looking back to the chaos of the tree. “Hey Seb! Can you come here for a moment?”

He looked up just as he finished freeing Jasper. He then handed Jasper the ornament before walking over.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“We have a bit of a problem,” I explained, scratching my beard. “I meant to order delivery from the Chinese place up the street, but I messed up, and now someone needs to go get it.”

“What, don’t you know how to drive?” he taunted, but his words lacked their usual venom.

“No, I do, I’ve just been drinking.” I laughed.

“That’s fine. I can do it. Just send me the address.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I did what he said. “Hey, maybe you should take Mason, too. She looks like she could use some air.”

Sebastian looked back at the tree, his gaze settling on Mason as she sat on the floor, rubbing her back and passing out ornaments.

“I can do that,” he repeated.

He walked away as quickly as he returned, and I quietly reveled in the fact that my plan to get them alone worked. I just hoped he’d make the most of the opportunity.

Chapter 46

Sebastian

Cameron Cole was a liar—a big, fat, idioticliar. I went to the exact location he sent me, rattled off his name, the supposed time he placed the order, and listed all the items he claimed he ordered. Only to find out they didn’texist.

After a very irritated phone call, Cameron asked if I could just place the order myself, and he’d pay me back. But the money wasn’t the issue; it was the fact that I was out with Mason, who was supposed to be resting. To make matters worse, she was uncomfortable in the car and asked if we could walk around the block a few times. I agreed, not because I wanted her up, but because she said moving around seemed to ease the strange cramping she was experiencing. Unlike Cameron, I actually cared about Mason’s comfort.

Together, she and I braved the chill of November, arm in arm. Hartwood was a strange town, not just because of the cult, but because of its vintage charm. Christmas decorations already adorned each light post and telephone pole, and businesses were decorated with lights that twinkled like stars. Between that and the snow falling in large flakes, it felt like we had stepped out of real life and into one of those cheesy romance movies Sophia liked to force me to watch.

Our breath clouded the air as we ventured through the eerily empty streets. The dusting of fluffy snow muffled our steps, and I couldn’t help but notice how her strides slowed as she leaned into me.

“Getting tired, Princess?” I asked with a smile.

To be frank, I enjoyed our alone time. Sure, I’d been spending more of my days with Mason since she talked to me about dying, but it was never truly just us. There was always another partner, a kid, or even a mischievous feline disrupting us. And though I always knew my love for Mason was unwavering, I had almost forgotten how pleasant life could be with just the two of us. Even with that, the future I imagined for myself no longer existed in the confines of us.

“No, I just missed this,” she whispered.

She pressed closer, wrapping her arm around my waist.

“Missed what?”

She stopped walking and looked up at me. The golden glow of the streetlights blessed her features, warming the space between her freckles and causing her to glow like early morning.

“You,” she breathed.

Her admission washed over me like a wave, melting any lingering ice in my chest. It was then I realized how easy it’d been for her to break down that barrier. But it wasn’t just because she was the love of my life; it was because she was no longer the only one working to warm my long-frozen heart.

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