I'm Not Your Enemy (Enemies 2)

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Fine. I withheld an eye roll and snatched the keys from him. “Talk. Sure. We’ll talk. I’ll go say goodbye to the others.”

Since Sebastian was gonna be a stubborn dick about things, he could have fun facing the firing squad, ’cause I was gonna duck out with a quick excuse of not feeling well.

It wasn’t entirely inaccurate at this point.

Eight

I did more than walk Oppy and Percy. I walked them, fed them, and brought them—and my laundry—with me to Sebastian’s place, where I also took the liberty of showering in a bathroom that didn’t require me to refill the water tank and hunch down to fit into the stall.

I rejoined the boys downstairs and tightened the drawstrings to my sweats. No underwear, no tee. Sebastian wasn’t going to walk through that door and see me and think we’d talk for twenty minutes before kicking me out. In fact, there would be no sudden exits whatsoever. If we argued, we’d have to figure it out. If he wanted me to leave, he’d have to give me the chance to wait for my laundry to dry.

Percy tumbled into my ankle as I walked toward the couch, so I picked him up and got him settled between my hand and my neck. He had these periods when he was incredibly affectionate, and given that I was starved for cuddles, I enjoyed those moments the most.

“At least you love me, buddy.” I pressed a kiss to his back and zeroed in on the pictures above Sebastian’s couch.

A wall reserved for family, without question. If I knew my sister, she was the one in charge of this hall of fame, but I knew Sebastian too. Family was important to him, and he wanted reminders of them nearby.

I hadn’t taken the time to look closer last visit. It was the first time I saw Sebastian’s sister and two nephews. The boys appeared to be around eight or nine in the photo, and both were trying to wrestle Sebastian to the ground. In another picture, it was Sebastian, his sister, and their…I assumed it was their grandfather. A bunch of apple trees in the background.

Teddy was otherwise the star, understandably. There was one I really liked. Teddy was maybe four or five, and he was sprawled out across Sebastian’s lap in the back of Soph’s car. They were both asleep.

Seeing all these pictures put a rock in the pit of my stomach, and it felt akin to grief for missing out. Missing out on ending up on walls and being part of something.

I wanted my feet to grow roots for the first time in my life.

“I’m givin’ you and your brother a bath tomorrow. I can get mud out of your fur, but I can’t do squat about beach sand.” I smacked another kiss to Percy’s back before setting him down on the soft rug.

Tiger Lily watched from the windowsill, her tail flicking gracefully. Her head tilted just a fraction of a second before Mischa and Echo darted for the front door, signaling Sebastian’s homecoming.

The nerves made a swift return, but I wasn’t backing out this time.

All cards on the table.

I was ready to be honest, to tell it all, and to use words I’d spent my life avoiding.

“The R-word,” I muttered under my breath. “Relationship. Relationship, relationship, relationship.”

I could do it.

What I wasn’t sure I could handle was Sebastian’s rejection. Because I wasn’t stupid. I wasn’t the only one struggling with commitment. If anything, he was worse. Possibly. He could be worse. After all, it’d taken my sister years to become really close to him, and that was just friendship.

The door opened, and it was followed by Sebastian greeting his boys.

I got settled on the couch, ready to chain myself to any nearby object so he couldn’t kick me out.

Oppy, the little traitor, jumped out to greet Sebastian too.

“Why am I not surprised to see you, little one?” he murmured. “Is your dumbass daddy doing laundry?”

I winced and scratched my ear. “I showered here too.” Might as well throw that out there. “And if you call me dumbass one more time, I’ll plant my sweet ass in your bed.”

Sebastian sighed heavily. His keys landed somewhere, by the sound of it. Then he emerged from the hallway and looked me up and down. “Make yourself at home, I guess.”

“Thanks, darlin’.” I smiled. “How did the last game go?”

He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “We let Teddy win, and Dylan mopped the floor with me. Sophia was more interested in eating. I almost asked if she’s pregnant again, but that’s a mistake I won’t make twice.”

I grinned. “Good call.”

“Mm.” He grabbed a couple containers from the fridge and placed them on the bar. “If you tell me you’re not hungry, we’re gonna have a problem.”