HATE CRUSH, page 23
“What did she do?” I whisper.
“Apparently, she got caught skimming from her father’s company after he cut her off. Fraud, embezzlement, there’s a whole laundry list of charges.”
“That’s insane,” I murmur.
“Not really.” Sybil snickers. “She thought the whole world was her playground, and now she’s getting her just desserts if you ask me.”
“True.” I shrug, but even as I say it, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed that she never amounted to anything. In my mind, I always imagined there would be a day when Louisa had an awakening and grew out of her pettiness. But clearly that didn’t happen.
“Want to hear the craziest part?” Sybil asks.
“There’s more?” I cringe.
“Uh-huh.” She nods. “She’s going to the same prison as Lila.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I roll my eyes. “Now they can scheme together.”
“Or against each other,” she says. “At least for the next ten years.”
I shake my head, and as I consider it, I realize that it doesn’t bother me in the least. When Lila was arrested for fraud and extortion a year ago, I wasn’t even shocked. I haven’t seen her since the day I told her to get out of my life, and when Sebastian admitted that she’d blackmailed him, I had no interest in ever seeing her again. As for my father, he still has at least another fifteen years on his sentence. I’ve forgiven him for my own sanity, but I still haven’t decided if I want to forget him entirely. If a day ever comes that I want to see him, it will be on my terms. For now, he’s not going anywhere regardless.
“Holy crap.” I hand the phone back to Sybil as I spot Miranda Kinkade whirling into my path like the hurricane she is. “Okay shoo, I have to work now.”
Sybil flits off and leaves me to rub elbows with one of my idols.
“Stella, you really have outdone yourself this evening.” Miranda gestures wildly around the gallery. “This is marvelous. Truly, you are one of the most gifted visual artists I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
“High compliments coming from you.” I offer her a shaky smile. Miranda has worked in the fashion industry and at some of the top women’s magazines in the nation. I’m honored that she would even show up to my little slice of paradise.
“Truly, you better batten down the hatches,” she says. “You will have Vanity Fair and Vogue at your door in no time.”
“Well, I’d be honored,” I confess. “But I think I’ll stick to what I do best.”
“Honey, that’s your prerogative.” She throws me a wink and breezes out of my life just as fast as she came.
I take a deep breath and look around the gallery to make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time. And then it settles over me. These pictures on the wall are mine. These people came here to see them, and more importantly, they like them. It still feels surreal.
“You should be proud of yourself,” a deep, warm voice purrs into my ear from behind me.
I turn to find Sebastian with an expression of utter awe on his face, and it’s almost too good to believe.
“Did you call all of your contacts?” I accuse.
His lips tilt into a beautiful grin and his shoulders shake with laughter. “No, baby girl. This is all you. This is talent and hard work.”
“And one fine ass subject if I do say so myself,” Sybil announces as she rejoins us with Sariah in tow.
Sariah might be our daughter, but she is every bit the graceful worshipper of her ‘aunty’ Sybil.
“Mommy, Daddy!” Sariah does a little curtsy in her ballerina skirt. “Look what Sybil taught me today.”
She spins around with stars in her eyes before Sebastian scoops her up into his arms and kisses her cheek. She giggles and squeezes her arms around his neck, and they look at each other with so much love and mutual admiration that my heart practically melts all over the floor.
“She is such a daddy’s girl.” Sybil rolls her eyes.
“Hey, she loves me too, right?” I poke her belly, and Sariah sticks her tongue out.
“Of course, I do, Mommy. You make way better cookies than Daddy does.”
“Ha!” I smirk. “You hear that, Mr. Carter?”
“I won’t argue that, Mrs. Carter.” He leans over and kisses me while Sariah wiggles in his grasp. “You do make some damn good cookies. And beautiful photos. And even more beautiful babies.”
“I had some help with that,” I tease.
“You two are ridiculous,” Sybil groans and steals Sariah away. “I’m going to go show the mini-me all the amazing photos of me dancing.”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” I call after her as she walks away.
Sybil winks and shrugs her shoulders. “You said she could be anything she wanted. I’m just feeding her dancing addiction.”
“We are going to have our hands full with that child.” I sigh as Sebastian pulls me against his chest and wraps his arms around my waist.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” he agrees. “So does that mean you aren’t ready for another one just yet?”
I smile up at my husband, squeezing his fingers in mine. We’ve had five long years together, and it still feels like we are just getting started in some ways. Sebastian works with local soccer teams and runs mentorship programs, and I’m finally getting my gallery up and running. It’s taken a lot of hard work and uncertainty to get to where we are, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it.
There are some people who believe life is a series of milestones, meant to be achieved in one unfaltering order. But I disagree. Happiness is an ever-changing thing, and what I’ve learned along the way is that it’s not about the goal, it’s the journey that makes all the difference.
Truthfully, I’d much rather follow my heart than follow a dream that didn’t make sense. I had to get to where I am to figure out who I am, and it’s still something that changes daily. But there are a few things in my life I can be sure of. I love my husband and daughter more than anything else in this world, and if I had nothing else but them, I would be okay with that.
The beauty of my life is that I don’t have to choose. I can have it all, and I want to have it all with Sebastian. Including a son, and maybe even a couple more. I drag his hand over my belly and look up at the most beautiful man I’ve ever known. My partner in life, and my rock.
“I can practically already feel him there,” I whisper. “But you better take me home tonight, just to make sure you’ve done your job properly.”
Sebastian kisses me and squeezes me in his arms like he’ll never let me go, and I know without a doubt that he won’t. “Always happy to oblige, Mrs. Carter.”
* * *
THE END.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.
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When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.
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She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.
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A. Zavarelli, HATE CRUSH
