36
Pact.
In which a new pact is made.
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Three months later.
I EAGERLY TOOK IN THE SIGHT of the flowers that bloomed in the garden. Sebastian, when buying the house, kept in mind how beautiful we found nature and from what I was looking at, I was reminded of that fact. The scarlet tulips covered the deep green grass and stood with strong, straight stems.
It was early in the morning, so early that the birds were chirping, and I wanted to take in the view because I didn't wake up that early often. We were well into spring and a few months had passed since our weekend getaway in Italy. I found myself falling more deeply in love with Sebastian as the days went by. Living together properly—and not just sleeping over at each other's place—was proving to be amazing. It had only been a few weeks since we moved in, but we were finally settled.
Having a place that we could call ours made our relationship that much more secure. I couldn't get enough of Sebastian and consistently waking up next to him in the mornings made me happier than I thought it would. Our schedules didn't always align, but we would always spend time with each other at night time.
I was learning more about him every day.
When I watched the sunrise, I quietly walked to the kitchen after peering into the open door of our bedroom to see Sebastian fast asleep on his side. He was spread across the bed and I was relieved that I wasn't sleeping because he had a tendency to trap me under his body when he slept. He was like a huge teddy bear.
We had finally decided to throw our housewarming party and the kitchen was full of food. We were planning to have Sebastian's family over for brunch, and I was glad to finally have time for everyone. The restaurant was progressively getting more successful, and I hoped that in a year's time, I'd be able to open up another one.
I smiled as I placed the smoked salmon bites with lemon dill cream cheese on plates, then going on to plate the assortment of cheeses that I'd bought from a local farmer's market.
Once I was done with everything, Sebastian had showered and was dressed in simple clothing with his reading glasses perched on his nose. He was sat on the sofa with a few papers on the table in front of him. His mouth was around the lid of the pen as he looked like he was deep in concentration. I stared at him over my shoulder and picked up a piece of food, walking towards him.
He heard me coming, lifting his head and gracing me with a small smile. I brought the bite to his lips and he opened his mouth to take it in, groaning quietly. "That tastes really good." He complimented, placing the paper that was in his right hand down on the table. "Can I just have all the food myself?"
I grinned and shook my head, wiping my hands on my apron. "No, because we've never had your family round to our place for anything. I can cook this for you at any time."
He returned my grin and stood up, hooking an arm around my waist to pull me towards him. Without a word, he leaned down and planted a kiss to my lips. "I like the sound of that. 'Our' place." His glasses pressed against my cheek so I leaned up to pull them from his face, folding them closed and placing them on the coffee table next to his papers.
"You're the only person I know that works this early in the day." I murmured as he kissed my neck sensually. He hummed against my neck and slid his hands down to grip my hips.
"I'm in the middle of a two billion dollar deal at my office in New York. I promise you'll have my complete attention today."
I threaded my fingers through his hair to pull his head back, steadying my gaze on his. "What are you planning?" I asked curiously, watching the smirk make its way onto his face. "Sebastian, don't be like that," I whined as he leaned forward, giving me a brief kiss with a laugh.
"I'm not planning anything, pumpkin. And if I was, I definitely wouldn't tell you." He laid one more dizzying kiss on my lips before sitting back down and finishing up his work.
I busted myself by taking a shower and changing out of my sleepwear. It was almost eleven when everyone started arriving. Sebastian's parents, Athena and Wyatt, were the first to arrive and they greeted us both with wide grins.
Athena stepped forward and embraced me in a tight hug. "Mira! The place looks gorgeous." She pulled back and cupped my face with warm hands. "And so do you! You're glowing, darling. Is there something you want to tell us?"
Sebastian replied before I could with heated cheeks. "Mum. She's not pregnant."
Athena's smile didn't falter but she shrugged her shoulders. "Can't blame a woman for trying." She wrapped her arms around her son as Wyatt came over to me, giving me a brief hug.
"Pay no attention to her." He chuckled, his dark brown eyes almost disappearing with his big grin. "She's just eager to see her youngest child become a father. I am too, but no pressure."
I patted him on the back before I closed the door behind them, shaking my head with a grin. I was taking birth control regularly because I knew that Sebastian and I didn't want kids until we were married. "You'll be one of the first people to know if I am pregnant, don't worry."
