Despite everything that’s happened between us, I can’t reject this source of comfort right now. There are still so many uncertainties ahead of me, but Sebastian is right. I could have lost my life today because of my father’s recklessness. And worse yet, I could have lost the baby and him. As much as my heart hurts, I can’t even think about my anger and pain at this moment. I can only think about this second. This minute. The next hour. We are here. We’re alive.
I wrap my arms around him and breathe him in too. “We’re all okay. The baby is okay.”
“Christ.” He glances down at my belly and curves his palm over the bump there. It’s such a simple gesture, but it’s too much. The first sob rips from my lungs before I can stop it, and within seconds, I’m bawling uncontrollably. Sebastian squeezes me in his grasp, stroking my back while he whispers assurances I never thought would come.
“I’m here, baby. Everything will be okay now. I’m going to take care of you.”
I can’t even begin to respond to that statement, and he doesn’t ask me to. He lets me remain in my feelings for as long as I need while he holds me and whispers promises I so desperately want to believe in my fragile state of mind. At least until a familiar voice startles us apart.
“Thanks for letting me know you’re okay!” Sybil shrieks. “My God, Cherrybomb. I have been FREAKING the hell out.”
“Oh my God.” I wipe my eyes and look up at her. “I’m so sorry, Sybil. Everything just happened so fast, and then—”
“It’s okay.” She walks around the bed and sits in the chair next to me. “I’m just glad you’re all right. That’s the only thing that matters. You are all right, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” I trace over the bandage on my head as she examines it. “It’s just a cut. But otherwise, I’m fine. They are keeping me overnight just to be safe.”
She looks at Sebastian and raises her brows. “You were like Superman out there. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
I peek at Sebastian, and a flush creeps up his throat as his gaze meets mine. It never occurred to me what he must have gone through trying to get to me. I don’t even know how he did. One minute, he just materialized, and the next, he was shielding me with his body, risking his life… to protect me.
“I wasn’t about to let anything happen to you,” he murmurs.
He squeezes my hand in his, and Sybil clears her throat to remind us we still have a visitor.
“I’m sorry, this whole day has just been insane,” I tell her.
“So what happens now?” she asks carefully.
“Well, my father is going to prison,” I choke out. “And I have no idea what will happen at Loyola. Do you?”
Sebastian looks down at me, and I know this is a conversation he’d rather have privately, but he should know Sybil isn’t going anywhere.
“Headmistress Gilbert agreed to let you finish your studies through correspondence,” he says. “I know it might be an adjustment, but this way, you can still graduate with a diploma from Loyola.”
“Oh.” A knot forms in my throat as I consider that I had based my entire plan for after graduation, and right now, I don’t have anywhere permanent to go.
“I knew it.” Sybil shakes her head. “That bitch is kicking you out. It’s so unfair.”
“It probably doesn’t do well for their image to have a preggo on campus,” I mutter.
“It’s for the best,” Sebastian tells me. “At least this way, you’ll be safe, and you won’t have to deal with Louisa or anyone else making your life hell.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to find an apartment that quickly?” Sybil worries her lip between her teeth. “We haven’t even started looking yet.”
“She’ll be in Westport with me,” Sebastian interjects as if there isn’t even a question about it.
“That’s over forty minutes away.” Sybil pouts.
“Nothing is set in stone,” I tell her, and Sebastian’s grip on my hand tightens when I meet his eyes. “We still have a lot to discuss. I’m not entirely sure what my plan is yet, but I’ll figure it out.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
STELLA
THE RIDEto Westport is quiet and filled with tension. Sebastian’s in the driver’s seat, deftly navigating the freeway with a blank expression on his face while I stare out the passenger window, attempting to organize my thoughts. When the hospital released me, I agreed to visit his home, but I haven’t promised to stay. What I said to Sybil has been weighing heavily on him, and though he hasn’t left my side, he’s been far too much in his head ever since.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask.