Look After Me (27 page)

When we finally reach the cabin, I put the truck in park and my mouth drops to the floor. The magnificent sight before me physically takes my breath away. It’s a beautiful red-mahogany logged cabin with a slate tiled roof and high raised windows. The scenery is something to behold. It’s like a fall dream with the hundred acres of trees surrounded and the Cascade Mountains. It’s like a palace, a manly, rugged palace. It’s just . . .

Wow.

“
This
is your parents’ cabin?” I was expecting something moderately nice considering who Addison’s father is, but I was not expecting this. This is a frigging mansion.
I am so out of my league right now.

Addison laughs. “It sure is. It’s nice, huh?”

“Nice?” I choke out. “This isn’t nice, this is beyond
nice,
it is . . . out of this world.”

She chuckles as she grabs the handle of the door. “Come on.”

We exit the truck and I grab our bags from the back seat of the truck while Addison stretches her legs.

“There’s my little girl. Come over here and give your dad some love.”

Addison rushes towards him and engulfs herself into his opened arms. I smile as I approach, purposely slowing my pace to give them a moment alone. That, and I’m kind of freaking out at the prospect of meeting William Scott of Scott Records.

They let go and William’s gaze falls on mine. He gives me a warm smile and holds his hand out to me. “You must be Sebastian. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I drop the bags to the ground beside me and shake his hand. “Yes, sir. It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Scott.”

He gives out a hearty laugh. “Oh, none of this sir and mister crap. Call me William. If anything, I should be calling you sir. You’re the one who has fought in this godforsaken war. Thank you for your service. Your sacrifice as a soldier is the reason we get to live the life we do and for that I’m grateful.”

I chuckle nervously as I pick the bags back up. “I don’t know about that but thank you.”

“You kids come on inside. Mom’s making her special hot coco.”

Addison bursts out into a song of laughter as we make our way inside. “Is that the special coco that Aunt Jenn got wasted on last Thanksgiving and vomited everywhere? Because if it is, I’d rather make our own ‘normal’ version of hot coco, thank you.”

William gives Addison a quirky smirk. “It may have a little drop of something in it.”

“A barrel isn’t a drop, Dad.”

I’m frozen in place. The cabin has red mahogany log interior walls, wooden beam ceilings and rustic hardwood floors, but it also has luxurious furniture, a state of the art television mounted to the wall, and a designer gourmet kitchen. A pair of wooden French doors leads to an observation deck which overlooks the Snoqualmie River.

An older version of Addison embraces me, catching me off guard. “Oh my, you must be Sebastian. I’m Danya, Addison’s mom.” She pulls away and gives me a once over. “Addison, where did you find this hunk of muscle?”

I burst out laughing. I’ve never been given that nickname before. Addison looks mortified which only makes me laugh harder.

“Mom, seriously?”

“What? I’m just stating the obvious. Your friend here is hardly lacking in the good looks department.”

“Are you trying to steal my wife, Sebastian?” William suddenly steps up to me with a slap on the back before hanging his arm over my shoulder, a shit-eating grin etched along his face.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“That’s a shame, I’ve been looking for an excuse to finally be rid of her. We’ve been married for thirty-three years and here I am, still tied down to the old ball and chain.”

Addison’s mom feigns hurt. “Enough of the old, Will. You couldn’t last a day without my beautiful smile and you know it.”

William takes the few steps towards her and wraps his arms around her shoulders. “You know you’re the only woman for me.”

I smile warmly as he presses his lips to hers for a brief moment. Even though I’m dead set against love, it’s nice to see that it still exists. Addison, however, isn’t as thrilled.

“Oh God, seriously? I may be twenty-nine, but I still don’t want to see you making out. It’s gross.”

William pulls away from Danya and turns to Addison with a wicked grin. “Gross is what brought you into this world, honey, and you should be grateful that I still love your mom enough to kiss her.”

“I am, I just don’t want to be in the vicinity when you do.”

He rolls his eyes and places both hands on the side of her face, looking her in the eye. “Still my little girl, huh?” He places a kiss at the end of her nose before he steps away. “Why don’t you show Sebastian where he’ll be staying and show him around the place before your sister gets here?”

She nods with a smile. “Come on,” Addison beckons to me. I follow her up the stairs and down a long corridor.

“Your parents seem great. You look just like your mom.”

“Just wait until you meet Kacie. The resemblance between the two is uncanny.” She stops at the third wooden door, turns the handle and enters. I follow her and for the third time in ten minutes, my mouth just about drops to the floor.

I feel like I’ve stepped into the life of a Hollywood movie star. The bedroom is similar to the log interior with wood beam ceilings and hardwood floors. There’s an elaborate four-poster bed with what looks to be pure Egyptian cotton sheets smoothly ironed on top of the mattress.

As I continue to take in my surroundings, my eyes double in size when my gaze falls on the set of patio doors which leads to a balcony that overlooks the river. I drop the bags to the floor and head outside. As I take in the fresh, crisp air, a sensation of déjà vu hits me. My nostrils are engulfed with a mixture of fresh river waters, earthly soil and the sweet, invigorating aroma of pine trees. The smells remind me of when I was a kid and I used to go camping with my dad.

“You look like you’re reminiscing,” Addison says softly.

