Page 57 of His Heart

Was it simply hunger that rumbled in my stomach? I so rarely had an appetite. But I felt cleaner than I had in a long time—more normal. Maybe I did want a good breakfast.

“That sounds good,” I said.

“Great. Let’s go get Charlie. Even if he had breakfast already, he can always eat.”

We picked up Charlie and they checked out of their hotel. There was a restaurant that served breakfast nearby, so we went in. Sebastian and Charlie proceeded to order more food than I could eat in a week. Eggs, hash browns, pancakes, bacon, French toast, sausage. It was like they were trying to one-up each other. I opted for scrambled eggs and toast. I still felt a little wobbly, and I wasn’t sure what my stomach would be able to handle.

“So, when are we heading out?” Charlie asked in between bites of food.

They both sat across from me, like they were trying to give me space, the two of them crammed into one side of the booth. Sebastian stopped eating and his eyes rested on me.

I tried not to squirm beneath his scrutiny, but it was difficult. His eyes were so intense. Was he trying to figure out what to do with me? Where to take me? I didn’t know the answer to that, so how could he? I had nowhere to go.

“Seb?” Charlie asked. “Simple question, man. Just wondering what the plan is.”

“Come with us,” Sebastian said to me.

“What?” I asked, trying not to fidget beneath the heat of his gaze. But it was as if he could see straight through me.

“Come to Iowa,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Um, Seb, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” Charlie asked.

“No,” Sebastian said. He still didn’t look away from me. “I know what you’ll say. You’ll tell me this is crazy and it’s a terrible idea. And you’ll ask me if I’ve thought this through. But I agree with you. It is crazy, and maybe it’s a terrible idea. I don’t know, I haven’t thought it through.”

“That’s not very convincing,” Charlie said.

“Brooke, think about it,” Sebastian said, apparently ignoring his friend. “We both know you can’t go back to the guy who hurt you.”

“No, but…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Charlie looked between me and Sebastian, his eyebrows raised. “This is messed up, Seb. No offense, Brooke.”

“You could have a fresh start in Iowa,” Sebastian said. “Charlie and I would be there to help you get settled. Give it a shot, and if you hate it, I’ll drive you back to Phoenix myself.”

I couldn’t actually be considering this. I couldn’t just take off with two guys I’d met yesterday, and move halfway across the country. They were practically strangers. How did I know I could trust them?

But I did. And as much as it terrified me to admit it, I didn’t want Sebastian to go. The thought of him leaving hurt in ways it shouldn’t. And that right there should have been reason enough to say no. To say goodbye.

Sebastian was dangerous. Not like Jared. Sebastian wasn’t going to hurt me physically. But his very existence threatened to rip down my walls and strip me bare. It would only be a matter of time. And I wasn’t sure that was something I could survive.

“Okay,” I heard myself say. It was almost as if someone else was speaking. “I’ll go.”

Sebastian’s smile lit up his face and made my stomach tingle. “Awesome. This is great. What about all your stuff?”

“Oh, I don’t have much of anything,” I said. “I sold my furniture when I had to move. I have some stuff at Jared’s, but honestly I’d rather leave it. It’s mostly just clothes, and I don’t want to go back there.” I had everything that meant something to me in my bag.

“That makes it easy,” Sebastian said. “Although I’d love to pay a visit to that piece of shit.”

“I actually agree with you there,” Charlie said. “But are we sure about this?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian said. “It’s not like I’m kidnapping her. She wants to come.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “Can we talk outside, or are you really going to make me do this in front of her?”

Sebastian didn’t answer, just raised his eyebrows at Charlie.

“Fucking balls,” Charlie muttered. “Fine. Brooke, I swear I’m not hating on you right now, but Seb, are you nuts? She’s… well, obviously she has some issues. And you just met her. And she’s… you know.” His eyes moved meaningfully to Sebastian’s chest.

“Yeah, I know,” Sebastian said. He looked at me again. “If you want to do this, I’m in.”

I had a feeling that when Sebastian went in on something, he went all in. There was no reluctance or hesitation in him. Just a burning intensity that called to me—drew me in and made me want to get closer.

I took a deep breath, like I was about to jump into cold water. “Yes. I want to do this.”

He smiled again and I melted a little. “Okay. Let’s get going. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

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