First Comes Marriage (Aster Bay #3)

Chapter Thirty-two

“I can’t wait to take a shower and sleep without being woken up every hour to check my vital signs.” Sabrina sank onto the couch in the condo and dropped her head back against the cushions.

Sebastian kicked the front door closed behind himself, his head and torso hidden behind the obscenely large flower arrangement her parents had sent to the hospital the night before. Sabrina had hardly spoken to them herself, Sebastian filling them in on the details of her surgery and recovery plan, but they’d sounded more concerned than she could remember. Mom had threatened to call the nurse’s station and demand to speak to a manager if she wasn’t being treated well, which was her mom’s equivalent of filling their fridge with lasagna, even if Dad did have an early tee time he wanted to keep and Mom wasn’t inclined to reschedule her brunch plans. It stung, but she knew they loved her in their own way.

And besides, Sebastian’s mother had already filled the fridge with lasagna, and a chicken pot pie and a frittata, because apparently her mother-in-law showed love with casseroles and her parents did it by threatening the staff. Tomato, tomahto.

Sebastian set the flowers down on the kitchen island and moved behind her at the couch, running his fingers through her hair, lightly massaging her scalp as he went.

“You’re spoiling me.” She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

“I’m taking care of you.”

“You’re hovering.”

“You had major surgery.”

“It was laparoscopic.”

“You were bleeding internally. They removed an organ.”

“A tiny organ.”

Sebastian’s hands stilled in her hair and she opened her eyes to meet his. He was doing that thing where he tried not to smile but it made his lips twitch. It was ridiculously adorable.

“Let me hover, wildflower. I like hovering.”

“I like when you hover.”

He leant forward and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Good.”

Sebastian headed to the kitchen, and Sabrina closed her eyes as she listened to the familiar sounds of him moving about. “Did you tell Tessa I want to go see the baby as soon as she’s up for it?” she called.

“I told her. She says you’re welcome as soon as you’re up for it. And Gavin and Kyla promised to text us lots of pictures.”

“I probably can’t hold the baby for a few weeks, huh? Stupid stitches.”

“I’ll hold the baby and sit next to you, and you can still wrap your arms around him.”

“You’re going to be the best uncle,” she sighed, picturing Sebastian with a baby in his arms.

He chuckled. “I’ve got some competition.”

He came back into view with a glass of water for her, which he set on the coffee table before taking a seat next to her on the couch. He pulled her feet into his lap, peeled off her hospital socks—oops, she hadn’t meant to wear those home—and began lazily massaging her feet. “How are you feeling? ”

“Tired. Sore. But much better.” She sank down further into the couch, giving him more of her calves in his lap. “Can we talk now?”

“Are you still on pain killers?” he asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Tylenol. A shit ton of it, but still.”

“Are you sure you’re up for this tonight? We can wait until after you’ve had a good night’s sleep, or—”

“Oh my God, will you talk to me already! The longer you make me wait, the more nervous you’re making me.”

“I’m making you nervous?” He seemed genuinely flabbergasted by the idea, and she couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Yes! What’s with all the build up?” When he didn’t answer right away, a wisp of anxiety curled in Sabrina’s stomach. “Whatever it is, say it.”

His face had gone hard, lips pressed together, jaw clenched, as he seemed to sort through his thoughts. She slid her feet out of his lap as that wisp was fanned to a plume, but he gripped her ankle, hard, and pulled them back towards himself.

At last, he turned that too-serious face towards her, his eyebrows crinkling in concentration. “I’m sorry.”

Her stomach sank. “Oh.” Was this his way of telling her he was ready to get divorced? Was that why he didn’t want to have this conversation while she was still in the hospital, because he was planning on breaking her heart?

“Wait, what’s that look?” he asked.

“What look?”

He circled one finger in the air in the direction of her face. “This look. You look like someone killed your cat.”

“I don’t have a cat.”

“Sabrina.”

She took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. “There. No more look. ”

He looked skeptical but he took a deep breath of his own and picked up where he’d left off. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted the other day.”

“It’s okay—”

“It’s not okay. I was angry and hurt, but instead of saying that, I hurt you too. And that wasn’t fair.” He tilted his head down to meet her eyes, looking up at her through his eyelashes. “I’m sorry. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but I’m going to try to be better.”

Again? Better? Those don’t sound like break up words. “Wait, what?”

“I’m not great at talking about my feelings. In case you haven’t noticed. And when someone hurts me, my first instinct is to cut that person off. But I don’t want to cut you off, Sabrina. Even when I was mad, even right after I left you at Ethan’s, I knew I was being an asshole. I knew I couldn’t cut you off. I’m sorry. I’m probably going to fuck it up a bunch of times before I get it right, but I want to do better. I’m going to do better. Can you forgive me?”

His words sank in, and it was like she was coming out of a fog. For a minute she wondered if she had messed up and taken a stronger painkiller by mistake. “So you’re not asking me for a divorce?”

“What? No!” His eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. “Why? Do you want a divorce?”

“No! I thought you did!”

“Well, I don’t!”

“Good!”

They stared at each other for a moment before they burst into laughter, the relief washing over Sabrina.

“Jesus Christ, wildflower, I’m trying to tell you I love you and you’re talking about divorce?”

Her laughter died on her lips, her eyes going wide and she sat upright on the sofa—not as fast as she’d like because, stitches, but fast all the same. “You love me?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” He shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, I’m bad at this.”

“No, you’re not. You’re doing perfect.” She slid closer to him on the couch, her heart pounding in her chest. It was so full she thought it might burst. “Say it again.”

He grinned and slid his hands into her hair, tilting her face up to his. He ran the tip of his nose along the line of her jaw and nipped at her bottom lip lightly. “I love you, Sabrina.”

“I love you, Sebastian.”

He kissed her, his lips moving softly over hers. It felt like new beginnings and possibilities, like gratitude and relief and so much love she didn’t know how to contain it. Instead, she let it spill from her lips as she kissed him back, tasting each murmured “I love you” he offered between kisses.

When they pulled away, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and retrieved her wedding and engagement rings.

“I didn’t get to ask you properly last time.” He took her left hand in his, his smile so wide the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Sabrina Page, my wildflower, will you be my wife?”

An overjoyed burst of laughter fell from her lips and she nodded as he slid the rings onto her finger. “Yes, Sebastian Graham, yes.”

He kissed her again, then rested his forehead against hers. “We can get married again. A big wedding in the church.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I don’t care about the wedding, Sabrina, but I care about you. If it’s important to you that we stand up at an altar in front of our friends and—”

“It’s not.” She peppered his face with kisses, his cheekbones and his temples, the tip of his nose and the underside of his jaw. “I’m already your wife. I don’t need another ceremony to prove it.”

He hummed contentedly as her lips found his again. “Then what do you propose we do next, wife?”

“Living happily ever after sounds nice, don’t you think?”

When he smiled, she felt it all over. “I do.”