“Thank you, Seymour,” Sebastian spoke.
Taking the contents of the box, Sebastian and I stepped outside of the bank.
“Do you want to grab something to eat?” he asked.
“Sure. But can we eat it somewhere special?”
“Of course, anywhere you want.” He smiled as his lips brushed against mine.
Stopping at a deli near my apartment, we took our sandwiches over to the spot where Willie sat every day.
“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked as I sat down on the cement and leaned my back up against the brick wall.
“Eating lunch. Sit.” I patted the cement.
“I’m wearing a three-thousand-dollar suit, Chloe.”
“And?”
“And you want me to sit on the cement and eat a sandwich.”
“And?” I cocked my head with a serious look.
“And, I guess this is as good a spot as any,” he spoke as he sat down next to me.
Chapter 41
Chloe
Five Months Later
“This is the last box, Mr. Bennett,” the muscularly built Channing Tatum lookalike moving man spoke.
“Thank you.” Sebastian reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash. “You’re all moved in now and you’re never leaving.” He smiled as he wrapped his arms around me.
“I’ll agree to that.” I kissed his lips.
“Now, let’s go break in the bed.”
“We’ve already broken it in thousands of times.” I laughed.
“Not as an official living together couple we haven’t.”
“Ah. Let’s go then, tiger.” I pulled him by his tie to the bedroom.
Just as Sebastian thrust into me, my phone rang.
“Who is it?” I asked with bated breath as his thrusts were hard and deep.
“Really, Chloe?”
“Just look over at the nightstand. It could be my parents.”
He looked over at my phone as he moved in and out of me.
“It’s your dad. He can wait until we’re finished.”
“Give me the phone. It could be important. You know the baby is due.”
Sebastian sighed, pulled out of me, and handed me my phone.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I put him on speaker.
“Hi, pumpkin. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“We were in the middle of having sex, but it’s okay.”
Sebastian tilted his head and shot me a look.
“Sorry, Sebastian,” my dad spoke.
“It’s fine, Larry.”
“We’re at the hospital. Your mom is in labor.”
“Eek! We’re on our way.”
“It could take hours, pumpkin. Go ahead and finish having sex. We’ll be here when you’re done.”
“Thanks, Dad. We’ll see you soon. Tell Mom I love her.”
“Will do.”
“The baby’s coming.” I grinned as I pulled him on top of me. “Now, where were we?”
Sebastian sat up and looked down at his cock.
“You and your dad ruined it, baby. How can I stay hard when you told your father we were having sex? Why do you have to always tell them?”
“Aw, they love that we have so much sex. You should be used to that by now.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used it.” He smiled. “Come on, let’s get dressed and head to the hospital.”
“Okay.” I flew off the bed.
****
As Sebastian and I entered my mom’s room, I ran over and grabbed her hand.
“The baby is coming,” I said with excitement.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” my mom spoke in irritation as she let out a howl.
“Just breathe through it, Mom.” I held her hand.
Looking over at Sebastian, I could tell he was beginning to sweat.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m just going to wait out in the waiting room. Hang in there, Ophelia.” He held up his fist as he walked out of the room.
When I rolled my eyes, my mom squeezed my hand.
“Go out there with him, sweetheart. He needs you. Your dad will let you know as soon as the baby’s born.”
“Are you sure, Mom?”
“Of course. I’m fine. But Sebastian, he didn’t look so good.” She smiled.
I kissed her forehead and walked to the waiting room.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I stroked his arm.
“I’m fine. It’s just seeing your mom in so much pain made me a little nervous.”
“Aw, but the end result is worth the pain.” I smiled.
He leaned over and kissed me just as Sienna and Sam walked in.
“Oh my God! Our baby is about to be born!” she exclaimed as she ran over and hugged me.
“I know. It should be any time now.”
The four of us sat there patiently. Sebastian and Sam chatted it up while Sienna and I looked up makeup tutorials on our phones. Four hours later, my dad walked into the room.
“It’s a boy!” he shouted. “I have a son!”
With a smile, I got up from my seat and gave him a hug. “And I have a brother. How’s Mom?”
“She’s great. Wait until you see him, Chloe. He’s beautiful.”
“When can we see them?”
“In a few minutes. I’ll be right back to get you.”
Sebastian walked over and wrapped his arms around me.
“Congratulations, big sister.”
“Thank you. Let’s go down to the gift shop and get some of those ‘It’s A Boy’ balloons.”
After purchasing six balloons, it was time to meet my brother. Walking into the room, a tear sprang to my eye when I saw my mom holding him in her arms.
“Mom. He’s so beautiful.” I kissed his tiny head.
“Chloe, I would like you to meet your brother, Arlo Benjamin Kane.”
“Arlo. Wow. What a cool name.” I smiled as she handed him to me.
****
Sebastian
I nearly lost my breath as I watched Chloe holding her brother. Things were so good between us. Actually, they were great. Greater than I ever could have imagined. These past five months, and spending every moment with her, made me view life in a whole new way.
