Page 124 of The Summer of Sebastian
Helen squeezed Sebastian’s hand as they sat out in the garden under the late afternoon sun, his phone set on speaker between them. Celeste Clarke could be a snooty bitch sometimes, but she was now teetotal and had been making an effort these past two years in getting to know her son. Helen also wanted to play her part in helping Sebastian heal—even if that meant biting her tongue during Sebastian’s weekly phone calls.
“And you say you’re not getting married in a church?”
“No, Mom. It’s a registry office. We wanna keep it small. Just myself, Helen, her brother and his family, and a few close friends.”
Celeste sniffed, as if she were deeply touched by the invite after all. Helen rolled her eyes. “I’ll be there, Sebastian, and … thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Mom. We’ll look forward to seeing you.” He disconnected. “So. My mother’s coming to England.”
Shit.“What if she doesn’t like me?”
“She won’t like you, I can tell you that already.”
“Thanks.”
Sebastian snickered and pulled Helen to her feet. “But give her a few years and she’ll grow to like you. Not that it matters. I’m the one lucky enough to be marrying you next month and you know how I feel about you.”
Yes, she did. Every day he told her. Whether they were in the same country or not. Living apart for long periods of time had been tough these past two years, but since Sebastian had moved to England permanently a few months ago, they’d finally started to build a life together.
They strolled through the orchards to check the progress on Pendlebury Manor. Restorations to the interior were almost complete and soon landscapers would start on the gardens. There would also be a large wildlife reservation area that took up a large part of the estate.
Helen often freelanced for the police cyberunit, but her favorite jobs were helping small businesses secure their systems against hackers and malware. Pendlebury Cybersecurity had grown, so much so that she’d had to turn down contracts recently. She’d worked longer hours when Sebastian had been living in Canada but now kept to a more manageable routine so they could spend more time with each other.
Helen and Sebastian had bought the cottage from the estate after Helen earned and saved enough for a deposit last year. And with the sale of Sebastian’s apartment in Vancouver and his competition winnings—including his gold medal at last year’s Olympics—they now had enough money for an extension.
Thenew wing, as Sebastian called it, would include a larger bathroom, with that power shower he’d been after for so long, as well as a bigger bedroom for them and a second bedroom close by.
Just in case two became three.
Or four.
THE END
