by Sian Ceinwen
It felt raw and real, and it was everything that she’d ever loved about Cruise Control’s music, only a million times more powerful because it was so personal to her. There was complete silence in the room when the song ended.
“I take it that you liked it, princess,” Sebastian said quietly to her.
“Sì. È la migliore canzone che abbia mai sentito.” Lita dropped into Italian, feeling overwhelmed with everyone looking at her.
“I’m glad. Posso baciarti?”
Lita nodded. She could barely manage that. Sebastian lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. When their kiss ended, Heather and Gabriel were still watching them and waiting for a response, while Hayden, Harrison, and Ariana were tactfully looking away. Lita felt uncomfortable with the attention.
Sebastian smiled at her, then said, while still looking at her face, “I think we’re done here. Lita and I might go for a walk outside or something.”
“Good idea, Seb. I’ll wrap everything up here,” Hayden offered.
“Thanks,” Sebastian said, taking Lita’s hand and helping her up from the sofa.
They made their way outside, and it was absolutely freezing. Sebastian led her swiftly to a guest house that was the size of her family’s actual house. When they got inside, Sebastian took her in his arms again.
“Sorry to bring you through the cold, I just, I don’t know. You seemed like you needed some space.”
“Thank you, Seb.”
“I’m sorry, I should’ve had everyone leave so that we could listen to it for the first time in private.”
Lita shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I meant to thank you for the song. It’s amazing.”
Her heart ached painfully when she thought about it. They had known each other for such a short amount of time, but they’d also been through so much together, and it hurt to love him as much as she did.
“You’re welcome, princess. The guys are going to ask, so I want to ask you before they do, do you want this song to go on the next album or not?”
Lita thought about it. Having other people listening to it would be scary. It was such an intimate and personal song. She thought about what Ariana had told her about Heart Wide Open and the meaning behind those songs. They had been deeply personal for both Gabriel and Ariana, yet both had chosen to share those stories with the world.
The song was amazing, and it deserved to be heard by more people than just their friend group. She loved Sebastian, and she loved Mirabella. What the world knew or thought about their relationship didn’t matter.
“Yes, it can, on two conditions.”
“What are they?” he asked her with a wary smile.
“We need to call Becky and play it for her because I totally forgot to do that, and she’s going to kill me.”
“Done,” he said at once. “What’s the second condition?”
“That you fuck me sometime in about the next thirty seconds, Sebastian Fox, because I love you more than I thought I could ever love someone.”
Sebastian’s look of concern turned immediately to one of lust. “Definitely done.”
He took her hand and led her to a bedroom at the back of the house.
37
LEVEL 34.6 – Family Dinner
Your baby is the size of a baseball glove.
The pregnancy symptoms just keep on coming. As your baby bump gets bigger, your internal organs don’t have as much room. This means your lungs can’t expand fully, so you may get winded doing something as simple as going to the bathroom…which you do—all the time.
Lita was pacing around the living area in Galena. Sebastian looked up from his phone and asked her, “What’s stressing you, princess?”
“What if my parents hate your parents? Or your parents hate my parents?”
They were waiting for both sets of parents to arrive for dinner. Her mom was coming over for the baby shower next weekend, and Sebastian had suggested that her dad could come as well, so their parents could get a chance to meet. None of their visits while Lita was in the hospital had coincided, but now, Lita wished they had so that it wouldn’t have to be done at this dinner. It felt official and formal.
She thought that her parents would probably like Sebastian’s parents, but she also felt self-conscious about them coming to Galena. It was such an extravagant place, and she worried that her parents would feel out of place here, amidst all of the obvious wealth that Sebastian displayed.
“They’re not going to hate each other. Stop pacing, and come sit down with me.” Sebastian patted the empty space on the sofa next to him.
Lita smiled at him as she sat down. “I know this tactic. Are you going to straddle me, Sebastian Fox?”
“Unfortunately, that’s out of the question for the short term. I do miss it, though.” He grinned at her and put his arm around her. “Our parents love us, and even if they hate each other, they’ll be civil for ours and Mirabella’s sakes. We’re going to have a very nice dinner tonight. Our moms will talk biscotti and lasagna, and our dads will talk about baseball or something.”
“My dad hates baseball,” Lita told him.
“Mine too, actually. See? We’ve found them some common ground already.”
Lita laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Her phone pinged with a text from Becky, and she pulled it out of her pocket to look at it. As she replied to her friend, she felt Sebastian’s arm move from around her. He began to trace the tattoo on her neck as she’d done to him so many weeks ago.
“Why did you get our symbol tattooed on your neck?” he asked.
Lita slipped her phone back into her pocket, then smiled at Sebastian. “Well, I figured that in a professional setting, it could easily be hidden if I needed to.”
“I didn’t mean the location of the tattoo.” Sebastian laughed. “I wanted to know why you chose to get our symbol as a tattoo.”
“Your music means a lot to me. I almost only ever listen to Cruise Control’s music,” she confessed to him, and felt her face flood with heat.
“Hey, me too.” He winked at her.
