Page 79 of Mr. Aster
“So, tell us how it happened,” Avery said. “I can’t believe you guys are engaged.”
“Well, there is no wedding planned as of the moment,” I said, focusing hard on staying on task in conversation.
“I bet Margot Aster ispissedabout it. Her prized stallion of a son is engaged to cute little you, and she had no say in it,” Ashley said with a soft laugh.
“That’s the thing,” I answered the sweet brunette. “His parents weren’t supposed to find out about the engagement, especially over social media?—”
“Wait, the Asters don’t know about this?” Avery asked, eyes as wide as Ashley’s.
Natalia showed a hint of amusement, watching me as I tried to keep my lie together, but something told me my foggy brain and way of trying to stay supremely focused on the topic was amusing her even more.
“No. They only found out about Sebastian and me because of the Billionaire Auction event,” I said with a roll of my eyes, remembering theliethat Sebastian and I were truly living.
I immediately sobered up from my hormone high at the thought of what we were actually doing here. If I was so messed up after a tiny close call with the guy, I couldn’t imagine how bad it would have been if we hadn’t been interrupted and had gone full speed ahead earlier.
“I can only imagine the hell they are going to try and put you through,” Natalia said, arching an eyebrow at me. “Hearing about how they almost cost John and Mickie their relationship because she wasn’t good enough for them makes you wonder if it’s worth it.”
“I know,” I said, shaking my head, “but?—”
“Hold up,” Avery interrupted. “We’re not going to go down this road tonight. That’snotwhy we all crashed your pad with this spontaneous engagement party. We’re leaving Sebastian’s family out of this.” She stood, “Now, everybody up, and let’s get back to the party. This is getting depressing, and I think we need some alcohol to get our minds off introspective bullshit. Sebastian is a very strong-willed man. That family needs him, but I’m going to say what I believe to be true,” she looked at me as we all stood with her. “He won’t let them ruin his relationship. They need him more than he needs them.”
“Right. Exactly,” I smiled, hating that I was lying about this and wishing I could tell her the truth like I’d told Nat.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter because we planned to make our breakup as believable as our fake relationship. So, I wasn’t going to think about the deception tonight. Instead, I would enjoy this pool party with a bunch of cool people and a ton of delicious food.
Three hours into the madness of eating, drinking, and watching the sunset, we all gathered around the pool. Everyone was sitting as couples, including me and Sebastian, to keep our little lie strong, and I leaned into him after he casually draped his arm around me.
We needed to sit in this annoyingly cutesy way because we were newly engaged, after all. Our actions needed to prove that the spark of young love was blazingly evident, and I think we were pulling it off. The moreactionswere at play, the less we needed to verbally proclaim our love, and honestly, I was enjoying the way he absently used his thumb to rub along my neck while his hand rested on my shoulder.
I guess pretending wasn’tallbad.
“All right, I’m raising my glass,” Jim said. “I don’t know what to say about this crazy turn of events in your life except that I’m thrilled to see you’ve broken free of your parents’ unacceptable demands. You’ve become your own man and are making decisions for your happiness, not theirs.”
I immediately looked at Sebastian, wondering if that statement disturbed him.
Sebastian’s smile only widened, and he looked intently into my eyes. There was nothing fake about his gaze, and I was held hostage by how he stared so lovingly at me.
“What can I say?” he said, looking at Jim. “Being in love can save your life.”
What the…
“Tell us how it happened. I want to know everything,” Ashley said, rubbing Jake’s leg excitedly. “Everything from falling for each other to how you got engaged so quickly.”
“Yes,” Avery joined in, leaning into Jim. “Everything.”
I sat up once the vibes coming off Sebastian went fromfake lovetoCupid must’ve shot him in the ass when I wasn’t looking.
“Everything,” I said, looking at Sebastian for help. “Right.”
“Aw, the way you two look at each other,” Avery laughed. “Never in a million years would I have seen this coming.” She looked at Sebastian, “Seriously. On the few occasions we’ve mingled, I never saw this softer, morehandsomeside of you.”
“No shit,” Jake interrupted. “I want to know what this legendarily grumpy bastard did to attract you to him. Everyone here is very aware you arenotinto wealthy men of status, so what was it?”
“Um,” I looked at Sebastian to plead for help. He was so attractive at the moment with his soft expression of genuine happiness, making it difficult to formulate an adequate response. “It’s probably because I thought he was the biggest asshole on the planet, but then everything backfired on me, and suddenly, I’m in love.”
That wasn’t a lie.
“Isn’t it funny how it worked out?” Sebastian asked, looking at me with an adorable yet mischievous expression, “One day, I’m remodeling your parents’ home, and the next thing I know, I’m remodeling my life to appreciate the beauty of the woman I fell in love with.”
