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Lucy nodded, and together the three of us climbed the stairs and made our way to Lucy’s room.
Lucy’s room was painted pink. She had rows of tiaras on shelves and princess slippers. A huge dollhouse stood out in one corner of the room, surrounded by at least a dozen large stuffed animals, and a ceiling-to-floor bookshelf on the other. Next to the bookshelf was the paper doll she made at the grand opening, now fully decorated. I couldn’t believe she kept it.
While I was scanning the room, Emily had already helped Lucy under the covers and sat on the bed beside her. I moved to sit on the other side.
“Aunty Emily, do you mind if Aunty Delilah read me a story?”
Emily smiled, “Not at all.”
After grabbing a book from the bookshelf, Lucy snuggled next to Emily as I readThe Princess and the Red Dragon.
When I was finished, Lucy yawned, “You’re a good reader.”
“Thank you,” I chuckled. “I love reading.”
“Oh, really?” Emily asked interested. “What’s your favorite genre?”
“I love to curl up after a long day and turn the pages of a mystery book, but romance novels will always be my first love,” I said in a dreamy voice. “There’s something about a character who goes through everything life throws at her and eventually gets the life she’s always dreamed of.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
A knock on the door interrupts us and Sebastien steps into the room.
“Hey, ladies.”
Lucy scrambled out of bed, and Emily shook her head and laughed as Sebastien scooped Lucy into his arms.
“Why are you still awake? You're keeping your dad’s wife away from him and my fiancée from me,” he said playfully.
Lucy yawns again. “I’m going to sleep soon and then you can have them back. It’s not like you and Daddy aren’t sharing rooms with Aunty Emily and Aunty Delilah.” She shrugged innocently.
Sebastien laughed but didn’t comment on what she said. He skillfully changed the topic. “It’s a school night, and if I were you, I’d go to sleep sooner rather than later. Your dad wouldn’t be happy if he came up here and you were awake.”
She tilted her head toward him. “Are you going to tattle tale on me?”
“I will,” Sebastien said with a serious expression on his face.
The look of horror on Lucy’s face made Sebastien continue his sentence, “If you don’t surrender my fiancée to me. It’s time for us to leave.”
Lucy’s shoulders sagged and she wiggled out of Sebastien’s grip. She climbed into my arms and gave me one last hug, and I hugged her back.
“Thank you for the story.”
“You’re welcome.”
When I released her, she crawled back under the covers. Sebastien walked over to the bed, extended his hand to me, and helped me to my feet.
“Bye Emily, see you soon.”
“Bye guys, get home safe.”
As we made our way downstairs to say our goodbyes to the others, I couldn’t stop thinking about how sweet Sebastien had been to Lucy tonight. He’d make a wonderful father. A part of me wished we had met under different circumstances, wished he had truly loved me, so we’d have the possibility of having a family together.
Having a child had always been a dream of mine, but with everything so complicated, I knew I’d have to push that dream aside for a few more years. After all, Sebastien and I would eventually go our separate ways.
I blinked back tears as I felt my heart crack, just a little.
Chapter 17 - Sebastien