“I guess it’s because, no matter how I’m feeling, there’s always a Cruise Control song to fit my mood. If I’m feeling anxious or worried, there’s a song for that. If I’m feeling happy and excited, there’s a song for that. If my boyfriend cheated on me and I feel worthless and hope he’s hurting as much as I am, there’s even a song for that.”
Lita gave him a rueful smile, and Sebastian chuckled softly as she continued.
“I realised that I felt stronger and better when I listened to your music. So, I got the tattoo because I wanted to carry that feeling with me everywhere I went. It reminds me that I am strong enough and good enough to get through life.”
Lita didn’t know what else to say, so she shrugged her shoulders and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. Sebastian put his arm around her and pulled her close before kissing her.
“I’m honored that you feel that way about our music, and I love that it means so much to you.” His voice sounded rough and croaky.
“I love you, Seb.”
“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that,” he smiled at her.
She tilted her face to his and kissed him again as the intercom from the front gate rang. Sebastian went to answer it, confirmed it was his parents, and opened the gates remotely for them.
“How come your friends have gate keys and house access, but your parents don’t?” Lita asked and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Because I would be fine with my friends walking in on me naked, but not my parents,” he laughed.
“I do think you wear far too many clothes around this house. You should be naked far more often.”
Sebastian sat back down next to her and kissed her deeply. “Noted. As soon as your parents have gone back to Seattle, I promise to wear no clothes at all, ever.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Lita said, slowly lowering her hand to his crotch.
Sebastian laughed and pulled her
hand away. “The driveway is long, but it’s not that long, princess.”
Lita kissed him again and said, “Fine. Quiet sex later, I guess.”
There was a knocking at the door, and Sebastian got up and went to let his parents in. They appeared in the entrance to the living area, and Lita stood to greet them.
“Lita, how are you feeling?” Bianca asked her.
“Like I’m as big as a house,” she laughed.
“Yeah, it’s been thirty years, but I still haven’t forgotten that feeling.”
“Good to see you again, Lita,” Nathan said as he gave her a hug.
They took seats on the sofa and had been talking for about fifteen minutes when Daryl appeared at the doorway with her parents behind him. They seemed a bit stunned as they stared around the extravagant house.
Lita walked over to them, thanked Daryl for driving them to Galena, and escorted them into the room where both Sebastian and his parents had stood up.
“Mamma, Papà, these are Sebastian’s parents, Nathan and Bianca. Nathan and Bianca, these are my parents, Enzo and Lucia.”
Their parents exchanged handshakes, and Sebastian asked, “Would anyone like a coffee?”
Her mom offered to help him get the coffees, and Lita was left alone with their dads and Bianca.
Nathan and her dad sat down next to one another and started talking about their work histories, while Bianca sat down next to Lita.
“Are you all sorted with a nursery for the baby once she’s born?”
“Kind of; we’ve set one up here, but we still need to set one up in Chicago, and we haven’t done anything in Seattle, of course.”
“Can I see the nursery?” Bianca asked her in a delighted tone.
“Sure, my mom will probably want to see it, too.” Lita smiled at her.
At that moment, Sebastian and her mom returned with the coffees, and Lita was relieved when Sebastian sat down next to her again. Her mom sat down next to Bianca.
“So, were you as surprised as we were when they told you about the pregnancy?” Bianca asked with a laugh.
“Definitely,” her mom said. “We’d heard a lot about Sebastian but had no idea that Lita was involved with him.”
Lita blushed at her mom casually mentioning her being a fan.
“It’s all worked out for the best, though. Lita has been a wonderful addition to Sebastian’s life.” Bianca smiled at Lita.
“She really has,” Sebastian said as he put his arm around Lita.
“Thank you,” Lita smiled. “Sebastian’s been a pretty good addition to my life, too.”
“Have I, though?” he asked with a cheeky smile.
“Well, okay, to be fair, I didn’t need bodyguards or have paparazzi following me around before I met you, but I’m pretty sure the upsides outweigh the downsides. I mean, I can’t be certain, but I think they do.” She grinned at him and rubbed her bump.
Lita thought about how much her life had changed since that night last June. She could never have predicted how that one night would turn her entire life upside-down, but she wouldn’t change it for the world.
After they’d finished drinking their coffee, Lita took her mom and Bianca up to look at the nursery.
“It’s beautiful, Lita,” Bianca gasped when she opened the door.
“Stunning, bella,” her mom agreed.
They’d turned the room next to hers and Sebastian’s room into the nursery. They’d stayed in Chicago for a week after a painter had come and painted it in pastel pink, then they’d set up white nursery furniture.
There was a cot, a changing table, a chest of drawers, and a small bookcase that was currently empty, as Lita had asked everyone to give a gift of books for the baby shower, knowing that their guests would want to give something, whilst also knowing they didn’t need anything. In the corner of the room was a gliding chair and ottoman that Lita had read online would be essential when she was up late at night feeding the baby.