“Come here.” She smiled as she looked at me. “Come meet my brother.”
Walking over to her, I stared down at the little guy as he quietly slept.
“Wanna hold him?” she asked.
“No. That’s okay. He’s too tiny.”
“He won’t break. Hold out your arms.”
“Seriously, Chloe. He’s sleeping. I don’t want to disturb him.”
“Pfft, you won’t disturb him. This little guy had a long journey down the birth canal. Trust me, he’s exhausted. Now, hold out your arms,” she spoke in a soft voice.
This made me nervous. I had never held a baby before. As I held out my arms, Chloe gently handed him over.
“Hold his head,” she spoke.
I smiled as I looked down at him. He definitely was beautiful and I saw a lot of Chloe in him. Especially his cute little nose.
“See, it’s not so bad. Is it?” she asked.
I glanced up at her as a small smile crossed my lips. After spending some time with her parents, the baby, Sienna, and Sam, we said our goodbyes and headed home. As I climbed into bed, Chloe walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth.
“I finally know what I want to do with the money Willie left me.”
“Great. Finish brushing your teeth and you can tell me.” I winked.
“No. I want to tell you now,” she mumbled.
I climbed out of bed, placed my hands on her hips, turned her around, and walked her to the bathroom sink.
“Spit,” I said.
“Really? You always tell me to swallow.” She smiled.
There was never a dull moment with her. “In this case, spit, Chloe.”
After she brushed her teeth, I wi
ped her mouth with the towel and gave her a soft kiss.
“Okay, now you can tell me.”
She rolled her eyes and climbed into bed. I climbed in next to her as she snuggled against me.
“I want to use the money to open up a homeless shelter in honor of him.”
“What? Really?”
She lifted her head and sat up. “Yeah. Don’t you like the idea?”
“I love the idea and I’ll help you with everything. But what about your job at the gallery?”
“I’ll still work at the gallery. We can hire someone to oversee it and enlist volunteers. I know for a fact that Ellery will help out. We can use the fifty thousand dollars to start it up and then you can ask your super rich corporate friends to make donations. In fact, we can hold a fundraiser.”
“Sounds like you have it all figured out.” I tapped her on the nose. “What took you so long to decide?”
“I actually decided it the day we were at the bank, but with Mercury being in retrograde, it just wasn’t a good time to put the plan into action.”
“I see, and why didn’t you mention it to me then?”
“Because I didn’t want to jinx it or get into a conversation and throw some bad mojo on it. Are you mad I didn’t mention it?”
“No. I’m not mad. I just thought you told me everything.”
“Honey, I do tell you everything.” I placed my hand on his arm. “It was just an idea that had to wait. That’s all.”
“But that was an idea of importance. Something that meant a lot to you and you didn’t share it with me.”
“Aw, baby.” I snuggled into him. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I love you so much and I would never hurt you on purpose. You should know that. I just wanted to wait until the right time.”
I felt his chest rise as he sighed. “I do know that and I love you too.”
“I want you to be my partner in this. I want us to make decisions together, talk about ideas, and make magic happen for those less fortunate.”
“Get up here and give me those gorgeous lips of yours.”
Sitting up, I leaned over and he placed his hand on my cheek. Brushing his lips against mine, he spoke, “I’m so in love with you that I didn’t think it was possible to love you anymore. But every day I spend with you, I find new ways to love you even more.” He smiled.
“Sebastian.” I traced his lips with my finger. “I love you so much.”
“I know you do, baby. I know you do.” He rolled me on my back and we made passionate love.
Chapter 42
Sebastian
“Well, what do you think, Sebastian?” Lenny asked.
“I think it’s perfect,” I spoke as I looked around.
“Excellent. So, you’re interested in buying the property?”
“I am, but I’ll let you know for sure in a few days.”
Taking the small blue velvet box from my pocket, I opened it up and stared at the two-carat, princess cut, diamond-encased ring I had purchased. It felt right. The ring, the townhouse, everything. I had known that I was in love with her from our one night in London. We had our ups and downs in the beginning thanks to my stupidity. But now, we were the perfect couple. My love for her was so strong that marriage was the only thing I could see. I wanted to take our relationship to the next level; the ultimate commitment. When I thought of my future, the only thing I saw was her, us, together forever. She would like it here. We could make it our own and the memories that we’d create in this very home would be ones we’d hold on to forever.
I took in a deep breath as I closed the lid to the box and slipped it back into my pocket. She’d say yes. I knew she would. She loved me just as much and every day she made me feel it. She wasn’t expecting this because we’d never talked about marriage. We were just happy to be with each other, and there wasn’t one day I took her for granted. Every moment spent with her was just as magical as the moment before. She changed me. Something I never thought could happen.
The homeless shelter, Willie’s Place, a shelter for the homeless, was now up and running. We held an elegant fundraiser at The Plaza Hotel where the elite of New York City were invited. I had pulled a few strings and made sure all the paperwork and licenses were expedited so we could get the shelter up and running as quickly as possible. We hired a director to oversee the day-to-day management of operations and hired a small staff to help. We enlisted the help of numerous volunteers including Chloe’s mom and dad, and Sienna and Sam. Since the weekdays were busy for us between our jobs and everything else we had going on, the weekends were the days we spent most of our time there.
“Baby, come on. We’re going to be late for dinner.” I poked my head in the bathroom and stared at the beauty that stood before me.
“I’m coming. I’m just touching up my hair, considering someone messed it up just a few minutes ago.” She smiled.
“Sorry. But you had me all horny and I couldn’t help myself.”
“I forgive you.” She grabbed my chin and kissed me. “So where are we going anyway? You never said.”
“It’s a new restaurant that just opened.”
“Cool. Where is it?”
“Not too far from here. You’ll see when we get there.”
Sliding into the limo next to her, my nerves were starting to get the best of me. I had no reason to be nervous, but it couldn’t be helped. All the “what ifs” were running through my mind. What if she hated the townhouse? What if she hated the ring? What if she said no? What if she said she liked things the way they were? Don’t get me wrong, I loved things the way they were, but I wanted and needed more.
“What are we doing here?” she asked as Eli pulled up to the curb on West 85th Street.
“I forgot to tell you that I had to stop by here and check something out for a client.”
“Don’t you have people that do that for you?”
“Yes. But this client is very special and I promised that I would do it myself.”
“Oh cool. Can I come inside with you?” she asked with a grin.
“Of course you can.”
Climbing out of the limo, I took her hand and helped her out. Walking through the wrought-iron gate, we climbed up the steps to the front door.
“The outside of this building is so beautiful,” she spoke.
“Wait until you see the inside.”
Unlocking the door, I opened it and led her inside.
“Wow. This place is a mess.” She laughed.
“I know. But look at it beyond the mess.”
“It’s beautiful. So what do you have to check?” She turned and looked at me.
“It’s over here in the living room.”
Leading her into the living room by her hand, she looked at me with surprise.
“What is this?” she asked as she stared at the round, candlelit table draped with white linens, fine china, and a vase of gerbera daisies that was perfectly situated in front of the fireplace.
“This, my love, is where we’re having dinner.”
“Here? In an empty house?” She twisted her face.
“Yes. Here in this empty house.”
“Sebastian, I love you to pieces, but I’m really confused right now.”
I swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in my throat. This was it. Hopefully, the night that would mark the beginning of us as an engaged couple and a life of happily ever after.
I took hold of both her hands and stared into her beautiful green eyes.
“Chloe, I never thought that I would ever be able to love someone. My heart was nothing but a rock solid stone. But then you came along and showed me that my life was lost without love. You hammered through all the stone until you reached my beating heart. A heart that wouldn’t beat if you weren’t in my life. You taught me things about life I never knew. You helped me to embrace my past and you took away the anger and bitterness that resided inside me for so many years.”
She stood there and listened to me as a
tear fell from her eye. Taking my thumb and bringing it to her face, I gently wiped it away.
“You turned my dark and stormy life into one that is full of brightness and purpose. We were meant to meet that night at the bar in London, just like we were meant to meet again here in New York. It was all in the timing, baby. The universe had it planned out perfectly for us. I was brought into this world to love you.”
I reached in my pocket and pulled out the box, got down on one knee while I held her hand, and proposed to her.
“Chloe, I want nothing more in this life than for you to become my wife.” I flipped the lid open and revealed the ring. “Will you marry me?”
She cupped her right hand over her mouth as she stared into my eyes.
“Oh my God, Sebastian. Yes! Yes! Yes! I will marry you!”
I let out a sigh of relief as I took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger.
“Holy shit, that’s huge.” She smiled as she held her hand out in front of her.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. I adore it and I love you, Sebastian Bennett,” she spoke as the back of her hand ran down my cheek.
Standing up, I wrapped my arms around her and gently kissed her lips.
“I love you too. More than you’ll ever know.”
“I have a pretty good idea how much.” She grinned as another tear fell from her eye.
“No tears.” I wiped it away.
“They’re happy tears. I can’t believe you did all this. I can’t believe we’re engaged! But I do have one tiny little question.”
“What’s your question, baby?”
“What’s up with the house?”
I let out a chuckle. “Take a look around, Chloe, because I want us to make this our home.”
“Shut up!” she exclaimed. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious.” I smiled.
“I love it and it needs a lot of work.” She looked around.
“I know it does and me and you are going to do it together.”
“Huh?” She bit down on her bottom lip.
“We’re going to fix this place up together, and I’m going to teach you a few things in the carpentry world. We’re going to knock out walls together, saw wood together, and hammer nails. I’m going to go back to a time when I enjoyed doing those things, before I started Bennett Enterprises.”