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“What? No,” Sebastian said as I climbed out of the golf cart. I could probably walk to Sebastian’s house from here. Then I could climb into bed and pretend this night never happened. That I hadn’t fainted at the auction in front of my friends and random strangers. That I wasn’t humiliating myself in front of my friend on a pity date.
Sebastian caught my wrist and pulled me into his body. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, and his expression was so tender I sucked in a sharp breath. “I planned this date for you.”
My forehead wrinkled as I tried to figure out why Sebastian would plan a date and take me on it. “But why? Were you worried that no one would bid on me?”
Sebastian shook his head and smiled softly. “I bid on you because I wanted to take you on a date.”
His words were not lining up in my head. “You wanted to take me on a date? But why?”
“Let me show you something.” His hand drifted down my arm and interlaced with my fingers as he guided me through the row of trees.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was curious about the date but more interested in what Sebastian had to say about us. I felt like I was missing something vital.
CHAPTER 13
SEBASTIAN
“Did you do this?” Hanna asked as she took in the small ice rink that we’d installed earlier today. The lights we’d strung over the rink gave it a romantic vibe.
It was difficult bringing the trucks in without the girls noticing. But it helped that they were at the main house most of the day, getting ready for the auction.
“I had some help.” Knox and Talon helped me build the ice rink. To keep Marley in the dark, I had to explain to Heath what was going on, too. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. They didn’t give me a hard time. They were excited and relieved I’d finally admitted my feelings to them and had a plan to win Hanna. I still worried that it was too late or that Hanna never felt anything more than friendship for me.
“I can’t believe you went to all of this trouble,” Hanna said, her tone full of awe.
“You’re worth it. I wanted to show you how much you mean to me.”
Hanna frowned as she turned to face me. “Why?”
“I’ve always wondered what would happen if we crossed that line from friends to something more. But I was more worried about how that would affect our friendship. I was scared to take that step for too long. At first, I was busy raising Ember, but I waited too long to explore this thing between us.”
Hanna placed her hand on her chest as if she could still the racing of her heart. “What are you saying?”
I took her hand and placed it over my heart, which was racing in my chest. “I like you. As more than a friend.”
“You feel it, too?” Hanna asked, her voice tentative. “I thought it was one-sided. That’s why I was resolved to meet someone in the new year. I couldn’t wait any longer to see if we could have something.”
I wanted to know why she hadn’t said anything, but I already knew. She was just as scared as I was. “I feel something between us. Something I’ve never felt with anyone else, and maybe it’s because we’ve been friends for so long. But I’d like to explore the possibility of us.”
“I’d like that, too.”
I wanted to kiss her, but I wanted to do this right. We’d waited this long. I could feed her before she fainted again and then give her the date she deserved.
“Can I feed you? And then if you’re up to it, we could skate.” I led her over to the seating area, where we’d placed large pillows and a picnic basket of food. I had everything I needed for the evening, so there wouldn’t be any interruptions.
I helped Hanna sit on the blankets and pulled out the food from the basket. It was a shrimp cocktail, cool from being on ice, and fruits. I handed her a fork and a water. There was wine, but I didn’t think that was a good idea since she’d just fainted.
We ate in silence while we stared at the ice rink. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”
“I wanted something special. The other dates were great, but I wanted to surprise you.”
Hanna shook her head. “You did. I think I’m still in shock.”
I reached over to touch her. Now that I’d revealed my feelings, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted to act on them.
We ate quickly, and then I put away our trash. “Are you ready to skate? We don’t have to if you’re not feeling up to it.”
The ice rink was only temporary, but we’d investigated the possibility of keeping it for the season.
