But he’d been wrong about what his parents would say.
And Amber didn’t want him.
He sighed heavily as he sat down at his kitchen table and picked up the envelope with the information for the cake class.
He’d been looking forward to doing that with her, dammit. Everything was fun as long as she was there.
He put on his winter clothes and walked to the grocery store, where he picked up a few things for the week, though he didn’t need much, as his parents had brought quite a bit of food on Friday.
Then he ventured to the pharmacy section. There was a small selection of greeting cards, and all the Valentine’s Day cards were fifty percent off, since the day in question had passed.
He bought one.
He also bought some discounted Valentine’s chocolate, remembering all the Christmas chocolate that Amber had had in her basket that day in January.
Sebastian managed a wry smile at that memory.
After returning home and putting away his groceries, he jumped in his car and headed to his parents’ house. He’d promised he’d come over for dinner today, and he wasn’t particularly looking forward to it.
* * *
“I won’t let you speak to Amber like that ever again,” Sebastian said.
“Is she your girlfriend now?” his mother asked.
They were sitting around the kitchen table in his childhood home: Sebastian, his mother, and his father.
“No,” Sebastian said, “but if you see her again, you better not act like that.”
“We had a fight with Rosemary and Stuart,” Mom said.
“They stuck up for their daughter? Good.”
Mom crossed her arms and looked at him as though trying to figure him out. Perhaps she thought this was out of character for him—he’d never been the rebellious child.
“You were okay with them setting up Diana and Zach,” he said. “But for me and Amber, it’s different?”
Was it because they considered Zach more respectable...and they’d never seen Zach wearing a short I’m-here-to-have-sex dress? Or because they had more specific expectations for Sebastian than Diana?
Not that it mattered.
Dad finally opened his mouth. “You really love her.”
“Yeah. I do.”
I’ve never quite felt this way before.
“Then if you bring her home, I will welcome her. We will try to be more open-minded. She is not who we imagined for you, but maybe she is right for you.” He gave Sebastian a small smile.
Sebastian exhaled. If he’d won over his dad, then his dad would eventually convince his mother. “One other thing. Boundaries. Please don’t show up unannounced and force your way in when I say no, okay? I’ll try to visit you every week now that I’m close by, but at the very least, call before you get in the car.”
“That is fine, Sebastian,” Dad said. “We understand.”
Mom didn’t seem thrilled, but she nodded.
He knew his parents wanted the best for him. They’d come to this country for opportunities, to give their children a better life, but they had specific ideas of what that meant, and they were a little rigid in their thinking.
They would figure this out, though.
He felt a heaviness in his heart as he thought of Amber. He wanted her to be an important part of his life, but he’d already put his heart out there and been rejected.
Perhaps she’d come to him later, after she got his package in the mail.
Perhaps not, but it was her choice, and he’d let her make it on her own.
“I’m thankful for what you’ve done for me,” he said to his parents, “but I have my own life now and I can decide what’s best for me.” He paused. “I love you.”
His parents looked at each other like they didn’t know what to make of his words, then turned back to him.
“Ah, I almost forgot,” Dad said. “There was a big sale this weekend on paper towels. They’re in the basement. I will get them for you.”
“We went to London and got the bao you like,” Mom said, heading to the fridge. “And those chocolate cookies—they are so hard to find.”
Though they didn’t say the words, this was how they told Sebastian that they loved him.
Chapter 13
When Amber came home on Monday after work, she took down the sign that had hung above her bed for a year.
Rule #1: No Dating.
After having leftovers for dinner—her parents had sent food home with her yesterday—she sat in front of the TV, ready to crochet and watch some baking shows. She’d bought a pattern for an otter holding a heart, and she was excited to get started.
The truth was, there was a purpose to the otter. And her next crochet project, which made her giggle stupidly.
She was making them all for Sebastian. A plan had formed at the back of her mind, and she was slowly putting it into action.
As she worked on her little projects, she allowed the feelings she’d ignored for so long to bubble to the surface. She’d been so resistant to the idea of them being together, but after talking to her friends and her family, she’d been slowly changing her mind.
She didn’t suddenly know in a flash that she wanted to be with him for always, but that didn’t mean it was any less. She’d been impulsive in the past. Now, she was taking her time.
For some reason, she needed this time alone, and she let herself have it.
The following Wednesday, she received a small package. She got a goofy grin on her face when she saw that it was from Sebastian, and she immediately tore it open.
There was a bag of chocolate hearts with a “50% off” sticker. She was sure he’d left the sticker on deliberately.
There was also an envelope sealed with a heart. Inside, she found a card with two heart balloons and the words “Be Mine.” When she opened it up, a piece of paper fluttered out.
It was the registration for the cake class. He’d added a sticky note saying he could change the name of the second person so she could take
