Episode 453: Let's Try It Again

Watching her at the mirror, looking achingly good in a simple gray slip of a dress, running a brush through her long dark hair, Sebastian wanted nothing more than to stride across the room, pull her into a kiss and throw them both down on the bed.

But their relationship had never been as easy as that.

Sebastian was beginning to doubt it ever would be. Beginning to wonder why they were still bothering to try so hard.

Then she turned. And she smiled. And she set down her hairbrush and walked into his arms. And he knew why they were still trying.

"Ready to go?" Bas asked, after they brushed lips. "You look beautiful."

"You don’t look so shabby yourself," she replied, with another soft kiss.

"I’m sorry about tonight. I know hanging out with my parents isn’t ideal for our situation."

"Well, maybe hanging out with mine will prove to be ideal," Ava said, her voice fluttering between uncertainty and hope. "Sarette stopped by a couple days ago."

"She did? Why didn’t you say something sooner? Are you okay? I know in the past," he began, silently cursing the damn past "I wasn’t good at being there for you through the tough stuff. But if we’re going to make this work, you need to put me to the test, right? And stuff doesn’t get any tougher for you than your biological mom."

She nodded. "I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know whether I could accept her generosity or not. But I want to. For us. She offered us her beach house for as long as we need it. Maybe if we got away from everything…"

Episode 454: Next Lifetime