Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 (18 page)

Sebastian felt like he’d abandoned Eva to the firing squad, but Eva knew her parents best and knew how to handle them. The way she stared her mama down and refused to let go of his hand made him proud.

He had to get going anyway. Dirk had scheduled a rehersal, and Markus was picking him up in an hour. It would be the first time he’d faced Karl since Sebastian forced the band on hiatus. His stomach clenched at the thought of seeing his ugly mug again. If he could avoid another personal encounter with him, or with Yvonne for that matter, he would. As it was Karl was an occupational hazard. At least Sebastian had some new tunes to bring to the floor.

His phone rang as he reached the steps to his building and he almost answered it without looking, thinking it would be Eva reporting back. Good thing he checked. It was his father again. Twice in one week? It made him think there was something wrong. It stopped on the third ring. Couldn’t be that urgent.

Sebastian went straight to his fridge and grabbed a cold beer. The fizzle sound it made as he removed the cap ignited his thirst and he gulped back a couple swallows before settling on the sofa and putting his feet up.

He turned on the sports channel to watch a soccer match to pass the time, but kept checking his phone every ten seconds hoping to hear from Eva. Finally, he texted her himself.

Sebastian Weiss

You still alive over there?

Eva Baumann

Yeah. It’s tense but it’ll be okay
.

Sebastian Weiss

Sorry you have to go through this.

Eva Baumann

Me too.

Sebastian Weiss

Heading out to rehearsal soon. First time since…

Eva Baumann

Nervous?

Sebastian Weiss

Nah. Well, a little. I just need to focus on my guitar so I don’t kick his a**

Eva Baumann

:)

Sebastian Weiss

See you tomorrow?

Eva Baumann

Yes

She seemed all right. Definitely not very chatty, but…

Not for the first time Sebastian questioned himself. Eva’s family was more important than he was. She needed them more than she needed him. He hated that they’d put her in a position where she felt like she had to choose. The thought of breaking up, even after this short time cut him. It just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel fair. Besides, his heart was lassoed. He couldn’t walk away unless she asked him to leave.

He really hoped she wouldn’t do that.

The door chimed, and Sebastian startled. He ran a hand through his hair and told himself to get it together. His electric guitar was in its case, and he grabbed it and headed downstairs. Markus had returned to his car, which was idling at the curb.

“Hey, man,” he said.

“Hey.” Sebastian threw his guitar in the back seat and hopped in.

Markus tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “You’ve been keeping busy.”

Sebastian cocked a brow. “What do you mean?”

“You’re in the news. First with a brunette on your back and then eating out with a busty blond.”

Sebastian shook his head. “What busty blond?” Then he remembered being accosted by fans at the Mexican restaurant. Someone had taken a picture? He let out a frustrated breath. “That was nothing. Just an annoying fan.”

“And the brunette? Also an annoying fan?”

Sebastian smirked. “No. That one I like.”

Markus chuckled. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. Really, man. Glad you’ve moved on.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Karl’s fancy new car was parked in front of the warehouse. Sebastian inhaled and steadied himself. He had nothing to be nervous about. Karl was the jerk in this situation. At least he had the decency to have the sound system set up and turned on by the time Sebastian and Markus arrived. Karl’s expression was guarded as he watched Sebastian cross the room to where his mic was set up and ready. Sebastian didn’t utter a greeting, just went directly to his amp and plugged in.

“I got some new tunes to try,” he said.

They made it through the whole rehearsal without bickering or throwing a punch. Sebastian didn’t know if Karl was still with Yvonne. He never offered the information and Sebastian never asked.

Sebastian left Karl to clean up and at least for this time, he didn’t protest. His uncharacteristic amiability was a lame sort of apology. Sebastian wasn’t sure if he was ready to accept it.

He and Markus picked up fast food on the way home, which Sebastian wolfed down before Markus dropped him off at his place.

Sebastian gripped his trash in one hand and collected his guitar with the other. “Thanks for the ride.”

He’d just finished brushing his teeth when the door chimed. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Especially not the person who identified himself.

“It’s Herr Baumann. Can I come in?”

Sebastian groaned. Eva’s father was paying him a visit. This couldn’t be good. He pressed the buzzer and braced himself for the worst. A quick scan of his flat confirmed that it was too messy to tidy up in the minute it would take the middle-aged man to climb the stairs. He was glad his roommates had taken down their posters of half-naked girls and that he’d removed his inappropriate wall hangings the first day he’d invited Eva over to write songs.

Herr Baumann didn’t burst into his flat like the raging bull he’d imagined. Instead he looked tired and defeated. His thick shoulders hung forward as he clasped his hands in front of him.

“Hello, Herr Baumann. Would you like to sit?”

“Thank you, but I don’t plan on staying long.”

Sebastian was glad to hear it. He slid back onto the sofa. “I hope you don’t mind if I sit.”

“I’ll get right to the point,” the man said. “I want you to break things off with my daughter.”

Sebastian snorted. Were all fathers the same? Egotistical and manipulative? “I expected as much.”

“Will you?”

“No.”

Herr Baumann raised his palms. “Why would you want to hurt an innocent girl like Eva?”

“I don’t think I’m the one hurting her.”

“Surely, you are aware how all the young women of Europe are in love with you. The celebrity you. Every one of them dreams that she could gain your attention and your affections. Eva is no different.”