I smile fondly as I continue to look out at the forest before me. “Yeah, the smells out here just remind me of when I used to go camping as a kid. I forgot how much I loved the outdoors.” I look towards Addison. “I got so used to the humid desert that I’d forgotten how amazing trees smell.” I take a deep breath of forest air, feeling it all the way up to my sinuses. “God, I can’t remember the last time I took in a gulp of fresh air that was purely natural.” I’ve missed this. I’ve missed the sensation of being able to breathe without an unbearable weight holding me down.

“It is incredible out here, although I’ve never really been into camping. I love the comfort of my own bed too much.”

“Well, you’ve obviously never been camping with me.” I smile. “I can make just about anything comfortable. I am an Army veteran, after all.” I wink.

“Even a washing line?”

“Especially a washing line. Just give me a good hundred of them and I’ll be all set.” She chuckles as she playfully elbows me in the ribs, edging closer to me. I can’t resist putting my arms around her and bringing her close, my chest against her back.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For inviting me here. I think a weekend away is exactly what I needed.”

She places her hands on my arms and squeezes them affectionately. “You won’t be thanking me later when Dad starts asking you inappropriate questions and dragging you up to the karaoke machine.”

I press my lips to the top of her head, chuckling against her soft hair. “You’ll just have to drag me away and show me the infamous hot tub you were telling me about.”

She turns in my arms, facing me with a flirtatious smile. “The hot tub is for lights out only because the things I plan to do to you are too x-rated for an audience.” I definitely like the sound of that
.
And from the feel of it, so does my cock. “Down, soldier,” she warns as my excitement pushes against her stomach.

“Sorry.” I smirk. “It’s got a mind of its own, especially when I’m around you.”

She laughs as she pushes me away. “I’m going to put my stuff in my room and I’ll meet you downstairs, once you’ve, um, calmed down.” She flicks her gaze to my bulging cock before looking back up at me.

“Okay.” I smile. She starts to make her way through the patio doors when I call out her name. She turns to look at me.

“Again, I’m sorry about before, in the truck. I can be a real jackass when I want to be.”

She smiles lightly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll discuss that next week, but for now, just enjoy the weekend, okay?”

I nod and watch as she exits through the patio doors.

I’m making my way towards the stairs, when I’m suddenly greeted by an angelic face dressed in a pink princess outfit.

“Hey.” I look down at the little girl and smile.

“Who are you?” she asks with a cute little frown on her face.

I chuckle as I crouch down to her level. “I’m Sebastian, and who might you be?”

She stands up tall and proud. “I’m Claire Elizabeth Ford,” she announces.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Claire Elizabeth Ford. What you doing up here all by yourself?”

“I came to find my Aunt Addison but I can’t find her
anywhere.
I think she’s hiding from me. Please, will you help me find her?”

Well, if that didn’t just make my heart melt.

“Sure thing, little lady.” I hold out my hand, and considering she only met me thirty seconds ago, she has no qualms accepting it. We search room to room for Addison but come up empty-handed. “I don’t think she’s upstairs.”

“Should we try downstairs then?” she asks sweetly.

“Sure.” We head on down the stairs, and into the living room. She frowns when she spots everybody but Addison.

“Where can she be?” Claire muses. I notice out of the corner of my eye Addison tiptoeing quietly with her index finger placed on her lips. Claire is completely oblivious and screams with delight when Addison pounces on her.

“Boo!”

Claire giggles as she jumps into Addison’s arms. Addison swings her around in a full circle, causing Claire to squeal, then brings her into a tight embrace. I stand back and watch their interaction with amusement.

“God, I’ve missed you.” Addison presses a kiss on the top of her head before she pulls away and adjusts Claire on her hip.

“I missed you too, Aunt Addison.”

Addison glances down at Claire. “What princess are we today?”

“I’m Sleeping Beauty.”

“That’ll come in handy when it’s bed time.”

Claire’s forehead wrinkles. “I’m not really Sleeping Beauty. I’m just
pretending.
”

“Oh! I thought you were the real Sleeping Beauty. You look just like her, doesn’t she, Sebastian?”

“She sure does.”

Claire’s eyes excitedly grow and points to me with excitement. “Hey! Your name’s just like Sebastian from
The Little Mermaid!
”

I chuckle softly. “I guess it is.”

She suddenly jumps out of Addison’s arms and runs over to her mom to tell her the similarities between a singing crab and me. Addison’s sister smiles warmly when she sees me approach. Addison was right; she really is the spitting image of their mom.

“Sebastian, this is my sister, Lacie, and her husband, Ben. Ben, Lacie, this is Sebastian.”

Ben shakes my hand and Lacie embraces me in a warm hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Sebastian. I’ve heard a
lot
about you.” I watch as Addison’s eyes narrow on Lacie’s with embarrassment. I smile inwardly, a little surprised that Addison has obviously been talking to her sister about
our
sex life.

“How’s the room for you, Sebastian?” William asks.

“It’s incredible, sir. The view from that balcony is unbelievable.”

“What did I say about the sir business? You’re on vacation, relax. In fact,” he grabs a mug from the kitchen counter and pours some hot chocolate inside before passing it to me. “Try this.” I’m mid-sip when I hear Addison say, “Dad, please tell me that isn’t the alcoholic hot chocolate?” I almost spit it out when the strong hit of bourbon hits the back of my throat, almost scorching me.

“Whoa, that’s—” I cough-choke through teary eyes. “
Strong.
” I clear my throat, but it seems the alcohol is having a full-blown party in my mouth. “Is this a hundred percent absinthe?” I croak, causing everybody to laugh. I place the cup down on the counter and take a step back. “If it’s okay with you, I think I’m gonna stick with something less explosive.”