He seemed to like the sound of that because he patted my shoulder with a comforting hand. Athena urged us to show her around the place, and I found myself falling in love with it even though we'd been living here for a few weeks. There were five rooms and three floors, and although it was more space than we needed at the moment, we both knew that it would be the house we raised our future children in.
Sebastian allowed me to take the reigns with decoration, but I decided to keep the extra bedrooms simple with minimal renovations because I wanted to leave it for whatever child slept in the room. By the time the tour was done, the rest of the Harringtons arrived, along with James, Lena, Ada and Jett, who after a handful of dates asked her to be his girlfriend.
I had met him a few times and I could see how happy he made my best friend. James and Lena's relationship was also headed in the right direction, and even his family were doing well. They had finally met Jake and he was slowly integrating into the family with occasional visits. Sebastian had also met him a few times, and I could tell how happy it made him too.
Avery came running over to me and collided into my legs, almost knocking me over as she wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Auntie Mira!" she greeted with a big smile. My heart warmed at the fact that she seemed more and more excited every time she saw me. She was such a precious kid. "Uncle Seb said I could stay over next week, is that okay?"
I curved a hand around the back of her head and stared down at her with a soft grin on my face. "Of course it is, princess. You can stay over any time you want. We can even make blueberry pancakes."
She grinned wider and squeezed me once more. "You're the best!" she exclaimed before running over to greet Sebastian. I laughed at how much energy she had and grinned when Sebastian lifted her into his arms and she placed a big kiss on his cheek.
"Your house is so beautiful, Mira." Ada gushed once she walked over to me, throwing her arm over my shoulder as she pulled me into her side. "I miss sharing a place with you, but I'm so happy for you."
I wrapped an arm around her waist and tilted my head to smile at her. "I'll still pay half of the rent until you find a roommate. Are you looking for one?"
She shook her head and with her other hand, she tucked the blonde strands of her hair behind her ear. "I'm thinking that maybe it's time for me to move too—get my own place. It's cheaper that way."
I nodded and hugged her for a brief moment before pulling away. "I'm always here if you need help apartment hunting." My eyes drifted towards Jett who was striking up a conversation with Kaia, Sebastian's sister, and her husband. "How are things going for you?"
Ada blushed and smiled in her boyfriend's direction. "Really well. I've never liked someone so much." Her gaze lingered on him as she spoke. "It's still early days, but I can see myself falling in love with him."
I studied him closely. He was definitely her type and if he could get Kaia to crack a smile then he definitely had a sense of humour. "I'm happy for you, Ads. You deserve to find love."
She sighed dreamily. "I really feel like I've already found it." She directed her gaze back to me and smiled sheepishly. "Who would have thought we'd be here? Almost a year ago, we were both single."
I thought back to that time when the only man in my life was my male roommate and the type of friendship we had. I would never have thought that I'd meet the love of my life a few weeks later. Sebastian came into my life at a time I didn't expect him to, and ever since he did, my life improved significantly. Granted we had our bad times early on, but it made our progress that much sweeter.
I couldn't see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone else.
After everyone spoke for a little while longer, we finally sat down to eat. Flynn spoke up first when he dug into his meal.
"Would I be asking for much if I wanted to take some of this home with me?"
Sebastian frowned and nodded his head. "I've already claimed whatever is left. I get first dibs since this is my house."
Athena sighed and looked at me with an amused expression on her face. "I gave birth to you so technically, I get first dibs." Her sons couldn't say anything to that and I laughed.
"Sharing is caring, Uncle Seb." Avery chimed in as she sipped on her smoothie. She had chosen to eat the fruit, but Flynn let her eat off his plate too. It was why he agreed with her.
I placed a hand on Sebastian's shoulder and grinned at him. "She's got a point." And when Flynn pointed out that I could cook for him any time, I said the same. Sebastian relented and the rest of the morning was filled with light chatter and story sharing.
It was a couple of hours later when everyone left that Sebastian linked our fingers together to stop me from cleaning up.
"I'll have cleaners around for that, baby. Don't worry about that today." He squeezed my hand and offered me a reassuring smile when I looked at all of the mess. "I've got somewhere to take you."
I lowered my eyebrows in a mix of curiosity and confusion. "You're not planning anything are you?"
