Chapter 26 BREAKFAST IN BED
Harper woke to the smell of coffee and something buttery that made her stomach growl before she had even opened her eyes.
She blinked slowly, disoriented by the sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows, before remembering where she was. Sebastian's room. Sebastian's bed. Where she had fallen back asleep after the nightmare, wrapped in his arms, after telling him she was falling in love with him.
Oh God. She had said that out loud.
Harper sat up quickly, her heart racing, and found herself alone in the massive bed. The space beside her was empty but still warm, the pillow indented where Sebastian's head had been. For a moment, panic flared. Had he left? Was he regretting everything? Had she scared him off with her confession?
Then the door opened and Sebastian walked in carrying a tray filled with coffee, pastries, and what looked like fresh fruit. He was already dressed in casual clothes, dark jeans and a soft gray sweater, his hair still damp from a shower.
"You are awake," he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I was trying to time this perfectly, but you beat me to it."
Harper stared at him, then at the tray, then back at him. "What is this?"
"Breakfast. In bed. I know it is not particularly original, but I figured after last night you deserved something nice." He set the tray carefully on the bed beside her. "Coffee, black with one sugar. Almond croissants from that bakery you love. Fresh strawberries. And I attempted to make scrambled eggs, but they turned out questionable, so I left those in the kitchen."
"You made breakfast?"
"I tried. The eggs were a failure, so I went out and got pastries instead." Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed, looking almost nervous. "Is this weird? Tell me if this is weird. Claire said it was romantic, but Claire's judgment is questionable at best."
Harper felt tears prick her eyes, which was ridiculous. It was just breakfast. Just coffee and pastries and thoughtfulness she had not expected, had not thought she deserved.
"It is not weird," she said softly. "It is really, really nice."
Sebastian's expression relaxed. "Good. I was not sure. We have never really done the morning after thing before, and after what you said last night, I wanted to make sure you knew I was not running scared."
"Are you? Running scared?"
"Terrified, actually. But also staying." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I meant what I said, Harper. About figuring this out together. About making it work."
Harper took a sip of her coffee to hide the fact that her hands were shaking slightly. The coffee was perfect, exactly how she liked it. Of course it was. Sebastian paid attention to everything.
"So we are really doing this," she said. "Making this real."
"We have been real for a while now. We are just finally admitting it." Sebastian picked up a strawberry and bit into it. "Though I have to say, your timing on the love confession was impeccable. Middle of the night, post nightmare, emotionally vulnerable. Very romantic."
Harper laughed despite herself. "I was not planning it. It just came out."
"I am glad it did. It saved me from having to figure out how to say it first, which probably would have involved extensive planning and possibly a PowerPoint presentation."
"You would not make a PowerPoint about feelings."
"You do not know that. I make PowerPoints about everything." He grinned. "Claire has a running bet on how long before I try to optimize our relationship with data analytics."
"That is the most Sebastian Colton thing I have ever heard."
"I prefer to think of it as being thorough." He handed her a croissant on a small plate. "Eat something. You barely touched dinner last night, and I know you will be at the Adriatic all day dealing with that electrical inspection."
Harper took the croissant and bit into it, the buttery layers dissolving on her tongue. It was from her favorite bakery, the small French place in Pike Place Market she had mentioned exactly once, three weeks ago. He had remembered.
"How do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Remember everything. The bakery I like, how I take my coffee, that I have an inspection today. You remember all these little details about me."
Sebastian looked almost uncomfortable with the question. "I pay attention. That is all."
"It is more than that. David lived with me for two years and never remembered how I took my coffee. You have known me for four months and you remember everything."
"Maybe David was not paying attention to the right things." Sebastian's voice was careful. "Or maybe I just care more about getting the details right."
Harper set down her croissant and reached for his hand. "Thank you. For this, for last night, for all of it. I know you said you do not know how to do relationships, but Sebastian, you are doing pretty well."
"I am figuring it out as I go. Googling how to be a good boyfriend at two in the morning. Calling Claire for advice, which is always a mistake because she just laughs at me. Trying not to mess this up."
"You are not messing it up."
"Yet. Give me time." He smiled wryly. "Though I have to admit, the boyfriend thing is strange. I have never actually been someone's boyfriend before."
Harper blinked. "What about Vanessa? Your ex fiancée?"
"We were engaged, but we were never really together in the traditional sense. It was more of a strategic partnership that evolved into an engagement because it made sense on paper. We never did the actual relationship part. The dating, the getting to know each other, the being there for each other when things got hard."
"That sounds lonely."
"It was efficient," Sebastian said, echoing his usual deflection. Then he caught himself. "Sorry. Old habits. Yes, it was lonely. I did not realize how lonely until I met you."
Harper squeezed his hand. "So what do we do now? Do we tell people we are really together? Do we still pretend this is just the contract?"
"I think we have moved past pretending." Sebastian was quiet for a moment. "Though I would like to keep this between us for now, if that is okay. Not because I am ashamed or hiding, but because the minute we tell people, it becomes public property. My board will have opinions. The media will have a field day. Your friends will want to analyze everything."
"Jessie already knows something is going on. She has excellent radar for when I am lying to her."
"Then tell Jessie. I will tell Claire, though she has probably already figured it out. But the rest of the world can wait until we are ready." He met her eyes. "Is that okay with you? Or do you need to make it official?"
