The Billionaire’s Burden(7)

That crabby woman had been around every single day this week. I wasn't sure whether she was bored or if she wanted to make sure I didn't wreck the house with a wild party while Sebastian was gone.

"No...Harry, I'm doing something a little crazy." I finally said, grin playing on my lips. I hadn’t spoken to anyone except Lewis about my plans for the bakery, and I was dying to spread the word a bit.

He almost groaned, swiping his hair back off his forehead, "This family has a habit of driving people insane." He muttered, "What exactly are you doing?"

"My bakery." I said, shutting the laptop and turning to face the chef, "It's changed so much since I let Sebastian and Alissa take over. You should see it. All the equipment, the paint, hell, even the walls have been reconstructed."

Harry quietly frowned at me, nodding slowly along as I spoke, "Yes, I've heard talk of it ever now and then. When Bast was a child he used to beg me to make those cookies of your mothers."

I laughed, nodding, "Exactly. I'm going to turn it back to how it was. It's no different now than any other chain bakery down the block. It's not special anymore. My parents wouldn’t like that I sold out, I need to keep it how they would like."

Harry hummed, stroking his chin as he watched me.

"What is it?" I asked, "Is it that bad?"

I was nervous to see how Sebastian would react when he returned home. Would he feel like I was throwing his hard work back in his face? Would he feel as though I wasn't grateful for all he'd done?

Butterflies flopped in my belly, reminding me of his impending return. It would be any time now.

Would I even be able to ask what went on between him and Alissa while they were alone together overseas? Was it even within my right to have that discussion?

What did I really want from Sebastian Davis?

What did he want from me?

"No." Harry finally said, interrupting my wandering thoughts, "I was just thinking how very un-crazy that sounds."

"You think?" I asked, excitement bubbling like carbonation inside my tummy, "I was hoping you'd feel that way."

"It should be easy for Sebastian to find the current staff a new job somewhere. It wasn't meant to fit a whole workplace." I added with a shake of my head, wondering how the twenty cooks and cashiers even fit inside there with the expanded walls, "It's so crowded and compacted. Not how my parents would have wanted it at all. They loved how relaxing the atmosphere used to be."

"The business is booming though, Macy." Harry shrugged, "You'll never be able to see those profits again with how you want to run things."

"To be honest, I don't even care now." I sighed, "I thought I wanted it to boom like this, but now I just want it to be successful, not growing at the speed of light."

"You want to make your parents proud." Harry said softly, a smile on his withered lips, "You're a good girl, Macy."

He reached over, squeezing my shoulder, "I'm sure their more proud of you today than any other."

Before I could thank the old chef, the front door slammed noisily, announcing the presence of my mother in law.

Harry leapt to his feet, escaping into the kitchen before he could be sternly harangued. I stared longingly after him, wishing I could vanish as well.

With an inward groan, I worked up all the resolve I could muster and stood up to greet the angry woman.

Instead of her perfect heels clicking against the ground however, it was my new husband who rounded the corner.

He stopped short under the arch of the dining room, staring at me in surprise.

We stood, stiff as statues, just watching each other, waiting to see how the other would react.

Harry's curious storm colored eyes peered from around the corner, watching us, though we didn't notice.

Stiffly, I took a small step forward, unsure whether to shake Sebastian’s hand or try and hug him. Instead, my arms remained rigidly at my sides. I almost would have preferred Karina to be here. At least she would soak up his attention.

Sebastian, still looking at me, was as handsome as ever. His eyes, blue and calm as the ocean, were tired. His normally perfectly pressed suit was lightly wrinkled from the long flight back over.

"Hello." I whispered, eyes lingering on the strength of his broad shoulders. I'd forgotten how truly beautiful the young billionaire really was.

"Hello, Macy." He said softly back, himself taking a small step forward towards me.

Here we were, a newlywed couple, awkward as the day is long. Would we really ever be able to cross the wide distance between our hearts? Was that what either of us even wanted? Or were we only using our marriage in title only for our own selfish benefit.

If that was the case, at least I wouldn't have to feel guilty about turning the tide of the bakery.