“What are we doing for the holidays?” I asked as she made her morning protein shake.

It had been almost four months since I had been on the island with her. She ran her hand through her hair, ruffling it all over. It was getting long, almost down to her ass; the longer it got, the less it curled. Now it appeared like she had soft waves. I could smell the lingering vanilla scented shampoo and sunscreen she put on every morning.

Deadly combination for my cock.

“I don’t know. That’s my busiest time of the season.”

I nodded. “I imagine, but how about you let me take you away for a few days. You’ve said so yourself the bar runs itself and your crew and management can hold down the place for a bit.”

“True. You do know we live on an island, though? Where are you taking me that’s better than paradise?” she said with a giggle.

“I was thinking we would go to Colorado. Maybe go snowboarding for a few days, rent a cabin in Breckenridge. The city is amazing during Christmas time, all the houses are lit up.”

She smiled and sat up on the counter. “You can snowboard?” she asked, taking a sip of her shake.

“Of course, I can snowboard; I’ve been going since I was a kid. I’m actually pretty good. I’d have to go to my parents’ and get my board, though.”

“Oh…” The sadness in her tone was evident.

She bowed her head and I stepped in between her legs. “I was thinking another idea, too.”

She looked up at me. “You’re just full of them today, huh?” She narrowed her eyes as I placed my hand on her inner thigh. “Be nice,” she cautioned.

“I’m always nice, especially when I’m in between in your legs,” I teased. “What I was thinking, was that you would come back to Miami with me. I haven’t been back in almost three four, Ysa. I miss Christian like crazy, and Skype just isn’t cutting it anymore.”

She nodded. “No, I understand.”

“I also want to talk to Julia. She’s been extremely understanding of me being here, and I’d like to let her know what’s going to happen from here on out. I need to take a meeting with Yachting Enterprise’s as well.”

Her eyes followed my every word. “Yeah…definitely…that makes sense.” She played it off well, but I could see her confusion and intrigue to what I was going to say next.

“I’d love for you to meet my parents.”

“Whoa…”

I chuckled at her response. “Not only that, But I’d love for you to officially meet Christian and Julia, Ysa. I want my two worlds to unite so we can all come up with some sort of game plan for everyone involved.”

She sucked in air. “Sebastian, that has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you. My mom would love to meet you. I talk about you all the time; they know where I am. They know everything.”

“Everything?” she asked with apprehension.

“They know the important parts. Not so much the specifics. Julia knows I’m here with you. I want to go back together and then come home together.”

“Okay…” she replied with obvious confusion.

“Okay?”

Her head was spinning with questions.

Her eyes darted all around the room, trying to process everything I was saying at a rapid speed. I could see the overwhelming perplexity of what I was requesting on her face. She wasn’t doing a good job at hiding it. Her emotions were running wild, trying to catch up with her ability to understand how serious I was about us.

“I don’t need to come home with you,” she blurted. “I live here. I don’t want to decide for you what is going to happen. I don’t want to be involved in deciding what happens with everyone else. But this is where I am, so if you want to be here, just go, figure out your shit and then come back,” she argued. 

“I’m not asking you to. I’ve already made my decision. I’m moving here. I want to sell off my equity and partnership of Yachting Enterprises; I’ve already spoken to them. They have my final offer and we need to sit down and work out all the paperwork. I don’t need to worry about money, ever. I’ve done very well for myself; Christian will have everything he needs. We will have everything we need. I want to invest in a charter business, here, with you.” I paused to let her take in my words. “I want to trade in my yacht that’s at the marina in Miami for a fishing boat and sail it back, here, with you. I’d like to talk to Julia and my parents about all of this in person, with you by my side. It’s no longer just me, Ysa; it’s us, and I want a life with you. Not just today, but tomorrow and every day after that. We’re a team now, a partnership, and I want you to be a part of the decision-making process, for me, for us, and everyone else included. It will affect you, me, us, as much as them.”

I stood there waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t make a sound. She stared at me like I had grown three heads or something in the last few minutes. I waited for a response, anything to let me know that we were on the same page. Still nothing. I laid my heart out to her, and she hadn’t said one thing. But if the expression on her face and the silence she’s displaying were supposed to mean something, then I was royally fucked.

Just when I think we take two steps forward, we take three back.

The silence was terrifying and it was eating away at all my insecurities.

Be patient…

I was about to say something, anything, when her phone rang, taking her out of her coma-induced daze. “I’m going to get that,” she announced, shaking her head.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah…it could be important.”

“More important than this?” I demanded, wanting an answer.

She put her hands up in the air in a frustrated gesture. “Just…chill…give me a second.” She pushed me backward, away from her, and jumped off the counter, quickly grabbing her cell phone off the dining table and sprinting out the front door.

What the fuck just happened?