Page 27 of Bid For Me

I freeze, caught off guard by the unexpected call from Sebastian. His easy demeanour and teasing tone melts away the tension that had gripped me moments before, replacing it with a sense of comfort and familiarity.

“Seb…” I murmur, my voice softening as I feel a rush of relief wash over me. Despite the chaos swirling around me, his presence brings a sense of calm, grounding me in the midst of uncertainty.

“Hey, I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing,” he says, his concern evident in his tone. “I spoke to your brother late last night after our date.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips, grateful for his thoughtfulness. “I’m...I’m okay,” I reply, my voice wavering slightly with emotion.

There’s a brief pause on the other end of the line, and then Sebastian speaks again, his words filled with sincerity. “I’m here for you, Elle. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. Just know that I’m always here. We’re in this together.”

His words wash over me like a gentle wave, soothing the doubts and fears that had plagued me moments before. With Sebastian by my side, I feel a renewed sense of strength and determination, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.

“Thank you, Seb,” I reply, my tone filled with gratitude.

As we talk, the weight of Aiden’s disapproval fades into the background, replaced by the warmth of Sebastian’s unwavering support. He tells me his plans for today – including a business meeting at his father’s company – and asks about my intentions too.

“I actually have today off.”

“How are you planning to spend it?”

“Well…” I debate telling him and then decide I may as well. He’s going to be in my life for the foreseeable future, so it’s only fair he learns about it. “My neighbour is elderly and she has small dogs she sometimes struggles to look after. Her dog walker is out of town this weekend so I offered to take the dogs out in her absence.”

There’s a stunned silence on the end of the line.

“Hello? Seb? Are you there? Can you hear me?”

“Switch to video.”

Frowning, I do as he says, accepting the invitation to turn our voice call to video. The screen goes blank for a moment andthen I’m staring into the bright gold eyes of Sebastian Sterling-Knight. My boyfriend. Soon to be my fiance.

Fake fiance.

“Did you just say you’re dog walking today?”

“Yes, why?” I shrug. It’s not that big a deal.

“Elle…you hate dogs,” Sebastian points out.

“I don’t.”

“You told me you hated dogs.”

“When?”

“When Sacha jumped up and?—”

“You ordered your dog to bite me on command, dickhead,” I hiss, remembering exactly what he’s talking about.

I was about eleven and it was the first time Aiden had let me tag along with him to go over to Seb’s house – mainly because he was supposed to be watching me while our parents worked – and Seb had told Sacha to attack me. The dog had jumped up and bit my side, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh of my stomach, just enough to pierce the top layer of skin. It was a joke, and the dog didn’t actually hurt me, but Sacha was a massive Alsatian and when she stood on her hind legs and jumped at me, she was bigger than I was and I got scared. I cried, but pretended it was because the bite had hurt, and not because the dog had spooked me.

For ages afterwards, I was nervous around big dogs.

“Anyway, Mrs Livingtone’s dogs are adorable. They’re pomeranians.”

Sebastian’s bright eyes twinkle with amusement as he listens to my explanation, his lips quirking up into a playful smile.

“Okay, fair point,” he concedes, his tone lightening with humour. “I guess I can’t blame you for being hesitant around dogs after that.”

I exhale a sigh of relief, grateful that he’s taking my past experiences with dogs in his stride. Despite the initial shock ofmy volunteering to dog walk, Sebastian’s easygoing nature puts me at ease, reminding me of why I fell for him in the first place…when I was a teen and stupid I mean.

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