Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,47
to do it, huh?” He knows me so well. And I’m not even sure my expression says otherwise. “Wow. And you’re not even married,” he says, head shaking, before he starts to walk back to where we came from. “Alright, I don’t want you to be punished if you bring a carcass home.”
“Don’t exaggerate,” I brush him off.
“Really?” He stands still, observing me for a second. “And what about our duck hunting in the winter? Are you gonna need her permission?”
“I…” As much as I know it’s gonna hurt, I’ve got to tell him the truth. “I don’t think I’ll be able to hunt anymore, Sebastian. I can join you, but I won’t be able to shoot.”
“But you used to love hunting. We used to do it every year.” His stare goes to the ground, as he seems to be thinking something through, before it drifts back up to me. “You spent ten years with Amanda, yet she never prevented you from hunting.”
“I know, but Petra is a vegetarian. This goes against everything she stands for.”
“Yeah, but you aren’t,” he replies just as fast. “She’s imposing her views on you. Soon enough, she’ll dictate what you can and cannot eat.”
I must say, his bewilderment is pretty fun to watch. And just to horrify him a bit further, I say, “Actually, when it’s only the two of us, we just eat vegetarian.”
He blinks twice, containing the urge to gape, and his expression is as amusing as I expected. “Are you serious?”
I force myself not to laugh, and reveling in my little game, I keep going, “I don’t mind. In Aspen, I spent a week eating vegetarian, and I survived.”
“Oh boy,” he mumbles, rolling his eyes. Then a rush of air leaves his mouth as he shakes his head. “See? With Amanda, you always remained yourself.”
“Amanda and I had a different arrangement,” I remind him once more.
“And that arrangement was good for you,” he presses on. “You were always in control, but now? Sorry, buddy, but not anymore.”
“Well, Petra and I don’t have any arrangement to begin with,” I riposte as we keep strolling through the woods.
“Oh, she definitely has one with you, even if you know nothing about it,” Sebastian unleashes. I frown at his comment. “She knows she can control you with her sweet little voice and smile. Petra is not stupid—she knows how to get what she wants.”
“C’mon, Petra is not controlling me.” But I know I’m just fooling myself.
“Well, she proposed, she decided the date of your wedding, she doesn’t want you to hunt, she dictates what you eat in your own house…”
“The things one does for love…” I chuckle. And while Sebastian seems to be utterly outraged, I’m pretty okay with everything he mentioned.
“My relationship with Petra is different from the ones I had before. And that’s exactly what I like about it,” I tell him, hoping to close the subject once and for all. Damn it, I shouldn’t have opened up to him in the first place.
But Sebastian doesn’t seem to get it. “And how did she even find out about the trophy room? You told me no one knew about that place.”
Letting out a sigh, annoyed at his insistence, I mumble, “Most likely Maria told her.”
“And now your own employees are loyal to her? Soon enough, she’ll be like Margaret and you will be Hendrik.”
“Enough," I bark. “Dad deserved it. I will never cheat on my wife.”
“That’s not what I—”
“Look, I appreciate your concerns. But don’t ever compare us to my parents again.”
I’ve never raised my voice to Sebastian before. And I hope I never have to do it again. With so much friction between us, we leave the woods in a painful silence, and, even worse, we are both too proud to apologize.
Chapter 12
Petra Van Gatt
There is one thing I’m getting pretty used to in this house. And that is the comfy sofa in Alex’s office. I’ve started a habit of lying there and reading while listening to a jazzy playlist or just spending time on the phone with Emma, which is what I’m currently doing. All of a sudden, though, I hear a few knocks on the door and I put my call on mute, right before Maria walks in. “Miss?” she says as she stands in the doorway. “Mr. Van Dieren would like to talk to you. May I escort you?”
Oh! He’s finally back? “Um, sure.” Putting my iPhone back to my ear, I say to Emma, “I’ve got to go. I’ll