Page 51 of Overnight Inheritance

Maybe she should have waited, but just because he’d changed his mind about the company didn’t mean he thought any differently about her.

“It was a good meeting, Sebastian. A good proposal.”

One side of his mouth hitched up. “You liked it?”

“I’ve never been prouder of anyone in my life than I was of you in that meeting today.” Her chest swelled just remembering what he’d done, what he’d achieved in so little time, and what he wanted to do.

“Mae, I...” His voice trailed off and he turned to look at the traffic for what felt like an excruciatingly long time before looking back at her again. “I can’t believe how badly I screwed up things between us. You should have been allowed to question me, to double-check things until you felt you could trust me, and I—”

She laid a hand on his arm, interrupting him. “No, Sebastian. You were right to call me out on that. My childhood was a training ground in the art of being suspicious, and then I landed in the middle of an ongoing feud between two families. That was a bad combination—a perfect storm.”

“And I knew those things.” He grabbed her hand from his arm, lacing their fingers together, and then let their joined hands hang across the space between them. “I should have been more patient, or...something.”

“It wouldn’t have helped. I was trapped in that spiral and couldn’t even see through it enough to realize that itwasa trap. And you caught the brunt of it all. I’m surprised you put up with it for as long as you did. You’ve been a saint.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Hardly.”

“Regardless, I’m glad you called me on it, or we’d still be stuck inside that spiral.” Being with him now felt different. Even though they were just standing on the pavement, talking, her shoulders felt lighter with the freedom to trust him as her instincts had told her to all along. Her guard wasn’t up, not even a little bit, because she knew that no matter what happened from here, she’d never need it around Sebastian.

“So, you don’t doubt my motives for today?” He cocked his head, watching her closely. “Think I might have an ulterior plan?”

“Honestly, it didn’t even cross my mind. Not once. I can see your heart, Sebastian.” She placed her free hand on the left side of his chest, feeling the steady thump-thump beneath her palm. “You were showing me right from the start. You showed me who you were, and I’m sorry I didn’t see clearly then. But I see it now. The real Sebastian is shining from your eyes. It’s in the way you care for Alfie. The way you went straight to the hospital despite the appalling way your father treated you your whole life. It’s in the way you were open enough to new ideas that you changed the whole damn company. It’s in the way you’ve treated me every second we’ve been together. Your heart is huge, Sebastian. And I trust it.”

“Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse, and he captured the hand that sat on his chest so their four joined hands formed a cross between them.

The way he was looking at her now, the way he was holding both her hands tightly, it was dangerous. It was letting a glimmer of hope spark back to life. “You,” she began, but her voice shook, so she stopped and tried again. “You told me I could ask for anything...?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “That still stands. You ask, and I promise I’ll give it to you.”

“I want a life with you. With you and Alfie. Everything else is negotiable, as long as we’re together.”

She felt a shudder run through his body and watched him close his eyes tight for a long moment. “Done.” He leaned forward and brushed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. “The easiest promise to fulfill, because it’s what I want too. Though I have to warn you that my negotiation skills are highly tuned, so get ready for some intense rounds of talks at the kitchen table. Where we live, who cooks dinner, what we watch on TV, where we vacation—”

“I’m not worried.” She raised one brow. “I have bargaining chips.”

“That you do,” he said and released one hand to snake around her back and draw her closer for another kiss. This one was deeper, needier, and she felt the dampness on her cheeks from her own tears at the sheer joy of kissing him again.

Even once the kiss ended, they stayed tangled together, and she rested her head on his chest, her arms tight around his waist, luxuriating in the feel of him.

“You know,” she said as a thought occurred to her, “I never did get to see that dossier about myself.”

“It’s outdated,” he said, shrugging. “I’ll write you a new one.”

She arched her neck back so she could see his face. “What would it say?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Mae Dunstan is a woman who is not at all sensible yet is quite often the most sensible person in the room.” He cupped the side of her face with his palm. “She has dimples in her cheeks and starlight in her eyes, and my love for her is bigger than I thought love could possibly be.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “I’d accompany the written report with a photo of you in that lilac wraparound dress you wore to your brother’s engagement dinner. Tell me you still have that dress.”

“Of course I do. It’s my favorite dress.” It reminded her of Sebastian. She made a mental note to wear the dress again soon. “That’s a good dossier report, but it needs a matching piece. One on you.”

A group of people bumped them as they pushed past, but Sebastian barely seemed to notice. “What would it say?”

She thought for a moment. “Sebastian Newport is a serious businessman who sometimes surprises everyone by making unbusinesslike decisions. He has eyes the color of the ocean and a mouth that’s pure, sculpted perfection, and my love for him is deep and trusting and endless. I’d accompany it with a photo of you with your blue shirt unbuttoned and your tie askew.”

He frowned, as if confused. “You forgot a voice like melted chocolate.”

A laugh gurgled up and burst from her throat. “You remember that?”

“I remember every compliment you ever gave me, Mae. To be fair, there weren’t that many, so it’s not hard. Mostly, you described me with words like nefarious,” he said, his expression angelic.

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