Sebastian frowned. He remembered the poster of him and Hollow Fellows on Eva’s wall. But that was then. She doesn’t see him like that anymore. She sees the real him. And she still wants to be with him.

“Eva is special,” Herr Baumann continued. “She’s been through a lot. I couldn’t bear to see her hurt again. Please, would you consider it?”

“You don’t want to see her get hurt again but you’re asking me to do just that.”

“Yes, I know. But the pain now will be far less than the pain later.”

Sebastian bristled at his words. The man was so sure that he would leave his daughter hanging.

“I’ve already told her I’d accompany her to Gabriele’s wedding. Do you want me to rip her heart in two right before that joyous event?”

Herr Baumann stared at him and pinched his lips together. “No, that’s not the memory I want her to associate with her sister’s happy moment. You can come to the wedding, but then the next day it’s time to say good-bye.”

“What if I don’t want to say good-bye to her? Ever?” Sebastian stood and stared at Herr Baumann, man to man. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”

Herr Baumann’s eyes widened under his thick eyebrows. He rubbed his forehead as if he could scrub the shock off. “If you love her you’ll let her go.”

Sebastian returned his challenge. “If you love her, you’ll let her go.”

Herr Baumann sighed. “Perhaps we should both let her go. Just think about it, that’s all I ask. Will you? Do what you know is best for her.”

Sebastian Weiss

I have a surprise for you.

Eva Baumann

I love surprises.

Sebastian Weiss

Meet me outside
.

Eva Baumann

Now?

Sebastian Weiss

Now.

Eva quickly checked her image in the mirror, ran fingers through her hair and smoothed her skirt. Her stomach bubbled with anticipation. What kind of surprise did Sebastian have? And how brave of him to come to her door. Her parents were working in the flat but they could go out at any time.

Papa looked up from the computer at his desk in the corner of the dining room and pushed his reading glasses up on his nose. “Where are you going?”

Eva hesitated. She could spin a lie, tell him she was going to visit Annette, but she didn’t want to lie anymore, especially to her parents. She lifted her chin. “I’m meeting Sebastian.”

Papa’s face flickered with disapproval, but he only grunted, then went back to whatever he was working on. Interesting. She would’ve stood up to him long ago if she’d thought it would be this easy.

She was greeted with warm August air that smelled spicy from the mixed aromas of the open restaurants on her block. Her eyes widened with, yes, surprise, when she saw Sebastian standing there. With a two-seater bike.

He disarmed her with his smile, the way he always did. “What do you think?”

“It’s… nice.”

“It’s more than nice. It’s perfect. See, I had the bike techs disengage the back pedals.”

“So, you do all the work?” Eva asked.

“It’s not much work. It’s not like you weigh much, and the bike trail along the river is flat.”

A smile took over her face. Sebastian had listened to her when she told him she missed riding her bike. He found a way to give her back her dream. Her heart swelled with gratitude. She limped over to him and pushed up on her toes to meet his lips.

“This is so sweet of you. I love it.”
And I love you.

Sebastian straddled the front seat and braced the bike between his legs. “So, get on.”

Eva hoisted herself onto the back seat, setting her cane across the handlebars and placed her feet on the pedals, allowing her bad leg to straighten as it rested on the lower one. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Sebastian pushed off, and Eva squealed with delight, hanging on tight. They headed toward the river, dodging pedestrians and hitting the crosslights just as they turned green. Her ribs rattled as they skimmed over the cobblestones until they reached the smoother section along the pedestrian street of
Neustädter Markt
.

They walked the bike toward the bridge and down to the bike path that ran along the River Elbe. Eva breathed in deeply and released a happy sigh. The sun on her face and the wind in her hair, coasting along as if on air. This was what she missed. She only wished she could participate in the pedaling, feel the burn in her thighs and the stretching of her lungs as she exerted her body.

But this was a worthy second-place prize with the added bonus of being able to stare at Sebastian’s strong shoulder muscles rippling under his shirt.

After a while Sebastian stopped by an empty bench. “Do you want to rest here a bit?”

Eva wasn’t the one who’d been working, so she wasn’t in need of a rest, but she got off for Sebastian’s sake. The bike had a water bottle attached, and Sebastian removed it and took a swig before handing it to Eva. “Want some?”

She reached for the bottle and drank. “Thanks,” she said as she handed it back.

Sebastian sat beside her and draped an arm over the back of the bench behind Eva’s shoulders. He shifted his sunglasses to the top of his head, closed his eyes and stretched out, basking in the sun.

“I love summer,” he said.

“Me, too.”

He opened the eye closest to her and stared. “How’d it go last night? With your parents?”

“It was tough. But I think they respect me enough to let me do what I want.”

“Which is what?” he asked playfully.

She nudged his leg. “Be with you.”

“Ah.” He sat up straighter and turned to her. “That was it? I thought you’d get the third degree or an ultimatum or something.”

“I think if Papa thought he could get away with that, he would.”

“Your Papa…” Sebastian’s eyes flickered with… something. Indecision?

“My papa what?”

Sebastian pushed his sunglasses back onto his nose. “Nothing. Just… I’m sure he’s worried about you.”

His voice tightened when he said that and it scared her. “Is something wrong?”

“Eva, are you sure this is worth it?”

“Am I sure
you’re
worth it? Yes. Without hesitation.”

Oh God, was he breaking up with her? Her blood went cold then hot at the thought. Tears immediately welled up behind her eyes.

Then he smiled. “And you are absolutely worth it.”