Contractual Obligations

My parents left the very next day. My mother begged me to drive them to the airport. Sebastian was at work, and I couldn’t think of a way to say no.

I figured that my mom would have yelled at me for bailing on my workout. Instead, it was the opposite.

“I cannot believe how you have him wrapped around your little finger,” she gushed while my dad answered emails and ignored our conversation. “He’s obsessed with you, even like this!”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared at the road, unable to do anything more. I felt sick to my stomach.

The whole drive to the airport was my mother congratulating me for somehow manipulating Sebastian into liking me. I didn’t think it could get worse, but then my mother pulled me aside with a rueful smile on her face as my dad disappeared into the terminal.

“Drop your birth control, honey,” she said with a wink. “You’ve got him now.”

“I-I can’t—”

“Don’t play coy. It’s easy, and you can hire a nanny and never lift a finger.” She gave me a tight hug, one I wanted to get out of. “I really thought you would struggle out here by yourself, but you’re doing better than I could have ever imagined.”

She let me go and walked off, leaving me to stand there for a moment to collect myself. My dad hadn’t even said goodbye, and he was too busy working to even look me in the eyes. I wondered if he ever felt bad or regretted selling me off like we were in the 1800s. But I wasn’t hopeful about it. He was making money and Sebastian was running the business. That was what he wanted.

My mother, though? She was in another league.

I returned home and watched TV. After the second episode in a row, I was feeling more than a little inspired to write. I planned on going dark, because my mood was so bad; I wanted to take it out on my characters.

But when I got to Rohanda and Jamisson, I couldn’t do it. Instead, I went the opposite direction. I gave them a light, fluffy scene. I knew Rohanda was very loosely based on me, but Jamisson? Well, he was a dream of mine—not based on anyone.

But I knew I couldn’t hurt him.

I wrote a lighter scene, bringing them closer together. A lot of the fans would love it, and I began thinking I did too.

I was terribly sore from my mother’s ambush, so I spent the day in bed, laptop stacked on pillows so I could write.

I put in hints of romance that I’d never added in before. I couldn’t help it—I was inspired.

When I was done, I had a very pointed text from my mother that I needed to post on Instagram. Just because I had Sebastian, she said, it didn’t mean I could let my followers down.

I found what I could and threw it up on my page.

As the sun set, Sebastian arrived home, looking tired and out of it after a long day. I hadn’t cooked dinner and felt bad that it looked like I had done nothing all day. Sebastian didn’t mention it, but I offered to go get something.

When I returned with food, we ate in silence, sharing a space but not talking. I usually didn’t ask about work, but this time I felt like I should.

“How was your day?” I asked.

“It was fine,” he said, but it sounded robotic.

“Was it?” I asked, looking at him curiously.

He blinked, looking almost shocked that he was caught. Then, his expression turned apologetic. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to pretend it was fine.”

“What happened?” I asked, a spark of anxiety running through me.

“My dad is concerned about your social media posts and how little I’ve been working.”

“You put in more than forty hours a week.”

“I know, but he wants it to be my life.”

“It shouldn’t be,” I said firmly.

Sebastian shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell him. If I stay there all the time, then people will think we don’t get along. If I ignore them and stay, doing as my father wants, I’m neglecting you here at home.”

“The hours shouldn’t matter. Is the work getting done?”

“Yes. Everything is running smoothly. When I asked him what I was doing wrong, he didn’t have an answer. It feels like he just called to take something out on me.” Sebastian let out a long, pained breath. “I feel like he tries to hit me with words since he can’t with his fists anymore.”

“He shouldn’t do either,” I said. “How about we get some decent photos of us this weekend and I post those? I’ve been meaning to get more, but it’s harder to ask when I know we both hate it.”

“The managers agreed on when to have the Christmas party.” He sighed. “Next week. It will be after work hours. We could do them there.”

“That’s a good idea. I can dress up and we can take a bunch of photos.”

“Are you sure? I know you hate those parties.”

“I still have to do it. Besides, if it keeps your dad off your back, I’m all for it. We’ll make it look perfect. I can even eat a lot to get bloated, so people think I’m pregnant.”

Sebastian choked on the water her was drinking. “What?”

“I was kidding,” I said. “Maybe. It’s a good idea, but I’d never do it without asking.”

Sebastian was quiet for a moment, and I felt my anxiety rise. Had I upset him?

“Do people . . . talk to you about that? Kids, I mean.”

Immediately, I thought of my mother. But I didn’t want to tell him that—not yet. He already hated her enough as it was.

“A little,” I decided to say. “But I’ve dodged it.”

“I get asked at work a lot,” Sebastian said, sighing. “And I’ve got no clue how to answer. The office in LA wasn’t as nosy as this one.”

“You could just say we’re waiting.”

“I have, but if this were real, what would we be waiting for?”

I paused. I was a little hung up on none of this being real, but he had a good point: what would we be waiting on?

“You could say the truth—at least on my behalf. We don’t want to bring kids into this world until we’re settled. Until things are figured out.”

Sebastian blinked, looking shocked. “So . . . that’s the truth?”

“Most of it. I want to wait until I know they’d have parents who are committed. I don’t want a child just for the sake of it.”

“I feel the same.”

“It’s a huge commitment,” I said. “I can’t . . . I won’t do what my family did.”

And I won’t do what my mother was trying to force me to do. Never.

“I won’t either,” Sebastian said.

He seemed lost in thought, so I gave him a moment.

“We’ve got this,” I said, after he came out of his thoughts. “We’ll work together.

The tension in Sebastian’s shoulders loosened, and I found myself, for once, believing my own words.

Photo: a lit fireplace. Looking closely, it’s from a royalty-free photo site on the third page of the search results.

LilyRMiller: The holidays are here!!! I am SO excited to spend my first one in Nashville with the hubby!!! Our little home is so cozy, and I can’t wait to spend my first cold winter snuggling in front of the fireplace!

SebandLily4ever: Where are the two of you? I miss seeing your faces!

User9274649272: show your pretty face, love

RealBarbaraRoberts: Lily, we want to see you and your beautiful hubby!!!