Page 103 of The Flirty Forward

When I wake up sometime later, the bed beside me is empty. I sigh and reach for my phone where there's a text waiting.

Sebastian-Thanks for letting me hold you. I can’t wait to do that every single night for the rest of our lives. I missed you so much this past week. It’s almost scary. I need you in my life, Stephanie. I don’t know what I did before you came along. I love you so much. Thanks for making my life so wonderful by just being in it. I’m looking forward to tonight. See you in a few hours. Your Sebastian

I sigh and read it at least five more times.

Chapter 40

Stephanie

Brielle opted to get ready at my house. Aiden’s house is obviously much larger, but I have more accessories and cosmetics. So instead of lugging everything over to his house, she came here. We spend the afternoon painting our toes and nails and catching up. I work on her makeup before I do my own; then we both work on our own hair. I opted to leave mine down but went with a sideswept look with a pretty hair accessory I love. And then it’s time to get dressed. I slip into my gold gown, wondering for the hundredth time if it’s too much for tonight. I turn to Brielle to ask as much, but she’s staring at me with wide eyes. “Where did you get that dress?” I glance in the mirror a moment. It’s a gorgeous gold dress with a wide neck that makes the neckline elegantly swoop. It’s sleeveless and falls to the floor. “My mom bought it for me for last year’s Christmas gala for the company.”

“Wow. Your mom may not be the world’s nicest person, but she sure knows how to pick dresses for her daughter,” Brielle says.

“Do you think I shouldn’t wear it?”

“No! You look stunning! Sebastian is going to fall over when he sees you.” She grins. “And I personally can’t wait for that to happen.”

Her words help boost my confidence. I add a sparkly pair of drop earrings and my gold heels that my mother also bought. I grab my gold clutch and take a deep breath. A knock sounds on the door, and Brielle’s eyes widen. “That’s probably Aiden.”

“You finish getting ready. I’ll go let him in.” I open the door, completely unsurprised that it’s Aiden and not Sebastian. I’m pretty sure Sebastian takes longer to get ready than I do. “Hey Aiden, come on in. She’s almost ready.” He steps inside, and I head back to the bedroom to see if she needs any help. “Aiden’s here,” I say as I step into the room.

“Of course he is. He’s never late. Just for once, couldn’t the man be late?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Dramatic much?”

She scowls at me. “Stupid zipper!”

“Want some help?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes. “Yes. It’s a stupid zipper.”

A knock sounds on the door. She throws up her hands. “I’m coming, Aiden!”

I don’t know what to do with myself, so I open the door to Aiden. He walks over to her. “Here.” He hands her a bottle of juice. “Your numbers are dropping; that’s why you feel so terrible.”

Her entire countenance shifts. “I’m sorry. I’m so irritated.” He takes the lid off and hands it to her, and she takes a big drink before handing it back to him. “Thank you,” she whispers to him. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes tear up, and he pulls her into his arms. I back away and close the door behind me. I love Aiden for my best friend. They had a rough go of it to start with, but he’s nothing but amazing to her. I pace the living room, waiting for Sebastian to arrive.

A few minutes later, Aiden and Brielle come out, looking sharp together. “I’m sorry I was so cranky,” she says.

I wave it off. “You’re fine.”

Aiden helps her put her coat on. “Still no sign of Sebastian?” Brielle asks.

I roll my eyes. “I’m pretty sure he takes longer to get ready than I do.”

Aiden smirks at that. “Probably,” he agrees.

“Do you want us to wait?” Brielle asks.

“No way. Then we’ll all be late. You guys go ahead; we’ll see you there.” They head out, and I go back to pacing. Finally, a knock sounds on my door. “Finally,” I mutter before heading over to the door. I make sure I have my clutch with my phone inside and wrap my coat tight around me before opening the door. I take a breath to ask him what took him so long, but the words dry up in my throat because...because...

“Hey, Gorgeous,” he says with his huge smile. He leans forward and kisses me lightly. “Ready to go?” I’m only able to nod. I take a breath of cold air to try to clear the sort of brain fog that seeing Sebastian in a tux induces. It takes me the entire walk to the car to get myself under control. He opens my door and closes it for me once I’m inside. I've always known the man was gorgeous, but tonight he surpasses everything I previously thought. He’s so tall and cut, and I forget sometimes just how incredibly in shape he is. And then he shows up in that tux that looks like it was probably custom tailored for him, and...swoon.And I am normallynota swooner.

He climbs in and takes my hand. “Ready for tonight?”

I nod. Then, trying to find my equilibrium, I tease him for being late. “I didn’t think you were ever going to get here. Aiden and Brielle left hours ago.”

He shakes his head, grinning. “They did not. I passed them coming into your neighborhood.” He squeezes my hand.

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