Page 75 of The Flirty Forward

I squeeze her hand back and bow my head again. Not giving myself any time to think about it, I begin. “Dear God,” my voice falters for a moment. God and I have had a rocky go of it over the years, but somehow I find the strength to keep going. “Thank you for this food and thank you for this beautiful family that is reminding me what it’s like to be loved...by you and by others. Amen.” I finish quickly, afraid my voice will give out mid-prayer. Kayla squeezes my hand and then reaches for a biscuit. When I lift my head, Tina catches my eye.

Thank you,she mouths. I glance down at Brittney, who is gazing up at me happily and I pat her leg. I feel myself genuinely smiling and laughing as the meal goes on. I love listening to their stories, especially the ones where they bash Sebastian. I know they’re telling stories about him for my sake, and I couldn’t appreciate it more.

Chapter 29

Stephanie

After lunch, we spread out in the living room. The guys watch sports, and I end up on the floor playing more games than I’ve played probably in my entire life. I find myself truly enjoying the time with Sebastian’s family. When I look at my watch and realize it’s almost seven, I’m shocked. “I can’t believe I stayed this long,” I say to Tina as I pack up.

“Sundays here are like that. They kind of just suck you in, and the day disappears. Did you have a good time, though?”

“I really did. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you were able to come. I’ll walk out with you; let me go grab my coat.” She disappears, and I make my rounds, saying goodbye to all of Sebastian’s family. I see Keith over near the door, so I head that way to say goodbye to him.

“Thanks for inviting me today, Keith,” I tell him with a genuine smile.

He doesn’t smile back. “Thank you for what you did for my daughter.” I nod and fight to stay strong; I refuse to cry. I’ve done that too many times today. He glances over at Kayla dancing around the living room and then back at me. “She’s my angel,” he says gruffly.

I nod. “I know.”

There’s an understanding that passes between us. He steps back, and I walk out the door. “Night, Keith.”

Just before he closes the door, he meets my eyes. “If my brother ever does anything to hurt you, you tell me. I’ll set him straight.”

I finally find the wherewithal to nod. He closes the door, and I walk to my car. “Wait up,” Tina calls out. I turn to see her start down the stairs after me. She blows on her hands. “Winter is definitely coming.” I nod in agreement. “What exactly is going on with you and my little brother?”

Her words make me smile because Sebastian is huge, way bigger than her; but I know what she means. “I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. I’m tired of the secrets, the pretending. I don’t want to do it anymore.

She studies my face. “I saw you panic when my mom said something about you joining the family. Do you not want to join the family?”

“No, it’s not that at all,” I rush to say. “I love your family.”

She smiles. “We love you too. Then what is it? Is it Sebastian?”

“It’s...it’s complicated.” When I can tell she’s not going anywhere, I turn toward my car. “How about we talk about this in the warmth of my car?” A few minutes later, we’re both warm. “I don’t know how much you know about Sebastian and me,” I start out by saying.

“Not enough.”

I nod; that doesn’t surprise me. I start at the beginning and tell her everything—from my first encounter with him during that workday, to my run-in with him and Kayla, to the press conference, the crowds at my school, social media, him suggesting we date, me going to his game...all of it.

Tina whistles when I finally finish. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” I echo. “Wow.”

“I had no idea.”

“I know. None of it was real.” She snorts. I turn to her. “What?”

She smirks at me. “You might tell yourself none of it was real, but I know my little brother. Believe me, all of it is real.”

I refuse to let hope rise. “It’s not.”

“Stephanie, my brother has never brought a girl to Sunday brunch before you. Ever.” Her words shock me. “And he’s never done anything with any woman more than one time.”

My hopes fall; just like that. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do. Those women mean nothing to him; that’s why he never dates the same one twice. He finds dates to events he has to attend that he knows will never go anywhere. Why? I don’t really know. I always thought he had commitment issues, but maybe he was just waiting for the right girl.” Her eyes meet mine. “For you.”

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