Dear Mister Summers

forty five

Sebastian swallowed and thought about the hell she had put him through on his drive home. The truth about Maria and the photos had almost been a relief compared to what he had been left to presume on his own. His imagination had ranged from a mysterious illness to her boredom with him to her involvement with another man. There was not another woman on the planet who had ever made him feel things like Andin. Who made him feel as if his life was better with her in it. Who made him look for her in a room filled with people. Who made him feel like smiling just because she smiled. There was no other woman on the planet who had ever twisted him in knots like her.

For two days, when she had not returned any of his calls or texts, he had told himself to forget about her. That he was better off without the distraction of a woman. Then, before he knew it, he was standing there drenched on her mother's porch, knocking on the door and threatening her with a bomb and a neighborhood evacuation. Perhaps Clarabelle had been right all along. During their drive here, she had told him that he was like his father. That once he loved someone, he would go all in with his feelings. What he felt now was more than a bone-deep longing that there was just no getting past. She had become a crucial part of his life and without her, he would feel empty.

Sebastian had worked hard his entire life to get where he was. People might not believe him and would say that he was simply a boy with a silver spoon but what they had not known was how cruel his grandfather could be. Hell, the old man had even gotten Declan married off to his business friend's granddaughter all the way in China because the man had made a promise fifty years ago. Then there was Draven who had been driven out of their family. Sure, Piers had had something to do with it but ultimately the blame was on their grandfather.

He knew he had not gotten the worst but if he had not been able to prove himself ten years ago, he would not be here today. If he had not worked hard and made his way to the top from being an associate all the way to becoming a CEO, he would not be able to live comfortably as he was at the moment. Yet none of these, his success nor his wealth, meant anything if he did not have someone to share them with. If he did not have Andin.

"What is on your mind? Come on, Brother, tell me." When he had not answered, she continued, "I thought you have resolved the matter with Andin so are you thinking about the celebration this Friday?"

He frowned as he pressed the gas pedal slightly and overtook the black Jeep on his right. "What celebration?"

"Seriously?" Clarabelle shook her head, he could see her from his peripheral vision looking surprised. "Since you pretty much built Summers Entertainment from the ground considering Grandpa never thought entertainment industry as a lucrative business, I would never imagine you would forget about your baby's tenth birthday."

When he was showing a lack of response, Clarabelle gasped. "Oh my gosh! You totally forgot, didn't you? For the first time in ten years! Wow, Andin must be a real something."

Sebastian let out a chuckle. "She is."

"Well, what will you do about the celebration though? You never skipped it and I bet all of your employees are looking forward to it."

"You know, you are right." A slow dangerous smile started to form on his face. "Do you want to help me with it?"

"I thought you would never ask." Clarabelle grinned, sparks were in her beautiful eyes. "Tell me what you need, Brother."

"Well, I will need you to book the venue, and take care of the catering, you know the drill."

His sister rolled her eyes, smiling. "I sure do."

"Andin usually helps me with the planning but with her leaving, this suits my purpose perfectly. I want this to be a surprise for her. Anyway, first thing first, you should know that there are two things going to be celebrated at the party this weekend, Little Sister."

* * *

The next morning, a card and a box arrived at her mother's house and they were addressed to her. Judging by the Summers logo, she could tell that it was an invitation to Summers Entertainment's tenth birthday celebration long before she even opened the envelope and pulled the card out. What she did not know was the content inside of it. Instead of the usual printed invitation with details on the venues and such, on her card was a handwritten invitation written by none other than Sebastian himself. She would recognize his penmanship anywhere.

Dear Miss Williams,

Red suits you best. That night when you came wearing that red dress is one of the things I remember most about my birthday. I hope you won't mind wearing this red dress for the annual celebration this Friday.

- Sebastian

Then below his signature were the details regarding time and place. Carefully she put the card on the table and opened the box. As mentioned in the invitation card, inside was a glamorous floor-length red gown with an exaggerated hem and sexy side slit. She put the dress back into the box along with the card and went upstairs to pack her things.

It had been nice to visit her mother and celebrate her birthday but she knew she had overextended her stay. This morning around three she had heard someone tiptoeing across the wooden floor. It did not take a genius to figure out that it must have been Finn, her mother's boyfriend, and since the last thing she ever wanted was to accidentally walk in on them, she felt that it was time for her to return home.

By the time her mother walked into the house, Andin had already had everything packed and ready to go. She could not simply leave without saying goodbye thus she waited for her with a cup of tea.

"Andin!" Her mother eyes's widened as she took in the packed bags and a box placed on the couch next to Andin. "Where are you going?"

"I am sorry, Momma. I have to go back. There is a company celebration tomorrow evening and I am expected to be there."

For a second her mother simply stared at her before she gave her a knowing smile. "He would be there, would he?"

"Who?"

"Oh, you do not have to say anything, Andin. Mothers always know." She closed the gap between them and threw her arms tightly around her. "Go and have fun, Honey. You deserve to be happy too, you know."

The drive had been as unpleasant as her drive here since her vomiting did not stop. Unlike in movies whereby once the character figured out and realized that she was pregnant, all pregnancy symptoms were thrown out of the window. When it had become unbearable, she made a stop at the gas station just outside Seattle and threw up all of her breakfast right into the toilet bowl. However, the rest of the journey was quite bearable and somehow she managed to drag herself into her flat along with her bags and the box from Sebastian.

After a cup of chamomile tea, she was feeling slightly better so she drew a bath, poured some mixed ylang-ylang, lavender, and rosemary, and had a nice relaxing soak. When she walked out of the bathroom, she heard a knock on her front door. She put on her robe and asked, "Who is it?"

Someone on the other side replied, "Seems like someone is finally home."