Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 360 Valeria called Margaret ahead of time. Once she wrapped up her work, Sebastian took the wheel. It was the three of them, plus three dogs, on a two-hour trip. Pudding was barely two months old, tucked in Selena's arms. Soft and sweet in name only, she spent her first trip out of town whining the entire ride. Nemo was sprawled out across the backseat, looking perfectly relaxed . But Sebastian reminded them that Nemo tended to get carsick. Any trip longer than an hour left him sluggish and miserable.

He cracked the window to let in some air, and Nemo perked right up, climbing to the window to look outside. Halfway through the drive, Valeria's phone rang. Seeing it was a call from Kayla, she figured it must be about work. But as soon as she answered, Kayla's voice came through. "[ picked up some supplements for my parents, and I got a box for your grandma too. They're in your trunk." "Okay. We'll stop by your parents! shop on the way and drop their stuff off first." "Your husband is driving, right?" Kayla teased, throwing in the title a little too often.

---- Valeria had her phone on speaker. She smiled and nudged Sebastian's sleeve, giving him a look. "Ts there something you need?" Sebastian asked, his tone cool and flat. The chill in his voice made Kayla's stomach drop. She immediately backed down, chatted briefly with Valeria, then hung up. "Has Nathan been back in Slate City lately?" Valeria couldn't help asking. Lately, she had the sense that Kayla had something weighing on her. Sebastian frowned as he said, "Cindy tried to slit her wrists. Her mother and Nathan's mother were close friends, and now the two families are at odds over it.

Mrs. Ford landed in the hospital with a heart condition. So, Nathan is probably staying home with his family." Cindy Zeller was Nathan's fiancée. Her family owned Halcyon Chemicals. She and Nathan had grown up together. They were childhood sweethearts. "So he just went back and left Kayla alone?" Valeria asked. She was clearly siding with Kayla, though she tried to stay rational. "Every time Cindy hurts herself, he drops everything and runs back. How long is he going to let her control him like that?" ---- Sebastian pressed his lips together and stayed quiet.

He understood the bind Nathan was in. The Fords weren't like the Grants. Nathan's parents cared about status and pedigree above all. "And what about you? If some woman tried to threaten you with suicide just to keep you from being with me, what would you do? Didn't you used to have a fiancée?" Valeria asked softly. "When did I ever have a fiancée?" Sebastian didn't even know he was supposed to have one. He added, "If every woman who cut her wrists could threaten me into submission, then I'd be drowning in girlfriends by now." Valeria didn't say anything.

Sebastian frowned lightly, stayed silent for a few seconds, then spoke with deliberate seriousness. "There's nothing between me and Sabrina. The Grants and Lawsons are just business partners. I don't like her." That was the biggest difference between him and Nathan. Nathan could never give up his power and position for a 'woman. But Sebastian could. He never needed his family's approval or permission to decide who he chose to be with.

Sebastian kept one hand on the wheel and laced his other hand with Valeria's as he said, "If you were up for it, I ---- would've taken off with you." "Please, I'm not running away with you." She laughed, then flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror. Selena was curled up in the backseat, humming to herself and using her tablet. Valeria wanted to pull her hand free from Sebastian's grasp but worried it would look too obvious. "One day, I'll be broke, washed up, and too sick to work. You'll have to take care of me." Sebastian said in a low voice, and with a touch of shamelessness.

"T'm not taking care of you," Valeria responded, finally pulling her hand free. "Just focus on driving." She glanced at the mirror again, a flicker of guilt rising. But Selena's expression stayed calm, eyes glued to the tablet, as if nothing else in the world existed. Maybe she really hadn't noticed the little exchange between Valeria and Sebastian. The drive took about two hours. When they arrived at Caelum District , they passed by Kayla's parents' breakfast shop. In the summer, they switched over at noon to sell pasta. Natalie grabbed Valeria's hand as she asked, "And who's this?

Is he your boyfriend?" Valeria nodded. "He's my husband, actually."