Heather had come around last week with some beautiful wall decals of a girl riding a bike with the Eiffel Tower ahead of her and butterflies everywhere. Heather had put the decals up herself, and Lita absolutely loved them.
Lita showed their moms the clothes they’d bought that were washed, folded, and put away in the drawers.
“It looks like you’re all ready for the baby to be born, bella,” her mom told her.
“Will we ever really be ready?” Lita laughed.
“Probably not, but she’s coming either way,” Bianca said with a smile.
They headed back downstairs to find the dads playing a game of pool. Nathan won and shook her dad’s hand.
“Good game, Enzo.”
“How about we do teams?” Sebastian asked. “Are you good at the game, Lucia?”
“I’m not as good as Lita,” she laughed. “But I’m okay.”
Sebastian walked over to his mom and put his arm around her. “All right, well, Lita and I will take you, mom.”
“Are you implying that I’m not very good at pool, bello?” she asked him.
“I would never insult you like that, Mamma.” Sebastian gave her an innocent smile.
They played a couple of games where everyone took it in turns to take a shot. Nathan was very good at the game, and Lita wanted to try playing him solo. Their team won the first game, while her parents and Nathan won the second game. After playing a tiebreaker, their team was victorious.
“Good match,” Nathan said with a smile. “You’re very good, Lita.”
“Thanks, you too. Do you want to play a game?”
“Sure,” he said with a smile.
Lita won the game, but only by one ball, and it was the closest game she’d had in years.
“Dad’s the one who taught me how to play,” Sebastian told her. “I don’t beat him very often.”
“I do think I’m getting worse in my old age. I don’t play often enough these days,” Nathan said.
They played pool, and the guys drank some beers, and Lita was able to relax as everyone seemed to be getting along okay.
She’d just finished a game against her dad when she handed the pool cue to Sebastian and said, “I’ll be back in a minute; I’m going to check on our moms.”
“Okay, princess,” Sebastian smiled and gave her a kiss.
Their moms were in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Sebastian had offered to have the dinner catered, and both of their moms had been horrified by the idea. Lita was worried that they wouldn’t get along, but when she walked in, they were working together to make parmigiana and were in the midst of a conversation.
“Hi, bella. Everything okay?” her mom asked.
Lita took a seat on a stool at the kitchen bench and said, “Yeah, I just thought I’d come and see how you two were doing.”
“All good here, Lita.” Bianca gave her a kind smile. “Your mom and I were just talking about growing up in Italy. We should all go there on holiday sometime.”
“That would be pretty cool. I haven’t been to Italy since I was a teenager when Nonno and Nonna moved here,” Lita said.
She didn’t know how she felt about the idea of going on a big family holiday, though. It made her stressed just to think about it, but she liked the idea of Mirabella getting to see where her family came from.
“Sebastian didn’t actually go to Italy for the first time until he was on a concert tour. He flew us over there for the concert, and we had our first real Italian holiday. It was wonderful to get to show Nathan where I grew up.” Bianca smiled as she said it.
Lita remembered that Sebastian had said that he’d never had money until he became famous and felt her heart swell at the fact that when he got the chance, he’d flown his parents there. She wondered if he’d bought the house that they lived in as well.
“What was Sebastian like as a child?” Lita asked.
Bianca smiled fondly. “He was the most beautiful baby but a very cheeky boy. He had me wrapped around his little finger, and I doted on him because he was my
only child. Nathan was a lot stricter with him, they’re very similar in personality, and they clashed a lot when Sebastian was a teenager.”
“Lita and I were the same,” her mom said. “Oh, good luck when you have a teenage girl to deal with, bella.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Lita laughed.
“When you come to our house next, I’ll show you some old pictures, Lita.” Bianca smiled at her.
When dinner was ready, they all sat in the dining room to eat it. The food was delicious, and they had spinach and roast vegetables to go with it. For dessert, their moms had made tiramisu.
“This dinner was amazing,” Sebastian said. “Thanks, Mom and Lucia. It’s definitely better than any catering I could have ordered.”
“Thanks, bello.”
“Should we have after-dinner drinks in the sitting room?” he asked.
Everyone agreed, and they made their way to the sitting room. Their parents took seats on the two-seater sofas, while Sebastian and Lita took an armchair each. They’d been talking for about half an hour when Sebastian excused himself and said he would be back in a minute.
Their parents were still talking, but Lita was starting to feel tired. It had been a great day—their parents had hit it off, and the meal they’d eaten was excellent, but she was ready for bed. She was just thinking that she’d tell Sebastian that she was going to bed as soon as he came back when he coughed to get everyone’s attention from where he was now standing in the doorway to the room.
“If nobody minds, I’ve got something to say.”
Their parents stopped talking at once and turned to look at Sebastian, who was smiling at Lita.
“I’m glad that you’re all here tonight. The way that you found out that we were having a baby wasn’t ideal, Mom and Dad. So, I really wanted everyone here for this.”
Lita’s heart started pounding in her chest. Sebastian was holding a flat, rectangular box in his hand, and he walked over to stand in front of her before he got down on one knee, and she heard both of their mothers gasp.
