Signed Mrs. Sterling Chapter 08
Perhaps realizing I had just saved his “son’s” life, Sebastian’s usually playful face was, for the first time, filled with genuine panic and gratitude.
He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself into a responsible father, but it was hard when his shirt was soaked through with cold sweat.
“Thank you… really,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.
He then reached out, attempting to take Leo from my arms.
“Come on, Leo, my little adventurer. We should get going and not bother Aunt Julianne. She… she needs her rest.”
Sebastian’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle, not at all like the asshole who used to sit in Harrison’s office and mock me for being a gold digger.
But Leo wasn’t having it.
The little guy buried his head in my windbreaker, his small hands wrapped around my neck like octopus tentacles, still trembling.
“No…” Leo’s muffled, tearful voice came out. “I want to stay with this auntie.”
Sebastian’s hand froze mid-air, and his handsome face flushed red. The man who never lost a negotiation was now being bested by a four-year-old.
He tried to sound stern, putting on a clumsy display of fatherly authority.
“Listen to me, Leo! Come with Daddy, or there’s no ice cream for you later.”
He took a step forward, trying to pry Leo away.
“No!”
Leo screamed, kicking his legs wildly, nearly hitting Sebastian in the nose.
“Mommy’s smell… Auntie smells like Mommy…”
That one sentence acted like a mute button, silencing the entire beach.
I froze, and even Sebastian stood there as if struck by lightning. A flicker of deep, repressed pain crossed his eyes.
The sea breeze was getting cold, and Leo was still shivering.
I sighed, my defenses softening.
“My villa is just up there, a two-minute walk,” I said, pointing to the white, shingled house behind the dunes. “Why don’t you come over for a bit? I can make him some hot cocoa. Once he’s calmed down, you can take him home.”
I glanced at Sebastian. “It doesn’t look like he’s letting go anytime soon. Unless you want him to scream himself hoarse.”
Sebastian looked at Leo, who was clinging to me like a koala, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Finally, he nodded.
“I’d appreciate that, Julianne. I owe you one.”