Harper thought about it. Part of her wanted to shout from the rooftops that this was real, that Sebastian Colton had fallen for her despite all the reasons he should not have. But a larger part appreciated having something that was just theirs, private and protected from outside judgment.
"Okay," she said. "We keep it quiet for now. But Sebastian, eventually we will need to deal with the contract. The end date, the terms, all of it."
"I know. But can we just have this for a little while? This feeling of figuring it out together without lawyers and clauses and exit strategies?"
"Yeah. We can do that." Harper picked up her coffee again, savoring the warmth. "Though for the record, I am expecting breakfast in bed to become a regular occurrence now. You have set a precedent."
Sebastian laughed. "Noted. Though you should know, the only reason the croissants are perfect is because I went to three different bakeries before I found the one you mentioned. The first two were closed, and I may have been slightly obsessive about getting the right ones."
"You went to three bakeries?"
"It was either that or serve you questionable eggs. I made the right choice." He glanced at his watch. "What time is your inspection?"
"Ten. I should probably get moving soon." Harper looked down at herself, still wearing Sebastian's t-shirt from the night before. "And I need to change. I cannot show up at the Adriatic looking like I spent the night somewhere else."
"You can wear whatever you want. You are the owner. No one can judge you for your clothing choices."
"The contractor absolutely can and will judge me. He already thinks I am too young and inexperienced to manage this project. Showing up in wrinkled clothes will just confirm his biases."
Sebastian's expression darkened slightly. "The contractor thinks you are inexperienced?"
"It is fine. I have dealt with worse." Harper started to get out of bed, but Sebastian caught her hand.
"It is not fine. You are brilliant at what you do, and if he cannot see that, maybe we need a different contractor."
"Sebastian, we are five months into the renovation. We cannot change contractors now. And honestly, his opinion does not matter as long as he does good work."
"His opinion matters if it is affecting how he treats you."
Harper felt warmth bloom in her chest at his protectiveness, even as she recognized the familiar edge of control creeping into his voice. "I appreciate you wanting to defend me, but I can handle him. I have been handling him for months."
Sebastian looked like he wanted to argue, then seemed to catch himself. "Right. You are capable of managing your own project. I am not trying to take over."
"Good. Because we just had a whole fight about that, and I would really like to not repeat it." Harper kissed him quickly. "But thank you for caring. It is actually kind of nice having someone who wants to defend me, as long as that someone remembers I can also defend myself."
"Noted. I will work on the balance between supportive and controlling."
"It is a delicate balance."
"Apparently." He stood up and stretched. "I should let you get ready. I have a conference call at nine thirty that I cannot reschedule."
Harper gathered her things, acutely aware that she was about to do the walk of shame through the penthouse to her own room. Not that there was anyone to see, but it still felt significant somehow. Proof that things had shifted, that boundaries had been crossed, that they were really doing this.
At the door, she turned back. Sebastian was clearing the breakfast tray, looking domestic and comfortable in a way she had never seen him before.
"Sebastian?"
He looked up. "Yeah?"
"Last night, when I said I was falling in love with you, you said you were falling too. Did you mean it?"
Sebastian set down the tray and crossed to her, taking her face in his hands. "Harper, I meant every word. I am falling in love with you. I probably have been since you gave me hell about the tile and refused to back down. Maybe earlier. I am not good with feelings or timing or knowing when things started, but I know how I feel now."
"And how do you feel?"
"Terrified. Hopeful. Like I am standing on the edge of something that could either be the best thing that has ever happened to me or completely destroy me." He kissed her softly. "But mostly, I feel lucky. That you took a chance on a contract marriage with a stranger. That you stayed when I was controlling and jealous. That you are patient with me while I figure out how to be someone's person."
Harper felt tears threaten again. "You are doing better than you think."
"I am trying. That is all I can promise. That I will keep trying."
"That is all I need." Harper kissed him once more, then forced herself to pull away. "Okay. I really do need to get ready now, or I will be late."
"Go. Handle your inspection. Show that contractor that he is an idiot for underestimating you."
Harper laughed and headed to her room, her heart feeling lighter than it had in months. Maybe years. The nightmare from last night felt distant now, replaced by the solid reality of Sebastian's presence, his support, his love.
She showered quickly and dressed in her most professional outfit, wanting to project competence and authority. When she emerged, Sebastian was in his office on his conference call, but he had left a note on the kitchen counter in his precise handwriting. "Good luck today. Call me if you need anything. I am proud of you."
Harper tucked the note into her bag and headed out, feeling like she could conquer anything. The inspection, the renovation, the complicated feelings swirling between her and Sebastian. All of it felt manageable suddenly, less overwhelming.
She had someone in her corner now. Someone who made her breakfast and remembered her coffee order and stayed through her nightmares. Someone who was trying, despite his fears and his control issues and his complete lack of relationship experience.
Someone who was falling in love with her.
And Harper was falling right back, contract be damned.
Eight months were left on their agreement, but increasingly, that deadline felt less like an ending and more like something they would figure out how to navigate together.
One breakfast, one nightmare, one honest conversation at a time.
Harper drove to the
Adriatic with a smile on her face, ready to face whatever challenges the day brought.
Because she was not facing them alone anymore.
And that made all the difference.