He smiled innocently and shook his head. "I have a problem at the office and I need your opinion on it." He picked up one of his car keys and reached for our jackets before handing mine to me. "And before you ask, it won't take long, I promise."
I had nothing else to do for the day, so I agreed with little resistance. Sebastian rarely asked for my opinion when it came to business, but when he did there was always something nagging on his mind.
"Are you okay?" I questioned worriedly once we were in the car on the way to his office. A good thing about our new house was that it wasn't too far from both his office and my restaurant, which meant that we would be home quickly after we closed up. But, it meant that I didn't have long to wonder what he wanted my help with before we actually arrived at his company building.
His arm wrapped around my waist as we walked towards the lift. I watched the numbers increase as we neared the top floor...and completely passed it. I turned to him in confusion. "We passed your office, Sebastian."
He didn't say anything, but there was a small smile on his face as the lift door separated and revealed that we were on the rooftop. I gasped as he led me out of the lift with his warm hand in mine. On the floor, there was a trail of roses that lead to a luxuriously decorated table. There were candles lit, and from the sweet lavender that I smelled, I could tell they were scented.
In the middle of the table were two wine glasses and a bottle of the expensive wine that we had tasted in our getaway in Italy. I turned to look at Sebastian in surprise to see he was already watching me. "You were planning something."
He smiled softly. "I was." He didn't say anything further as he pulled me towards the table, pouring us each a glass of the extravagant wine. "I have something important to share with you, so just listen."
I leaned my head on his shoulder as I slowly sipped on the wine, watching the view the rooftop provided as Sebastian did the same. I listened closely to what he was saying.
"I often come up to the rooftop when something is on my mind and I just talk to get whatever it is off my chest. When I first started this company, I was still dealing with Cade's death so when I come up here, I imagine that I'm talking to him. It helps—I always feel better after I do and I hope that he's watching and listening to me now wherever he is." He stopped to take a sip of his wine. I wrapped my arm around his torso and stepped closer to him.
"I wanted to bring you here because this is an important place to me, and I wanted to share this with you." He tilted his head down to meet my gaze and he rendered me with a breathtakingly beautiful smile. "What do you think?"
I smiled with him and felt the warmth bloom in my chest. "I love it—it's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me, Sebastian."
His smile widened for a moment and I could see that he was nervous. I figured that he had more on his chest and placed my wine glass, and his, on the table. I was almost going to take a seat when I saw him blow out a breath and lower himself onto one knee.
My mouth parted in shock as he reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out a small velvet box. I stopped breathing when he opened it to reveal a diamond ring that looked more expensive than anything I'd ever owned. He was proposing to me in his favourite place.
"I've had this ring ever since my operation, but I've been waiting for the perfect moment." He stared up at me with dark sienna eyes and shakily continued. I decided to grab his hand in an act of comforting him. "I wanted to propose in Italy, but I didn't want it to feel rushed. I'm so in love with you and this might seem quick seeing as we've been together for just six months, but my father, and yours, said when you know you know. And I know that you're the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I can't imagine ever loving anyone else but you and you already have my heart. This is me giving you all of me, everything for the rest of our lives—if you'll have me." He cracked a small smile and seemed less nervous. "We started off with the cuddle pact, and I'm hoping we get to make a new pact. Will you marry me, Mira Casey?"
I couldn't stop the grin that took hold of my features. My heart exploded with love and I was over the moon. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" I met him halfway and pressed my lips to his in a searing kiss.
He kissed me deeply, smiling against my mouth before he pulled back with a sigh of joyed relief. He took the ring from its place in the box and held my hand in his to slide it onto my finger. It was a perfect fit. "I love you, Mira." He admired his ring on my finger for a moment more before cupping my face and planting a hard kiss to my lips. "I love you so much."
I grinned and stared down at my ring finger with a contented expression on my face. "I love you too, Sebastian. I'll never stop loving you."
His lips pressed against my cheek and he wrapped his arms around me to hold me in a tight embrace. "You'll never have to. We're in this forever."
I couldn't stop kissing him and when it finally sunk in that we were engaged, I stared up at the sky and smiled. It had all started with a cuddle pact, but we now had forever. And I knew only one thing.
Forever had never sounded so good.
WEDDING CHAPTER IS AVAILABLE ON THE WRITING PLATFORM INKITT UNDER 'THE CUDDLE PACT'.